CLERGY + STAFF

reneed@teecleve.org

Renee has been working as Temple Emanu El’s Executive Director since 1997. As a member of the senior professional staff, she functions as the Chief Operating Officer. Renee provides administrative, financial and logistical support to the sacred, social, communal, educational and cultural goals and programs of the Congregation. She is responsible for management of the Congregation’s business affairs, oversees the physical plant, maintains relationships with vendors, and works closely with the Temple leadership and other senior and support staff members.

As a trained social worker, she was the Senior Associate Regional Director for the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO), Ohio Northern Region, for 8 ½ years. She received her Master’s degree from the Mandel School of Applied Social Science of Case Western Reserve University and Bachelor of Science degree at The Ohio State University. Renee is a past member of the Board of Directors for the National Association for Temple Administration (NATA). She is also the Immediate Past President of the Cleveland Area Synagogue and Temple Administrators (CASTA). In addition, Renee has facilitated sessions on leadership development throughout North America.

Renee is the mother of Temple Emanu El graduate, Codie, who lives and works in New York.  She enjoys reading, working out, and being with family as well as creating deep, meaningful relationships with congregants. Renee lives with her husband, Pierre, on a small farm in Burton.

esadowsky@teecleve.org

Eileen joined Temple Emanu El as Education Director in June 2019 with 20+ years of experience working in Jewish education. She has held a variety of positions ranging from teacher (Hebrew, Judaica, B’nai Mitzvah, Adult & Skype) to Family Educator and Hebrew Program Supervisor in both the Cleveland and Boston Jewish communities.  Parent-Child Hebrew was her favorite program to teach.  Simultaneously to working in Jewish education, Eileen worked with K-12 students with special needs as an Occupational Therapist in the public schools.  Her goal for students in both secular and Jewish settings is to see students become confident in their abilities and proud of what they have learned.

Eileen is originally from Pittsburgh but grew up in the Cleveland area becoming a Bat Mitzvah at Temple Emanu El and continued through the then combined Temple Emanu El/Fairmount Temple Religious School High School.  After graduating from the University of Michigan, Eileen spent six months volunteering at a youth center in Lod, Israel before moving to the Boston area where she worked at Temple Israel while getting her Master’s degree in Human Services Management from Brandeis University.  Post graduate school, she continued to work in Jewish education as a teacher and youth group leader while doing research at the Health Policy Institute at Brandeis before returning to her work with children in the public schools.  Eileen and her husband, David Klapholz, came home to Shaker Heights to raise their children.  In her spare time, Eileen likes to knit, read, ride her bike, walk her dog, and hang out with family.

egulling@teecleve.org

Eleanor began working at Temple Emanu El in 2017 as part time support in classrooms while completing her post-secondary education. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Master’s of Social Science Administration from Case Western Reserve University. As a Licensed Social Worker, Eleanor worked with Hospice of the Western Reserve as a home care case manager.

In her role as ECE Director, Ellie oversees the developmentally appropriate early childhood education experience for children ages 6 weeks through pre-Kindergarten with the goal of creating an engaging and nurturing environment.

Eleanor dedicates her free time to creating the best possible life for her fur baby, Audrey.

Mary Beth has a Child Development Associate and earned a credential for trauma informed care. She believes in continued education and takes supplemental classes, attends seminars, and collaborates with other educators.

In her personal time, Mary Beth collects books and is a self-proclaimed bibliomaniac. She has been playing pinball competitively for 9 years and figure skates recreationally for exercise. She loves crafting with her Cricut and being creative.

bmann@teecleve.org

Beth is Temple Emanu El’s Youth and Family Program Director, a position partially funded by the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland (JEC).  She has worked in formal and informal Jewish education in Reform congregations as well as working for BBYO and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). Beth has dedicated her life to building strong connections and leadership within the Reform movement and is passionate about the future of the Reform movement by developing community and a sense of belonging among the people with who she works.

Beth has a Bachelor’s degree in Judaic Studies from the University of Cincinnati.  Beth is married to Phil, and they are parents to Michael and Morgan.

sblandford@teecleve.org

dhershey@teecleve.org

jroseman@teecleve.org

Judi has been an Administrative Assistant for Temple Emanu El since 1994.  In her role, she is the support staff person for Rabbi Matt.  She coordinates our B’nai Mitzvah program, maintains the lifecycle database for our members and is responsible for the creation of the Bulletin.

Judi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hearing and Speech Sciences from Ohio University.  She enjoys reading, podcasts and the KeyBank Broadway Series at Playhouse Square.  Judi is the mother of two adult daughters, Rebecca and Stacie, and grandmother to Rose, Emma, and Aaron.

Rabbi Roberts has been a leader of our congregation for over 35 years. His passion for Judaism and his leadership qualities are constantly demonstrated within the Temple family and in the greater community.

An expert in the field of bereavement, Rabbi Roberts often lectures locally, nationally and internationally on death and dying. He holds a doctorate in this area and is certified as a Fellow in Thanatology. He is currently treasurer of the national Association of Death Education and Counseling. He is currently working on a book about the mourning that some go through when they retire from the work force.

Rabbi Roberts is committed to educational programs especially for our youth. He frequently uses storytelling as a means of teaching and communicating with children and adults. Rabbi Roberts has spearheaded the production of a multi-media presentation on teenage suicide entitled “Inside, I Ache.” He served on the National Committee on Teenage Suicide Prevention was a board member on the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.

He is a past president of the Heights Interfaith Council and the Cleveland Board of Rabbis and remains active in both organizations. He served on the national Rabbinic Cabinet of the State of Israel Bonds and was Chair of the Task Force on Pre-Marital Education of the Central Conference of American Rabbi’s. He is currently on the board of the Jewish National Fund of Cleveland. He has been highly involved in Social Justice issues over the years.

In his years with Temple Emanu El, Rabbi Roberts has gained the respect and admiration not only of temple members, but also of colleagues regionally, nationally, and in the State of Israel.