Temple Beth TikvahMeet the heart and soul of Temple Beth Tikvah, Our Clergy, and Our Staff.
Our Clergy
Rabbi Brian Beal
A native of this region, Rabbi Beal grew up in Monmouth County, NJ and served as the JFTY (now NFTY-GER) Chaplain. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Emory University and went on to serve as a professional fundraiser for his alma mater for seven years. Rabbi Beal received a Masters of Arts in Hebrew Letters in 1997 and ordination in 1998 from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1998, where he wrote a thesis on Judaism and the Twelve Steps.
Rabbi Beal served Temple Shaari Emeth in Manalapan, NJ, where he was particularly focused on engaging youth and young families. He was the rabbi of Temple Beth Torah in Nyack, NY–now called the Reform Temple of Rockland–for thirteen years, where he worked with staff and volunteers to develop award-winning social justice experiences, initiated an interfaith symposium in partnership with local synagogues, churches and a mosque, and fostered a welcoming environment for people with disabilities. Most recently, he served as the interim rabbi at Beth David Reform Congregation in Gladwyne, PA, Temple Beth-El in Jersey City, and Congregation Beth Chaim in Princeton Junction.
Rabbi Beal can be reached via email: rabbibeal@templebethtikvahnj.org
Student Cantor Carly Levin Santalone
Carly Levin Santalone is a 25 year old, third year cantorial student at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. She grew up in Larchmont NY attending Mamaroneck Highschool. She graduated in 2023 from Oberlin College with majors in Psychology and Musical studies with a focus on vocal performance. She also obtained minors in Jewish studies, Chemistry, and Music and Cognition. At Oberlin, Carly served on the local Hillel board and directed Oberlin’s Jewish a cappella group.
Carly has worked as the cantorial intern at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church Virgina, and as a cantorial soloist for Temple Shir Shalom in Woodstock Vermont. Among other tasks, she led music for Shabbat and Holiday services, arranged music for the synagogue and supervised congregational musicians, as well as worked in religious schools.
In her free time, you can find Carly in the kitchen baking, curled up with a book or singing non-stop. She is inspired to create connection and community through making music with others.
Student Cantor Levin Santalone can be reached via email: studentcantor@templebethtikvahnj.org
Cantor Emeritus Charles Romalis
After arriving at Temple Beth Tikvah, Cantor Emeritus Romalis set out to create an atmosphere of joy and celebration through his cantorate and to create a wonderful and meaningful musical legacy second to none. In the process, he also helped ensure that Temple Beth Tikvah serves as a spiritual home to everyone.
Cantor Emeritus Romalis embodies the title Sh’liach Tsibur, a sacred term for what it means to be a cantor: a messenger for the community. He has a gift for focusing on the positive aspects of life and making people feel good and better about their own lives. He truly is the eternal optimist.
During his 50 years as Temple Beth Tikvah’s Cantor, he has worked with people of all ages, including teaching all grades in the Religous School and adult Hebrew Learning. He has been involved in all aspects of clergy leadership and education like youth director, principal of the primary grades, and adult and children’s choir director. He has officiated at many life-cycle events such as weddings, renewal of vows, funerals, unveilings, baby naming, and more.
Cantor Romalis has been a guiding light that has helped Temple Beth Tikvah embrace the diverse and enriching musical traditions of the Jewish people. He has created an extraordinary legacy that will continue to serve Temple Beth Tikvah’s congregation into the future.
Our Staff
Aviva Okrent – Director of Education
Aviva has been a Jewish educator for over 27 years, serving as the principal of Temple Shalom in Succasunna, NJ, for the last five years. Over the years, she has taught every grade level, from kindergarten through high school, utilizing an array of established Jewish curriculums. During her tenure as principal, Aviva created a Madrichim program for classroom support, introduced virtual learning to support classroom activities before COVID forced other religious schools to do the same, established regular communication vehicles with faculty and parents, and was recognized as an outstanding mentor.
Aviva can be reached via email Principal@TempleBethTikvahNJ.org
Kim Pizza – Bookkeeper: Bookkeeper@TempleBethTikvahNJ.org
Dawn Toussas—Events Coordinator: specialevents@TempleBethTikvahNJ.org
Temple Beth Tikvah 