
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Sign up for Forwarding the News, our essential morning briefing with trusted, nonpartisan news and analysis, curated by Senior Writer Benyamin Cohen.
Rabbi Cece started working at our synagogue when I was a freshman in high school, four years ago. I had been a madricha and attending our teen program for a year before she arrived, and once she took over the education director position, I saw changes immediately. She connected so well with kids of all ages, from preschoolers to high school seniors. She made all of our lessons more engaging. I finally started to learn about the parts of Judaism that I cared about as a modern teenager. The students of the Hebrew school were educated from a fresh, new perspective, where fun and learning can coexist. Because of Rabbi Cece, once a month, instrumentalist members of the synagogue join together with the Hebrew school students to sings songs and have a great time all around. When I work with the students every Sunday, I can see how their enthusiasm for learning has grown exponentially since Rabbi Cece arrived.
— Elana Neher
+ 7 other nominations