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At The Reform Temple of Forest Hills, our dedicated Rabbi and Cantor serve at the heart of our dynamic community. Together, they lead services and curate programs using tradition and modern practices.
Whether you seek spiritual guidance, educational opportunities, or pastoral care, our clergy and staff are here to inspire, connect, and uplift.
Rabbi Mark Kaiserman became the rabbi of Reform Temple of Forest Hills in July 2013 returning to his childhood New York City and becoming part of this dynamic synagogue community.
During his rabbinic career, Rabbi Kaiserman has worked at all corners of the country. He served as the rabbi of Temple Emanu-El of West Essex in Livingston, New Jersey, as assistant/associate rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, Texas, and an Interim Rabbi at Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Fountain Valley, California.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Rabbi Kaiserman received a B.A. in English Literature and Judaic Studies from Binghamton University. He earned his M.A. in Hebrew Letters in 1996 and his rabbinic ordination from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion’s Cincinnati campus in 1997. In recognition of his 25 years in the rabbinate, he was awarded a Doctorate of Divinity (honoros causa) in 2022 by HUC-JIR.
Working with all ages, Rabbi Kaiserman has especially focused on connecting with youth in both formal and informal settings. He might be found with taking a trip with ToFHY (the Temple Youth Group) or Confirmation Class, or spending the summer volunteering at the URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy. He has been honored with Youth Worker of the Month by RJYouthworker and for his work with NFTY’s Texas/Oklahoma Region and the URJ Greene Family Camp.
With a childhood love for acting, he has co-written numerous popular Purim shpiels for all ages adapting the music from shows such as The Sound of Music, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, Disney, and The Wizard of Oz.
Holding onto the idea that making the world better than we found it is our Jewish core value, social justice and pastoral connections are a key part of his rabbinate. He is active in supporting the LGBTQ+ community in the synagogue, community, and world. Interfaith work has been a concentration including serving on the Forest Hills Interfaith Clergy Association. He also is an active volunteer in the CCAR (Central Conference of American Rabbis) as a rabbinic mentor, and previously served the CCAR Ethics Committee. He is currently studying at HUC-JIR part-time in The Interfaith Doctor of Ministry Program for Education in Pastoral Care expecting to receive his Doctorate in 2025.
While in rabbinical school, Rabbi Kaiserman served as student rabbi in several small pulpits Texarkana, Texas, Victoria, Texas, and Quincy, Illinois.
He is an amateur film buff and a diehard New York Mets fan. He loves to travel and has been to all 50 U.S. states and to a baseball game at every Major League stadium.
In addition to leading the congregation in prayer for Shabbat, High Holy Days and the Festivals, Cantor Pincus oversees the B’nei Mitzvah program, teaches trope to religious school students and adults, conducts the Temple’s adult and junior choirs, leads the Temple Tots program; officiates at life cycle events; and engages in traditional pastoral work. An alumna of the Clergy Leadership Program with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, she leads a weekly meditation group, which is an important part of her practice.
A native New Yorker and former opera singer, Cantor Pincus studied voice at Manhattan School of Music and La Escuela Superior de Canto in Madrid. She has served Temple Beth-El in Hillsborough, New Jersey, Har Sinai Temple in Pennington, New Jersey, and as student cantor for Temple Beth-El of Fort Worth, Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, and Congregation Beth Israel in North Adams, Massachusetts. Cantor Pincus has also garnered numerous awards and prizes in the performance of both cantorial and contemporary Jewish music. Her investiture as Cantor in 2008, was the culmination of a love for both music and Judaism that extends back to childhood.
Despite the fact that their introduction to the area was punctuated by Covid, Cantor Pincus and her husband, Drew remain enthralled by the neighborhood of Forest Hills and its very special character of bustling shops, carefully tended flowers and city sidewalks. Between them, they have three children, Alexie, Bennet, and Nathaniel. In her free time, Cantor Pincus enjoys learning foreign languages, all kinds of music, art, theater, and reading.
(he/him)
Rabbi Emeritus Mayer I. Perelmuter retired from the pulpit in 2013 after 36 years as the founding Rabbi of The Reform Temple of Forest Hills.
In addition to having led the RTFH community, Rabbi takes immense pride in his work as a Disaster Response Chaplain, having served from 9-11 until his retirement. He played a pivotal role on the Leadership Team of the NY Disaster Spiritual Care Association and collaborated with Red Cross leadership to integrate spiritual care into the protocol of mental health teams responding to disasters, a practice that continues today.
Rabbi Perelmuter also co-founded the interfaith clergy group in Forest Hills, which continues to unite local houses of worship for annual Thanksgiving services and ongoing social action projects today.
Rabbi Perelmuter earned a Doctor of Ministry through a program sponsored by Hebrew Union College and the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health. Additionally, he received Clinical Pastoral Education training in loss and bereavement. He holds an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He remains deeply interested in pastoral spiritual care and frequently offers support to those in need.
Now residing in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife, Debby, Rabbi Perelmuter maintains a strong commitment to study and learning. His communal involvement focuses on Israel advocacy and combating antisemitism.
Debby, a former First Vice President of the Jewish Child Care Association, recently led a task force aiding an Afghan refugee family of 10 who fled the Taliban. She serves on the Board of the Haberman Institute of Jewish Studies, founded in 1983 by her father, Rabbi Joshua Haberman, z”l.
Rabbi Perelmuter cherishes the time he spends with his three children and five grandchildren, scattered across San Francisco, Texas, upstate New York, and Israel.
Frequently in contact with Rabbi Kaiserman and members of our Temple family, Rabbi Perelmuter maintains a strong and enduring interest in and support for RTFH.
