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Welcome to our new and returning staff: Temple Administrator Allison Lattman, Tuvia Director Kimberly Tang, Cantor Ken Jaffe and Cantorial Soloist Stacey Morse.
Allison's first Temple position was at Temple Menorah, and both cantors already had ties to our community when we asked them to team up to provide the lyrical part of our services. Kimberly brings her vast array of Judaic and early childhood knowledge to Tuvia. Cantor Ken has been leading our Shabbat morning services since July, and Cantor Stacey has done the same for our Friday evening services and will assist Rabbi Silver with our High Holy Days services.
We asked our new faces to introduce themselves to Temple Menorah:
Allison Lattman is our new Temple Administrator. To many of you, Allison may be a familiar face; she has previously served our community as a Tuvia teacher, a religious school teacher and the Program Director from 2002 to 2005. In fact, she started the Kids' Night Out program, which still runs today!
Since her time with us, Allison has gained experience at various synagogues in the Los Angeles area. Most recently, she served as the Interim/Assistant Director of Religious School at Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village and functioned as an independent consultant at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, where she worked closely with the Executive Director to help the Temple run the database more efficiently and to advise on policies and procedures.
Allison holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2013, Allison earned her Holistic Health Coaching certification through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and she is a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. She has worked with individuals and groups to help them not only set and meet their health and wellness goals, but also their career and vision goals.
Allison is honored to return to Temple Menorah, the first congregation she called "home" after moving to the Los Angeles area, with all of the experience she has gained over the past ten years. She looks forward to working closely with our staff, clergy, leadership and community to help set a vision and path for years to come. Whether or not you already know Allison, please stop by and say "hi." She is eager to get reacquainted with our community and to again call us "home."
 Kimberly Tang is our new Tuvia Director. She has been a preschool teacher, assistant director and department chair. She comes to us most recently from Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles, where she served five years.
We are thrilled to have Kimberly bring her unique background and talents to Tuvia. In 2013, she began a one-year JECELI (Jewish Early Childhood Education Leadership Institute) fellowship -- a collaboration of Jewish Theological Seminary, Hebrew Union College and Bank Street. During this time, she and her cohort toured the country and the world, working with and learning from a diverse group of Jewish preschool directors. Through this experience, she also gained training in adult development and management & business.
She also spent time working with Creative Children's Learning Center (a KinderCare School). She was instrumental in opening new centers, training directors and staff and leading the centers through NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) accreditation.
A native New Yorker, Kimberly now resides in Santa Monica with her fiancée, Rebecca Moray (who is herself a pre-k teacher), and two children, Alexus (10 -- who will be attending Temple Menorah Religious School) and Ava (3). Kimberly is excited to join the Temple Menorah team.
 Cantor Kenneth Jaffe is a graduate of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He has served congregations in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Missouri and California, and he is privileged to be part of the clergy team at Temple Menorah. Prior to entering the cantorate, Cantor Jaffe sang opera professionally throughout the United States, having performed dozens of roles in several opera companies.
Cantor Jaffe is deeply committed to the furthering of Jewish culture and religion through the medium of music. His bibliography, Solo Vocal Works on Jewish Themes: A Bibliography of Jewish Composers, was published in 2010 by Scarecrow Press and is the most comprehensive Jewish music bibliography published in the last 60 years. His songs have been published by Transcontinental Music and are sung in many congregations around the country. He is also a specialist in music for Jewish religious, day and preschools, and a CD of his original songs for preschool children is being released soon.
His latest endeavor is in revolutionizing the fluent reading of Hebrew words, and his volume, "Crackin' The Code: Learn How to Sound Out Hebrew in Record Speed!", will soon be published. Cantor Jaffe has concertized throughout the country and was chosen as the tenor soloist in a work written by Ben Steinberg for the American Conference of Cantors' 50th Annual Convention. He is the husband of internationally recognized playwright Deanna Ableser and is also the proud father of daughters Zahava and Grace.
 Born of a brilliant hippie Democrat and a Republican "McGyver," Cantorial Soloist Stacey Morse lives for harmony -- in all forms. Her family joined Temple Menorah after they drove from New York, harmonizing all the way, when she was a toddler. She was given her Hebrew name, Shira (song), by Temple Menorah's Cantor Avshalom Cohen. Her family's havurah later created Congregation Tifereth Jacob, now Congregation Tikvat Jacob-Beth Torah, in Manhattan Beach.
Since becoming the first bat mitzvah in the history of CTJ, our sheliach tzibbur (messenger of the congregation) has led services and life-cycle events throughout the country, internationally and on the high seas. By invitation, Cantor Stacey also led services for our armed forces. She has created and led healing services and drum circles; harmonized on an R&B album for Polygram; and been blessed to sing with Cantors Phil Baron, Ilan Davidson and Hershel Fox. She is thrilled to sing again with Cantor Ken Jaffe and to work with Rabbi Silver and the amazing Dan Spector on Friday nights and the Temple Menorah choir for the High Holy Days.
Stacey attended Mira Costa High School, Brandeis University, CSUDH, and the Academy of Jewish Religion and studied privately with Cantor William Sharlin (z"l). (También habla y entiende el español, pero es una historia muy larga!) After receiving her Master's degree, Stacey taught English grammar and literature, religion and Hebrew to children and adults and worked for newspapers, magazines and even a physics journal at UCLA. She may also hold the record for the oddest jobs ever, while working on her thesis.
Like the rest of her family, Stacey has sailed, and ridden motorcycles her whole life. She is a member of the Renaissance Faire, Guild of St. Ives. Stacey is also a member of the Redondo Beach C.E.R.T. (Community Emergency Response Team), and would love to sign you up! Most of all, she loves to sing Friday night blessings in 4-part harmony with her family and loves to hear the congregation harmonize with her. Come make joyful music with our Cantorial Soloist Stacey Morse!
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MISHEBEIRACH LIST
