Clergy

Rabbi Nina Perlmutter served as our spiritual leader from the Fall of 2009 to February of 2015.  Before retiring early to study for ordination, Rabbi Nina headed Philosophy & Religious Studies at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona, where her favorite classes included Ethics, Environmental Philosophy, World Religions, and Science, Religion & Philosophy.  Now Emeritus Faculty, she continues to teach Jewish Studies and Environmental Ethics.  Her background in those areas, and her passion for sharing joyful and inclusive Judaism informed her rabbinate and approaches to Jewish learning.

Rabbi Perlmutter was ordained at the Academy for Jewish Religion California, a trans-denominational seminary in Los Angeles ( www.ajrca.org ), with additional graduate level studies at Spertus College for Jewish Studies in Chicago.  She founded and still serves as President of the Chevra Kadisha of Northern Arizona, an independent Jewish burial society.  Committed to interfaith dialogue, she is a member of the Northern Arizona Interfaith Council and Shared Earth Network.  She is the first designated Jewish contact person at Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim).

Rabbi Nina is a member of both the Greater Phoenix Board of Rabbis and the Board of Rabbis of Los Angeles.  She is married to Tom Brodersen, a Certified Jewish Meditation Teacher.  Together they have led Jewish Meditation retreats and hand-built two passive solar homes.

Thea Karlin, Congregation Lev Shalom's Rabbinic Student, was born and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona and attended Heichal Baoranim as a child.  Thea attended NAU and earned a B.S. in Psychology. She is currently the temple coordinator at Congregation Lev Shalom, the email marketing director, web developer, and is a teacher in our Flagstaff Jewish Education program.  She has been married for 12 years, has two amazing children, Joe and Evangeline, and two wonderful dogs, Agnes and Ralph.  Thea loves the welcoming, inclusive, egalitarian community at CLS

Leah Mundell is originally from Santa Rosa, California. She is currently an associate teaching professor of Anthropology and coordinator of the Community Engagement Minor at Northern Arizona University. She and her husband, David Trilling, and kids, Madeline and Gabriel, have been involved in Congregation Lev Shalom (then Heichal Baoranim) since they moved to Flagstaff in 2008. She loves watching kids (including her own) grow up in this Jewish community, getting to know the fabulous families in our Jewish education program, connecting across generations, and the opportunities to lead and shape our small congregation.

Lori Pearlmutter grew up in Chicago, moving to Phoenix when she was in high school.  She attended U of A and NAU and has been living in Flagstaff for 30 years, teaching for many years in the religious school and then offering Bnai Mitzvah classes at her home.  She is a physical therapist with a masters in public health,  and was in healthcare leadership for most of her career until retiring in 2022. She has two adult children (who were in her religious school classes) 2 sweet cats and a nice husband Gary, an attorney who is the COO of the Southwest Center for Equal Justice.  Lori has been with CLS longer than almost anyone and loves the warm, accepting community and the ability for everyone to have a voice.