Temple Sinai of Roslyn Heights - Professional Staff

Professional Staff

Michael A. White Senior Rabbi

Rabbi Michael A. White became Temple Sinai's fourth Senior Rabbi in July of 1997. Born and raised in Schenectady, New York, Rabbi White received his undergraduate education in psychology at Brandeis University. His Masters in Hebrew literature and Rabbinic Ordination were awarded by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York where he was the recipient of numerous academic awards. Following his ordination Rabbi White pursued doctoral studies in religion and social ethics at the University of Southern California. Since his ordination Rabbi White has served Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, California and Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles, California.

Rabbi White is founder of the East Williston-Roslyn Community Coalition for Drug Free Youth; he is a member of the President's Advisory Board of the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the State University of New York-College at Old Westbury Foundation Board. Rabbi White also serves the Reform Movement in many capacities. He is the Vice-Chair of the National Joint Commission on Social Action, Chair of the Central Conference of the American Rabbis Justice and Peace Committee and is a member of the Editorial Board of the CCAR Journal where he has published articles on contemporary Jewish decision making. He also serves on the President’s Advisory Council for the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Recently Rabbi White was Chair of the CCAR Ad Hoc Committee on Human Sexuality and Co-Chair of the Rabbinic Council of the Association of Reform Zionists of America.

He is married to Rebecca Katz-White, an attorney. They are the proud parents of David and Talia.

Rabbi Benjamin David
Rabbi Benjamin David was born in Philadelphia and raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He attended Muhlenberg College, where he majored in English and held concentrations in both Creative Writing and Judaic Studies. He spent his junior year at Goldsmiths College in London, which afforded him the opportunity to travel extensively throughout Europe. He graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Muhlenberg in 1999.

He then enrolled in the rabbinic program at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, first in Jerusalem, then in New York. While there he studied Talmud extensively and worked at Temple Beth Am, the Makor Steinhardt Center, the Union for Reform Judaism, the Village Nursing Home, the Miller High School Honor Program, and the Jewish Guild for the Blind. He also co-founded Davar Aher, a nationally distributed literary magazine and student review. Following ordination Rabbi David served as a member of the core faculty at the Skirball Center for Jewish Learning and studied Hebrew Literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University. His hobbies include fiction writing and distance running. He and his wife, Lisa, are thrilled to be part of the Temple Sinai family.

Rabbi Norman Kahan
Rabbi Norman Kahan is the Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Sinai, where he served as senior Rabbi for eighteen years. Following his retirement, Rabbi Kahan agreed to become to the Founding Director of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations Small Congregations Department.In addition to preparing programmatic and educational material

for synagogues with a membership of less than 250, Rabbi Kahan travelled over 600,000 miles visiting some 260 congregations in the United States and Canada to determine how the national organization might better serve them as well as offering advice and counsel.

Among his honors, Rabbi Kahan was elected president of the New York Board of Rabbis in 1982. It is the oldest and largest representative rabbinic organization in the world. He has also served as the president of the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion Rabbinic Alumni Assocation and for eight years was a member of the HUC-JIR Board of Governors. In addition, Rabbi Norman Kahan is the former national co-chairman of the State of Israel Bonds Rabbinic Cabinet and served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the former Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York.

Cantor Andrew Edison
Cantor Andrew Edison is currently serving Temple Sinai of Roslyn for the last ten years. Previously he has served Temple B'nai Shalom in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

He is a former president of the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion - School of Sacred Music Alumni Association. He currently serves on its faculty where he teaches and coaches future cantors. He is a certified principal, supervisor of music and teacher of music in the State of New Jersey. He is the winner of the Cantor Norman Summers Prize and the Cantor Norman Belink Prize for Excellence in his studies at Hebrew Union College. He possesses a BA degree from Montclair State College, a BSM Degree from the Hebrew Union College and a MS in Education from Monmouth College. Cantor Edison is married to wife Annette and has two children, Barry and Scott.

Ethel Liebeskind - Executive Director
Ethel Liebeskind joined the Temple Sinai staff as Executive Director in July 2001. She grew up in Rockville Centre and attended the State University at Albany where she received a Bachelor's

of Social Work degree. After graduation, Mrs. Liebeskind spent two years working as a family caseworker for the Municipality of Tel Aviv in Israel, and then returned to New York to complete her Masters degree in Social Work at Adelphi University.

Mrs. Liebeskind, a certified social worker, has been a Jewish communal professional for twenty years. She started out as the Youth Worker at the Central Queens YM & WHA in Forest Hills where she worked her way up the ranks to the position of Executive Director. A graduate of the UJA-Federation Columbia University Institute in Not for Profit Management, Mrs, Liebeskind brings her strong administrative and management skills to Temple Sinai as well as her personal commitment to Jewish life, tradition and community. She is delighted to be a part of such a warm and welcoming Temple family and hopes to get to know many of the members in weeks to come.

Mrs. Liebeskind and her husband Jan reside in Merrick with their three beautiful children, Eric, Rachel and Allison.

Mrs. Liebeskind's office door is always open and she invites you to call or come by with any suggestions, concerns or just to say hello.

Lauren Resnikoff - Director of Education
Lauren Resnikoff became Temple Sinai's Director of Education in July, 2006. Prior to joining the professional staff at Temple Sinai, she served Temple Beth David in Commack, for 15 years, first as the Religious School Director and thereafter as the Director of Lifelong Learning.

She served as the Assistant to the Director at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck from 1989-1991. In addition to teaching within the Reform Movement, she has also held a variety of youth group and camp positions. Lauren received her M.A. in Religious Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She earned a second Masters Degree in Jewish Educational Technology through a special program sponsored by the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York and New York Institute of Technology. She holds a B.A., cum laude, in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. While at Brandeis, Lauren received teacher certification and participated in the overseas exchange program at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Lauren currently serves as a mentor to other congregational school principals as part of the Leadership Institute for Congregational School Principals, a joint project of Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion and The Jewish Theological Seminary. Lauren was a member of the first cohort of the Family Educator Training Institute of the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York and the participated in the Jewish Family Education seminar at The Whizin Institute for Leadership Training in Los Angeles. Lauren has also developed technology-based curricula, for which she has won national awards. She has given numerous workshops throughout the country training teachers in the integration of technology in the religious school classroom.

Lauren is a member of the National Association of Temple Educators and the Coalition for Advancement of Jewish Education. She has served on the Board of the Long Island Association of Temple Educators.

Lauren lives in Commack with her husband, Michael, an attorney, and their three children: Andrew, Jenna and Jordana.

Debbie Zamoiski - Nursery School Director
Debbie Zamoiski brings a wealth of experience to Temple Sinai Nursery School. Her warmth, enthusiasm and expertise, as well as her wonderful creative ideas enhance and expand the rich opportunities offered at Temple Sinai's Nursery School.

Debbie grew up on Long Island and received her B.A.

in Psychology and Elementary Education from SUNY New Paltz. Debbie also holds a Masters Degree in Special Education from Adelphi University and takes courses in Educational Leadership and Administration at CW Post.

A staunch advocate and supporter of Jewish education, Debbie has served as a member of the Board of Jewish Education since 1996.

Debbie has a wide range of experience from pre-school through grade 12 and is always available to give tours of the Nursery School.

Debdie lives in Woodbury with her husband John and their two daughters, Molly and Joanna.

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