Board Member Profile: Josh Kelner

By Eric Bressler

Thank you for serving on Bet Shalom’s Board of Trustees, Josh! Let's help the congregation get to know you better with this interview. Please tell us about your family, your history in Minnesota, and when you joined Bet Shalom.

My wife, Ashley, and I and our two kids, Madison (7) and Cooper (4) live in Plymouth.  I grew up in Plymouth as well and have lived in Minnesota most of my life outside of my undergrad years at UW-Madison (Go Badgers!) and a couple of years in California. I grew up going to B'nai Emet Synagogue in St Louis Park.  After the merger with Adath in 2011, my family found Bet Shalom to be a better fit for what we were looking for.  My daughter is a Bet Shalom Yeladim (BSY) alum and a current Religious School student, and my son is a current BSY student in the Pre-K program.

And your professional life?

I lead IT vendor management at Upwork, which is a marketplace where businesses can post freelance jobs and find talent.  Prior to Upwork, I worked at Target for almost 16 years in a variety of roles within their financial services.

Tell us about your previous involvement at Bet Shalom.

Prior to becoming a board member, my involvement at Bet Shalom was largely centered around my daughter being at Bet Shalom Yeladim and coming to Family Shabbat each month.  After I saw first hand how amazing the program was for my daughter in setting her up for success as she moved into kindergarten, I was inspired to explore how I could become more involved in the broader Bet Shalom community.

And now you’re on the Bet Shalom Board of Trustees. What has your experience been like?

The experience on the board has been very rewarding.  I have had the opportunity to meet and learn from many new people within our community and be a part of several important decisions, most notably being a part of the Rabbinical Search Committee that ultimately led us to Rabbi Thal joining our community!

What do you do in your spare time?

Outside of work and taking my kids to their different activities (my second job!), I enjoy golfing, going to Twins games, following all of the Minnesota sports, and spending time with family and friends. My family and I enjoy traveling within our great state and beyond, often centered around hiking and enjoying the outdoors.

Favorite Jewish Holiday and foods?

My favorite Jewish holiday is Hanukkah. I love the tradition of lighting the candles, and now that I have kids, I love seeing how much they enjoy it as well. Latkes are one of my favorite holiday foods. The Hanukkah service at Bet Shalom is one of my favorite services of the year, with so many in our community coming together and seeing all of the candles lit in front of the bimah. I highly recommend coming to it in the future if you haven't done so yet!