Rabbi Brian Zimmerman is excited to be a part of the ongoing story of this historic and vibrant Fort Worth Congregation.
Rabbi Brian Zimmerman comes from a long line of rabbis. He is a 12th generation rabbi following in the footsteps of his father and grandfathers before him. Raised in New York City, Rabbi Zimmerman’s route to the pulpit began by studying film and broadcasting. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston University. He moved to Hollywood with the intent of working in the film industry, but realized that his calling to be a Rabbi was much stronger.
After receiving his Masters Degree in Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, Rabbi Zimmerman was ordained at the Hebrew Union College in New York City in 1993 where he wrote his thesis on the origins and modern developments of the Passover Haggadah.
Prior to his time at Beth El Congregation, Rabbi Zimmerman served as the Regional and Rabbinic Director for the South District of the Union for Reform Judaism. In this capacity, he tended to the spiritual and physical needs of clergy and congregations in an 11-state district comprising 195 congregations. Prior to this, he was the rabbi at Congregation Beth Am in Tampa, Florida, from 1999 to 2006, and the Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Beth Ami in Rockville, Maryland, from 1993 to 1999. He has also served as a student intern at the UAHC Department of Small Congregations.
Rabbi Zimmerman has tried to merge his two passions, Judaism and film, through his temple classes and other outside commitments. He served as Co-Chair of Cinema Emanu-El, a major summer Jewish film festival that hosts over 2,000 attendees, and served on the film selection committee for the Tampa Bay Jewish Film Festival. He loves to teach classes that explore religious themes in American films.
Rabbi Zimmerman currently serves as a Fort Worth City Leader for the Multi Faith Neighbor Network, and is a member of the Faith and Justice Coalition of Tarrant County.
He has served as a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) Board of Trustees, the CCAR Ethics Committee, and as Co-Chair of the CCAR Convention Committee. Rabbi Zimmerman has also served as Chair of the Reform Rabbinate’s Task Force on Congregational and College Campus Relations, was a member of the URJ College Committee, served as Vice President of the Rabbinic Association of Greater Dallas and President of the Tampa Rabbinical Association. In 2015, he was featured as one of Tablet Magazine’s “15 American Rabbis You Haven’t Heard of, but Should.”
Rabbi Zimmerman believes that Jewish leaders must constantly challenge themselves to make Judaism joyous, meaningful and transformative. He believes synagogues must be, above all, safe places for sacred conversations.
He has a special passion for all things youth group, Bruce Springsteen, scary movies and conversations about God although not necessarily in that exact order.
Rabbi Zimmerman lives in Fort Worth with his amazing wife Mimi, and his wonderful children, Saul and Molly.
Rabbi Ralph Mecklenburger came to Beth-El in 1984. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut and grew up in suburban Chicago. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Cincinnati in 1968, and was ordained upon graduation at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1972, which also awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1997. Prior to coming to Beth-El Rabbi Mecklenburger served congregations in San Francisco, California and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Rabbi Mecklenburger’s wife is the former Ann Nusbaum of Canton, Ohio. They have two children, Elissa Imran of Hong Kong and Alan Mecklenburger of Springfield, Virginia.
In addition to his congregational duties, Rabbi Mecklenburger has been involved in communal affairs both locally and nationally. Our Rabbi is an adjunct faculty member at Brite Divinity School, TCU, and for many years co-chaired the Texas Conference of Churches’ Jewish-Christian Forum. He has been on the boards of Community Healthcare of Texas, The Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, and the Jewish Family Service Agency. He has been a member of the Fort Worth Human Relations Commission, Chaired the Board of Community Healthcare of Texas. He was Vice-Chair of the Tarrant County United Way, and is a Past-President of the Southwest Association of Reform Rabbis. Nationally Rabbi Mecklenburger has served on the boards of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the National Association of Retired Reform Rabbis.
In 2012 Jewish Lights Publishing published his book, Our Religious Brains, and in 2020 Wipf and Stock published Why Call It God?: Theology for the Age of Science. His articles and sermons have appeared in numerous periodicals, and he authored chapters in two more books, “Comfort and Discomfort: Being Jewish in Fort Worth, Texas” in Lone Stars of David (edited by Beth-El’s archivist Hollace Weiner), and “God and the Earth’s Foundations” in A God We Can Believe In (edited by Agler and Sonsino). His books are available in the congregation’s library and Judaica Shop.
Among the many honors that have been bestowed upon him, Rabbi Mecklenburger was named Person of the Year by the Jewish Federation, by the local chapter of B’nai B’rith, and by Israel Bonds. The Multicultural Alliance gave him its annual award for his interfaith and interethnic work over the years. His rabbinic alma mater had him deliver a Founder’s Day Address, and he gave the annual Gates of Chai lecture at Brite Divinity School.
Rabbi Mecklenburger retired as Senior Rabbi of Beth-El in in 2016, but as Rabbi Emeritus remains active in the congregation and community.
Contact Rabbi Mecklenburger at .
Check out Rabbi Mecklenburger’s books:
Both books are available for purchase in Beth-El’s Judaica shop!