WJC is home to a staff of talented and dedicated professionals with dozens of years of experience working with youth.  A capable support staff is available to help your family participate fully in our programs.

Rabbi Jonathan Kligler teaches our B’nai Mitzvah class.  Rabbi Jonathan has been the spiritual leader of WJC since 1988.  During that time, Rabbi Jonathan, has overseen the growth of the congregation from a small once-a-month gathering into a thriving Jewish community with 400 member families and thousands of friends and supporters.  The synagogue is known throughout the Hudson Valley of New York and beyond for its welcoming and heart-opening atmosphere, innovative and inspiring approach to religious practice, and great music.  Kehillat Lev Shalem means The Congregation of a Full Heart, and Rabbi Jonathan has a gift for touching hearts and opening minds in an atmosphere of genuine respect.

Rabbi Mike Rothbaum serves as the Director of Congregational Learning. Since discovering the beauty of Torah as a college student, Jewish education has become Rabbi Mike's great passion.  He has helped design, implement and teach educational programming in a variety of settings, including religious school and B'nai Mitzvah training, and served in administrative capacities both as Camp Director and Youth Director.  He brings experience as a pulpit rabbi for Reconstructionist Temple Beth Israel in Maywood, NJ and the Philipstown Reform Synagogue in Cold Spring, NY, and helped build Jewish community as Campus Rabbi for Hillels of Westchester, serving Sarah Lawrence College and SUNY Purchase.  His religious-based social justice activism has been profiled in various print and electronic media.

Elyse Foladare teaches our 4^th and 5^th Graders on Sunday morning.  She has been a regular in synagogue since she was young, growing up in her family’s shul in East Brunswick, NJ.  She is an Honor’s student at Bard College, and brings a wealth of knowledge in both Hebrew and Jewish values to our students.  Elyse also serves as the Advisor to our “Jew Crew,” WJC’s youth group.

Patricia Moger teaches our 4^th and 5^th Graders on Tuesday afternoon.  She is an accomplished educator, both as a home-schooling advocate, and in running the educational program for Netivot Torah, the Chatham Synagogue.  Her emphasis on kavanah (“intentionality”) in prayer and kedushah (“holiness”) in thought and action is a blessing for all her students.

Rose Ostrander teaches our 3^rd Graders on Sunday morning, and our 6^th Graders on Tuesday afternoon. Rose started coming to WJC in 2000 when her daughter Leah expressed an interest in attending Hebrew School with her friends.  They became members in 2002, and in 2004, Rose was asked to fill in “temporarily;” January 2012 will be her 8th anniversary at WJC!  Rose loves each of her students; in her words, “Hearing my students learn to read and knowing it is the beginning of their journey to connecting with the Torah and eventually becoming a B’nai Mitzvah is a wonderful,  fulfilling & rewarding feeling for me.”

Jill Schwartz teaches our 1^st and 2^nd Graders, and will, for the first time, lead a special service for young people during the WJC High Holiday worship.  Jill captivates young people with her creative and hands-on approach to education.  Jill is an accomplished dancer and movement teacher, most recently with the UpRiver/Downtown Dance Company, and her skills and enthusiasm literally bring Torah texts to life for our students.

Becca Tashman is our Hebrew Specialist, assisting 3^rd through 6^th grade students with their individualized Hebrew studies.  In addition to her work in the Family School, Becca is an accomplished student in her own right.  She also serves as the head of The “Jew Crew,” WJC’s teen group, and serves on the synagogue’s Congregational Learning Committee.

The Family School also employs a group of Madrichim, post-Bnai Mitzvah students who assist classroom teachers with Hebrew instruction, lesson planning, and classroom management.  Madrichim are employed by the Family School on an ongoing basis.  Interested students should contact Rabbi Mike directly to set up a time to discuss the Madrichim program.