OUR MISSION
Traditional Congregation offers the community the experience of Judaism’s rich heritage of Torah learning and mitzvot in a welcoming synagogue environment, which respects our diversity of knowledge and practices.
Rabbi Seth D Gordon
Shalom. Welcome to Traditional Congregation! My family and I arrived here in the summer of 2007 from New York and found that Traditional Congregation exceeded our expectations. Traditional Congregation is unlike any other in the St Louis area (and elsewhere) and I sincerely invite you to visit us so that you can see for yourself; and of course, I hope you will speak with me personally.
I have been a pulpit rabbi for 34 years – 15 in Bethpage, Long Island (New York) and before then for five years in Annapolis, Maryland. My wife, Marian, and I were both raised in New Jersey and are graduates of Rutgers University. I earned my first rabbinical degree in 1987 and my studies included several years in New York and Jerusalem.
In 1998 I earned a second s’michah (rabbinic ordination) from Rav David Weiss Halivni and the ITJ--Institute of Traditional Judaism. (The ITJ is the academic institution of the UTJ--Union of Traditional Judaism.) Our motto, an excellent expression of who we are and what we stand for, is “genuine faith with intellectual integrity.” We are faithful to God, Torah teachings, and the authority of halachah (Jewish law), and yet we engage with modern scholarship to better understand the requirements, meaning, and latitudes and limits of our religious tradition.
Our Staff
Marian Gordon
Executive Director
When Marian moved to St. Louis in 2007, she was asked to "help out in the office at Traditional for a couple of months." A couple of months and 14 years later, she is the Executive Director and chief cheerleader for the congregation, and puts to good use the skills from her previous careers in magazine publishing, staff development training and real estate sales. Marian has served on the Board of JPro St. Louis, an organization dedicated to supporting those who work in the St. Louis Jewish community. She and her husband, Rabbi Seth Gordon, have five wonderful children and their spouses, and the eight most adorable grandchildren in the world.
Angela Tannenbaum
Administrative Assistant
Angela has felt a connection to Traditional Congregation ever since 1999, when she and her husband Zvi were married at the synagogue. She moved to St. Louis with her family in 2006 and joined the staff of Traditional in 2016. She has 6 children and 10 grandchildren. Angela served on the executive committee of Tomchei Shabbos for 11 years. She can be contacted at angelatradcong@yahoo.com.
Our Board of Directors
Kenneth H. Bohm, President
Ellis Frohman, Financial VP
Marty Levy, Ritual VP
Florence Schachter, Education VP
Chris Brown, Fundraising VP
Steven Puro, Administration Vice President
Steve Roufa, Building & Grounds VP
Justin Zeid, Building & Grounds VP
Dina Rinder, Youth Vice President
Ron Green, Fundraising VP
Lori Tesser, Treasurer
Mimi Levy, Secretary
Members at Large:
Stanley Estrin
Shelah Feldman
Bill Gold
Gary Golden
Stan Greenberg
Jack Heller
Sid Levin
Ari Levy
Carol Max
Mindy Strauss