Rabbi Mark Asher Goodman (he/him) is the Associate Rabbi, a role he serves concurrently with being spiritual leader for Brith Sholom Jewish Center of Erie, PA. He lives and teaches in Pittsburgh, PA. He has been a Jewish educator for over 20 years, for folks ages 10 to 93.
He likes texts from the Hassidic tradition in particular because they probe our own personal stories and struggles by using Torah as a vehicle for self-examination. He has taught Congregation Beth Shalom's Introduction to Judaism and Hebrew classes, and currently teaches the Life and Text Hassidic Parsha and Talmud classes.
He recently completed a book, 'Life Lessons from Recently Dead Rabbis: Hassidut for the People', which was published on May 9, 2023.
From 2012 to 2017 he served as School Rabbi and Director of Judaic Studies at Denver Jewish Day School in Denver, CO. He concurrently served as the rabbi for Congregation Har Mishpacha in Steamboat Springs from 2014 until 2018. During his time in Colorado, he also had roles in the community as an adjunct teacher for Temple Emanuel Denver, as lead teacher for the Rocky Mountain Rabbinical Council (RMRC) 'Intro to Judaism' program, and as Vice-President of the RMRC.
Rabbi Goodman was ordained in 2006 from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, the Conservative movement’s seminary on the West Coast.
He finds God especially present in song, in meditation, in acts of social justice, and while hiking, running, cycling, or skiing.
Rabbi Goodman is married to Noa Goodman, a physical therapist with UPMC. He is also the proud Abba of Yigal and Etta Goodman.