Rabbi Elaine Pollack
Welcome to Temple Beth Am

Dear Temple Beth Am Community, As I write this I am immersed in preparations for the start of school, while I am also learning just how things are run here at Temple Beth Am Religious School.

Ms. Jami Schultz and Cantor Schechtman have been of invaluable help as I become oriented to my new role as your Director of Religious Education. I am also being guided and supported by our V.P. for Education, Lisa Movitz, and by our School Committee Chair, Rachel Fier.

The religious school is well organized and managed, so stepping into this new job feels not daunting but energizing.

I want to tell you a bit about me. I was ordained in 2008 with the first cohort at The Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. This was an intense and wonderful five years of my life. My fourth year was spent living and studying in Israel. I live in Newton with my cat Zoe. I have three grown children, living in three states: California, New York, and here in Massachusetts.

My children attended The Solomon Schechter Day School where they allowed me to study Hebrew along with them. Early on, a Schechter friend invited me to teach 2nd Grade Sunday School at the school she was directing. I've since learned that Ed. Directors recruit anywhere they can! The rest is history: I loved teaching HebrewSchool so graduated to 3rd grade the next year. By now I've taught most grades, and also prepare young people for Bar/Bat Mitzvah. I love to sing, and have used music and song in all my classrooms. At present I sing with Koleinu, the community chorus at Hebrew College.

It is my goal to get to know you and your family, and to play a role in nurturing their Jewish identity. I will work intensively with the staff to create a culture that lives the Jewish values of Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Hasadim. We find this teaching of Shimon HaTzaddik at the beginning of the Mishnah: "The world stands on three principles: on Torah, on prayer, and on acts of loving kindness." These principles are explicit in our curriculum from the very earliest grades.

Temple Beth Am has wonderful programs and services that enrich Jewish family life and strengthen Jewish connection. I believe that Temple, religious school, and home work together to support a meaningful, joyful, and rooted Jewish life.

I look forward to getting to know you, so please stop by to introduce yourselves and say hello. You can contact me at 508-872-8312 or email me just to say “hi” or with any questions.