Rabbi Beth L. Schwartz served as spiritual leader of the Beth El congregation since 1999. Rabbi Schwartz was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pa. She received her B.A. degree in History from the State University of New York at Binghamton and M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. She attended the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, where she was ordained in 1999. Prior to entering the rabbinate, Rabbi Schwartz was a long-time member, teacher, Board member, and served as President of Temple Ner Shalom in Woodbridge, Va., and worked as an information systems analyst in the Washington, D.C. area.
Since coming to Knoxville, Rabbi Schwartz has become a well-known speaker on Judaism and on interfaith issues. She is often a guest lecturer at local universities, colleges, and civic groups. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the YWCA and sits on the Executive Committee of the Knoxville Ministerial Association. Rabbi Schwartz is a founding member of the Clergy Task Force of the Community Coalition on Family Violence. She has served on a mayoral task force on “Racial Disparity in School Discipline” in Knox County, and is a member of the Police Advisory and Review Committee for the City of Knoxville. Rabbi Schwartz is also a member of the Executive Women's Association, and has attended the FBI Citizen's Academy and Leadership Knoxville.
Rabbi Schwartz is married to Larry Washington, a doctoral student at UT. They have two adult children, Leah Washington and Daniel Washington.