Our Staff Rocks!
Rabbi Leah R. Berkowitz is the Assistant Rabbi at Judea Reform Congregation in Durham. She grew up in Broomall, PA, and earned her B.A. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Journalism from Brandeis University. She was ord ained in 2008 at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, where she also earned masters' d egrees in Hebrew Literature and Religious Education. During her studies at HUC-JIR, Rabbi Berkowitz served as a rabbinic intern at hospitals and Hillels, camps and congregations throughout the Northeast. She has had stories and essays published in God: Jewish Choices in Struggling with the Ultimate , Jewish Women’s Literary Annual , and Spirituality 101: The Indispensible Guide to Keeping- or Finding- Your Spiritual Life on Campus, and also contributed to the creation of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary. Rabbi Berkowitz is excited to be a part of the Midrasha team and the Jewish community in the Triangle. It is her goal as a Jewish professional to empower the members of this community to lead their best Jewish lives.
Rabbi Zalman and Yehudis Bluming - Rabbi Zalman is the Rabbi and Director of the Chabad of Durham/Chapel Hill. He grew up in Atlanta and enjoyed a diverse educational background studying in Manchester, England; Melbourne, Australia; Jerusalem, Israel as well as throughout the Far East. His classes have been among the most popular classes in many of years of teaching at the Community Midrasha.
Yehudis is the co-director of the Chabad of Durham/Chapel Hill and has traveled around the country running various Chabad youth and teen programs. She's been head counselor and the director for Jewish camps for teenagers and was the teen program coordinator for a high school of 600 teens. She then ran a young adult-teen program for a year in Melbourne, Australia.
They spend their summers leading Birthright Israel trips for college students.
Rabbi John Friedman is the Rabbi of Judea Reform Congregation. He has been teaching the Midrasha 10th graders for many years with his very popular course "Introduction to Plurality and Diversity within the Community at Large"
He was born in Kansas City and studied at the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem and Cincinnati where he was ordained in 1976. He has received the Martin Luther King Jr. Keeper of the Dream Award, the Durham Better Human Relations Award and the Elna Spaulding Medal for Social Justice awards for his work in our community. In 1994, Rabbi Friedman was a Charles Merrill Fellow at Harvard University, and he was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew Union College. Rabbi Friedman has served as president of Durham Congregations in Action and the Mid-Atlantic Association of Reform Rabbis, and has been a popular speaker for many civic and religious groups. He has also served as chair of the Interreligious Affairs Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Rabbi Friedman has written articles that have been published in "The Journal of Reform Judaism," "Brotherhood Magazine," "Judaism," "Compass" and others.
Rachel Galper is an ordained Maggid (Jewish storyteller and inspirational speaker), end-of life- doula, mikveh guide, art educator and music and movement mikveh prayer facilitator. She lives in Durham, North Carolina and works throughout the Triangle with people of all ages and backgrounds in a variety of secular and religious institutions and organizations. Her passion is to support people who are struggling with trauma and difficult transitions through creative ritual, prayer, energy work, story, art, and dance to reclaim themselves. Rachel is the co-founder of a Triangle-wide interfaith dialogue and dinner group and one of the founding members of Yavneh: A Jewish Renewal Community. She can be reached via email at rachelbrecha@yahoo.com or phone (646 241-7555).
Joe Levin-Manning (Bio coming soon)
Stephanie Rockitter has been teaching Hebrew in our community for over a decade. Stephanie has a MA in Early Childhood Education as well as Education Administration. Stephanie lived in Israel for eight years and now resides in Raleigh with her two teenage daughters, four cats and two bunnies.
Beri Schwitzer is the new Executive Director of the Community Midrasha. She has extensive experience in Jewish education from teaching to directing large programs, most recently as Director of Education at Sinai Temple in Champaign, Ill., where she built a successful, pluralistic program. Beri, a native Las Vegan who didn’t have aspirations to be a show girl, decided instead to put her time, energy and enthusiasm into Jewish education. She is a nationally recognized Jewish educator honored by Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA) and by the National Association of Temple Educators (NATE). She is married to Joel and is the proud mom of nine year-old twins, Mira and Zoe.
Dr. Margarita Suarez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Religious and Ethical Studies at Meredith College in Raleigh. Her area of concentration is Women, Religion and Culture, specializing in Global Liberation/Feminist Theologies. Dr. Suarez teaches courses in Anthropology of Religion, Religion and Film, Religions in the United States, World Religions, Women in the Bible and Christian Theology and Ethics.
Judith Roth has over 15 years of religious school teaching. She has worked as a mental health lobbyist, a child and adolescent therapist in a variety of settings, and as the Children's Services Specialist for the Cuyahoga County Mental Health Board when she lived in Cleveland, OH. She has an Masters in Library Science, a Masters of Social Work, and half of a masters in Judaic studies from the Siegel College. Judith lives with her husband in Durham, has 2 dogs, and is very proud of her daughter, Rachel who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Literature.
Jessie Zaleon (Bio coming soon)