We are thrilled to officially welcome Rabbis Ilana Garber and Sheryl Katzman to our Rabbinical Assembly team of full-time staff. Today, July 1, Ilana begins her position as our Director of Global Rabbinic Development and Sheryl begins her position as Senior Director of Member Engagement.
These new positions were created in response to our Strategic Plan, which focuses on developing relationships between rabbis for our shared growth and support, a more expansive vision of the variety of rabbinic career paths, and transitioning the structure of our staff towards supporting a networked organization of distributed leadership.
As Director of Global Rabbinic Development, Ilana joins our RA's rabbinic staff in fulfillment of our strategic plan's mandate to support and strengthen rabbis. In this role Ilana will:
- Provide counsel in areas of spiritual direction, transition support, and workplace conflict for colleagues throughout the world and in all areas of the rabbinate.
- Partner with lay leaders and institutional partners to develop and implement a comprehensive continuing education program in professional skills and Torah study.
- Partner with Emily Hendel, our Director of Career Services, in providing support for rabbis making a change in career, for congregations and organizations seeking rabbinic leadership.
Ilana is very familiar with the work of our RA as she served as co-chair of our RA's Women Rabbis Committee and was a key member of the Zera'im: Seeds of our Future team this past year. She also has extensive experience in educational and synagogue programming from her role as Rabbinic Director of Lifelong Learning & Community Engagement at Beth El Temple in West Hartford, CT. We are so pleased that she has chosen to bring her enthusiasm for supporting colleagues in our sacred work, skill in thoughtfully planning and implementing programs, and passion for education to our RA. Read Ilana's full bio here.
As Senior Director of Member Engagement, Sheryl joins our RA's rabbinic staff in fulfillment of our strategic plan's mandate to support and connect with our members. In this role, Sheryl will:
- Create networks and connections that strengthen members individually and as a collective.
- Develop new ways for colleagues to convene (physically and virtually) for shared experience and relationships.
- Nurture a culture of care and support among RA members.
- Foster development of leadership skills among colleagues in their work, and develop a strong pipeline of volunteers and leadership for Our RA.
Sheryl is very familiar with this work as she served as co-chair of our RA's strategic planning work since 2016 and has been an officer of our RA since 2015. Having been an integral part of our visioning and implementation, we are so excited that Sheryl has chosen to bring her strategic thinking, extensive knowledge of educational methodologies, and enthusiasm for supporting colleagues in our sacred work to our RA full-time. Read Sheryl's full bio here.
Please refer to our "Contact Us" page for guidance on the roles of all of our staff.
Mazal tov to Ilana and Sheryl! We look forward to the vital work they will perform for our RA.