Our Advisory Team
Tania Schweig, M.Ed. is the Head of School at Oakland Hebrew Day School with over twenty years experience in Jewish educational leadership, curriculum and program development. She is the mother of Yonim z’l, in whose memory this project has been created. Tania is the founding director of the Einayich Yonim Fellowship.
Jane Taubenfeld Cohen has served as a day school head, lead consultant at YU School Partnership and Prizmah Coaching Institute, and as senior mentor with DSLTI and You Lead. She is a Covenant Award recipient and a lifelong advocate for the well-being of young people. Jane brings her years of acquired wisdom to support the fellowship’s vision and growth.
Ilisa Capell has served as associate executive director at the Schechter Network and head of school at El Paso Jewish Academy. With an MA in Jewish Education and a Certificate of Non-Profit Board Consulting, Ilisa runs the You Lead program and the Prizmah Coaching Institute. Ilisa brings her wealth of experience in Jewish leadership to support the fellowship’s vision and our communication and recruitment efforts.
Rabbi Professor Ariel Mayse holds a doctorate in Jewish Studies from Harvard. Ariel is Assistant Professor in the Religious Studies Department at Stanford University. He teaches environmental ethics and has published numerous works on chassidic thought. Ariel brings his extensive Torah knowledge and his lived experience with applied Jewish spirituality to our curriculum development team.
Yosef Gillers is the co-executive director of GrowTorah, a Jewish environmental and garden education program. He successfully implements experiential and environmental Torah education in 14 Jewish day schools across North America. Yosef brings his wisdom from years of experience in Jewish environmental education and non-profit management to support the fellowship’s development.
Shira Loewenstein has led leadership development programs at YU School Partnership, Prizmah and Brandeis University. She is the incoming middle school principal at Berman Hebrew Academy and completing her Ph.D. at Azrieli. Shira brings her expertise in mentorship development to support our mentoring program.
Arieh David Scharnberg is the fellowship’s administrative manager. He holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Prescott College and an MA in Cross-Cultural and Sustainable Business Management from The American University of Paris. He brings to EYF a rich background in organizational management for social, political, and environmental change as well as youth education.
Our Educational Team
Naama Sadan is a Ph.D. candidate in Jewish environmental education through Hebrew University, completing research for SMUSD’s Sustainability Education program. She has led immersive retreats for teens and authored environmental education curricula. Naama is a founding teacher of the Einayich Yonim Fellowship, developing curriculum and working directly with our fellows to facilitate their learning journey.
Rabbi Baruch Rock holds an M.A. is Desert Studies and a certificate in Permaculture Design. He is Director of Jewish Learning at Irvine Hebrew Day School. Rabbi Rock brings a combination of deep Torah knowledge and profound care for the environment to support our curriculum development.