Meet our faculty
Meet Our Faculty
K'tantanim (Pre-K): Morah Julia
Kindergarten: Morah Rachael
Kitah Aleph (1st): Morah Annabella
Kitah Bet (2nd): Moreh Elijah
Kitah Gimel (3rd): Morah Rebecca
Kitah Dalet (4th): Morah Bernice
Kitah Hei (5th): Moreh Dan
Kitah Vav (6th): Morah Anat
Kitah Zayin (7th): Morah Sondra
Gesher (8th-9th): Morah Emily
Online Hebrew Tutor: Morah Ellen
K'tantanim (Pre-K): Morah Julia
Julia Foxman has enjoyed teaching Religious School for five years. She focuses on numbers in Hebrew, doing arts and crafts, and discussing the holidays.
She also teaches at B’nai Simcha preschool, where she has been for nine years. She has worked with all ages and enjoys singing with them, doing puppets, sharing books, and discussing the Jewish holidays. Julia enjoys the gym, and of course, children!
Kindergarten: Morah Rachael
This will be Rachael’s second year teaching Kindergarten at PJTC. She is also the Manheegim Camp Director for Camp Gan Shalom. She has a daughter who will become a Bat Mitzvah this year at PJTC. She is currently a full-time substitute teacher with Monrovia Unified School District. She loves rescue dogs.
Rachael’s classroom plan is to teach her students about Jewish Culture and Holidays using art, food, dance, yoga, books, and music. Her students will be able to recite/write Aleph Bet and Count to 20 in Hebrew by the end of the Kindergarten year.
Kitah Aleph (1st Grade): Morah Annabella
Morah Annabella is no stranger to Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center and the Louis B. Silver Religious School. Having attended LBSRS from kindergarten through her B’nai Mitzvah year, she returned as an educator when beginning her journey as a child development major at Pasadena City College in 2018. Annabella then taught with LBSRS through the pandemic and graduated from Cal State LA in 2022 with her BA in Early Childhood Education. Annabella is now returning for her 6th year of teaching here at LBSRS. During the summer, you can find Annabella on the PJTC campus as the Director of Camp Gan Shalom, a Jewish day camp offered by the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys.
Annabella’s teaching philosophy emphasizes a mix of experiences and discussions to immerse her students in a topic fully. This includes a combination of creating graphs and charts, completing worksheets, as well as art projects, having a mock Seder/Shabbat dinner, or even performing an in-class play… the possibilities are endless for how to cover a topic! Annabella plans to cover significant Jewish holidays, fundamental Jewish values, and basic Hebrew in fun and innovative ways to keep students engaged and retain information.
Kitah Bet (2nd Grade): Morah Rebecca
Rebecca moved here from Chicago four years ago where she had spent the last seven years working in the Chicago Public School System and the last twenty years performing in film, theater, and comedy venues. A graduate of the Second City Conservatory, Rebecca has a love of performance comedy, and community. For over 30 years, Rebecca has been working with kids from camp counseling and teaching to even running a Children's theater Program for kids aged K-18. Since moving to Southern California, Rebecca has found a second home in PJTC and their welcoming community, and has loved teaching at LBSRS for all four of those years. Rebecca is also the Program and Community Outreach Director at the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, and loves the work and fun that both of her jobs allow her to be a part of. She believes in outside-the-box thinking, and takes great pride in being the kind of educator that reminds students that life is just a giant classroom and we are always learning.
Her personal goal in both life and teaching is to "shine light in the dark places." She looks at each student as an individual and does not expect them to fit into any kind of cookie cutter mold. In fact, the more interesting and unique ideas, the more we will all learn. The Jewish principle of tikkun olam guides her Jewish teaching practices. She plans to help students to see themselves as a part of the bigger picture outside of just their classroom. We will focus on how students can have an affect on the world around them and can all make real life applicable differences to "repair the world."
Kitah Gimel (3rd Grade): Moreh Elijah
As a graduate of LBSRS and former madrich, Elijah is excited to begin teaching formally! He is passionate about spending time with friends and family, and looks forward to bringing that same sense of community and enthusiasm into his classroom.
Elijah believes that learning Hebrew is a skill, just like anything else. As such, it takes a lot of time and practice to read and write, but who says we can't have fun while doing that?! From the Aleph Bet to history and traditions, he can't wait for lively discussions and interactive activities.
Kitah Dalet (4th Grade): Morah Bernice
Morah Bernice was raised in Philadelphia, PA where her Jewish Education started. She then moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music, where she received her BA. After college, she had a short stint in Japan where she taught English in an English conversation school. She has spent many years, both volunteering and working in the classrooms for the GUSD school district. This will be Bernice’s 3rd year teaching at LBSRS, where she began as a room parent and a substitute. When not in the classroom, you can find Bernice singing with the davening team on Friday and occasionally chanting Torah on Saturday.
She works hard to make her classroom an inclusive environment where all styles of learners feel welcome and understood. During this year, they will not only cover Hebrew and Hebrew prayers, but will focus on what it means to be Jewish and how to spread our light to others, along with learning about Jewish holidays and their traditions. By the end of this year, she hopes that her students will come out with a greater confidence in reciting and understanding prayers, a greater grasp of how to read Hebrew, and a closer relationship to their Judaism.
Kitah Hei (5th Grade): Moreh Dan
Dan Jarashow has taught at PJTC since 2022 when he joined as the 1st grade teacher. This year he will be teaching 5th grade, which is an exciting move, drawing upon his experience in middle schools and residential camps. Since moving to LA, he has taught various subjects in LA public schools including AP Psychology, American Sign Language, US History, Geometry, 8th Grade Science & 7th Grade World History. He is a proud parent to a 4th & a 5th grader at PJTC.
5th grade is an essential year for development of Hebrew skills and development of Jewish identity. A lot of Moreh Dan's teaching philosophy stems from his Master's Degree in Education from UCLA, where Dan completed his Inquiry Thesis on the role of games and role playing on identity-development.
Kitah Vav (6th Grade): Morah Anat
Anat's family have been PJTC members since 1984. Her three children went through all stages of Hebrew School and became Bar/Bat Mitzvah at the Temple. They were also engaged in tutoring and as TA’s. She started teaching at LBSRS in 1996 and retired 22 years later. Anat has a college degree in education from Israel, and BA in Business Administration from the US.
Now that Anat is back in the 6th grade classroom, her educational values and aspirations are for the children to master in depth the subjects. To achieve these goals, the students need to feel safe and comfortable in the classroom environment.
Kitah Zayin (7th Grade): Morah Sondra
Sondra has been teaching at Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center for 28 years. She became the head Gabai, and has been in charge of everything related to Torah for seventeen years ! She is also the B’nai Mitzvah tutor, so all her responsibilities connect extremely well!
Her philosophy about teaching young people is to keep their minds stimulated and challenged. She wants them to learn about their Jewish heritage, including all aspects of Judaism and to be proud of being Jews. Of course, this will involve paying it forward by being involved in social action (tikkun olam), by doing their chosen Mitzvah projects and monthly projects helping the larger community. Seventh grade, Kitah Zayin is just the beginning of becoming B’nai Mitzvah. It is also the ability to be able to chant Torah, sing Hebrew prayers, blessings and understand the meaning of the Hebrew as they navigate through the siddur and Chumash on a weekly basis. As young adults, they will lead the congregation in prayer, too!
Gesher (Bridge, 8th-9th Grades): Morah Emily
In addition to piloting the Gesher program (which she is SO excited about), Emily is the Assistant Director of Youth Engagement and Education at Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center. This is her fourth year working at PJTC and her seventh year working in Jewish engagement and education. Emily has an AA in Philosophy and is completing her AS in Child Development and Education this year, after which she plans to continue her education. When she's not working, you can find her camping, curled up with a good book and three half-full beverages, rock climbing, or trying out a new recipe.
In Gesher, Emily will prepare 8th and 9th graders to join Team Madrichim through professional development, post-B'nai Mitzvah education, Team Madrichim practice, and (hopefully) fun! Professional development will include studying pedagogy (the method and practice of teaching) and child development as well as ensuring they're familiar with all Limud curriculum, especially Hebrew decoding. Post-B'nai mitzvah education will, for the most part, be up to Gesher participants. Do they want to discuss whether or not a zombie could keep kosher? Or, do they want to learn about the Prophets? Let's find out! Finally, Gesher students will spend time each week in the classroom shadowing Team Madrichim members and getting hands-on experience helping students and faculty.
Online Hebrew Tutor: Morah Ellen
Ellen Beck, MD, is a family physician, teacher, and rabbinical student. She is Clinical Professor Emerita in Family Medicine and Public Health at University of California, San Diego and Founding Director of the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project, which provides free high quality health care while inspiring the next generation of health professionals. Dr. Beck grew up in Montreal, Canada, where she studied and taught at McGill University. Dr. Beck and her programs have won national and state awards including a 2010 James Irvine Foundation California Leadership Award, 2014 Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award, and in 2018 was recognized as a Woman of Valor by the San Diego Repertory Theatre and Jewish Family Services of San Diego. As part of her work at UCSD, she had the pleasure of teaching middle-schoolers at Lemon Grove Academy to be junior health promoters for six years. She is honored to be the mother of three adult daughters.
Dr. Beck (or Dr. Ellen as she likes to be called) believes in creating environments where the other, individual, family, community, takes charge of their life and achieves joy and wellbeing. As a teacher, she believes in creating safe, supportive, enjoyable, meaningful, and creative learning environments where the students contribute to the shared learning experience and grow in self-awareness and love of learning. The goal of this class is for students to feel comfortable with the Hebrew alphabet and with reading basic Siddur Hebrew, to have knowledge of some of the core prayers of the Shabbat Service, and to have enjoyed and benefited from their learning experience.
Mon, October 7 2024
5 Tishrei 5785
Shabbat Services
All are welcome to join our in-person services every Friday at 7:30PM and Saturday at 9:30AM.
You can also attend services virtually through Zoom, please contact the office to receive the link.
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