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CJL Faculty 2025-26

Cantor Hayley Kobilinsky

cantorhayley@tinw.org

Cantor Kobilinsky has more than 2 decades of experience as a cantor and educator. She received a BA in Psychology from Columbia University in 1999 and a Masters of Sacred Music degree from Hebrew Union College in 2004, followed by Ordination in 2005. Cantor Kobilinsky finds deep fulfillment from sharing what she loves about Judaism, whether it is our musical traditions, the texts we have inherited, or the many other aspects of our cultural heritage. She is honored to be taking up the reins as Director of our CJL and looks forward to deepening her relationships with all of our students and their families.

RABBI/CANTOR DAN SKLAR

cantordan@tinw.org

Rabbi/Cantor Dan Sklar has served congregations in Westchester and Fairfield counties. He earned a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory in 1994 and was ordained as cantor from the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in 2006 and again from HUC as a rabbi in 2008. Rabbi Sklar's creative pursuits include writing and music composition. He is a member of Actors' Equity Association and has been a rabbinic consultant for film and TV. Educating our youth is Rabbi Sklar's greatest passion and more than facts and figures, the development of Jewish pride is his utmost priority. In these fractious times, Jewish education and unification is the key to weathering the storms of politics and popularity. Rabbi Sklar thanks you for entrusting us with your student and your family's Jewish journey.

Interim Rabbi Daniel Polish ~ Lead High School Instructor

Interim Rabbi Daniel Polish is no stranger to the synagogue and educational worlds. Rabbi Polish has served as a congregational rabbi for half a century, and has taught at Marist University, Harvard, Tufts, Occidental College, and Hebrew Union College. He was ordained by Hebrew Union College and earned a doctoral degree at Harvard University. He is a published poet and has written several books on religious topics as well as numerous articles for scholarly and popular journals. 

Rabbi Emerita Jennifer Jaech ~ CJL Consultant

Rabbi Emerita Jennifer Jaech recently stepped into the role of CJL Consultant after multiple decades of education at Temple Israel. We are glad to be able to continue to call upon her vast experience and knowledge for the benefit of our educational programs.

Shari Applebaum ~ Aleph Bet (Second Grade) 

Shari Applebaum has a passion for teaching and has been an educator for the past 17 years. Her joy in teaching students in grades K-7 shines through in her lessons. She engages her students in their learning about Jewish holidays and Torah stories by making each story come alive in role play and recreating the story. When Shari is not teaching, she spends time hiking the trails in the area, baking, volunteering on behalf of persons with mental health challenges and is on the Board of Directors of Lagond Music School, where she is the founder of need based high school music scholarships for aspiring musicians.

Beatrice Beutel - Kindergarten Art Specialist
Beatrice is an actress turned visual artist with a BFA from NYU Tisch; she furthered her education through private training for fine arts painting while living in New Orleans for two years. Although Beatrice’s primary focus is oil painting, she has always had a passion for teaching and working with children. Previously, Beatrice has worked as an ACT/SAT teacher and nature camp counselor, and she is excited to combine her teaching abilities with her love for art. 

Lane Chazdon ~ Kitah Gimmel and Dalet (Third and Fourth Grade Hebrew) 

Lane Chazdon has taught Hebrew for many years, “the most enjoyable of which have been at Temple Israel.” This year he is teaching Kitah Gimmel and Dalet (third and fourth grade) Ivrit (Hebrew). Lane appreciates being part of the long, long chain of teachers and students that have sustained the Jewish people for thousands of years. He feels that this is a “chain we cannot allow to break.” Lane appreciates the “special feeling when a teacher sees a student grasp a concept or skill that has been eluding them. Even better is seeing the student’s confidence grow and motivation get stronger.” Lane incorporates many game-like, small group learning stations to accomplish learning objectives.

Laura Copel - Kitah Vav (Sixth Grade) Judaica

Laura Copel started teaching at Temple Israel in 2001. Over the years she has taught first, sixth, and seventh grades, incorporating music as much as possible. Laura is looking forward to meeting and learning with her students this year while she continues to tutor B'mitzvah students in Hebrew Boot Camp. She is a long-time member of Temple Israel, serving on the Ritual Committee and in Sisterhood. A published composer of Jewish music, Laura plays flute in Sh’ma Na Na, Temple Israel’s band, and is music director of B’not, a women’s vocal quartet. By day, she works at the Union for Reform Judaism.

Ana Hurwitz ~ Gan (Kindergarten)

As a child Ana enjoyed spending Shabbatot on the Lower East Side with her Bobi (grandmother), forging a deep love and connection with her Judaism. She spent thirteen years at Yeshivat Ramaz, a year in Israel studying in a girl’s seminary, and then returned to New York to attend Binghamton University. After college, she started a career in PR and eventually opened a restaurant in Tribeca with her two brothers: Tiny’s and the Bar Upstairs. Ana currently lives in Croton with her husband Seth and three young daughters. Ana is a returning teacher to Temple Israel, and she is passionate about helping students find joy and a spiritual connection in Judaism

Elexis Koch - Kitah Gimmel and Dalet (Third and Fourth Grade Judaica)

Elexis Koch will be returning to our Sunday CJL Faculty this year as a co-teacher for Gimmel/Dalet Judaica. She has fond memories of her Jewish education at Solomon Schechter and later at her Temple in Bucks County, PA. She is a lover of Jewish music and a member of the Temple Israel choir Hallel B’shir. She and her husband are members of Temple Israel and have a daughter who serves as a Madricha (teen aide). She is looking forward to fostering a love of Judaism and an understanding of Jewish values among her students in the CJL this year.

Alice Kossin ~ Temple Tots

Alice is a long time Temple and CJL faculty member. As an early childhood educator/counselor, she finds joy in exploring the spiritual connection between tots and their families through music, stories, and art. Temple tot events revolve around holidays, focusing on creating experiences which enhance the bond between families and our Temple community.

 

Judy Kropf ~ Kitah Hay (Fifth Grade) and Kitah Zayin (Seventh Grade) 

Judy Kropf attended Hebrew University in Jerusalem and taught English as a foreign language (EFL) to Israeli middle and high school students. She also helped to facilitate many English language immersion programs while living in Israel. She joined the CJL Faculty at Temple Israel in 2016. She teaches Kitah Hey Jewish Life Cycles and Hebrew/Judaica, as well as connecting our 5th graders with Israeli penpals. Judy co-teaches our 7th grade B'mitzvah class with Oren Neiman. Judy lives in Garrison with her spouse Noel and has two grown daughters, who are also Hebrew school teachers. In her spare time, Judy loves to bake sourdough bread, crochet, hula hoop, sing folk songs, and dance folk dances from Israel, the Balkans, and Hungary, as well as doing partner dancing with Noel.

Oren Neiman ~ Holocaust Studies Kitah Zayin (Seventh Grade)

Oren Neiman is a native Israeli who served in the Israel Defense Forces Intelligence Unit. A graduate of Purchase College, Oren is a popular Jewish educator, a trained Holocaust educator through Yad Vashem (Israel's Holocaust Musuem) and Facing History and Ourselves, and an accomplished guitar player who composes and serves as a worship service accompanist throughout synagogues in Westchester. Oren will be teaching Holocaust Studies in Kitah Zayin.

Renee Schwarz – Kitah Gimmel and Dalet (Third and Fourth Grade Judaica)

Renee Schwarz is a new addition to the faculty of TINW. Renee has been a member of Temple Israel for more than a dozen years and recently celebrated the bar mitzvah of her son Isaac on our bimah. When not found in a molecular biology laboratory, Renee is a regular devotee of our Saturday morning Torah study group, to which she regularly contributes not only a vast amount of information she’s accumulated over the years, but also humor and wit. She looks forward to making Kitah Gimmel & Dalet laugh as they learn

Susan Smith ~ Kitah Vav (Sixth Grade) Hebrew and Judaica 

Susan Smith has been a member of Temple Israel for 33 years. Susan comes from a family of religious educators as her father was a Reform Rabbi. She is passionate about teaching Hebrew and uses creative strategies to help her learners decode and comprehend the meaning of Hebrew prayers and identify the Hebrew letters/vowels. She has also received training in the Orton Gillingham approach to teaching the Hebrew alphabet and vowels. Susan has been a Jewish educator at the CJL for the past 16 years and is also a tutor for the B’mitzvah Mitzvah Hebrew Boot Camp program at Temple Israel. Susan works full-time as a Teaching Assistant at Anne M. Dorner Middle School in Ossining in the Special Education Department and resides in Croton with her husband.

Ariela Wehrle ~ HTM (Hebrew Through Movement) Specialist  
Ariela Wehrle has previously taught in the CJL and now works as a Hebrew Resource Instructor in the CJL. She was born and raised in Israel and moved to the United States in 1990. She taught at "Havura on Hudson" for two years. Since 2010, she has been teaching at Temple Israel. She loves “Temple Israel as a Jewish haven and as the school for Jewish education.” Ariela is a specialist in HTM - Hebrew Through Movement – an approach where students learn Hebrew by hearing and responding to Hebrew commands. Ariela believes that students learn best when learning is joyful and playful.

Emily Wiesen ~ Madrichim (Teen Aide) Coordinator

Emily Wiesen grew up at Temple Israel as a CJL student and is now continuing her journey here as the Madrichim Coordinator. She is excited to help make students feel as welcome as she did and work with the Madrichim, Rabbi Pein, and other staff to make the program run smoothly. Emily is a recent graduate of Binghamton University and is in the beginning stages of building her career. In her free time, she enjoys cooking delicious meals, spending time in nature, and laughing with her friends and family.

Arbel Ziv ~ Shinshin (Israeli Emissary)

Arbel Ziv is 17 years old and lives in Ein Yahav, a quiet agricultural community in the Arava desert region of Israel. He is very close with his two younger siblings and his friends. Arbel is a hiker and a Formula 1 fan and is passionate about technology.  He has been a volunteer with Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency medical services system, for several years

Wed, September 24 2025 2 Tishrei 5786