Rabbi Jay Perlman
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Rabbi Jay Perlman is a Senior Rabbi at Temple Beth Shalom. Since his arrival in Needham in the summer of 2003, Rabbi Perlman has been dedicated to nurturing a warm, vibrant, spiritually meaningful community. He is proud to share in this sacred service with many outstanding clergy, professional, and lay leaders.
Rabbi Perlman is active in both the Needham and the Greater Boston Jewish community. He is an active member of the Needham Clergy Association, including having recently served as president. He currently serves on the New England Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League. He frequently dedicates two weeks during summer to serve on the faculty at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Camp Eisner. Rabbi Perlman has served as a rabbinic mentor for both the Hebrew College Rabbinic Program and the rabbinical school at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He is a regular teacher for the URJ’s “Taste of Judaism” and “Introduction to Judaism” programs and is a member of the Needham Coalition for Suicide Prevention.
Before coming to the Boston area, Rabbi Perlman served at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis, MO. While there, he was awarded UJA Federation’s Rabbinic Award for outstanding community leadership. Rabbi Perlman was active in the development of innovative worship experiences, creative youth programming, and in working with the St. Louis Jewish deaf community. In addition, Rabbi Perlman was the founding Rabbinic Director of the Fleischer Jewish Healing Center of St. Louis.
Rabbi Perlman was ordained from the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 1996. While at HUC, he was the recipient of a number of academic awards, including his selection as a Steinhardt Scholar for his work in informal education.
Rabbi Perlman is originally from the Boston area. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Brandeis University, where he received his B.A. in both History and Near East and Judaic Studies. Rabbi Perlman has participated in numerous study opportunities in Israel, including programs at the Hartman Institute, the Conservative Yeshiva, the Pardes Institute, Hebrew University, and through the World Zionist Organization.
Rabbi Perlman has a passion for teaching, learning, building bridges, and sharing the beauty of our Jewish tradition. He joyfully shares his life with his wife, Emily, and their children Liana and Jonah.
K-12 Learning At Temple Beth Shalom
Shorashim Jewish Learning Guides (Educators)
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade
Emily Kestenbaum
Assistant Director of Shorashim
Pronouns: She/Her
I came to work at TBS knowing what a special community it is. I love that each day I can be a part of not only fostering Jewish learning but also fostering relationships and community, especially as our middle schoolers are beginning to see how they can be a part of the larger community after they become B. Mitzvah. I am committed to lifelong learning and hope that the connections that our learners make with one another will allow them to continue to learn and grow within our community.
I joined the Mayim family in September 2016, and am thrilled to continue learning from this amazing group of educators and professionals everyday. I am originally from Stony Brook, NY and come with experiences as a full-time public school teacher, Hebrew school teacher, and youth group director. I also spent five summers working as the Waterfront Director at Eisner Camp. My husband and I live in Northborough with our two children.
Sadie O'Neill
Pronouns: She/Her
I am thrilled to be returning to TBS this year as a Shorashim educator. I recently graduated from Lesley University, where I earned a degree in Counseling and Expressive Arts Therapy. I have spent the past 15 summers at URJ Crane Lake Camp as a camper, counselor, and most recently, the Performing Arts Director. My time at summer camp has sparked my love for Jewish learning and I am so excited to use my creativity, joy, curiosity, and passion to continue to nurture that spark within the TBS community.
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Rachel Frish
Pronouns: She/Her
Shalom! My name is Rachel Frish – most people just call me “Frish” because there are lots of other Rachels. I'm so excited to continue my TBS journey for my third year as a Jewish Learning Guide. While I’m originally from Dallas, Texas, I hail most recently from New Jersey where I spent three years as a synagogue Director of Youth Engagement and two years as the Assistant Director for the URJ’s Six Points Sci-Tech Academy.
I believe that Judaism can be a lens through which we explore our relationship with those around us and the world we live in. Providing children a safe space where they can interact with our stories, learn our heritage, ask questions, and make new discoveries is vital to building an engaged Jewish community.
Seventh Grade
Emily Kestenbaum
Assistant Director of Shorashim
Pronouns: She/Her
I came to work at TBS knowing what a special community it is. I love that each day I can be a part of not only fostering Jewish learning but also fostering relationships and community, especially as our middle schoolers are beginning to see how they can be a part of the larger community after they become B. Mitzvah. I am committed to lifelong learning and hope that the connections that our learners make with one another will allow them to continue to learn and grow within our community.
I joined the Mayim family in September 2016, and am thrilled to continue learning from this amazing group of educators and professionals everyday. I am originally from Stony Brook, NY and come with experiences as a full-time public school teacher, Hebrew school teacher, and youth group director. I also spent five summers working as the Waterfront Director at Eisner Camp. My husband and I live in Northborough with our two children.
Rachel Frish
Pronouns: She/Her
Shalom! My name is Rachel Frish – most people just call me “Frish” because there are lots of other Rachels. I'm so excited to continue my TBS journey for my third year as a Jewish Learning Guide. While I’m originally from Dallas, Texas, I hail most recently from New Jersey where I spent three years as a synagogue Director of Youth Engagement and two years as the Assistant Director for the URJ’s Six Points Sci-Tech Academy.
I believe that Judaism can be a lens through which we explore our relationship with those around us and the world we live in. Providing children a safe space where they can interact with our stories, learn our heritage, ask questions, and make new discoveries is vital to building an engaged Jewish community.