Session 1:

“A Monthly Opportunity for Connection: Thinking About Women’s Rosh Chodesh Programming”

Video Recording:

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Session 1 Speakers:

• Rebbetzin Racheli Taubes
  Rebbetzin, Educator, and Yoetzet Halacha
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  Rebbetzin Racheli Taubes

  Racheli Taubes grew up in Brooklyn, New York, studied in Israel at Michlalah Jerusalem College, and majored in Jewish education with a minor in chemistry at Stern College for Women. Racheli holds a master’s degree in Jewish education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration and a master’s degree in Bible from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. She is also a Nishmat certified Yoetzet Halacha.

  She has taught Judaic studies at various middle schools and high schools in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. She previously served as the OU-JLIC educator at the University of Pennsylvania.. She currently teaches biology and Judaic studies at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls. Currently, she is the rebbetzin and Yoetzet Halacha at Mount Sinai Jewish Center.

  At the OU Women’s Initiative, Racheli has served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence and presented shiurim as part of the Simchat Torah program. 

• Mrs. Miriam (Pascal) Cohen
  Food Blogger, Cookbook Author and Rebbetzin
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  Mrs. Miriam (Pascal) Cohen

  Miriam (Pascal) Cohen is a food blogger, recipe developer and best-selling author of four cookbooks — Something Sweet, Real Life Kosher Cooking, More Real Life Kosher Cooking, and Real Life Pesach Cooking. Miriam connects with her large following over family-friendly, approachable and delicious cooking. Miriam and her husband serve as the Associate Rabbi and Rebbetzin at The Community Shul, a kiruv synagogue located in Los Angeles, California. Miriam’s recipes can be found on Instagram @overtimecook or on overtimecook.com. 

• Mrs. Leanne Taylor
  Head Counselor and Youth Director Consultant
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  Mrs. Leanne Taylor

  Leanne Taylor earned a master’s degree in education in England. She teaches at Yeshiva Darchei Torah during the school year and serves as the head counselor at Camp Dina during the summer. Leanne has taught in schools and seminaries around the world, bringing a global perspective to her work. With over 15 years of experience teaching youth in schools and shuls she now consults with and assists youth directors, supporting them with her expertise in youth leadership. Leanne lives in Cedarhurst, NY, with her husband and five children.

Session 2:

“Thinking Ahead- Planning for the “Yoms”: Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron, and Yom Ha’atzmaut”

Video Recording:

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Session 2 Speakers:

• Rabbi Yaakov Glasser
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  Rabbi Yaakov Glasser

  Rabbi Yaakov Glasser is the Managing Director of Communal Engagement at the Orthodox Union, where he plays a pivotal role in strengthening Jewish communities. Previously, he served as the International Director of Education for NCSY and as the Regional Director of New Jersey NCSY, inspiring Jewish youth through innovative programming and education. He is also the Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton and formerly the Dean of Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future. Known for his dynamic teaching and leadership, Rabbi Glasser connects Torah values to modern life, impacting communities across generations.

• Mrs. Ariana Reich
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  Mrs. Ariana Reich

  Ariana Reich is the Assistant Principal of The JEC Lower School in Elizabeth, NJ, bringing over a decade of experience as a leader in Jewish Education. Previously, she served as Director of Jewish Life and Learning and Programming Director at the JEC. Morah Reich combines her administrative expertise with her background in camp leadership to create immersive learning experiences. She is dedicated to making Torah accessible through dynamic education, and holds a Masters in Education from Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School of Education and Administration and a bachelor’s degree from Stern College for Women.

• Mrs. Aliza Joel
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  Mrs. Aliza Joel

  Aliza Joel has been teaching Tanach for over two decades. Aliza currently serves as the Upper School Tanach Department Chair and as the Junior High Mashgicha Ruchanit, as well as teaching Tanach in the Junior High of the Fuchs Mizrachi School in Cleveland, Ohio. Aliza earned a teaching certificate from Michlala College for Women, her Bachelors Degrees in Judaic Studies and Psychology from Stern College for Women, and her Masters of Education from the Azrieli Graduate School for Jewish Education and Administration. Aliza has given numerous shiurim to adults as a member of the Green Road Synagogue Adult Learning Initiative and the Community Beit Midrash. She lives in Cleveland with her husband and their five children.

Session 3:

Celebrating the Torah as Women: Creating Engaging Shavuot Programming

Video Recording:

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Session 3 Speakers:

• Mrs. Rachel Kraus
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  Mrs. Rachel Kraus

  Mrs. Rachel Kraus is an Executive-In-Residence at LionTree LLC a global merchant bank, where she advises on impact strategy and is the co-host of the ‘Listen on Purpose’ podcast.

  She is also the Director of Community Education at Kehilath Jeshurun where she provides life cycle pastoral care, teaches, and facilitates educational programming. She has over a decade of experience in teaching informal Jewish education, has taught and lectured in Australia, Belarus, and throughout the US and has been teaching the Matan Bat Mitzvah program in the NY/NJ area for the past decade. Rachel and her husband, Rabbi Daniel Kraus are the proud parents of four young children. They were also listed among the 2017 Jewish Week’s 36 Under 36 list of emerging Jewish leaders.

• Mrs. Elisheva Kaminetsky
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  Mrs. Elisheva Kaminetsky

  Mrs. Elisheva Kaminetsky is the Principal of Judaic Studies at Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls, Hebrew Academy of Long Beach in Hewlett Bay Park, NY. She is a mentor and advisor to alumni, a kallah teacher and an adult lecturer. She holds a B.A. from Stern College for Women and an M.A. in education from Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration at Yeshiva University. 

• Mrs. Tzipora Pogrund
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  Mrs. Tzipora Pogrund

  Tzipora Pogrund is a Rebbetzin and the Director of Community Engagement, Ohr Somayach Johannesburg, South Africa. She is also the Community Director for the Hazel Sassoon Women’s Learning Center. An enthusiastic mother of five, she also runs a weekly in person parenting schmooze and facilitates a number of community wide activities and programs for women and youth. She is passionate about community building, achdus, and collaboration. Tzipora is currently pursuing a Masters of Social Work through Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. She lives in the bustling and vibrant Glenhazel Jewish community of Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband Rabbi Gideon Pogrund, Director of The Center of Business Ethics at GIBS-Gordon Institute of Business Science, and their five children.