Why did you choose to work in Jewish education?
When I was at JTS and Columbia as an undergrad student I studied at Ben Gurion University in Be'er Sheva. At BGU I met a group of amazing students who didn't have a strong connection to Jewish life. Together through learning and religious celebrations we were able to build our community together. It was the first of many opportunities to build community through learning, and I was hooked. That was over 30 years ago now and it is still my approach to congregational learning.
Favorite part about being an educator:
There are many parts, but davening, singing, and celebrating with students is the best—the ECE students think I live in our Beit Midrash (chapel), and at this point, I basically do!
Tell us about yourself.
I am the Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, NJ. In this role I get to work with all forward-facing congregational projects and programs in the shul, overseeing the schools, family services, as well as congregational programming. I grew up attending Camp Ramah and then JTSA. I am the very proud Abba with my wife Jessica, to Samara, Izzy, and Yona.