Larry SutkerPresident
After completing his psychiatric residency in 1979, Larry and his wife, Patty, left Chapel Hill, NC, and moved to Afton, Virginia so that he could work at Western State Hospital in Staunton, Virginia, and join the clinical faculty at the UVA School of Medicine. Larry serves on the ritual committee as well as the board. When not involved in THOI activities he stays active by helping his three children, doting on his six grandchildren, and traveling with his wife.
Brian DettelbachVP Membership
Brian and his spouse, Pam, moved to Staunton from NoVa in May 2019 to enjoy their newly-retired status and have been active Members of THOI since joining. At their Temple in Fairfax, Brian served on the Board and numerous committees, including Membership, Prayer Book Task Force, and Activities/Programming. In “real” life, Brian is an attorney who spent 43 years in public service working on Capitol Hill for Senator John Glenn and moving to the Executive Branch to serve as an Assistant Inspector General for the US Department of Transportation. Brian and Pam are originally from Toledo, OH and proud parents of three grown daughters.
Bonny StrasslerVP Buildings & Ground
Bonny has been a member of THOI since 2015 and is an active participant in the life of the temple. She has served as president of the Board of Directors and president of the Women’s Group. She lives five blocks from the temple with her husband Frank, their three boys–Philip, Ben and James–and two dogs–Jax and Otto. Bonny is a teacher at Shelburne Middle School.
Patty SutkerTreasurer
Patty was raised in Jesup, Georgia, went to college at UNC-Greensboro and after marrying Larry, lived in Charleston, SC, and Chapel Hill, NC,. She moved to Afton in 1979 and raised three children. She became very involved at Temple House of Israel in 2010 after her youngest, Gordon, made aliyah. She’s been serving as treasurer since 2015.
Ruth ChodrowSecretary
Ruth has been a member of Temple House of Israel since 1984. She has served as president, secretary, and amateur historian for the temple. Her two articles on the history of the temple and the Jewish merchants of early Staunton, published by the Augusta County Historical Society, are available on the website.
Jan KaufmanMember At Large
Jan moved to Lexington, VA in 1990 after living in both Chapel Hill, NC and Storrs, CT. Both her daughter, Allyson and son, Ben were Bat/Bar Mitzvah at THOI. Jan has a Master’s Degree in Public Health from UNC-Chapel Hill and is the Director of Health Promotion at Washington and Lee University. She has served on many boards in Lexington including Woods Creek Montessori and Healthy Foods Market. Jan is delighted to serve on the Temple House of Israel board!
Alan GoldsmithMember At Large
Richard YoungTrustee
Rich Young was born and raised in Staunton, Virginia. He earned a degree in philosophy and religion from Hampton Sydney College and another degree in architecture from Virginia Tech. He moved to Denver to work in architecture, met and married his wife Beth and then, in 1984, moved back to Staunton with his wife to work in his hardware store and help raise two children. He has served in several officer positions in the temple.
Doug DegenTrustee
Doug was raised in Staunton and was Bar Mitzvahed in 1965 at Temple House of Israel. He left for college and med school and then moved back in 1982 to start a medical practice. He has been on the THOI board since returning and served as president. His family moved to the area at the end of the 19th century, making Doug the e the longest living member of a family connected to THOI.
Alan GoldenbergTrustee
Alan and his wife Vickie came to Staunton in 1978 and were introduced to Temple House of Israel. After their first exposure to this “small synagogue and loving caring people,” they became regulars. He served as president and participated in that position for each of his children’s bar and bat mitzvot. During these years the Goldenbergs faced many obstacles, but in each case, as Alan puts it, “the members came through with anything needed.” As a trustee, it is Alan’s goal to make sure the temple continues for many generations and offers the opportunity for a Jewish way of life in the Shenandoah Valley.