STAFF

Rabbi Sharon Brous
*see rabbi bio

Melissa Balaban Executive Director

My husband, Adam Wergeles, and I were searching for a Jewish community that would engage, inspire, challenge and enrich the lives of our entire family, and one that used the richness of our beautiful tradition to engage the world in a meaningful way. When we could not find an existing community that met all of these needs, we joined with an immensely talented and inspiring group of people, led by Rabbi Sharon Brous, to create something beautiful. It is rare to be able to blend your life’s passions with your profession. Since early late 2007, I have done just that as a member of IKAR’s staff, even if I am still shocked (and a bit reluctant) to think of myself as a professional Jew.

Prior to working at IKAR (or at least getting paid for it) I was as Assistant Dean at the University of Southern California Law School, Directing Attorney at of Public Counsel’s Child Care Law Project, a civil rights attorney in private practice and a senior consultant for a national human resources consulting firm. I am married to Adam Wergeles, a lawyer, and have two daughters, Maya and Emma, with whom I recently took a family “sabbatical” that included six and a half months of travel and volunteering in Africa, Southeast Asia and Israel.

Samantha Bempong Administrative Assistant to the Rabbi/Executive Director

Sam comes to us from Oakwood worldwide where she was an Executive Assistant. She has also done various work for both The Broad Foundation as well as The Broad Center. She moved to Los Angeles with her husband Gerald after living in Ghana, West Africa helping her husband conduct research and volunteering in a local Orphanage (Osu Children's Home). She is passionate about social justice and effecting positive change in the world and is very happy to have found a place within the IKAR community.

Kirstin Eggers Events Coordinator

Kirstin hails from Arizona, where she worked in Children's Services at the Tucson Jewish Community Center for many years. After graduating from USC with a BFA in Acting, Kirstin moved to Osaka for two years to perform at Universal Studios Japan. Kirstin is happy to be back in LA and working with such a wonderful community.

Rebecca Halpin Community and Program Coordinator

Rebecca Halpin's commitment to the Jewish community started early in her days as a leader in BBYO and NFTY in Houston, TX. Following her graduation from New York University with a BFA in Acting & English Literature, Rebecca worked for two years at the Union for Reform Judaism and three years at JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America) in New York. She recently completed a one-year fellowship with Birthright Israel NEXT Los Angeles, and is thrilled to be joining the IKAR team.

Rabbi Lizzi Jill Honeyrose Heydemman Rabbinic Fellow

Lizzi was recently ordained from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. Lizzi spent the past two summers teaching Jewish text, ritual, spirituality and music at the Brandeis Collegiate Institute (BCI), as well as last spring she worked with the Jewish Farm School at Tierra Miguel Farm, the organic educational farm near San Diego which provides Ikar's CSA. Lizzi graduated in '04 from Stanford University with Honors in Religious Studies and Philosophy, focusing on the intersections between religion and health. In addition to her loves of Judaism, Ikar, the Ikar staff, and the Ikar Davening team, Lizzi relishes the time she spends playing music, rollerblading and running on the beach, and supporting local farmers' markets. Check out Lizzi's music on the web at www.soundclick.com/lizzijillhoneyroseheydemann

Eve Wettstein Meyerson Director of Operations

Eve recently moved from Israel, where she served as Director of Camp Shutaf, a vacation-time program for kids with special needs and their typically developing friends. Prior to her work with Camp Shutaf, Eve served as Guidance Counselor for Ramah Programs in Israel, Program Coordinator/Winter Camp Director for Camp Ramah in California , and Project Director of SOVA Kosher Food Pantry. Eve returns to Los Angeles with her husband, Gabe and son, Rafi, and is excited to be a part of IKAR!

Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal Director of Children and Family Programming

Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal is thrilled to be joining the IKAR community as the Director of Children and Family Education. She is a born and bred New Yorker, and her passion for Judaism, Jewish education and social justice was formed at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun and at Camp Ramah. Prior to coming to IKAR, Rabbi Rosenthal was the Director of Education at Congregation B'nai Zion in El Paso, TX and the Shabbat and Holidays Coordinator for the Youth and Family department at B'nai Jeshurun. She has a BA from Yale University and was ordained and received a master's degree in Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she was a Wexner Fellow. Rabbi Rosenthal is married to Adam Arenson, an American history professor at the University of Texas at El Paso and they have one son, Simon. They are all very excited to be part of a Jewish community that speaks to their hearts and their social consciousnesses.

Hillel Tigay Musical Director & Shaliach Tzibur

Hillel was selected to be a University Scholar the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in musicology. He specialized in composition, classical guitar (which he studied in Spain), the renaissance lute (which he performed in a troupe) and pop music (which he has performed with a band since his teen years). After graduation he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a recording career and was offered a recording contract from A&M Records. The record was shelved, but Hillel likes to think that it received good shelf space. He moved on to co-found the Jewish rap band MOT and release a record on Warner Brothers records in 1999. Though it didn't take the world by storm, it took his family by storm. The son of a rabbinical scholar Hillel has spent his life in expressing his love of yiddishkite in many ways including cantoring during High Holy Days since his high school years (where he became known as Cantor Tifay due to a typo in the local Jewish Exponent). He has spent years living in Israel and has been the bar mitzvah tutor at Beth Am in Los Angeles since 1991. He now acts as musical director/cantor for IKAR and spends his time writing his own Jewish music and leading IKAR services.

Ronit Tsadok Rabbinic Intern

Following a year at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Ronit is thrilled to be re-joining the IKAR team as the Rabbinic Intern.

Ronit grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, attended Rutgers University, worked in retail, and taught at a Solomon Schechter Day School. She left all that behind to come to the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies where she is now a fourth year student.

In Ronit's free time, she enjoys singing, studying, and teaching.

Beth Weisman Director of Early Childhood Education

Beth Weisman is proud to have been an administrator, teacher, and adult educator in the Jewish early childhood education field for the past decade. Beth grew up in Las Vegas where three generations of her family have belonged to Temple Beth Shalom. She holds a B.A. in both English and Communications from the University of Pennsylvania and her M.A. in English from Brandeis University. Beth also earned her Early Childhood Administration and Supervision credential from UCLA.

Beth began her career in education as an English teacher at Harvard-Westlake School. She then took time off to start her family; once her children were in school, she joined the staff at Temple Israel of Hollywood’s Nursery School as a teacher and Parent & Me facilitator. Beth was then appointed to be the school’s first assistant principal and simultaneously became the Parent & Me program’s administrator. In 2007, Beth was hired by Wilshire Boulevard Temple to help open their new Erika J. Glazer Early Childhood Center near downtown Los Angeles. She served as both the assistant site director of the nursery school and the site director of the parenting center. Beth is also a two-time presenter at the Los Angeles Bureau of Jewish Education’s Bebe Feuerstein Simon Early Childhood Institute for educators.

Beth has been married to her very supportive and patient husband, Greg, for 19 years. Together they have a 15 year old daughter named Erin who attends Oakwood School and a 13 year old son named Benny who attends Harvard-Westlake School. Emmy the cat and Murray the Basset Hound round out the family.

Beth is very excited to be joining the IKAR staff and community as the director of the new Early Childhood Center. She looks forward to meeting everyone and to helping build a program that embraces Jewish values and tradition, global awareness and involvement, and respect for children and their families.