Education Center Team
Rabbi David Fainsilber
Rabbi David Fainsilber is the spiritual leader and first full-time rabbi of the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe. Originally from Montreal, Rabbi David and his wife Alison joined our community in 2013. You may spot Rabbi David, Alison, and their three children skiing at the mountain, biking on the Lamoille Rail Trail, or schmoozing at the Farmers’ Market. Rabbi David has brought a surge of energy and spirit to JCOGS. He has grown the JCOGS religious school 800%, reaching youth from birth to college. Rabbi David infuses Shabbat and Holy Days with spirit, and composes and records liturgical music. He is instrumental in working across the local community with faith, business, law enforcement, and educational leaders to help form the first homeless shelter in Lamoille County. Rabbi David is a founding steering committee member of the Racial Equity Alliance of Lamoille (REAL), tackling systemic racism in our community. His pastoral presence is healing in our turbulent world. His impact has been featured in the The Boston Globe, the Vermont weekly Seven Days, and VPR. Prior to moving to Vermont, Rabbi David served as an interfaith CIRCLE Fellow, AJWS Kol Tzedek Fellow, and as a rabbinic intern for Nehar Shalom, Kolot Chayeinu, and MIT and Tufts Hillels. Ordained at the pluralistic rabbinical school of Hebrew College, he also received a Certificate in Organizational Leadership from Boston University and Hebrew College. He is currently part of the fourth cohort of the prestigious CLI Fellowship. Rabbi David is more than slightly obsessed with Crossfit, enjoys chopping wood, and loves wrestling with his kids. Read his writings and listen to his music at www.melodyofeverysoul.com. Contact: rabbidavid@jcogs.org
Beth Weintraub Liberman, MSEd - Director of Education
Beth is passionate about creating a space that supports discovery and inquiry-based learning. She believes strongly that our ancient language and the wisdom of our ancient traditions are as relevant today as ever. She has trained as a museum educator and teacher of Second Language Learners in Vermont, New York, and Tel Aviv, and worked as an educator, arts administrator, and ELL teacher while living in Israel for 19 years. She believes strongly in collaboration as a foundation for building community and has been instrumental in creating the VT/NH/NY Jewish educators forum. She is delighted to be bringing the JCOGS and Beth Jacob Synagogue communities together for shared Jewish education. Beth employs the use of art and play in her teaching of our experiential learning programs of Kinderlach, Gesher, and Olam Chesed, strengthening organic Hebrew learning. Beth also guides our teens in becoming thoughtful and engaged Jewish adults in our Mitzvah and Ateed programs. Contact: beth.liberman@jcogs.org
Amy Rosenthal, Mitzvah Coordinator
Amy was a Jewish Studies major in college and continued her involvement in Jewish life as a religious school and b’nai mitzvah teacher in various synagogues in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Tennessee, and North Carolina. After a long career as a crime victim advocate, she retired in 2015, and spends her time tutoring many mitzvah students, teaching a class at Hazen, and coordinating the Greater Hardwick Area Community Allies. She is especially excited about her role as JCOGS’s Mitzvah coordinator and tutor and loves being part of our student’s wonderful journey toward becoming engaged members of the JCOGS community. Contact: amy.rosenthal@jcogs.org