Michael Katz

President

Michael, with his wife Elinore, came to Torat Yisrael shortly after moving to Rhode Island seven years ago to take the position of Associate Vice President for Intellectual Property and Economic Development at the University of Rhode Island.

Michael and his wife moved several times over the course of their careers and he has held leadership positions in the local synagogues at each move. He served as president of Beth Israel Synagogue in Wallingford, Connecticut for two years managing the recovery from a damaging flood and the search for a rabbi. He served as co-treasurer at Temple Or Atid in Richmond, VA, and he served on the facilities committee at Temple Kehilat Shalom in Rockville, MD, and also volunteered for synagogue-sponsored community activities such as delivering Pesach boxes to shut-ins and organizing donated food at the local community food bank.

As Torat Yisrael's new president, Michael's preliminary goals for the upcoming year include launching a strategic planning process to set and clearly communicate priorities, hearing from congregants across the demographic spectrum to better inform that process, and engaging more young members to serve as the future leaders. In addition, as part of the recovery from the isolation of the pandemic control, he's focused on re-establishing the programming and activities that made Torat Yisrael a substantive contributor not only to the Jewish community of Rhode Island but also to the East Greenwich and Rhode Island communities at large.