Our Educational Team

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Naama Sadan is a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, where her research focuses on the intersection of religious and spiritual traditions with environmental education, exploring how these elements shape culture. She earned her doctorate at the Hebrew University and has taught Torah, with a particular emphasis on the teachings of Yemima Avital, a contemporary Jewish mystic, in settings such as the Hebrew University Beit Midrash (Chavruta), Sviva, and Urban Adama. Naama lives with her family in Berkeley, California.

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Rabbi Baruch Rock has dedicated 24 years to Jewish education. Born and raised in New York, he is the Director of Jewish Life and Learning at Pardes Jewish Day School. Rabbi Rock is known for his innovative methods. He holds a BA from NYU, an MA from Ben Gurion University, and Rabbinic Ordination from The Joseph and Gwendolyn Straus Rabbinical Seminary. A certified Wilderness First Responder and active in Jewish educational initiatives, Rabbi Rock also enjoys traveling, camping, and Torah study.

Our Advisory Team

Tania Schweig, M.Ed. is the Head of School at Oakland Hebrew Day School with over twenty-five years experience in Jewish educational leadership, curriculum and program development. She is the mother of Yonim z’l, in whose memory this project has been created. Tania is the founding director of the Einayich Yonim Fellowship.

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Jane Taubenfeld Cohen has served as a day school head, lead consultant at YU School Partnership and Prizmah Coaching Institute, and as senior mentor with DSLTI and You Lead. She is a Covenant Award recipient and a lifelong advocate for the well-being of young people. Jane brings her years of acquired wisdom to support the fellowship’s vision and growth.

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Ilisa Capell has served as associate executive director at the Schechter Network and head of school at El Paso Jewish Academy. With an MA in Jewish Education and a Certificate of Non-Profit Board Consulting, Ilisa runs the You Lead program and the Prizmah Coaching Institute. Ilisa brings her wealth of experience in Jewish leadership to support the fellowship’s vision and our communication and recruitment efforts.

Rabbi Professor Ariel Mayse holds a doctorate in Jewish Studies from Harvard. Ariel is Assistant Professor in the Religious Studies Department at Stanford University. He teaches environmental ethics and has published numerous works on chassidic thought. Ariel brings his extensive Torah knowledge and his lived experience with applied Jewish spirituality to our curriculum development team.

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Yosef Gillers is the co-executive director of GrowTorah, a Jewish environmental and garden education program. He successfully implements experiential and environmental Torah education in 14 Jewish day schools across North America. Yosef brings his wisdom from years of experience in Jewish environmental education and non-profit management to support the fellowship’s development.

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Shira Loewenstein has led leadership development programs at YU School Partnership, Prizmah and Brandeis University. She is the incoming middle school principal at Berman Hebrew Academy and completing her Ph.D. at Azrieli. Shira brings her expertise in mentorship development to support our mentoring program.

Arieh David Scharnberg is the fellowship’s administrative manager. He holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Prescott College and an MA in Cross-Cultural and Sustainable Business Management from The American University of Paris. He brings to EYF a rich background in organizational management for social, political, and environmental change as well as youth education.