Our Clergy
Rabbi Guershon Kwasniewski
Rabbi Guershon Kwasniewski is a Reform rabbi and dedicated spiritual leader with decades of experience serving Jewish communities in Latin America, Africa, and North America. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was ordained at the Marshall T. Meyer Latin American Rabbinical Seminary and continued his advanced rabbinic studies at the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem.
For 28 years, Rabbi Kwasniewski served as the spiritual leader of SIBRA – Sociedade Israelita Brasileira de Cultura e Beneficência in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where he strengthened congregational life, expanded educational programs, and fostered a vibrant, inclusive, and engaged Jewish community.
His international experience includes rabbinic service at Temple Israel in Cape Town, South Africa, as well as academic and interreligious initiatives in partnership with Brigham Young University (BYU), contributing to conversations that build bridges between faith communities.
Rabbi Kwasniewski is a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) and is affiliated with PARR – Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis, supporting collaboration and professional leadership within Reform Judaism. He is also actively engaged with the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), strengthening global connections and advancing progressive Jewish values worldwide.
Deeply committed to interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence, Rabbi Kwasniewski is a Fellow of KAICIID (King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue) and an alumnus of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the U.S. Department of State. He actively participates in the Riverside Interfaith Council and the DMB Clergy Group, strengthening relationships among faith leaders and advancing cooperation within the broader community.
Rabbi Kwasniewski currently serves as the spiritual leader of Temple Beth El in Riverside, California, where he is committed to nurturing spiritual growth, lifelong Jewish learning, meaningful worship, and a strong, welcoming community.
Rabbi Kwasniewski and his wife, Patricia, are the proud parents of two children, Gabriela and Diego. He looks forward to building relationships, inspiring learning, and growing together with the congregation.
Rabbi Emerita Suzanne Singer
Rabbi Suzanne Singer served Temple Beth El in Riverside, CA for 15 years before retiring in 2023. In her retirement, she has served Congregation Havurim in Temecula, Temple Isaiah in Palm Springs, taught Introduction to Judaism for the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Jewish Collaborative of Orange County, and was involved in expanding trauma treatment through Animal Assisted Psychotherapy (AAP) in Israel.
As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, she is keenly aware of the need to make our world a better place. She served as a member of the Reform movement’s Commission on Social Action, as President of PARR (Pacific Area Reform Rabbis), as a member of the City of Riverside’s Task Force on Police Reform, and as a commissioner for the City of Riverside’s Human Relations Commission. She was named a Riverside “Champion of Justice” in 2010, Riverside “Woman of Distinction” in 2015, and “Woman of the Year for Riverside County Supervisorial District 1” in 2026. In addition to an OpEd in The New York Times re. Rikers Island, her essays have been published in The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, the CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly, and in several CCAR Press collections.
Before being ordained as a rabbi, Rabbi Singer spent twenty years as a television producer and programming executive, primarily for national public television (PBS) and primarily in news and public affairs. As executive producer of a national documentary series, POV, she won two national Emmy awards. She also co-created and produced a national preschool series, The Puzzle Place, designed to help children respect and appreciate diversity.