Cantor Jenn believes Jewish life should be joyful, creative, welcoming, and meaningful. With nearly two decades of experience as a cantor and Jewish educator, she loves helping children, teens, and families find their own connections to Jewish tradition through Jewish music, culture, learning and community. A graduate of the University of West Florida and Gratz College, Cantor Jenn also studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the University of Haifa in Israel. She received her cantorial s’micha from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and is a member of the American Conference of Cantors. Throughout her career, Cantor Jenn has worked with congregations, schools, youth groups, preschools, summer camps, and families from diverse backgrounds. She especially loves creating hands-on Jewish experiences that make learning engaging and help young people feel excited to be part of the Jewish community. She is passionate about creating a welcoming environment in which people from all backgrounds can feel a sense of belonging and find meaningful ways to connect with Jewish tradition. Cantor Jenn and her husband, Rabbi Matan Peled, met through Taglit-Birthright Israel and URJ Camp Coleman. After several years living in Israel and Atlanta, they now call Marblehead home, where they are raising their 13-year-old twins and their wonderfully chaotic collection of animals.

Eliana Light envisions a joyful, vibrant, heart-centered Judaism that speaks to the soul and moves the spirit, reminding us that we all are One. She crafts ritual, writes music, trains educators, and consults with communities to bring this vision to life. Eliana has taught at the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial, the Rabbinical Assembly convention, the NewCAJE Jewish Education Conference, Limmud New York, Limmud UK, Songleader Boot Camp, Hava Nashira, Hebrew Union College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary, and was named to the Jewish Week’s 36 under 36 in 2019. Her consulting work guides synagogues to discover the “why” of their prayer life, allowing them to offer deeper, more meaningful experiences to more people. She is also a sought-after songwriter and performer of catchy, content-rich tunes for all ages, and has put out three albums of original music. Eliana received her Master’s in Jewish Education from the Davidson school at JTS in 2016, and is based in Durham, North Carolina.

For more than 30 years, Yael has been a devoted Hebrew school teacher at synagogues across the North Shore. Beloved in the community, she has guided generations of children in developing both their Hebrew skills and a meaningful connection to Jewish tradition. A native of Israel, Yael brings an authentic perspective and a strong foundation in Hebrew, making her uniquely skilled at helping young learners engage with the language in lasting ways. She is also a lifelong learner herself, continually exploring new ideas and approaches to enrich her teaching and inspire her students.

Josh is so excited to join the Shirat Hayam family! Outside of teaching Hebrew School, Josh works as a Development Coordinator at Brandeis University, while also pursuing a master’s in Business Analytics. Before Brandeis, he served as Director of Programming at Hofstra Hillel and spent many years at Camp Avoda, where he was Program Director and Camp "Rabbi". Josh spent two years in Israel, teaching English in Nazareth and learning at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Outside of work and study, you can find Josh playing basketball, practicing yoga, and enjoying some live music.

Morah Andrea has been a career Jewish educator who has been teaching Hebrew and Jewish studies for more years than she can believe, following in her mother’s footsteps. Andrea earned a BA (Bachelor of Arts) in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies with Gr. 1-6 elementary school teachers’ certification, as well an MA (Master of Arts) in Jewish Communal Service, at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. Morah Andrea has been teaching at Congregation Shirat Hayam for the past 11 years, while a part-time education director at Temple Shalom Religious School in Medford, MA. She is excited to be returning as the Kitah Hey (Gr. 5) Jewish educator this year after teaching Gr. 4/5 for several years in addition to younger grades. Andrea creates discussion-oriented and participatory lessons on Jewish values; she incorporates a variety of Hebrew games in addition to “Hebrew Through Movement”, which uses Hebrew directions and modeling, to encourage students to perform actions without the use of English! Morah Andrea is also a Hebrew educator online as well as a B’nai Mitzvah tutor.

Rachel is thrilled to join the CJE team as the Kindergarten Teacher and Arts & Crafts Coordinator. After earning her degree in English from UMass Amherst, she taught 7th–9th grade religious students in Petah Tikvah and volunteered with refugee and asylum-seeking communities in South Tel Aviv before returning to the United States to continue her education. Most recently, Rachel has served the local community as a domestic violence advocate and co-founded a handmade gift business in Salem with her mother, selling their creations at local fairs and festivals. In her free time, she enjoys performing in local theater productions and exploring her passion for spirituality and world religions. Having always found joy, inspiration, and comfort in faith, education and the Jewish community, Rachel is grateful for the opportunity to help nurture that same sense of connection and excitement in her students.

Elijah or “Eli” as we know him, is excited to be returning to his roots as our Pre-K teacher and Music Coordinator! An alumni of the CJE program, Ruach Rally Band and life-long member of the congregation; Eli’s connection with Judaism began right here on Atlantic Avenue where it continues to flourish! Using immersive methods of song, movement and expression, Eli is able to educate his students while keeping learning fun. While studying Mathematics at UMass Amherst, he had the pleasure of performing with and managing production for the UMass Doo Wop Shop, an all male a cappella group founded in ‘93, which lead to many memorable musical endeavors including opening for the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, Competing on WGBH’s Sing That Thing, and serenading the Obama’s in the diplomatic room of The White House in 2014. In addition to his role in CJE, he loves performing in our Renewal service with the Rabbi, Cantor and many lovely guest musicians he’s had the pleasure of getting to meet. He is excited to nurture the musical aspect of practicing judaism that he’s deeply connected with through the years.

This year, the Center for Jewish Experience is excited to welcome Bar and Neta, two Israeli ShinShinim from northern Israel. Bar, from Avi’el, enjoys hiking, creating, and being involved in youth movement activities, while Neta, from Binyamina, loves theater and music, especially Taylor Swift! Throughout their year on the North Shore, Bar and Neta will share their experiences, culture, and love of Israel with our community through educational programs, holiday celebrations, activities, and meaningful connections with children, teens, and families. They look forward to becoming part of our community, building relationships, and sharing the spirit, diversity, and resilience of life in Israel.

Meret London-MacFadyen is excited to be teaching second grade at Congregation Shirat Hayam. She brings to the classroom her professional background as a Registered Behavior Technician as well as her extensive experience caring for and supporting children as a nanny. Having grown up treasuring her own Hebrew school experience, Meret is committed to helping children discover the joy and resilience within Judaism. She believes every child who comes to Hebrew School should not only learn to participate in prayer and Hebrew but also feel a lasting connection to Jewish community, culture, and celebration. Meret views Jewish education as a way to nurture both skills and spirit, giving children a sense of belonging that they can carry throughout their lives.

Jacob is thrilled to be joining as a Hebrew school teacher this year as he brings his passion for teaching and music to our CJE program. He grew up studying Hebrew at the Chabad in Peabody and got his Bar Mitzvah at Congregation Sons of Israel, also in Peabody. A recent return to Jewish practice led to him working at Temple Israel in Boston over the past year as an A/V Manager. Now working closer to home, he is overjoyed to be able to share his knowledge of Judaism and Hebrew with his students and peers at CSH. In his free time, he loves to play games of all kinds, sing, play guitar, produce music, and greatly enjoys Marvel, all things Sci-Fi and fantasy, Boston sports, and Formula 1. You may even find Jacob supporting performances for the Ruach Rally Band and other happenings around the temple!