AOP Graduating Class of 2021/5781

Rabbi Sharona serves as the Education Director and Rabbinic Intern at the Hebrew Educational Alliance in Denver. Born and raised in Israel in an orthodox moshav, she brings the authenticity of her Yemenite tradition into all aspects of Jewish liturgy and rituals. She is a veteran of the IDF, where she served as officer of a teaching unit. A passionate Torah reader, Sharona has over 25 years of experience as a Hebrew and Judaic teacher in various synagogues, schools, and Jewish institutions. As an amateur writer of poetry and midrashim, she enjoys bringing new meaning to the sacred texts and the stories of our past. Sharona is the proud mother of four adult sons and is living her version of the American Dream with the love of her life Leo.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Rabbinic Pastor Chaya has been living in Miami for 34 year. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Louisiana State University and a masters in clinical social work from Barry University. As a licensed social worker, she worked with HIV/AIDS patients during the AIDS crisis and with Holocaust survivors for Jewish Community Services, where she has been providing clinical services for over two decades. Chaya is also in private practice. She enjoys chaplaincy, teaching Torah study, and leading services. She is Co-President of the Rabbinic Pastor Association, an association for Jewish Renewal rabbinic pastors, chaplains, and students. She lives with her beloved Nancy and their black lab Jake.

Hazzan Sharon has been singing, performing, and shepherding souls since her youth. As a music director and educator in the Charlottesville area, she teaches in the community and in schools, manages a music studio, and directs music education and programming at Congregation Beth Israel. For the past 15 years, she has led Shabbat and High Holiday worship for various congregations. The ensembles under her direction – The Chutzpah Chorus and The Hallelu Band have gone virtual, creating content for High Holidays and offering a schedule of online events. Sharon is Co-President of IMPACT, Charlottesvilles interfaith rodef tzedek organization. She also leads a runners minyan on local trails. Upon ordination, Sharon looks forward to continue spreading joy through Jewish music, prayer, and rituals.

Rabbi Hazzan George was born in Sydney to Iraqi Jews from India and Singapore. After receiving his cantorial ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary and serving as cantor in congregations throughout the US, he recently returned to The Emanuel Synagogue in Sydney, where his professional career began in the early 90s. As a performing artist, George has sung with the Renaissance Players, an innovative early music ensemble, and has performed Sephardic and Judeo-Iraqi liturgical repertoire around the world. In 2007 he and the choral ensemble Seraphic Fire developed a performance project, Shalom/Pax, which drew from both Gregorian and Iraqi Jewish musical traditions. As an educator, he infuses his teaching with a deep sense of spirituality and historical perspective. George and his beloved Michal Frankel are proud parents of daughters Gabriella and Eliora.

An educator and activist, Rabbi Lex is Strategic Initiatives Coordinator of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future and co-host of its Judaism Unbound podcast. He grew up in Milwaukee, WI, and now lives in Providence with his wife Valerie and cat Peeve. He graduated with a B.A. in Judaic Studies from Brown University and has a graduate certificate in interfaith families Jewish engagement from Hebrew College. He spent two years serving as an Education Fellow for the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, based in Jackson, MS. He has been involved with Jewish justice projects including Open Hillel, IfNotNow, Tikkun Olam Productions, and Never Again Action.

Hazzan Stephanie serves as the spiritual leader of Kol Nefesh, a progressive congregation in suburban Maryland for young families, and as cantor for Bet Aviv, a Reform congregation focused on empty nesters and retired folks. She has served several Jewish communities in Maryland and Virginia as a religious school teacher, youth group advisor, and worship leader. She devotes much of her spare time to leadership roles in organizations close to her heart – the Women Cantors Network and the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom. Prior to immersing in Jewish music and education, Stephanie studied Russian and International Relations at The American University in Washington, DC, and worked on nonprofit development projects in Eastern Europe. She lives on a farm in Clarksburg with her husband, one of their two grown children, and their dog.

Rabbi Carl holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a M.Sc. in Computer Science from Northeastern University. His spiritual practices include music-making, davening, meditation, and movement. Carl taught philosophy at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Northeastern University, Dartmouth College, and the University of New Hampshire. As a software engineer, for the past several years he has worked for Harvard Medical School, developing web applications to aid in medical research. He has also busked as a Klezmer musician in Harvard Square. Carl has been leading services and leyning Torah since high school, at synagogues, havurot, and university Hillels. His latest adventures include chaplaincy training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and playing solo string music by composers ranging from Bach to Elgar.