Rabbi Daniel Gropper 

Rabbi Gropper believes that a rabbi's role is to touch people's lives, to partner with those striving to build strong communities, to instill a love of Torah and Judaism in others, and to infuse every moment with God's presence. At Community Synagogue, Rabbi Gropper is a guide, a mentor, a teacher and a leader.

Ordained in 1998 from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, Rabbi Gropper has served congregations in California and Massachusetts. He holds a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters and one in Jewish Education from the Rhea Hirsch School of Jewish Education. He has long had a passion for education and youth, serving as a camp rabbi at various Jewish summer camps, including as faculty at the URJ NE Crane Lake Camp Institute and as a vice-chair of the U.R.J.’s National Youth Commission and Commission for Lifelong Learning. Rabbi Gropper has strong commitments to Israel having led two congregational trips and he serves on the board of ARZA, the Association of Reform Zionists of America. In addition he is a member of Hebrew Union College's President's Rabbinic Council and the national council of United Jewish Communities. Locally, he sits on the board of trustees of the Rye Youth Council and is a founding member of the Rye Clergy Association. In addition, he is a Board member of Kavod a Tzedakah collective funding programs that help those in need to live in dignity and honor.

Rabbi Gropper is a native of Vancouver, British Columbia. He is a former ski instructor who loves the outdoors, reading and gourmet cooking. He and his wife Tamara and their three children, Elijah, Shai and Noa, reside in Harrison, New York. Rabbi Gropper can be reached at dgropper@comsynrye.org.

Cantor Dan Mutlu 
 

Cantor Daniel Mutlu is a first generation American whose parents hail from Istanbul, Turkey. Dan grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts where he attended the Yeshiva Academy Achei Tmimim, forging an early sense of Jewish identity that would evolve in later years. In public high school Dan stumbled upon his love for music when he accidentally enrolled in a music theory course during sophomore year. The following year, Dan's family made aliyah to Israel, but Dan stayed behind with hopes of attending one of Boston's eminent music conservatories. He succeeded in this dream and graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in vocal performance and a lovely and talented future bride, Nina! While teaching elementary and middle school music in the Worcester Public Schools system, Dan discovered his call to the cantorate and to the Reform movement, becoming an active member of Temple Emanuel, Worcester and serving as cantorial soloist there. In 2003, Dan and Nina, newly married, moved to Israel where Dan began his studies at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion. After returning to the States, he continued his studies at HUC and returned to Temple Emanuel as Student Cantor. Meanwhile, in New York City, Dan performed extensively with organizations such as the Park East Synagogue Choir, The Zamir Chorale, and the prestigious Trinity Choir Wall Street, where he garnered glowing reviews from The New York Times. He supplemented his Jewish training by working as a b'nei mitzvah tutor at Congregation Rodeph Sholom in Manhattan.