By Laura Mason, Senior Program Officer
As part of the public launch of JCF’s Reducing Barriers and Increasing Access to Jewish Life Initiative, the JCF gathered educators, rabbis, synagogue and preschool directors, foundations and Federation supporters to consider how we, as a community, can effectively tackle the key challenges facing Jewish Early Childhood Education as a profession and as an important gateway to Jewish life. The top issues identified by experts included affordability, teacher compensation, serving children with special needs, creating and adopting standards of excellence, and the need for a collective approach to advance on these issues.
The moderated panel discussion was led by Jennifer Gorovitz, CEO of the Federation, and featured: Rabbi Ed Feinstein a leading scholar on issues of Jewish identity and engagement; Marcy Whitebook, Ph.D., the founder and director of the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley and the preeminent expert on teacher compensation; Jennifer Splansky, a Senior Consultant at FSG, a global consulting firm dedicated to helping nonprofits and entire communities discover new ways to solve social problems and create large-scale change; and Janet Harris, the Director of the Early Childhood Education Initiative at the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund.
Rabbi Ed Feinstein on Affordability and Access to Early Childhood Jewish Education
Jennifer Splansky: The JCF’s ‘Collective Impact’ Approach to Early Childhood Education
Dr. Marcy Whitebrook: Rethinking Compensation for Early Childhood Educators
Participant Takeaways: Reducing Barriers & Increasing Access (Ori & Emma)
Since moving to San Francisco, Tamar Rabinowitz has been teaching Tanach at the Jewish Community High School of the Bay, in the Yesod program at Congregation Emanu-El, and for Kevah. Originally from South Africa, she moved to Israel and attended Hebrew University, where she received a degree in Jewish History and a Masters degree in Jewish Education. She was also in the first cohort of the Educators Program at Pardes Institute. Tamar has taught Tanach for 12 years at various grade levels in numerous cities, schools, institutions, including middle and high-schoolers for seven years at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, and adults in the Florence Melton program in Rockville, MD. Tamar’s interests lie in teacher education and mentoring, which has resulted in her being a Teacher Mentor at JCHS of the Bay and running a teacher training program at Pardes in Jerusalem over the summer. In her spare time, Tamar trains for marathons while avoiding San Francisco routes with steep hills.
Hadara Graubart, the lead teacher in the Extended Day program at Congregation Beth Sholom Family Preschool in San Francisco, comes from a long line of Jewish communal workers. Her father was an eighth generation Rabbi and her mother has worked at JCCs for 30 years. She has a BA from Wesleyan University and an MA in journalism from NYU. Hadara was a staff writer at Tablet, an online Jewish magazine, for several years, but her true passion is early childhood education. Nothing brings her more joy than sharing ideas of tzedakah and loving kindness with young children and watching them experience the joy of being Jewish.
Ariana is the Director of Adolescent Education at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco where she teaches multiple grade levels, implements a Jewish Service learning program for bnei mitzvah students, as well as supervises and facilitates all 7th – 12th grade programs. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a master’s in Education with a focus in Jewish Studies, both from San Francisco State University. Ariana is an alumna of the BJE’s Shofar Fellowship for Teen Educators and received a certificate in Jewish Service Learning from the BJE and San Francisco State University in 2009. In 2011 Ariana co-wrote a Jewish Service Learning Manual for Early Childhood Education which won the Union for Reform Judaism’s Epstein Communicate Award. Ariana was born and raised in San Francisco and has chosen to never leave! She has been married to Marc Estoque for 7 years and has a 5 year old son, Calen and a 3 year old son, Ever.
Jaclyn Guzman has been a history instructor at Kehillah Jewish High School since 2008. She holds a BA in American History with a minor in Jewish Studies from University of California, Santa Cruz. She also holds a Masters in Education with single-subject credentials in Social Studies and English, also obtained at UC Santa Cruz. Jaclyn credits her amazing professors, especially Bruce Thompson, in fostering her interest in Jewish History. Through their encouragement and support she maintained an active involvement in the Jewish community in Santa Cruz and continues that involvement through her school and current community. Jaclyn Guzman currently lives in Fremont, CA with her husband and adorable cat. In her off time, Jaclyn enjoys collecting and reading books as well as traveling to new and exciting places.
Zephira Derblich-Milea grew up in the Bay Area Jewish community and has worked as a violence prevention educator for over nine years. In 2005 she began coordinating Love Shouldn’t Hurt (LSH), Shalom Bayit’s healthy relationships education and dating violence prevention program for Jewish youth. This program has enabled her to connect her passion for promoting healthy relationships with her love for the Jewish community. In 2007 Zephira was awarded a fellowship at the Bureau of Jewish Education and co-authored the successful national LSH curriculum. She also teaches 1st grade religious school at Temple Beth Abraham which gives her the opportunity to look at Judaism from a different lens and at times, to just be silly. When she isn’t in a classroom you will find her on a hike in Tilden Park or dancing and laughing with friends.
Tanya Kaminsky Bernstein is the President of the Federation’s Young Adult Division (YAD). In her role, Tanya works closely with YAD Board and JCF staff to develop an engaged community of Jewish young adults in the Bay Area by providing a broad range of social, educational, volunteer and leadership development opportunities. She previously served as the YAD Campaign Chair where she helped organize the YAD delegation to Super Sunday, developed recognition programs for giving levels and led the recruitment efforts for the National Young Leadership Mission to Israel. Originally from Lviv, Ukraine, Tanya moved with her family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1994. It was there that she got her first taste of being part of a Jewish community by becoming a member of Young Judaea, attending the Tel Yehudah summer camp and traveling on a summer trip to Israel. Tanya went on to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio where she earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and to the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley where she received her MBA. In her professional life, Tanya is an Assistant Vice President at Wells Fargo, where she is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic growth initiatives within the bank’s Small Business Segment. Tanya recently wed Mark W. Bernstein, and together they enjoy traveling, attending lectures and performing arts events, and taking dance classes.
Roselyne Chroman Swig (Cissie) is singularly devoted to philanthropic and community service efforts, at a local, national and global level with a focus on women empowerment, social welfare, fine arts, political advocacy and education. Among other contributions, Cissie is the founder of the advocacy group, Partners Ending Domestic Abuse and is a member of the Collector’s Committee National Gallery of Art. She serves on a myriad of Boards: Vital Voices Global Partnership, the NPR Foundation, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, AIPAC, the American Joint Distribution Committee, and is a past President of both the Contemporary Jewish Museum and the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation.
Akiva Tor has served as World Jewish Affairs Adviser to the President of Israel, Director of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, and Deputy Director for Palestinian Affairs in the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is a graduate of the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and has written and lectured extensively on Jewish values in the foreign policy of Israel and on ethical considerations in international relations.
