Meet the NSCI Clergy Team
Rabbi Wendi Geffen, Senior Rabbi
Rabbi Geffen was installed as the ninth Senior Rabbi of NSCI in 2015 and has been a part of the rabbinic team since 2002. Rabbi Geffen is a tireless leader of our community, a person who people turn to for counsel, education, and insight year after year. Rabbi Geffen has a vision for NSCI: reanimating and redefining what a 21st-century synagogue can become—synonymous with thriving and transformation, developing relationships of significance, and a larger sense of purpose and impact in the world’s repair.
There are many things that inspire Rabbi Geffen. She is passionate about how Jewish wisdom adds meaning to our lives and enables us to better our world every day. As a rabbi, she is dedicated to empowering each person to define their Jewish identity and Jewish journey. As the most senior staff member, Rabbi Geffen empowers the synagogue and larger Jewish community to pursue tzedek (justice) and tikkun olam (the repair of the world). She also likes to explore and present complicated nuanced Jewish texts and ideas in ways that have accessible relevance for people. You will find her leading a conversation on mindful living in the Perlman Sanctuary, delivering a sermon as a guest preacher at a Chicagoland church, or cheering alongside her husband Scott for their children at a dance recital or golf match. Read more by clicking here.
(847) 835-0724 x 644
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Rabbi Lisa S. Greene, Senior Associate Rabbi, The Susan C. Longo Associate Rabbi Chair
NSCI has been fortunate to have Rabbi Lisa Greene on our team since 1999. A second-generation rabbi, she refers to herself as Rabbi Greene, The Sequel, and maintains a love of informal education, a joy for teaching, and a fascination with rituals, both ancient and new. Rabbi Greene has devoted her career to helping people find their meaningful place in the synagogue community. By getting to know you, Rabbi Greene empowers and connects with you in ways that lead to deep and significant involvement.
Rabbi Greene loves asking people, “How would you like to become involved here at NSCI? How can I help you do this?” Reach out to Rabbi Greene at any time—she welcomes the opportunity to connect. You can find Rabbi Greene playing guitar at the Takiff Center for our youngest, inspiring our adult b’nei mitzvah students, or lovingly spying on her three kids in our religious school. Read more by clicking here.
(847) 835-0724 x 630
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Rabbi Cantor Shayna Burack, Assistant Rabbi Cantor
Rabbi Cantor Burack describes herself as “a proud Southern Jew.” After graduating with a BA in Psychology and minor in vocal performance from Emory University, she fell in love with volunteering in her small-town, layled congregation in Fort Mill, SC. This experience opened her eyes to her true purpose: Jewish music and communal Jewish leadership.
She states: “Music has always been my clearest pathway into Judaism. It is how we carry our history forward, how we give voice to our hopes and sorrows, and how we strengthen and sustain our communities. Helping others access that power through prayer and song is the deepest privilege of my life.” Get to know Rabbi Cantor Burack by reading our interview with her in the July/August 2026 Bulletin, and please join us in welcoming her with open arms at her first NSCI Shabbat on Friday, July 3rd, at 6:15 pm.
(847) 835-0724 x645
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Cantor Ross Wolman
Ordained by the Hebrew Union College in 2007, Cantor Wolman has held numerous leadership positions throughout the American Conference of Cantors as well as with the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music Alumni Association. He has been deeply involved in NFTY – the North American Federation for Temple Youth, both in the U.S. and Israel, as well as in the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (the Reform movement in Israel). Cantor Wolman has performed throughout North America, Israel, France, Russia, and Ukraine. Along with his passion for music, Cantor Wolman has a strong love for film, the outdoors, education, Israel, and the Hebrew language. He, along with his wife Malka, their three children Bina, Aviv, and Elie, and their three cats are excited to become part of our NSCI family.
Check out Cantor Wolman's YouTube channel, filled with informative and educational videos, beautiful prayer and song renditions, and so much more!