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Our Kulanu Faculty is made up of a diverse group of individuals that includes members of Temple Isaiah and those from the Howard County community and beyond with a passion for teaching. Many of our teachers are full time or professionally trained teachers, while others work in a wide variety of fields including legal, medical, IT, real estate and more. Each teacher brings a commitment to Judaism, a love of teaching, and truly enjoy spending Sunday mornings (or evenings) with our students.
Bonim:
Olim:
Our Olim teachers work with students in all grades during Limmud and Ivrit. For Chavurah and Tefilah, they divide into grade teams:
Kulanu Specialists
Gesher (7th Grade)
Next Dor (8th–12th)
Our full time educators and clergy – Rabbi Craig Axler, Rabbi Amanda K. Weiss, Rabbi Daniel Plotkin, Rachel Petroff Kessler, and Maia Zaborowski serve as the Next Dor Faculty, along with Isaac Ray and guest teachers from around the community.
Education Administrative Assistant: Meghan Strong
Sunday Morning Office Assistant: Tamara Nyers
Registrar: Beth Luntz
I truly love being at Temple Isaiah. Since coming here in 2016, I have worked with our amazing staff and faculty to ensure that our Kulanu at Temple Isaiah program is one that truly reflects our core principles of Jewish Literacy, Family, Engagement, and Community.
I am originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and attended the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, graduating in 1997. During those years I was privileged to learn from and work with multiple outstanding educators and began to form a vision of what I wanted Jewish education to be for the next generation. My student pulpit work during my years at HUC-JIR in Jerusalem and Cincinnati moved my career more in the direction of pulpit work. After serving Temple Beth Tikvah just outside of Houston and B’nai El Congregation in St. Louis for a total of nine years, I turned my focus back to Education.
I came to Howard County as the Education Director at Beth Shalom Congregation in Columbia. During my five years there, I gained the knowledge and skills I needed to move on to the more expansive role of Rabbi-Educator here at Temple Isaiah. I have continued my education with a Graduate Certificate in Jewish Educational Leadership from the Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University in 2019, and in 2021 I was recognized with the title of Reform Jewish Educator (RJE) by the Association of Reform Jewish Educators. I will be a member of the 11th cohort of the Mandel Teacher Education Institute beginning in March of 2024.
Outside of my love for what I do at Temple Isaiah, I am an avid sports fan, never forsaking my Wisconsin-based sports teams, but I have adopted the Orioles as my own as well. I enjoy participating in sports, playing pickleball, and engaging in walking and light hiking whenever I have the time. I am an active reader, more so non-fiction, especially books about American History. When possible, I still pick up my trombone and various other instruments.
Above all else is family. I live in Pikesville with my wife, Rachel, who is a Pikesville native and serves as the Operations and Program Manager for Na’aleh Baltimore. We have two sons: Ari, who is currently attending University of Maryland, Josh, who is a student at the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, and our insane dog, Shushan.
I have been at Temple Isaiah since 2010, working with kids and adults of all ages and stages as Family Educator. I’m also honored to service as a volunteer leader with the Association for Reform Jewish Educators, chairing the Inspiring Excellence committee. Originally from Syracuse, New York, I’ve worked as a Jewish educator in a variety of settings, including Hillel at Binghamton, Kutz: NFTY’s Campus for Reform Jewish Teens, and Congregation Rodeph Sholom in Manhattan. I received my Bachelor’s in Middle Eastern Studies from Binghamton University and my Master’s in Religious Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s New York School of Education, where I was awarded prizes for excellence in Jewish education and Modern Jewish Thought.
I live in Columbia with my husband Marc, and three children, Hadas, Judah, and Nathan. I love keeping up with Daf Yomi, curling up with a good book, listening to Podcasts while working in the kitchen, and spending time with my amazing family.
Contact me for information about Jewish learning and engagement at Temple Isaiah, particularly programming for Families with Young Children and Adult Education.
I am honored and thrilled to serve as Temple Isaiah’s first CLASP (Camp Leader and Synagogue Professional) Fellow, in my role as the Youth and Engagement Coordinator. Through the fellowship, run by the Union for Reform Judaism, I spend my summers working as a supervisor at URJ Camp Harlam — my home away from home since I started as a camper in 2011 – and strengthening our congregation’s connection with Jewish summer camp. I love talking about Harlam, and am always happy to answer any questions you may have about camp!
I grew up in New Jersey and received my Bachelor’s in Jewish Studies from Rutgers University, where I also studied Theater Arts and Religion. In my time at Rutgers, I served as a student leader in many roles at Hillel, where I was honored as one of five Student Rising Stars in my junior year. In the Jewish Studies department, I contributed to the design and implementation of programming such as the annual Rutgers Jewish Film Festival and various conversation series, as well as participating in the inter-department Campus Conversations: Israel/Palestine Fellowship.
In my spare time, I can be found reading (always looking for recommendations!), doing the New York Times Crossword, playing games (video, board, and tabletop), or wrangling my cat, Batman.
Contact Maia for any questions related to the Junior Youth Groups, Engagement programming for all ages, Gesher, and Next Dor.
