Temple Sinai of Las Vegas - Union of Reform Judaism - Synagogue in Summerlin Las Vegas

Brianna Soloski currently teaches PreK/Kindergarten at Temple Sinai. She can also be found working at the Jewish Community Center, writing for DAVID Magazine or doing after care at Adelson Educational Campus. In her free time, she enjoys reading and is currently at work editing her first novel. Brianna loves to travel and spend time with family and friends.

Aimee Knox will be returning to Temple Sinai for her 4^th consecutive year teaching Religious School.  Prior to our program, Aimee taught 1^st grade Religious School for 10 years at Temple Ner Tamid in Henderson, Nevada.  We are excited to have her back and look forward to another great year.  During class, Aimee loves teaching the children about the Jewish holidays and Bible Stories, and incorporating an art project into the lessons. She will be teaching a combined Sunday school class of 1^st and 2^nd grade students, as well as co-teaching 3^rd grade Hebrew school.

Aimee has lived in Summerlin for 17 years with her husband, Scott and their two children,  Jessey, age 21 and Josh, who is 17.  We look forward to welcoming Jessey and Josh as Madrichims.  Aimee’s hobbies include stained glass, spending time with family and friends, and camping, especially in the Mt. Charleston area.

Morian Yifrach or Morah Morian as her students call her, moved to the United States from Israel 3 years ago.  She is proud and excited to say that she has been exposed to, and inspired by Judaism and Torah studies in a vastly inspiring way since moving to America.  She will be teaching 3rd grade Religious School and 4th grade Hebrew at Temple Sinai.  She loves teaching at the synagogue and says she is looking forward to her second year “working with my amazing director, our great staff, and my wonderful, beloved families.”

Morian has a twin who lives in Israel. She also has a wonderful husband, Jeremy, and they are parents to two dogs. She also has over 50 cousins – and knows all of their names!

Wendy Malnak has been a religious school educator for 19 years. She will be teaching our 4th grade Religious School and co-teaching in the 3rd grade Hebrew School. Wendy spent three years working as a third grade teacher with the Clark County School District. Additionally, she works as a television producer and produces Jewish concerts.

Wendy’s credentials include a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio/Television Broadcasting, a Master of Science degree in Elementary Education, a Master of Arts degree in Educational Counseling, and a doctorate (Ph.D.) in Organizational Leadership. She is licensed as an elementary education teacher and a substitute teacher, as well as a school counselor by the state of Nevada.

In her spare time, Wendy enjoys taking classes, attending lectures, seeing foreign films, producing Jewish concerts and events, traveling, writing, listening to music, spending time with family and friends, and attending services on Shabbat and holidays. She especially enjoys attending Shabbat services when she travels to various cities and countries throughout the world.

Gus earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Studies from Cal State University, Fullerton.  He then went on to receive a Master’s from the University of California, San Diego in Judaic Studies, focusing on Judaism of the Second Temple and the Tannaim.  Most of his twelve years of teaching experience has been in Religious Studies, Philosophy and Ethics (with forays into Ancient History, Latin and Film). Teaching Judaic Studies represents the fulfillment of a career and personal goal for Gus. He is delighted to be sharing his love of all aspects of Jewish thought, history and culture with his 5th grade Religious School students.

Iris Katz began Hebrew teaching in September of 1968, in Randolph, Massachusetts…..and still anticipates opening day of a new school year.  She looks forward to meeting this year’s fifth grade Hebrew students, some of whom she worked with last year in reading groups. Iris is on Facebook, where she connects with many of her past and present students.  Iris is a wife, mother and grandmother. She frequently visits the family in south Florida and loves visiting Los Angeles.  Her favorite holiday is Purim, and she is always looking for a good, sugar free hamantaschen!

Ariel is the 6th grade Religious School teacher.  He is very excited to be joining the Temple Sinai family.  The University of Arizona graduate relishes the opportunity to use his rich Jewish background to teach and encourage Jewish children to further engage in our timeless and beautiful traditions.  Ariel grew up in a largely Jewish suburb of Chicago.  He is blessed with a large, loving family and spent each Friday night celebrating Shabbat at his grandparents.  Ariel’s Jewish education also included going to a Jewish day-school, summers at a JCC overnight camp, and a trip to the Kotel for his Bar Mitzvah.  What he credits most though, for his love of Judaism, was his time spent in Israel during his 11th grade year.  Six months of in-depth study of the culture and history of the Holy Land had a profound impact on his understanding and appreciation of our heritage.  With a knack for relating to children, Ariel hopes to use his wide breadth of knowledge and experience to ignite the notion of “aish tamid” in each of his students.

Dr. Hava Lurya, our 6th grade Hebrew teacher, was born in Israel.   She has over 30 years experience teaching Hebrew and Judaic Studies in America and Israel. Most recently, she was a Hebrew and Judaic Studies teacher at Yavneh Day School in California, and is currently a Hebrew teacher at Adelson Educational Campus. She holds a Doctorate of Education from the University of Budapest, and her Bachelors and Masters are from Bar Ilan University in Israel.  Hava has four daughters and six grandchildren. She enjoys reading, hiking and spending time with her family and friends. She is excited to be able to share her love of Tanach, Israel, Hebrew, and Judaism with her students at Temple Sinai.

Our 7th grade Religious School teacher, Bryan Kessler, brings a wide range of interests to Temple Sinai. He previously lived in New Jersey and New York City and holds an Undergraduate Degree from Rutgers College, a Master’s Degree from the University of Virginia, and a teaching credential from UNLV.  Bryan has extensive experience with art and history museums in the promotion of Judaic/Holocaust Education.  He worked in the curatorial departments at the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.  He currently serves on the Nevada Governor’s Advisory Council on Holocaust Education, where he is working to promote Holocaust Education throughout the state.  He recently completed the design, and taught a specialized course on the Holocaust and Intolerance for the Clark County School District.  This resulted in the exhibition “Making Their Story Our Own” for Yom HaShoah, 2011.

Ilana Shapiro will be teaching 7th grade Hebrew.  She previously taught Hebrew and Judaic Studies for 10 years when she lived in California.  Ilana attended Cal State University, Northridge, and that is where she met her husband of 20 years.  They actually met in a Hebrew class!  She has 3 children: Matthew, who is pre-med at University of Oregon; Arianna, a sophomore at Centennial High School; and her youngest, a 6th grader at Leavitt Middle School. Ilana loves to cook and bake, and spends most of her time schlepping her kids to cheer, dance and tumbling practices. She is very excited to be teaching Hebrew again, and looks forward to a great year with your children.

Sarah Stewart began teaching Sunday school as a teacher’s assistant when she was just fourteen years old.   The youthful spark grew into a passion, culminating with a graduate teaching qualification from the Institute of Education, which is part of the University of London.   Sarah taught high school in London, teaching religious education and philosophy.  She also taught the teenagers at West London Synagogue, which offered a high school diploma in Jewish studies.  Sarah will be teaching our 8th grade Judaic Studies class.  We are fortunate that she and her husband chose Las Vegas to raise their two young children, Elisha and Rachel.

Click here to read more about Rabbi Cohen.

Avigail Eisenberg was born in Orange County, CA, and moved to Israel at the age of 1.  She lived there until the age of 7, and learned to speak, read, and write Hebrew as her first language. Upon moving back to the United States, her family became very involved in the Reform movement.  Due to the influence of her mother, who is also a Jewish Educator (and Avigail’s mentor), and the persistence of her father to maintain her Hebrew, she has been involved in formal Jewish education for 10 years.  She has taught Judaic studies and liturgical Hebrew at Religious School settings, Modern Hebrew for Kindergarten-8th grade at Jewish Day Schools, and has been a private tutor for both adults and children.

Avigail has degrees in Psychology and Mathematics from American University in Washington, D.C.   She was an Early Intervention Behavioral Therapist and Consultant for kids with autism for three years.  Joining the Temple Sinai family in 2010, she took on the positions of Education Director for the Religious School, Youth Group Advisor for TSY (Temple Sinai Youth) and NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth), and 10th-12th grade Religious School teacher. Avigail loves spending time with her family, including her four loves: Charlie – her fiancé, and her three dogs, Odge, Lee, and Maya.  She enjoys cooking, reading, and traveling.