Getting to know Hamilton Lempert

Getting to Know Adath's President Hamilton Lempert
by Mitch Cohen

On July 1st, Dr. Hamilton Lempert began his two year term as Adath's President succeeding Past President Natalie Wolf.  I had a chance to ask him a number of questions about himself and about his goals as Adath's new President. He was very open with his answers that are shown below:

Q: Tell us about your professional life before you were President.
A:  I have been blessed to have a very fulfilling and meaningful career that I am now almost completely retired from.  I worked mainly night shift for 20 years as an Emergency Physician.  I also held leadership positions locally and nationally with EMS, hospital systems, the American Red Cross, the State of Ohio and others.

For fun, I worked as the venue physician for the Bengals, Reds, Riverbend and Surf Cincinnati. Passing on my knowledge to the next generation has been a passion of mine, and I’ve been lucky enough to lecture locally and nationally on many topics. I retired from clinical medicine and became the Chief Medical Officer at a large nationwide physician staffing company leading the efforts to ensure clinicians are properly reimbursed for the care they provide. I am now in a consultant role after helping to find my replacement.

Q: How long were you on the board and on the exec board?
A: I was on the board as Brotherhood President back in 2011-2013.  More recently, I joined the board in 2020 and the executive board in 2021 and became treasurer in 2022.  However as the spouse of a former President, I feel as if I have been hearing about the board for much longer.  

Q: Tell me about your work on the committees that you chaired at Adath. 
A:  I chaired the Religious Services Committee during the transition from Rabbi Wise to Rabbi Smolkin.  This was an interesting time as each Rabbi had a different perspective.  Things became very interesting when COVID began, and we had to figure out a whole new way to engage the congregation in religious services.  I was also the co-chair of the Chili Cookoff Spring Fundraiser where I got to work with some very dedicated volunteers.  From 2010-2021, I was the Shalom Squad Coordinator helping to make sure there is a warm and welcoming face to greet congregants and guests at Shabbat services. In 2013, I co-chaired a USY Kinnus at Adath where I got to work with our youth quite a bit.  Currently I’m the coordinator for volunteers who make Yahrzeit calls to members with an upcoming Yahrzeit.  This is a great opportunity to really connect with congregants and help them perform a Mitzvah.

Q: How different was working on committees and the board than running your department at the hospital?  Were there skills that came in handy from the hospital and new skills you had to learn to be successful?
A: Many of the skills I have learned over the years are how to assist others in reaching their full potential.  Whether I’m leading a committee or a member, I have found that listening and communicating well goes a long way to everyone gaining understanding and coming to the best outcome possible as a group.  This really does not differ that much from the hospital or administrative offices.  Working together with respect and trust really goes a long way.

Q: What excites you about the role of President at Adath? What are some of the areas at Adath you are looking forward to working on?
A: I am most excited about helping to make Adath Israel a success.  The interesting thing is that success means different things to different people.  I intend on doing some strategic planning during my term to help identify how we want to grow and thrive in the future. 10 years ago, we created Imagine Adath which has helped us become more warm and welcoming, more involved in social issues, and more supportive of our congregant’s spiritual needs.  What are our congregation’s needs going forward?  How can we ensure organizational and financial health for our organization?  Lastly, what can we do in the next few years that will ensure another 175 years of a vibrant, engaging, and flourishing Adath Israel Congregation?

Q: What are some of your hobbies that people may not know about you?
A:  I have always said I have more hobbies than I have time. I am an avid computer and strategy board gamer. Every year, I go to a board gaming convention with 70,000 of my closest friends.  I build furniture and other fine woodworking projects in my basement shop.  Recently, I have taken up painting D&D type miniatures.  My wife appreciates my baking and cooking in the kitchen.  While perhaps not a hobby, I have spent a lot time trying to get better at leading services and reading Torah.

Q: What else would you like to share with our readers?
A: Feel free to start a conversation with me, I’m a little shy and not great at initiating a discussion without a little help.

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