| Biographies |
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Rabbi Marc Disick has been spiritual leader of Temple Sinai of Stamford since 2003 after serving pulpits in Kansas City, MO and Wilkes Barre, PA. He was ordained at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 1986 and also served for seven years as a regional director for the URJ (Union of Reform Judaism). While in Rabbinic School he served as a Chaplain at Princeton University. Upon ordination he became Associate Rabbi at Temple Emanu-El of Westfield, NJ and served at Temple Judea in Massapequa, NY thereafter. Rabbi Disick’s approach to the pulpit is framed by his extensive training as a pastoral counselor and a deep interest in family systems theory as applied to synagogue life. As president of the Stamford Board of Rabbis he is an interdenominational bridge builder and actually had a Lubavitch Bar Mitzvah himself! He proudly serves on Stamford Hospital’s Ethics Committee which regularly wrestles with end-of-life and treatment issues. The pulpit’s many demands continue to energize him. He is married to Carolyn Hoyt and has two daughters, Gabrielle and Miranda. |
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Director of Education Melissa Cohavi is a graduate of The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and has a B.A. in Judaic Studies. She also has a Masters in Social Work from Yeshiva University, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, in New York City, and a Master of Arts in Religious Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Melissa is the winner of the 2003 Behrman House Award and scholarship for Jewish educators. Melissa has extensive experience in the field of Jewish education. She has taught at a number of synagogues in the New York area. She was the Religious School Coordinator at Temple Beth Shalom in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, and was also the Director of Education and Temple Programming at both Riverdale Temple in the Bronx and at Greenwich Reform Synagogue in Greenwich, CT. She has written curriculum for all ages, from youth through high school and has extensive youth group experience. Melissa also lived in Israel for three years, where she completed her Masters in Social Work, and then worked as a community social worker in the Neve Yonatan neighborhood of Ramla. Melissa is the 2004 winner of The Rabbi Edward E. Klein Memorial Prize in Education from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and the 2005 winner of the Marilyn Scheffler Award for Excellence in Education from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Melissa is also a participant in the Leadership Institute for Congregational School Principals. Melissa lives in Rye Brook, New York with her husband, Ilan, and two children. |
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Cantor Lisa Levine will be our Interim Cantor through June 2008. As many of you learned when Cantor Levine visited Temple Sinai last month, she is an experienced and professional cantor who will bring a great deal to our congregation. We are very fortunate that her circumstances and ours coincide. Find out more about Cantor Levine and listen to some of her original compositions at www.cantorlisalevine.com/bio/ Cantor Levine will be with us for the High Holy Days and other Festivals, about half of our Erev Shabbat (Friday night) observances, and most of our B'nai Mitzvah celebrations. As the interim director of our overall music program, she will have direct responsibility for both Ruach and Ruach Junior, both of which are highest priorities both for us and for her. |
Cantorial Intern Rebecca Moses is currently in her fourth year of studies at the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion School of Sacred Music. Raised in San Antonio, TX, she has been an active participant in the synagogue for many years. She has taught kindergarten through adults in everything from music to Judaica to Hebrew, and looks forward to continuing to teach. She discovered her love for synagogue music at home at Temple Beth-El in San Antonio, and continued to pursue this passion in college while working at Congregation Kol-Ami in Flower Mound, TX and at Temple Emanu-El in Longview, TX for the High Holydays. Later she moved to Kansas City, MO, and found her niche at Temple Congregation B'nai Jehudah. While in Kansas City, she graduated from the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory of Music with a degree in vocal performance. Most recently she has served as the student cantor at Union Temple of Brooklyn, one of the oldest Jewish congregations in Brooklyn. She is happy to be learning and sharing her passion for Jewish music with the members of Temple Sinai of Stamford. |
| Alex Ruvenshteyn has been our High Holy Days accompanist for the past several years and becomes our regular worship and Ruach Junior accompanist. Alex is an outstanding musician, and he and Cantor Levine already are preparing together for the coming year. |
Jessica Nanus is our new Temple Sinai Youth Director. Jessica is a Cum Laude graduate of Ithaca College, double majoring in Studio Art and Art History. She has years of experience working with both children and teens as Resident Assistant in her dorm at college, and as the Art program Director at Breezemont Day Camp in Armonk, New York. Jessica grew up in the Reform Movement and was a long time camper at Eisner Camp in the Berkshires. She also was a founding member, and eventually President, of her own Temple Youth Group. She attended many Kallot and other programs through NFTY as a teen. Jessica currently teaches religious school and works part time as a web site manager for a company in New Jersey. Jessica’s goal is to become a Jewish educator and to spend her life working with Jewish children. |
Bonnie Wilczynski will be our B’nai Mitzvah tutor, in addition to her vital role as a teacher and art specialist in our Religious School. Bonnie already knows and has worked with our current B’nai Mitzvah students and is exceptionally qualified for this key position. |
Stephen Lawrence will remain with us as conductor/arranger for Ruach. In addition to working with Cantor Levine to ensure that the energy and spirituality or our Ruach services is sustained, Stephen will continue providing us with new arrangements for our Ruach ensemble. You may not all know it, but Stephen arranged all of Ruach's current repertoire! |
Youth
Director Jessica Nanus 
B’nai
Mitzvah Tutor Bonnie Wilczynski
Conductor/Arranger
for Ruach Stephen Lawrence