Rebecca came to Arizona in 2005 as a native of Las Vegas by way of Boston. She received her bachelor’s degree in theatre and business from Northern Arizona University (Go Lumberjacks!) and worked as a professional Stage and Company Manager for Arizona Broadway Theatre, Ballet Arizona, The Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival, and Sesame Street Live! She loved watching the drama onstage but, even more, she loved organizing the chaos backstage more.

After her time on the road, she returned to the desert and worked in non-profit engagement, event planning, and administration. Some of her favorite tasks have included planning gala fundraisers for hundreds of attendees, raising tens of thousands of dollars for impactful organizations, and student engagement with young leaders at ASU.

In 2014, she graduated from the American Express Non-Profit Leadership Academy at Arizona State University, an amazing program for professionals looking to expand their non-profit management skills. Rebecca was the Membership and Engagement Manager and then the Managing Director of Temple Emanuel from 2014-2018. She recently returned in May 2020. (She couldn’t stay away!).

Rebecca currently lives in Tempe, AZ with her husband Josh, an IT manager and musician, and their young daughters, Olivia and Alexandra.

Jocelyn has been with Temple Emanuel since April 2014. Previously, she served for eleven years as the Finance & Human Resources Director of Upper Valley Waldorf School in Vermont. In her work with the Waldorf school and with other organizations Jocelyn has accumulated over three decades of experience and education in her field, in non-profit, educational and retail settings.

Jocelyn holds a BA from Vermont College with an emphasis in Writing and Fine Art. She is the mother of two grown daughters, Erika, who lives in Vermont, and Hayley, who lives in Mesa (with Jocelyn’s twin grandsons!). When not crunching numbers, Jocelyn enjoys hiking, camping, swimming and other outdoor adventures, as well as reading, writing and painting.

Sharon has been a special education and elementary classroom teacher in Mesa Public Schools for the last 30 years. She taught in Temple Emanuel’s Religious School for seven years, and her two children are graduates of our program. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a Master of Education degree from Northern Arizona University.

Sue was born and raised in Chicago, moving to Phoenix in 1963. After graduation from Central High School, Sue attended Arizona State University, graduating with a degree in Elementary Education. During her 32 years of teaching in Mesa Public schools, she was on the board of the Arizona Education Association as well as the Mesa Education Association, where she served as President in 1983-4. Sue joined Temple Emanuel in 1997. She began working in the Religious school office in 2001. In addition, Sue teaches Torah study to the third and fourth graders and leads prayer class for the b’nei mitzvah students.

Matt Rosenstein is a Jewish Educator and Songleader hailing from Austin, TX. Through his work in the Jewish community, Matt has cultivated a passion for helping students connect with the Jewish tradition and liturgy through music. He has served both Conservative and Reform congregations around the Southwest region since 2014.

Matt holds a BFA in Theatre Education from the University of Texas at Austin, and uses an approach of creativity and imaginative expression in much of his teaching.

Matt has taught several classes focused on helping young Jews, particularly those of B’nei Mitzvah age, relate to and find meaning in the liturgy of our faith. His hope is that he can, through music and other creative expression, bring a modern understanding and connection to the stories and teachings of our ancestors.

Originally from Bethesda, Maryland, Olivia moved to Phoenix in 2016 to attend ASU where she graduated with a B.S. in Supply Chain and Marketing in May 2020. She previously worked as a madrichim at Temple Emanuel for 2 years, teaching an introductory Hebrew reading class and fourth grade.  With several years of B’nei Mitzvah tutoring experience from her home synagogue, Olivia is excited to begin working with students one-on-one again. She values the importance of student independence, while also providing encouraging support to create a unique experience for each B’nei Mitzvah. Her past clients have described her as communicative, engaging, and adaptable to any circumstances.

Originally from London, England, Chelsey moved to Scottsdale with her family in 2004. After her involvement with BBYO, which led to her love of event planning, she gained her Bachelor’s Degree from ASU in Tourism Development and Management. Through Hillel at ASU she went on Birthright and was a part of their Teaching Scholars Program in which she learned about child education and development and taught at Congregation Or Chadash (Tzion) for four years.

After graduating from ASU she has held Event Manager positions at the Arizona Jewish Historical Society, Desert Botanical Garden and Atlasta Catering giving her over ten years of event planning experience.

Chelsey currently lives in Ahwatukee with her husband, Brayden and new baby, Cameron. She loves baking,  doing calligraphy and spending time with family.

Stacey Kempfle grew up in The Five Towns on the South Shore of Long Island.  She graduated from The American University in Washington, D.C.  with a B.A. in Public Communications.  After a brief career as an executive in a Manhattan ad agency, she became a full-time mom to two sons in Greenwich, CT.   When her youngest went off to pre-school at Temple Sholom, Stacey followed her dream and became a Group Fitness Instructor.  An opportunity arose at the Temple to assist renowned choreographer Shmulik Gov-Ari, teaching Israeli dance to students at the religious school.

In 2014 Stacey and her husband Eddie made a trip to Phoenix to meet their newborn niece.   Just for fun they looked at a few houses and found one in Tempe they simply could not pass up.  A few months later they drove cross-country and moved in.  With her brother in the West Valley and mom in Scottsdale part time they were happy to be closer to family, and grateful to never have to shovel snow again.  Today Stacey specializes in yoga and pilates , teaching classes around the East Valley.  She is excited to join the administrative staff at Temple Emanuel.

Jennifer LeGrand has been a Temple member for 11 years. She initially became involved though her son Zachary’s education at the Syndi Scheck Yad B’ Yad preschool. Before becoming President, she was an active member of many Temple Committees including the Religious School Committee, Programming Committee Chair and served as Vice President of Finance. Jennifer is honored to serve as Board President and to work with clergy, staff, fellow board members and congregants to ensure Temple Emanuel remains a vibrant, inclusive and caring community. She has more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit field and is happy that she can use those skills to assist Temple Emanuel. Professionally she is an Education Advocate assisting families as they navigate the IEP and 504 systems for their children. Jennifer can be reached at [email protected]

Bio to come

Arnold Bedak is a native San Franciscan. He and his wife Dina moved to Tempe and joined TET in 2014. Arnold is the Owner/Realtor of Match Maker Home Consultants/Keller Williams. Arnold met Dina in Israel on a kibbutz. Arnold is not a stranger to board service, having served previously for six years at his former synagogue. He is also currently an 8th-grade religious school teacher. Arnold is an avid fan of the Oakland A’s and the soul band Tower of Power.

Bio to come

Keelan Stern Bodow has been a member of Temple Emanuel for eight years. She has served on the Board of Trustees for the last five years. She has served on the Temple’s Personnel Committee for the last four years, participated in the Executive Director Search Committee, served on the Temple’s Bylaws Committee, and co-chaired the Rabbi/Educator Search Committee. She is married to Jonathan Bodow, and has two sons who attend the Temple’s religious school. Her older son became a Bar Mitzvah at Temple Emanuel in 2013, and her younger son became a Bar Mitzvah at the Temple in 2016. Originally from New York, she served in high school as President of her local B’nai Brith group. She became an adult Bat Mitzvah at Temple Emanuel in June, 2013.

Bio to come

Bio to come

Bill Hylen has been a member of Temple Emanuel since 2013. He had his adult bar mitzvah at the Temple in 2015. Originally from Philadelphia, Bill moved to Arizona to attend ASU Law School. He works as a Senior Assistant City Attorney for the City of Scottsdale. Bill lives in central Phoenix with his wife, Roseanne, and daughter, Lillian. One of his hobbies is writing and his fiction and humor pieces have appeared in various magazines online and in print.

Bio to come

Bio to come

Barb, her husband and family moved to Gilbert from the New York/New Jersey area in 1998 and have been Temple members ever since. They have two adult children, Adam and Perri, both of whom became Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Temple Emanuel. Barb has a bachelor of arts from Rutgers University in New Jersey and is a Controller for a company in Mesa. She has been on the Sisterhood Board for the past 6 years.

Bio

Frieda Pollack began attending Temple Emanuel in the early 2000s and officially became a member in 2015 when she felt a greater pull to be part of a Jewish community. She has focused her career on using her writing, graphic design and strategic planning skills to support a variety of community endeavors. Since joining Temple Emanuel, she’s been proud to contribute to building an inclusive, welcoming and vibrant Jewish community in the Southeast Valley. Born in New Jersey, Frieda fell in love with Arizona’s warm weather and clear skies at an early age. She and her family have called the Valley home since she was a teenager. 

Harvey Reiss has been a member of Temple Emanuel since 2008. He resides in Phoenix with his wife Doreen. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Harvey graduated from SUNY/Buffalo and started a small chain of convenience stores in Buffalo NY. Upon selling the stores, Harvey was an Operations Manager for FedEx Express in Los Angeles and Amazon.com in Phoenix. Harvey has been an active member in the Men of Emanuel and brought many interesting speakers to the monthly MOE Schmoozes. As a Trustee, Harvey wants to ensure that all Temple Emanuel members have an outstanding congregant experience.

Jeffrey Reiss, his wife Karen and their daughters have been members of Temple Emanuel for 15 years. He grew up on Long Island, NY and attended Temple Beth Shalom of Smithtown. After moving to Arizona, he met his wife while sitting on the JASS (Jewish Association of Single Service) board as VP of membership. His passion is getting people involved in the Temple community — getting men to feel connected to the Temple is his goal.

Bio to come

Robin Trick has been a member of Tempe Emanuel for eight years. Her son, Hunter became a Bar Mitzvah in November 2012. In addition to being the owner/operator of House of Tricks Restaurant for the past 29 years, Robin currently serves on the board of the Tempe Tourism Office and is active in several arts organizations in the valley. Robin currently serves the board as membership co-chair and enjoys sharing her business expertise and community connections with the Temple Emanuel board of trustees.

Cindy Weschrob joined Temple Emanuel in January of 2005. Cindy is married to Richard Weschrob and they have two sons, Mark and Joshua. Cindy has a BSBA from Eastern Nazarene College in Massachusetts, and is a Controller for a company in Mesa. Cindy and her husband and children moved here from Massachusetts, and Temple Emanuel immediately became a place of family and community for them. Her youngest son attended Hebrew School and continued on until his confirmation in 10th grade. Both her sons attended Camp Pearlstein for many years, and her oldest son continued to be a camp counselor until his senior year in college. Cindy joined the Temple Emanuel Sisterhood the moment it was created in 2008, and has held multiple positions on the Board including President. Today Cindy is Vice President of Finance for the Temple. She brings to the board more than 20 years of operations, management and finance experience. Cindy is also on several committees for the Women of Reform Judaism Pacific District.