Leslie Gutterman
I served with Rabbi Leslie Gutterman first as cantorial soloist, and later, as ordained cantor. He was my first and most profoundly influential mentor, and I know that other rabbis and cantors who served with “Rabbi Les” would make this same claim. His remarkable capacity for kindness, patience, humor, insight and true menschlichkeit make Rabbi Gutterman not only the rabbi of Temple Beth-El, but also the rabbi of Providence, Rhode Island. He is able to be at once the conscience of the city and the teacher and friend of each person who meets him. Rabbi Les has taught by example that one person can quietly touch thousands of lives, and that deciding to remain constant and loyal to one community can be as satisfying as the status one might attain elsewhere. And did I mention his humor and humility? His stories during High Holiday children’s services are a delight, and keep Judaism relevant and alive for next generations. Rabbi Les set me on my path and shaped my cantorate. In that way, his influence continues to communities beyond his own. When Leslie Gutterman is your rabbi, he is your teacher and your friend.
— Ida Rae Cahana + 1 other nomination
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
