Senior Rabbi
Rabbi Jaymee Alpert
Rabbi Jaymee Alpert joined Congregation Beth David in Saratoga, CA, as Senior Rabbi in the summer of 2018. She is passionate about Jewish life and strives to create a warm, inviting atmosphere, where people from all backgrounds are welcome, and all questions are valid. She cares deeply about interfaith, interdenominational, and community relations and is an active member of the Saratoga Ministerial Association and on the board of Jewish Silicon Valley.
Rabbi Alpert is interested in the connection between spirituality and physical activity. She has created a Shabbat morning hiking service and is the co-creator of Neshama Body and Soul, a practice that combines exercise with prayer, in order to help participants connect their physical and spiritual lives.
Prior to moving to Northern California, Rabbi Alpert had spent a lifetime in the Northeast, most recently serving Congregation Kneses Tifereth Israel in Port Chester, NY. While in Port Chester, she was the chaplain for the local Police and Fire Departments, member of the Port Chester Board of Ethics, and past president of the Westchester Board of Rabbis. She is also a Rabbis Without Borders fellow.
Rabbi Alpert is a graduate of Brandeis University, holds master’s degrees in Jewish Education and Jewish Women’s Studies, and was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2003. Contact
Rabbi Educator
Rabbi Nathan Roller
A Marin County native, Rabbi Nathan Roller is excited to join Congregation Beth David. A passionate educator, Rabbi Roller strives to teach in creative ways: using art, games and theatre as ways for learners to engage with the depths of Jewish tradition. He has developed and taught a ten-lesson adult education curriculum using theatre exercises to deepen personal connections with traditional prayer. He has learned with students from age 3 to 93 in a variety of formal and informal settings ranging from the classroom to camp. With Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, he co-wrote the Study Guide to Rabbi Artson’s book God of Becoming and Relationships: The Dynamic Nature of Process Theology.
Before returning to the Bay Area, Rabbi Roller served as spiritual leader of Burbank Temple Emanu El. Rabbi Roller is active in interfaith work, including participating in and organizing interfaith retreats for Jewish, Christian, and Muslim seminary students, working with the Burbank Ministerial Association and the Burbank Human Relations Council. During Rabbinical School, Rabbi Roller was a fellow for Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, an AIPAC Leffel Fellow, and a participant in the rabbinic student seminar at the Shalom Hartman Institute.
Rabbi Nathan Roller graduated from Whitman College and received his rabbinic ordination from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in 2018. Rabbi Roller met his wife, Lindsay, in Santa Barbara and they have three children, Eliezer, Kitra, and Livia. Contact
Rabbi Emeritus
Rabbi Daniel Pressman
Rabbi Emeritus Daniel Pressman was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He had a rich Jewish upbringing. His parents, Rabbi Jacob and Marjorie Pressman, modeled devotion to Judaism and community. Camp Ramah and United Synagogue Youth gave him formative Jewish experiences. He graduated from UCLA, while also attending the University of Judaism, and was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
Rabbi Pressman served Congregation Ner Tamid in Palos Verdes, California for seven years before coming to Congregation Beth David. He was active in leadership roles both locally and nationally. He originated the Torah Sparks on the weekly Torah portion for the USCJ, now appearing in five volumes as Torah Encounters. Rabbi Pressman served as our Senior Rabbi for 33 years until his retirement in 2014. He recently served as a Transitional Rabbi for Congregation Shearith Israel in Dallas, Texas. Contact
Director of Operations and Ritual
Barbara Biran
As Director of Operations & Ritual, Barbara is responsible for our facility, staff, operations and all administrative services. Additionally she tutors all of our B’Mitzvah students, adults and children, and manages anything ritually related that does not necessarily require clergy, including managing the Beth David Memorial Garden.
Barbara has lived in the South Bay since moving here in 1982 from St. Louis, MO. When not working Barbara enjoys spending time with her daughter and friends, playing Mahj, hiking, and having grown up in the Midwest, particularly loves walks along the ocean. Contact