K’ilu Lab 2026 Cohort Bios

Brian Avner

Director of Congregational Learning, Congregation Shalom (Milwaukee, WI)

Brian Avner is the Director of Congregational Learning at Congregation Shalom in Milwaukee, WI. He grew up in the Chicago suburbs deeply engaged in synagogue life, youth group, and Reform Jewish summer camp, spending many summers at URJ-OSRUI as a camper, counselor, and unit head. He continues to serve on OSRUI faculty, and these formative experiences shaped his passion for Jewish education and working with young people and families. Brian earned a BA in Hebrew and Semitic Studies and Jewish Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was active in Hillel leadership. He later taught and worked in youth engagement in the Chicagoland area before earning a Master’s in Jewish Education and a Master’s in Jewish Nonprofit Management from Hebrew Union College, along with a concentration in Israel Education from the iCenter. Brian lives in Fox Point with his wife, Sami, their three children, Eyal, Maya, and Noam, and their dog, Herbie.


Nancy Brunn

Educator, Congregation Netivot Shalom, Jewish Gateways, Temple Beth Abraham, Urban Adamah (Bay Area, CA)

Nancy Brunn (she/her) graduated from DeLeT Teacher Education Program at Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion. Nancy has taught in independent schools, religious schools, camps, and afterschool programs. She is currently teaching at four Jewish education programs in the SF Bay Area: two Conservative synagogues, a Shabbat Family School, and an Urban Jewish Farm. Last year, Nancy studied with SVARA’s Pedagogy Chavurah, to explore if SVARA’s rigorous, joyful, accessible methodology could apply to younger learners. Out of that experience, she created the first Hebrew class at the Shabbat Family School, which is still going strong.  She delights in sparking a love of learning and building community. Nancy is passionate about B'tzelem Elohim (the concept that all people are created in the Divine Image), bringing out the best in each student and helping to build a positive Jewish future in the Bay Area.

Ilene Cohen

Director of Youth Education & Engagement, Temple Sholom (Bridgewater, CT)

Ilene Cohen is the Director of Youth Education and Engagement in Bridgewater, NJ. During Ilene’s tenure at Temple Sholom, Ilene has strengthened the education department and community by creating engaging and meaningful experiential programming for community holiday celebrations, developed project-based learning curriculum within Nitzanim, and inspired new and engaging family education programs for our families to grow together. Ilene continually looks for new and innovative ways to educate our youth while emphasizing the importance of social emotional skills within all facets of education. Ilene lives in West Orange, New Jersey with her husband and Eran and their two daughters.


Jamie Diamond

Director of Young Family Education, Park Avenue Synagogue (New York, NY)

Jamie Diamond is the Director of Young Family Education at Park Avenue Synagogue, where she has served for nine years. She oversees educational programming for young children and their families, with a focus on curriculum development, community engagement, and creating meaningful, developmentally appropriate Jewish learning experiences. Her passion for Jewish education began at Herzl Camp, where she served as Director of Jewish Education for four years, shaping immersive and values-driven learning experiences in a camp setting. Jamie holds a Master’s degree in Jewish Education from The Jewish Theological Seminary. She lives on Long Island with her husband and their two daughters.

Alissa Frankel

Education Director, Temple Beth Am (Jupiter, FL)

Alissa Frankel is the Education Director at Temple Beth Am in Jupiter, Florida, where she has spent the past 12 years leading Pre-K through 12th grade religious school, youth, and family education programs. Her educational leadership is shaped by a foundation in social work and a focus on meaningful community connections. Alissa holds a master’s degree in social work from University of Illinois Chicago and previously worked with youth aging out of foster care, an experience that informs her approach to fostering belonging and impactful engagement. She is a member of the Association of Reform Jewish Educators (ARJE) and participated in the M² Senior Educator Cohort 5. She is passionate about creating joyful, inclusive Jewish learning experiences for students and families.


Josh Garoon

Director of Congregational Learning & Engagement, Beth Israel Center (Madison, WI)

Josh Garoon is the inaugural Director of Congregational Learning & Engagement (CLE) at Beth Israel Center (BIC), the USCJ-affiliated synagogue in Madison, Wisconsin. As CLE Director, Josh is responsible for BIC’s educational initiatives, from early childhood to adult. This includes the shul’s Talmud Torah program for grades K-7 as well as regular Matchilim sessions for the pre-K set (and parents); b’nei mitzvah preparation; tween-through-teen youth groups and other activities; and regular offerings for congregants who’ve moved past high school (including BIC’s Kolot Kehilla series as well as programming on Israel and Palestine). Josh also oversees BIC’s community engagement efforts (including the annual Hanukkah party, Purim carnival, and Lag B’Omer picnic) and coordinates the shul’s robust social justice initiatives. Prior to joining BIC, Josh spent two decades in higher education, conducting research and teaching on global health, development, and environment at University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Chicago, and Johns Hopkins. Beyond BIC he enjoys cooking, eating, and drinking; playing board and video games; trying to keep up with his kids’ tastes in music and skills in sports (especially Ultimate Frisbee); and hanging out with his spouse, Michal Engelman, and the family dog, Ranger (who, like Josh, hails from Fort Worth, Texas).

Aileen Landau

Director of Early Childhood Education and Young Family Engagement, Temple Aliyah (Needham, MA)

Aileen Landau is the Director of Early Childhood and Young Family Engagement at Temple Aliyah in Needham, MA. In this role, she leads Gan Aliyah Preschool as well as the Temple Tots program for families with young children. With over 25 years in the field of early childhood education, Aileen has worked in a variety of settings, teaching infants through kindergarten, supporting parents from pregnancy through age 3 through parent education programming, as well as serving as assistant director and director of preschools. She holds an MS in Elementary Education from Northwestern University and an MS in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in Leadership and Advocacy from The Erikson Institute. Aileen is passionate about creating meaningful Jewish experiences for children and families. A lifelong learner, she loves to listen to podcasts and audiobooks as well as reading everything from novels to nonfiction. 

Amanda Levine

Founder and Music Educator, Amanda’s Music Garden (Toronto, CA)

Amanda Levine holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music and a Certificate in Early Childhood Music Education from The Royal Conservatory of Music. She is the founder of Amanda’s Music Garden, a sensory based music program offering group music classes for children ages 0 to 4, as well as beginner piano classes. Amanda’s Music Garden also provides Jewish music programming, including a Tot Shabbat class and an original Hanukkah Variety Show. In addition, Amanda is a member of the Ark Adventures Toronto cast, created by the K’ilu Company, where she performs as part of a multi sensory Shabbat experience for children and families. Amanda brings her background as a professional performer, vocalist, and educator together to create engaging and meaningful musical moments for every child and family she works with. Follow all the musical fun at @amandasmusicgarden.


Cantor Josh Rosenberg

Cantor, Anshe Emet Synagogue (Chicago, IL)

Cantor Josh Rosenberg currently serves as Assistant Cantor at the Anshe Emet Synagogue and has made Chicago his new home this year! He previously served as Assistant Cantor and Director of Youth and Family Learning at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, MA and as Cantorial Fellow and Principal Music Educator at Park Avenue Synagogue, NYC. Raised in Bethesda, MD, Josh attended the Eastman School of Music for music education and vocal performance and received a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Boston University. After four years as a public school music educator, Josh accompanied his wife Rabbi Vanessa Harper to Jerusalem, where he sang in local choirs and worked with the Jerusalem Youth Chorus. In 2019, he began his Cantorial studies in the CICA (Cantorial Interns of the Cantor’s Assembly) program. Mentored by Cantors Azi Schwartz and Rachel Brook, he was officially invested as a Cantor in 2022 by the Cantor’s Assembly. In addition to his energetic musical leadership, Josh is an experienced and engaging educator for all ages, and distinguishes himself as a dynamic multi-modal storyteller. When not working, Josh can be found running, biking, cooking, eating, or petting his cat Kushki.

Soreh Rosenblum

Director of Education, Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (Evanston, IL)

Soreh Rosenblum is the Director of Education at Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, IL. Originally from Northern California, and after having spent time on the East Coast, Soreh is brand new to Chicagoland. Before finding her way to the midwest, Soreh was a public school special education teacher and administrator in Oakland, CA. She then transitioned into Jewish Education during the peak of the pandemic while farming at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center. Soreh then directed programming partnerships with Mayyim Hayyim. Soreh loves living near Lake Michigan, has been studying Biblical Hebrew for about a year and is very excited to learn from K'ilu's great work and find ways to incorporate at her shul. 


Rabbi Eric Rosenstein

Associate Rabbi / Director of Education, Temple Judea (Encino, CA)

Rabbi Eric Rosenstein serves Temple Judea in Los Angeles as Associate Rabbi and Director of Education, stewarding its multifaceted educational and community-building opportunities alongside professional and lay partners. As a Jewish leader, he is committed to using the power of Jewish tradition, history, music, and culture to inspire and guide daily lives, and to co-creating Jewish life for the next generation. Rabbi Rosenstein is proud to sustain the next generation of Jewish professionals through his service as a clinical faculty member for Hebrew Union College education residents and rabbinical students who learn through their contributions to the community. Rabbi Rosenstein also invests in the wider community through his service on the Hebrew Union College’s Rabbinical School Curriculum Review Task Force, with the Association of Reform Jewish Educators’ Ethics Code Task Force, and he has served on the boards of the Sandra Caplan Community Bet Din and the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis. He is also a contributing co-author to the book The Fragile Dialogue: New Voices in Liberal Zionism (CCAR Press, 2017). He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

Dan Swartz

Education Director, Beth El Hebrew Congregation (Alexandria, VA)

Dan Swartz serves as the Education Director at Beth El Hebrew Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia. He brings to the role a lifelong love of Jewish music and community, having grown up at Temple Beth Israel in Skokie, Illinois, where he later became a religious school teacher (3rd, 4th, and 7th grades), music teacher and shaliach tzibur. Today, he continues to share that passion by writing Jewish music and playing guitar with the children at Beth El. Dan’s professional background spans both Jewish and secular education. Before entering synagogue education, he spent over two decades in public education, serving as curriculum coordinator, curriculum director, and assistant superintendent in the northern suburbs of Illinois. He is known for his leadership in curriculum development, educational equity, and community engagement. Dan is currently pursuing an Executive Master’s in Jewish Education through Hebrew Union College’s EMA program. He is also deeply committed to diversity and educational leadership, as reflected in his involvement with several statewide and national organizations. Dan lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Marsha, and their daughters, Sophie and Emily. Their home is also shared with two beloved rescue dogs, Lily and Rosie.

Rabbi Yali Szulanski

Director of Youth and Family Engagement, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale (Bronx, NY)

Rabbi Yali Szulanski is an award-winning educator, trauma-informed emotions specialist, and writer dedicated to creating spaces in which children, teens, and families feel seen, supported, and empowered. She serves as the Director of Youth and Family Engagement at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, where she trains teen leaders in empathy and inclusive leadership and supports families through moments of transition, growth, and challenge. Yali is also a social-emotional learning specialist and educational wellness consultant, partnering with schools and communities to integrate mindfulness and emotional wellness into learning environments. Her work is rooted in the belief that Jewish education should nurture the whole person—heart, mind, and soul.


Rabbi Becca Walker

Director of Jewish Life and Learning, Lander Grinspoon Academy (Northampton, MA)

Rabbi Becca Walker is the Director of Jewish Life and Learning at Lander Grinspoon Academy, a K-6 Jewish day school in Northampton MA. Her role at LGA includes teaching Judaics studies, tefilah (prayer), family education and engagement. Prior to that, she served as Director of Lifelong Learning at Knesset Israel in Pittsfield; she also worked as an Engagement Rabbi in Toronto and Senior Jewish Educator for Hillel at Michigan State University. She has been an educator for over 15 years, teaching at Hillels, religious schools, summer camps, adult learning initiatives and more. Becca was ordained in 2016 at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at American Jewish University in Los Angeles where she also received her MA in Rabbinic Studies. She enjoys cooking, outdoor adventures and listening to podcasts.

Carly Wallenstein

Senior Director of Learning and Engagement, Congregation Beth Shalom (Northbrook, IL)

Carly is the Senior Director of Learning and Engagement at Congregation Beth Shalom, where she brings a deep passion for Jewish education, community building, and innovative learning. A native of the Chicago area, her lifelong connection to Jewish life has shaped her commitment to creating meaningful, inclusive, and engaging Jewish experiences for learners of all ages. With extensive experience in both formal and informal education, Carly has served as Director of Religious School at congregations in Deerfield, IL, northern New Jersey, and Boca Raton, Florida. Her work is grounded in a learner-centered approach that values curiosity, relationship-building, and authentic Jewish exploration. She also brings a strong connection to Jewish camping, having spent many summers at a Jewish overnight camp in Wisconsin as both a camper and staff member. Carly holds a B.A. in Jewish Studies and Political Science from Indiana University, a Master’s in Jewish Education from Hebrew College, and a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from Gratz College. She is passionate about cultivating vibrant learning communities that honor diverse Jewish journeys and strengthen communal leadership.