14 | AUGUST 8 • 2024 
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fter 45 years of serving 
Temple Israel, former 
executive director 
David Tisdale is gearing up 
to retire. To celebrate his self-
less dedication to growing the 
congregation and its offerings, 
Temple Israel is hosting “
A 
Celebration of David Tisdale” 
event on Friday, Aug. 23, 
with a special Shabbat dinner, 
Kabbalat Shabbat service and 
celebratory oneg.
Since first joining the tem-
ple as a newlywed volunteer 
45 years ago, Tisdale, now 77, 
was drawn to its family-first 
approach. His wife, Yolanda, 

was teaching pre-kindergarten 
at the temple, which allowed 
David Tisdale to grow his 
involvement.
“Temple Israel was a family 
place,
” Tisdale recalls. “This was 
a place for us to grow with our 
children; this wasn’t a place just 
for adults. Nobody did it better 
than Temple Israel.
”
His early days at Temple 
Israel included serving as school 
board chairman, followed by 
head of the building committee. 
Before long, Tisdale had worked 
his way up to the role of vice 
president, followed by executive 
director and director of strategic 

development
Tisdale’s family, like others 
who joined Temple Israel to 
plant roots for generations to 
come, followed suit. His chil-
dren were bat mitzvahed at 
Temple Israel and graduated 
from its religious school.
Later, both were married at 
Temple Israel, and his daughter, 
Rabbi Jennifer Kaluzny, has 
been part of the temple’s clergy 
for many years. “Everything has 
evolved around Temple,
” Tisdale 
says, as he affectionately calls 
the synagogue by its nickname.

SURVIVING AND THRIVING
During Tisdale’s four-plus 
decades of service, much has 
changed at Temple Israel.
The clergy was expanded to 
better serve its families, while 
accessibility and inclusivity were 
always top of mind for pro-
gramming, education and ser-
vices. Of course, there were also 
many building renovations to 
transform it into today’s modern 
synagogue.
COVID-19 was a major 
hurdle Temple Israel endured 
during Tisdale’s tenure, but 

by quickly pivoting to online 
services and programming, it 
managed to continue serving 
its congregation in a safe and 
healthy way.
“We’ve lived through different 
kinds of economies for all these 
years,
” Tisdale says. “We man-
aged to live through them, to 
survive and thrive even in some 
of the most difficult moments.
”
Yet one element has stayed 
the same over all these years 
— Temple Israel’s family-first 
approach. Tisdale credits the 
expansion of the clergy as a 
major influence on the growth 
and continuation of family- 
friendly programming. 
“Nobody serves a congrega-
tion better than our clergy,
” he 
explains. “They are there for 
everyone 24/7.
”
Tisdale feels grateful that 
throughout his entire tenure, 
he was always included in pro-
gramming development and 
key decision-making. “
As an 
executive director, I handled 
the running of the place on a 
day-to-day basis,
” he says. “Still, 
I was allowed to be involved in 
the programming of the insti-

Celebrating a 
Temple Israel 
Stalwart

Temple Israel’s David Tisdale to 
retire after 45 years of service.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY

The Tisdale family: Seated left to right, Asher Kaluzny, David Tisdale, 
Risa Kirschner. Back row left to right: Rabbi Jennifer Kaluzny, Bayla 
Kaluzny, Yolanda Tisdale, Ryan Kaluzny, Brian Kirschner and Alli 
VanDerAue.

PHOTOS: RON LIEBERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY. 

David 
Tisdale