Lance J. Sussman’s career as Senior Rabbi at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, PA, from 2001–2022, coincided with the tumultuous first two decades of the twenty-first century. His work at KI began shortly after 9-11 and ended in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Between those two momentous bookends, numerous significant developments occurred both in the United States and Israel. Now, as an active Rabbi Emeritus, he continues to write, teach, and serve the community at large.
Rabbi Sussman, Ph.D., has the distinction of being both a rabbi and a scholar. A specialist in American Jewish History, Sussman is the author of a number of books in his field, including the seminal biography Isaac Leeser and the Making of American Judaism (1995). Along with Jonathan D. Sarna and Paula S. Nadell, he served as an editor of New Essays in American Jewish History (2010). A prolific writer, Sussman has published significant articles on a variety of topics, including modern Jewish life and Jewish art.
Portrait of… is a proposed trilogy that spans the depth and breadth of his career, with the publication of Portrait of an American Rabbi: In His Own Words, an anthology of his sermons (2023), followed by Portrait of a Reform Rabbi: Continuity and Change, an anthology of his articles about Reform Judaism (2024), and then Portrait of a Rabbi-Historian: How Did We Get Here?, (2025), an anthology of his history articles. Next, Sussman and Lynda Barness will be working on a new project, a seminal biography of an almost-forgotten rabbi.
In addition to his pulpit work, Sussman has taught at Princeton University, Binghamton (SUNY) University, Delaware Valley University, and Hunter College, among others, and he has also served as Chair of the Board of Governors of Gratz College. A popular speaker, Sussman has been a scholar-in-residence, given hundreds of community lectures, and participated in the creation of television documentaries.
Sussman is a popular lecturer with a sense of humor, and some light-hearted lecture titles include “How Lox Became Jewish: A History of the American Jewish Deli” and “Walk Softly and Carry a Big Schtick: Teddy Roosevelt and the Jews.” He currently serves as a Memoirs Section Editor of the Southern Jewish Historical Society’s Journal.
For decades, Sussman has been involved in communal and national activities. He is currently serving as the Vice President of the North American Board of Rabbis, Vice President of the Philadelphia Board of Rabbis, and Senior Scholar of Roots of Reform Judaism. He was the founding President of the Cheltenham Area Multifaith Council and has also been involved in museum work in Philadelphia and Binghamton.
Lynda Barness has had a diverse career path. Most recently, she is the founder of LB Literary Projects and is a publishing professional, advising and editing for academic publications, which followed her earlier careers as a real estate developer and homebuilder and also as the owner of a wedding planning company. Barness is the author of four books and editor of more. Barness and Lance Sussman have partnered since 2022.
Barness has served on the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and chaired the MBA Advisory Board at Temple University. She holds a Certificate in Copyediting, Proofreading, and Fact-Checking from New York University, a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania in International Relations, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Tufts University.