Posts by Emily Shefer

It is with great pleasure I write this profile for to introduce myself with the Sinai Temple Religious School community members. My name is Selma Abaud, and I feel blessed to participate in this school year as a Religious Teacher. I was born and raised in a conservative Jewish Sephardic family in Chile, South America, and attended the Hebrew Institute in Santiago, where I acquired my formal Jewish studies. From my youngest life memories, I was a very happy, outgoing, and social student, and I recognized in the early years how teachers loved me. This encouraged me to sing in Hebrew,…

Read this post

I believe that amid incredible teaching and learning challenges generated by the pandemic, the silver lining is growth.  Without change, there is no growth. There can be value in change, even if it’s involuntary.

Read this post

Hi! My name is Nirel Gidanian, and I am super excited to begin teaching at the Temple Sinai Religious School this year. A date that is important to me is my first trip to Israel which began on 25 Sivan (July 1st). This trip allowed me to visit many of the religious sites I had learned about throughout my Jewish education and helped me make connections between the history I was taught and the land where it all took place. Additionally, I was able to experience the Israeli culture, try the delicious foods, and make memories that I will cherish…

Read this post

My name is Eliana Levenson and this is my very first year teaching at Sinai Temple! As I thought about a date of significance to me, I kept coming back to November 14, 2004 (1 Kislev 5765), which was the date of my bat mitzvah. Not only was that the day that I became an adult within the Jewish community and first had the chance to read Torah from the bima, but I was also lucky enough to share that special day with my grandmother, who hadn’t been given the opportunity to be a bat mitzvah when she was younger….

Read this post

I love being able to spend time with the kids in smaller groups virtually and give them more individualized attention! By teaching different groups the same material I am able to master the material for my students and give them the best of Jewish education that I can possibly give!

Read this post

My silver lining for this year has been getting the opportunity to engage with my Judaism through Torah study. I am especially grateful to have the opportunity to make the wonderful lessons of the Torah digestible and accessible for my students. My main goal for the year is to give the young people I teach a foundation on which to build a lifelong curiosity and engagement with their own Jewish identities so they can rely on them during difficult times.

Read this post

Being an educator is tough during a worldwide pandemic because we are unable to be with the children in person and connect with them. We find ways to connect using the resources we have, yet it is not the same as being with the children in the classroom. However, a silver lining to this situation are the new skills and creative ways I have found to connect online. I have and still am picking up new skills and ways to keep the children engaged and be personal with them via Zoom. This even goes beyond the classroom. I can use…

Read this post

Betty Winn is thrilled to be back at Sinai Akiba Academy in the role of Interim Head of School for the 2019-2020 school year. Betty and her husband Ross were parents at the school when their daughter was a student. Now she is back not only as an administrator, but she is also the proud grandmother of a Sinai Akiba Academy ECC student. For the past 40 years, Betty has worked in the educational field holding a variety of leadership positions both within the Jewish community and independent school world. She retired from headship in 2013 after serving as the…

Read this post

Lori Goldstein has been a member of Sinai Temple for fourteen years. She served on the Board of the Douglas Family Early Childhood Center and the Sinai Temple By-laws Committee. During her time as a parent at Sinai Akiba Academy, Lori has served on the Development Committee and the Budget Committee. She has chaired the Board Development Committee and co-chaired the Retention and Recruitment Committtee and the Major Gifts Committee. She also served on the 50th Anniversary Campaign. Lori Goldstein is also a shareholder in the law firm of Meyers McConnell Reisz Siderman and holds a California real estate broker’s…

Read this post

Being in Education Administration and an employee of Sinai Temple, my silver lining is COMMUNITY. Being a part of a community allows for fellowship with others based on your shared attitudes, interests, beliefs, etc. And when in Community with others, you show care and kindness in times of great joy and great sadness. I relate this to Judaism in that we are all responsible for the community we are a part of – Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh La Zeh.

Read this post