Meet Our Team
Temple Beth Shalom’s clergy, staff, educators, and faculty work each and every day to support the mission and vision of our vibrant congregation. We are here to provide support, enrichment, and engagement for our members and community. Please reach out to us any time.
We look forward to getting to know you!
Clergy
Rabbi Jay Perlman
Senior Rabbi
Rabbi Jay Perlman is a Senior Rabbi at Temple Beth Shalom. Since his arrival in Needham in the summer of 2003, he has been dedicated to nurturing a warm, vibrant, spiritually meaningful community. He is proud to share in this sacred service with many outstanding clergy, professional, and lay leaders. Rabbi Jay is active in both the Needham and the Greater Boston Jewish community. He has served as President of the Needham Clergy Association and remains an active member.
He is currently serving, through participation in the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis, as part of the Greater Boston Black-Jewish Clergy Alliance. Since 2022, Rabbi Jay has partnered with other Needham community leaders as representative of Needham’s Jewish community in the Needham Resiliency Network. He has been the recipient of the Rabbinic Award from Combined Jewish Philanthropies and serves on the New England Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League. Rabbi Jay has served on the faculty at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Camp Eisner and has been a rabbinic mentor for both the Hebrew College Rabbinic Program and the Rabbinical School at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
Before coming to Boston, Rabbi Jay served at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis, MO. While there, he was awarded UJA Federation’s Rabbinic Award for outstanding community leadership. He was active in the development of innovative worship experiences, creative youth programming, and in working with the St. Louis Jewish deaf community. In addition, Rabbi Jay was the founding Rabbinic Director of the Fleischer Jewish Healing Center of St. Louis.
Rabbi Jay was ordained from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 1996. While at HUC, he was the recipient of a number of academic awards, including his selection as a Steinhardt Scholar for his work in informal education. In 2021, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Divinity in recognition of 25 years of rabbinic service.
Rabbi Jay is originally from the Boston area. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Brandeis University, where he received his B.A. in both History and Near East and Judaic Studies. He has participated in numerous study opportunities in Israel, including programs at the Hartman Institute, the Conservative Yeshiva, the Pardes Institute, Hebrew University, and through the World Zionist Organization.
Rabbi Jay has a passion for teaching, learning, building bridges of understanding, the Red Sox, and sharing the beauty of our Jewish tradition. He joyfully shares his life with his wife, Emily and their
children.
Rabbi Todd Markley
Senior Rabbi
Rabbi Todd Markley joined Temple Beth Shalom in the summer of 2006 as our first Assistant Rabbi and now serves our community as a Senior Rabbi. In May of 2006 he completed his studies at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, receiving a Master of Arts in Jewish Education in addition to his rabbinical ordination. A native of Connecticut, Rabbi Todd was an active youth leader in the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) before attending Tufts University where he studied Psychology and Judaic Studies. He has outstanding teaching skills and has worked with students of all ages. He also has extensive experience in Jewish youth work and Jewish camping, regularly continuing to serve on the faculties of the Union for Reform Judaism’s Crane Lake and Eisner Camps.
Rabbi Todd shares in the spiritual leadership of Temple Beth Shalom by participating in worship, by officiating at life cycle events, and through his pastoral presence with our families. While he serves as rabbi to all segments of our congregation, he has played key roles in the transformation of our youth programs for students in grades 6-12, helping to make their learning more experiential by including retreats at camp and travel opportunities, in addition to our many newly created options for teens to engage in Jewish life.
He is now focusing on our Kindergarten-5th grade programs as the leader of our Partnership in Experiential Learning with Combined Jewish Philanthropies and Brandeis University’s department of Innovations in Jewish Education. He is working closely with all of our education professionals to oversee the learning programs from our youngest students through our teens and adults as well. Rabbi Todd is engaged in a number of efforts to deepen and enrich the connections among our synagogue members, fostering stronger and more meaningful relationships within our temple community.
Rabbi Elyse Pincus Abrahams
Rabbi
Rabbi Elyse Pincus Abrahams was ordained at Hebrew College, and received both Rabbinic Ordination and a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education. During her time as a student, she served as Rabbinic Intern in both congregational and residential care settings, established and led a vibrant Women’s Study group, and completed a rigorous Clinical Pastoral Education program. Prior to beginning rabbinical school, she organized and led multiple Hillel Birthright Trips to Israel and served as a Jewish early childhood educator.
Rabbi Elyse is originally from Tucson, Arizona, and now lives in Natick with her husband, their son, and their dog. In her free time, she enjoys exploring local coffee shops, baking cookies, and spending time with her family.
Rabbi Rifat Sonsino
Rabbi Emeritus
Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph. D. was the Rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom from 1980 until his retirement in 2003. Born in Turkey, he obtained his law degree from the University of Istanbul (1959), his rabbinic education from the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati (1966) and his Ph. D. in Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies from the University of Pennsylvania (1975). He also received an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion in 1991.
Before coming to Needham, he served congregations in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as Philadelphia and Chicago.
He has authored a number of books and articles and has chaired various committees both regionally and nationally.
Cantor DJ Fortine
Cantor
Cantor Daniel “DJ” Fortine has served Temple Beth Shalom since 2016 as a cantorial intern and soloist, and has served as our congregation’s full-time Cantor since 2022.
Cantor DJ earned his cantorial ordination and a Master’s degree in Jewish Studies from Hebrew College in May of 2022. During his cantorial school journey, Cantor DJ sang as a featured soloist with Boston’s foremost Jewish vocal ensembles, including the Zamir Chorale of Boston, Koleinu, and Hebrew College’s Kol Arev chamber choir.
Prior to his time at TBS and Hebrew College, Cantor DJ earned his bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Hartford’s Hartt School, where he performed principal roles in the Hartt Opera Theater’s main stage productions and sang in numerous vocal ensembles including the Hartt Chorale and L’Shir – the university’s premiere coed a cappella group.
Cantor DJ’s love for Jewish music was first cultivated at Temple Israel of New Rochelle, New York, where he spent his childhood years, and later at the URJ’s Eisner Camp, where he spent his summers song-leading and musicking in other various capacities from 2003-2017. He previously served as cantorial soloist at Congregation Beth Israel of West Hartford, Connecticut and Temple Beth Hillel of South Windsor, Connecticut.
Cantor DJ works along with Rabbi Jay and Rabbi Todd in creating moving and spirited worship services throughout the year. Cantor DJ creates new pathways for adult singing and builds upon the already strong musical culture at TBS. He creates relationships with our B. Mitzvah students and their families, and serves as a key member of our Mayim/Etzim Learning Team as he brings music to our community’s children and teens.
Emily Perlman
Cantorial Soloist
Emily Perlman is proud to be Temple Beth Shalom’s soloist and lead services alongside her husband, Rabbi Jay! Her primary responsibility is coordinating and leading the music for the monthly “Simchat Shabbat” services on the first Friday of every month. She collaborates with the rabbis and Maple Street Project (a band made up of 5 talented congregants) to create a rich, participatory musical experience filled with festive melodies, beautiful harmonies, and a joyous spirit. Emily also directs both the TBS Youth Choir and Teen Choir, which participate monthly at the “Simchat Shabbat” services. In addition, Emily occasionally serves as the soloist or co-soloist at Shabbat morning services.
Emily brings to TBS a passion for Jewish music, over 20 years of summer camp and youth group song leading experience, and a degree in early childhood education from Tufts University. Emily also has earned certification in music education. She plays guitar, piano and recorder, and has loved to sing her entire life.
As a soloist, “Rebbitzen” Emily happily calls Temple Beth Shalom her second home!
Learning Programs
Ellen Dietrick
Senior Director of Learning & Engagement
Ellen Dietrick holds a masters in education from the University of Virginia. Before arriving at TBS she spent ten years directing the early childhood program at Congregation Beth Israel in Charlottesville, Virginia. She is also the author of the children’s book It’s Israel’s Birthday, featuring preschoolers on an imaginary journey to Israel. Ellen represents TBS nationally as the advocacy chair on the board of the Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism. As a Jim Joseph Leading Educators Online Fellow she is currently developing a community of practice to enable Jewish early childhood educators nationally to work and learn together online. Ellen is also a graduate of the Covenant-JECEI Early Childhood Leadership Fellowship (2009) and the Covenant Fellowship for Early Childhood Leadership (2011).
Rachel Happel
Senior Director of Learning & Engagement
As our Senior Director of Learning and Engagement, Rachel has broad oversight of our K-12 learning programs, TBS staff engagement and culture, and aspects of TBS community engagement. Rachel first joined the Temple Beth Shalom team as the Director of Elementary Learning in September 2013 and soon became the Director of K-12 Learning, a role in which she served through June 2021.
Throughout Rachel’s many years in the field of Jewish education, she has worked with children, teens, and families to create rich, engaging, and dynamic learning experiences in a variety of settings. Immediately prior to joining TBS, Rachel’s professional home was Brandeis University, where she served as the Director of BIMA and Genesis, two immersive summer programs for Jewish high school students, and as a consultant for the Institute for Informal Jewish Education (IJE). As part of her work with the IJE, Rachel served as one of the key educational consultants in the development of the TBS Mayim program; when she joined the TBS staff team, she brought a deep understanding of TBS’s change efforts, vision, and goals for our children and our families.
Throughout her career, Rachel has also worked at several local synagogues and after school programs as a teacher, youth group advisor, mentor, consultant, and director. She has participated in a number of fellowships, including the Relational Engagement Circle through the M2 Institute for Experiential Jewish Education and the Clinical Mentor Faculty Program at Hebrew College. Rachel received both an MA in Jewish Communal Service and an MBA from Brandeis University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts from Williams College. Rachel lives in Natick with her husband and their daughters.
Sarah Damelin
Director of B. Mitzvah Journey Program
Sarah has worked as an educator in the Jewish community for over 20 years. Before moving to the Boston area in 2017, Sarah taught at the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester in White Plains, NY, the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County in New Milford, NJ, and The Heschel School in NY, NY. In those settings, Sarah strove to integrate Judaic and general subjects, firmly believing that when children approach learning as a whole person, their engagement and investment is more authentic and complete. As a middle and high school teacher of art, Assistant Director of Experiential Education, and Judaic and Social Studies Teacher, Sarah connects naturally with students of all ages and thrives on collaboration with educators in various fields. She consistently seeks to integrate creativity and artistic expression into learning – wanting to make Jewish learning accessible and meaningful. Sarah is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, MO, where she received a dual major degree in Fine Arts and English Literature. She received her Master of Science in Middle Childhood Museum Education from Bank Street College in New York City, and is certified in elementary education.
Sarah, her husband, and their three children live in Needham and love being a part of the TBS community. In addition to sharing precious time with family, Sarah also enjoys challah making, “challah sculpture and baking art” (she has already taught a few workshops on this at TBS!), quilting and fabric collage, and gardening.
Children's Center
Leadership & Faculty
K - 12 Learning
Leadership & Faculty
Administration & Operations
Joelle Schatz
Senior Director of Operations & Engagement
Joelle has been a member of the TBS community since 2017. She joined the professional team in 2023. Before coming to TBS, Joelle worked for many years at JCC Greater Boston as the Head of Family Programming as well as an Account Director in their Marketing Department. Joelle grew up in New York and then attended Tufts University where she studied Art History and worked in museums and galleries in Washington, DC before moving back to the Boston area. Joelle enjoys reading, skiing, tennis, travel, and managing the crazy happy life of her active family. She lives locally with her husband, three children, and their dog.
Jessica Baim
Communications & Program Manager
Jessica joined the staff at Temple Beth Shalom in September 2019. Jessica has her B.A. in English and Women’s Studies from the University of Virginia, and spent 10 years working in magazine publishing, both in academic publishing at Science magazine, and on commercial publications such as Old House Journal, where she was the Production Manager at Restore Media. Jessica took some time off from the workforce to be a stay-at-home parent, and in those years also moved from Silver Spring, Maryland, to Randolph, New Jersey, and then to Lexington, Massachusetts, where she now lives with her husband, their children, and pup. Jessica has a lifelong love of reading and baking, and is an avid supporter of Jewish youth groups and camping.
Maeve Connolly
Events Manager
Maeve is incredibly passionate about the celebratory moments in a person’s life and she is committed to bringing happiness, light and excitement to all those with whom she works. Maeve is originally from Cape Cod, where she worked as an Assistant Event Coordinator with Cape Cod Celebrations for the past three years. Prior to that she studied Theater and English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has recently moved to Boston with her sister and can usually be found singing, baking, writing, or any of those combined!
Tiziana Getz
Office Administrator
Tiziana has been a member of the Temple Beth Shalom office staff since January of 2000. She grew up in Florence, Italy, where she received a degree in Travel and Tourist Operations. She met her husband while studying at the Alliance Française in Paris, France. Prior to joining the Temple Beth Shalom staff, Tiziana worked at Lufthansa Airlines and Donna Franca Tours in Boston, as well as at 4-star hotels in Florence and New York City. She lives in Sharon and has two grown children. Tiziana also enjoys teaching conversational Italian to small groups.
Deb Hecht
IT Systems Administrator
Deb has worked at Temple Beth Shalom since 2013 in a number of different roles, beginning in the K-12 Learning Programs as a teacher, then as a Learning Administrator, and eventually made her way into the role of IT Systems Administrator. She grew up splitting her time between Long Island during the school year and Great Barrington over the summers, where she attended URJ Eisner Camp for 18 years, including years on staff. She has a BA in Earth Systems Science from Clark University, where she also worked at the student IT helpdesk. She spends her free time playing board games, Magic: the Gathering, and video games.
Craig Lustig
Program Coordinator
Craig has been a member of the TBS community since 2007, participating in K-12 programming and creating programming as the President of Etzim during his senior year of high school. Craig has also been heavily influenced by his time at URJ Crane Lake Camp where he has been a camper since 2010, then continued his work as a counselor and, most recently, the Programming Director. He continued his education at the University of Delaware where he studied Organizational and Community Leadership with a focus on Nonprofit Leadership and worked with UDance Dance Marathon to raise awareness and funds for the fight against childhood cancer. In his free time, Craig enjoys watching Boston sports, playing volleyball, and spending time with friends.
Joe Morency
Controller
Joe joined the Temple in late October 2017. He has more than 25 years of financial, operational and general management experience as a Controller. He has worked in multiple industries including Religious, HealthCare, Hospitality, Consulting and Manufacturing/Distribution. He is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston. Joe is a former soccer and baseball coach and enjoys cooking. He currently resides in North Easton with his wife and dog.
Michael Richards
Kitchen Manager
Affectionately known as “Chef Mike” by students and faculty, Michael joined TBS in March of 2024. A professional Chef and restauranteur for over thirty years, Michael holds a BS in Business Management from Northeastern University and a Culinary Arts Certificate from Le Cordon Bleu. Michael lives with his family in Lexington. He spends many weekends catering, teaching cooking classes or delivering Meals on Wheels. He loves to travel and you may find him fishing in his free time.
Abi Weiner
Associate Director of Philanthropy
Abi, a New York native, has made Massachusetts her home for the last 5 years and embraced all that New England has to offer. Abi grew up as part of the Reform movement and is excited to be getting back to where her love of Judaism and commitment to the Jewish community began. Before joining the Temple Beth Shalom staff Abi worked for 3 years at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island as the Development Officer. Abi has a BA in Judaic Studies from the University of Hartford where she met her wife. Abi and her wife live in Norton with their son. In her free time Abi enjoys sewing, music and going on adventures with her family.
Abby Wilk
Accountant & HR Administrator
Abby has been a member of the TBS community since 2019. She is a CPA and holds a BA in Economics from Bucknell University and a MSA/MBA from Northeastern University. Before following her passion for fitness and teaching fitness classes at many area studios, Abby worked for 14 years in public accounting. Abby resides in Needham with her husband, three children, and two dogs. In her spare time, Abby likes to run, bike, ski, read and volunteer.
Facilities
Nate Medrano
Director of Facilities
Leandro Restrepo
