In August of 2008, Rabbi Steve Conn became the Interim Rabbi of the newly formed Temple Beth Tzedek. Rabbi Conn comes to TBT with twenty years of experience as a pulpit rabbi. In addition to providing solid spiritual leadership, and above and beyond the foundation skills of sound youth and adult education, Rabbi Conn’s strengths include creating innovative programs, building community, and outreach efforts to the unaffiliated. He is easily approachable, and his empathetic nature, attentiveness, and display of warmth benefit his pastoral counseling. Rabbi Conn is driven by his passion to inspire and engage his congregants, and create a warm and friendly environment in his synagogue.

Rabbi Conn has proven skills in growing synagogue membership. At Congregation Beth Shalom (Santa Clarita, California), where Rabbi Conn served for nine years, the congregation’s membership grew by over 40%. Rabbi Conn also pioneered new programs at Beth Shalom including tot Shabbat, adult B’nai Mitzvah, Shabbat “Plugged-In” musical services, a family Purim megillah reading and puppet show, weekly Torah study, teen programming, and a monthly family education program for Bar and Bat Mitzvah families. While at Congregation Beth Shalom, Rabbi Conn served as Jewish Chaplain at Henry Mayo Memorial Hospital and LARC Ranch, a residence for developmentally disabled adults. Rabbi Conn also served as vice president of the Santa Clarita Interfaith Council, co-host of the radio show “Faithline”, guest columnist in the Santa Clarita Signal, and member of the Santa Clarita Human Relations Forum. Rabbi Conn was the vice president of the Pacific Southwest Region of the Rabbinical Assembly.

Originally from West Bloomfield, Michigan, Rabbi Conn benefited from valuable educational experience at both Congregation B’nai Israel and Conn’s Clothes, the family business. He received his AB in General Studies in Humanities with honors from the University of Chicago, studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (1980-81,1984-85), and, in 1988, was ordained as a Rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Rabbi Conn is married to Illyse Zesch, and has three children: Ben, 18, Dalya, 16 and Yoni, 2 1/2. Rabbi Conn’s hobbies include cooking, rooting for the Pistons and the Tigers (his hometown teams), writing short stories, and listening to jazz music.