Faculty & Staff
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Rabbi Nicki Greninger was born and raised in Denver, Colorado and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Human Development and Teaching. She was ordained as a Rabbi in 2008 from the New York campus of the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, where she also earned a Masters of Arts in Religious Education. Rabbi Greninger won numerous awards at HUC-JIR, including those for Bible, Midrash, Hebrew, Talmud, liturgy, homiletics, Jewish education, and social action. Rabbi Greninger is especially passionate about liturgy, prayer, worship, and ritual, and she wrote her rabbinic / education thesis on the topic of tefillah education. Over the years Rabbi Greninger has served in many different capacities as a Jewish educator: camp counselor and program director, religious school teacher and director, b’nai mitzvah tutor, youth group advisor, and teacher of adults. In addition, she served as the program director of Dartmouth Hillel, as coordinator of the HUC-JIR Soup Kitchen, and as a student rabbi at congregations in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey, and California. Rabbi Greninger is married to Dr. Daniel Greninger, and they have a son, Oren.
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(925) 284-9191
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Religious School Faculty for 2011-2012
Katie Bellet
Katie Bellet grew up in San Diego and moved to the Bay Area five years ago with her husband, Nathan (who is the Education Assistant at Temple Isaiah). This is Katie’s second year teaching fourth grade, and she will also be working with special needs students on Thursday afternoons. Katie and Nathan have one daughter who attends Temple Isaiah’s pre-school, Gan Ilan.
Alli Darrow
Alli Darrow grew up in Orinda and at Temple Isaiah. She graduated from George Washington University in Washington D.C. in 2006 and became the Youth Director at Temple Isaiah right after graduation. Alli has worked at Camp Kefli for many summers. Since concluding her full-time work at Isaiah, Alli has been traveling, working for various non-profits and just got back from living in Tel Aviv for the past six months. She is excited to be living in the Bay Area again and of course to be back in the Isaiah community as the 2nd Grade Religious School teacher as well as the Alef/Bet Specialist during weekday Religious School.
Aya Gonen
Aya Gonen has been teaching first grade at Temple Isaiah for 4 years. This year she also teaches in our Mitkadem program for 4th-6th graders during weekday classes. Aya joined our community after teaching at CCJDS for eight years. She loves teaching, learning and growing with children. Aya was born in Israel and speaks Hebrew fluently.
Mimi Greisman
Mimi Greisman has been a Jewish Early Childhood and Family Educator for many years. She has a Master Degree in Education with an emphasis in Counseling and Psychology. Mimi is married to Irving and has three children and four grandchildren.
Suzan Kotch
Suzan Kotch is returning for her second year teaching Kindergarten at Temple Isaiah. She has her Masters in Social Work from Cal with an emphasis in Early Childhood Development. During the rest of the week she works as a social worker with young children for the County of Alameda. Suzan has taught Religious School for several years at Temple Isaiah and elsewhere and has been teaching for five years in Temple Isaiah’s Teen program.
Charna Schakow
Charna Schakow has been teaching fifth grade at Temple Isaiah’s Religious School since September, 2001. Prior to that, she taught 4th grade at Congregation Beth El’s Religious School in Berkeley for eleven years. She began her teaching career in the Boston area in 1976, teaching English, reading, and history to junior high school students. After moving to California, she taught eighth grade English and U.S. History in Albany Middle School and then Reading Resource, ESL, and second grade at Havens Elementary School in Piedmont. Charna was also a docent and outreach presenter at the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley for 23 years, and is currently serving as a Commissioner on the Museum’s Commission for the Preservation of Pioneer Jewish Cemeteries and Landmarks.