Rabbi Mark Asher Goodman (he/him) is the spiritual leader for Brith Sholom Jewish Center of Erie, PA and the Associate Rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in Pittsburgh, PA. 

He likes texts from the Hassidic tradition in particular because they probe our own personal stories and struggles by using Torah as a vehicle for self-examination. He is Congregation Beth Shalom's instructor for Introduction to Judaism, and sponsors and mentors many people who are on a path toward becoming Jewish.

He recently completed a book, 'Life Lessons from Recently Dead Rabbis: Hassidut for the People', which he hopes will be published soon.

From 2012 to 2017 he served as School Rabbi and Director of Judaic Studies at Denver Jewish Day School in Denver, CO. He concurrently served as the rabbi for Congregation Har Mishpacha in Steamboat Springs from 2014 until 2018. During his time in Colorado, he also had roles in the community as an adjunct teacher for Temple Emanuel Denver, as lead teacher for the Rocky Mountain Rabbinical Council (RMRC) 'Intro to Judaism' program, and as Vice-President of the RMRC.

From 2006-2011, he was a teacher of Talmud and Jewish Law at JCHS of the Bay in San Francisco, CA, when he also served as coach of JCHS’s Moot Beit Din team, a national Jewish day school competition in Jewish Law. His team won three consecutive national championships.

Rabbi Goodman was ordained in 2006 from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, the Conservative movement’s seminary on the West Coast. While at Ziegler, he was an intern with Clergy and Laity United for Economic justice (CLUE), advocating for the rights of low-wage workers, and co-founded the Ziegler School's LGBT Advocacy group, Dror Yikra. From 2004-2006 he was the founding spiritual leader of the Surf City Synagogue, the Conservative shul of Huntington Beach, CA. 

He finds God especially present in song, in meditation, in acts of social justice, and while hiking, running, cycling, or skiing. 

Rabbi Goodman is married to Noa Goodman, a physical therapist with UPMC. He is also the proud Abba of Yigal and Etta Goodman. He and his family have lived in Pittsburgh since 2018.

Rabbi Mark is a big soccer fan, a competent skier and harmonica player, and an accredited archery instructor. Despite the misleading photo above, he is a terrible guitarist. He has one misdemeanor conviction for political protest, and a turtle named Lefty. Lefty is 17 years old.

Rabbi Goodman tweets on Torah at twitter.com/rabbimarkasherg.

​He tweets about soccer at twitter.com/soccer_rabbi.

If you'd like to reach Rabbi Goodman, you can contact through twitter, or email him at mgoodman@bethshalompgh.org.