Meet Our Amazing Team
Jason Silberfein, Executive Director
Jason is excited to join the Temple Emanu-El family as Executive Director. With more than 20 years of service in the Jewish non-profit industry; he is passionate about building Jewish community.
Jason holds a BA from SUNY Purchase and earned his MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Most recently having served as an Executive Director at a NJ synagogue, Jason brings experience in operational and development excellence, with a focus on building relationships and growing membership engagement. Prior to his last position, Jason was the Registrar and Associate Director of Development at Golda Och Academy in West Orange; worked for JCC Association in NYC and also served as a Development Consultant for Giving Tree Associates.
Jason is committed to delivering on the three “pillars” of engagement, development, and operations.
He may be new to our congregation, but his family has been part of Temple Emanu-El for decades. His wife, Paige grew up at TEE and her parents are still active members of the community. Jason and Paige live nearby in Springfield with their two children, Reese and Micah.
Samara Schwartz, Director of Youth Learning & Engagement
Samara Schwartz comes to us from a career in Jewish education in synagogues and day schools all over the country. Most recently the Director of the Miriam Browning Jewish Learning Center at Congregation Beth Israel in Houston, Texas, she has taught middle school in Atlanta, high school in Las Vegas, pre-school in Anchorage, Alaska and people of all ages in many places, including Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and New York. Her responsibilities have ranged widely, from revamping Hebrew programs to meaningful Holocaust education, lifting up Jewish history to diving deeply into Jewish texts. She is proud to have been entrusted with the learning and community building from learners from 9 days to 90 years old.
Samara holds BAs in Bible from the Jewish Theological Seminary and Philosophy from Columbia University, a Masters Degree in Bible and the Ancient Near East from Brandeis, and a Certificate in the Teaching of Advanced Jewish Text from the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem. She is also pleased to be a member of the Mandel Teacher Educator Institute, which helps educational leaders transform their schools into places where the teachers learn together in community over their whole careers, building cultures where both Jewish content and understanding of teaching and learning are at the core.
After her long sojourn across the nation, Samara is happy to be back in North Jersey where she grew up, and where people understand what pizza should taste like. You can find her singing, cooking, knitting, reading, and waiting in line for theater tickets.
Jill Cimafonte, Early Childhood Education Director
Jill received her BS in Business Administration from Rutgers University and Master’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Hunter College, graduating with high honors. Before joining Temple Emanu-El, Jill was a Head Teacher at the Ring Nursery School at the Jewish Community Center of Delaware Valley in NJ. She has a NJ and NY elementary teaching certification. Throughout her career she has participated in extensive Jewish early childhood learning opportunities as both a learner and a teacher.
Jill is a founding member of the Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism (ECE-RJ), an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, where she served on its Executive Board for 7 years and continues to assume various roles where needed in the organization. She recently travelled to Israel to learn and study with her colleagues. Jill is also a member of the National Association for the Education of the Young Child (NAEYC) of which she has successfully guided the school multiple times through its national accreditation process. Jill is also an active member of local early childhood organizations as well.
As Early Childhood Director, Jill has led the program through an ongoing transformative process, continually striving to incorporate best practices in Jewish early childhood education while meeting the changing needs of the community.
Jill is the proud mother of 3 boys: Zachary, Jeremy, and Lucas. In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities including hiking and biking.
Emily Halpern, Assistant Director Youth & Community Engagement
Bio coming soon!
Kathleen Stovall, Controller
Kathleen earned her CPA (with high distinction) at Price Waterhouse Coopers in NYC where she spent two years working on clients as diverse as General Foods, J.P. Morgan and The New York Daily News. She then spent 12 years at Morgan Stanley as a Controller for the Stock Index /Futures trading desk and later for the Investment Banking Division.
Kathleen and her family moved to Fanwood, NJ where she raised her two daughters, performed accounting & tax work for local businesses and volunteered as PTA Treasurer, PTA President, and as a Religious School Teacher. In 2009, Kathleen accepted a position as Accounting Manager at Bonnie Brae, a residential treatment center in Basking Ridge which serves as a haven for young boys in crisis. Kathleen spent four years at Bonnie Brae and made significant progress in automating the accounting systems. She also realized the immense satisfaction that results from working for an organization that enriches the lives of others.
Kathleen is thrilled to be working at Temple Emanu-El which is well known and respected in her community, just a few miles from her home.
Jackie Grussgott, Communications and Membership Manager
Jackie joined Temple Emanu-El in August of 2017 as the Communications and Membership Manager.
Jackie went to James Madison University where she founded a Jewish sorority and became the President of Hillel. About two weeks after graduating with her Bachelors degree, she moved to Holon, Israel and made Aliyah. During her time in Israel, she worked for two startup companies in the technology industry as their Web Marketing & Community Manager.
Jackie moved back to the United States in 2014 and became a Partner Marketing Manager for one of the world’s leading technology companies, VMware. In 2015, she accepted a position at Zoey, an ecommerce startup company in Manhattan, where she founded and managed their partnership program.
Jackie is extremely excited to be part of the Temple Emanu-El family and community. She lives in Bridgewater with her husband, daughter Mia, and their dog Annie.
Mike Kenny, Director of Facilities and Operations
Michael has been the Building Supervisor for 24 years. In the past, Michael worked in the catering industry and owned a Deli in Long Island.
Michael is very involved in community non-profit organizations. Currently he is the fundraiser for Tourette’s Syndrome of New Jersey. Michael serves on the Executive Board of the Healing Community at Fairview Lakes in Newton. The Healing Community is a camp for children and their families living with HIV/AIDS and family members who have recently lost a family member to AIDS. For four years he also served as President of ABCNJ, AIDS Benefit Committee of New Jersey. Michael, as busy as he is, always makes time to assist others in the Temple and the community at large.
Michael is the father of three daughters and one son. He is also the proud grandpa of three grandchildren.
Meet the rest of our team!
Jackie Master
Carol Jassin
Claire Bernstein
Laurie Zinberg
Not pictured:
- Melissa Kenny – Assistant to the Controller
- Jackie Hernandez – YLE Administrative Assistant
Photo credit: Josh Levine Photo
