Bernstein new congregational life coordinator at Temple Israel

President Eric Hoffman is pleased to announce that Susan Bernstein has been hired as Temple Israel's congregational life coordinator.

Bernstein brings to Orlando a wellspring of experiences and knowledge. She began her career as a public school music teacher in Stamford, Connecticut, and Valley Stream, New York. Her love for music brought her to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to study ethnomusicology where she taught music at the Conservatory in Ashkelon and produced music programs for the Arabic station of Kol Yisrael. Upon returning to the U.S., she worked as coordinator for the Federation's Teen Tour to Israel, assistant director of education with Congregation Beth Torah, announcer for radio station WRR-FM, librarian for the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra and music instructor at Akiva Academy. Bernstein's journey continued to Omaha, Nebraska, where she served as community Jewish educator. Next stop was Seattle, teaching Judaic subjects and music at the Jewish Day School. Wanting to extend her scope of skills, she moved to Portland, Oregon, to become the director of education at Congregation Neveh Shalom and then to Rochester, New York, with Temple Beth El.

Bernstein is extremely excited to belong to a small, connected and warm, welcoming community at Temple Israel. She is looking forward to meeting various members of the Orlando Jewish community and collaborating on events and programs.