Rabbi
Jonathan Infeld  
        Rabbi Jonathan Infeld was born in Pittsburgh, PA. He graduated from Brandeis University with a BA in Near Eastern Judaic Studies in 1995. After graduating and before beginning rabbinical school, Rabbi Infeld spent a year studying in Jerusalem at Pardes Institute. Rabbi Infeld was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in 2002. His first position was as the assistant rabbi of the Marlboro Jewish Center in New Jersey. In 2006 Rabbi Infeld moved to Vancouver with his family to become rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel. Rabbi Infeld is married to Lissa Weinberger. They have three children Avishai, Yair and Naomi. The family loves living in Vancouver and is delighted to be part of Congregation Beth Israel.
 
 
  
 
 
 

Cantor
Mike Zoosman

Hazzan Michael Zoosman received his Cantorial Investiture and Master’s of Sacred Music from the H.L. Miller Cantorial School of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (’07), where he studied as a Wexner Graduate Fellow. From 2005-2008, he served as part-time Hazzan and student cantor at Congregation Beth El in New London, Connecticut and officiated as a student cantor at Congregation B’nei Jacob in Springfield, Massachusetts for several years prior. Cantor Mike has served as a chaplain in various hospital settings and currently is the Jewish Chaplain for the federal correctional facilities throughout British Columbia . He received his B.A. in Music and History from Brandeis University (’03) and has appeared on the musical theatre, opera and operetta stage, with a particular yen for Yiddish song, musical composition and some stand-up comedy…if necessary. Cantor Mike is thrilled to have joined Rabbi Infeld and Ba’alat Tefillah Debby as part of the K’lei Kodesh of Congregation Beth Israel in summer, 2008. When he is not among his B.I. mishpakha or with his cat, you may see him cycling, jogging and otherwise enjoying beautiful Vancouver.  

 

Ba'alat Tefillah
Debby Fenson
Debby Fenson joined Beth Israel in December 2005. As Ba'alat Tefillah of Beth Israel she focuses on teaching Bar and Bat Mitzvah students and chanting the torah and other liturgical texts. "I grew up in Winnipeg, a Jewish Community known for its warmth and Yiddishkeit. Speaking of Yiddish, my mother, after sending 3 children to Talmud Torah, decided to send me to the Peretz Folk Shul. Being an older mom, she liked slow, quiet activities. Some of my favorite memories are singing Yiddish songs with her, as well as playing scrabble (in English). My dad, on the other hand, took me on long bicycle trips and taught me how to canoe in Lake Winnipeg. When I was 10 years old, my parents finally made Aliyah- realizing a dream they had shared for 30 years! Growing up in Israel made me fluent in Hebrew and instilled in me a lot of Hutzpah, which I have tried my best to tame since returning to Canada. After moving to Vancouver in my 20's, I studied music, catered and tutored many Bar and Bat Mitzvah students. I love working at Beth Israel and feel really privileged to work with Rabbi Infeld and Cantor Mike."
 

Shannon Etkin
Executive Director
Shannon Etkin joined BI in 2002 as the executive director. He has a Masters degree in the field of organizational development and educational theory from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education – University of Toronto. Shannon has lived in several cities in the United States and Canada. He has worked in the for-profit and not-for–profit world with Jewish and other organizations and businesses, focusing on organizational change and development.
 
 
 
 
 
  

Gaynor Levin
Program Director
Gaynor Levin was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Gaynor received a B.A. HDE from the University of Cape Town and taught at Herzlia High School before moving to Canada 18 years ago. She taught for a few years in Vancouver (both at day school and afternoon Hebrew school) and then moved into her current position as Program Director at Beth Israel. She loves the variety that the job offers and enjoys the wonderful work environment at Beth Israel so much that she has been here for 12 years!
Gaynor lives in Vancouver with her husband, Ivor and teenage children, Samantha and Marc.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Harriet Frost

Hebrew School Principal

Harriet Frost was born and raised in Montreal . She completed her post secondary education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and McGill University. Since relocating to Vancouver, Harriet has worked in the Jewish community teaching Music and Hebrew in Vancouver’s Jewish Day schools and Supplementary schools. An accomplished songwriter and recording artist, Harriet’s love for music also includes Judaic and Cantorial music. She has been head of the Hebrew School for 9 years. "Being principal of the Hebrew School at the BI is a great privilege. Working with a dynamic staff we are creating a nurturing environment for children to thoroughly explore their Jewish identity." Harriet lives on “Kibbutz Steveston’ with her husband Robert Albanese and their daughters Noa and Teva.
 
 
 

Tslil Shtulsaft
Youth Director
Tslil Shtulsaft was born in Kibbutz Beit Ha-Emek, Israel, and raised in Long Island, NY. After graduating from the University of Buffalo with a B.A. in History, Tslil worked for two years as a Steinhart Fellow at the Hillel at Indiana University. For the past eight years, Tslil has worked at Camp Young Judaea Sprout Lake and cannot think of a better way to spend his summers. In 2008, Tslil decided to make the move to the West Coast of Canada and began working as the Youth Director at Congregation Emanu-El in Victoria, BC. Tslil's passions include traveling (most recently he spent six months in S.E. Asia, India, and Nepal), music and sports. Tslil is excited about the opportunity to help grow the Youth program at Congregation Beth Israel and cannot wait to become a part of the Vancouver Jewish Community.
 
 
 

Shailene Caparas
Accountant
Shailene is a Certified Public Accountant from the Philippines. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree of BS in Accountancy in April 2003.  She initially worked as an auditor at SGV & Co, an affiliate of Ernst & Young Global. In 2007, she immigrated to Canada with her family and joined the synagogue in December of the same year.  Shailene is also currently working on her CGA courses and with
God’s favor, she managed to top her FA4 Exam at CGA-BC in March 2009. She hopes to finish the CGA Program in December 2010.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Maryanne Fasanya
Office Manager
Maryanne is the office Manager at Beth Israel.  She joined Beth Israel in July 2008.  Maryanne was previously working with seniors,  managing a portfolio of buildings for a non – profit organization.  She grew up in Lagos Nigeria and came to Canada in 2004 where she now lives with her husband and two children.  She has acquired a BSc. and an Msc. in Building Management. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Susanne Gumprich 
Office Assistant
Susanne was born and raised in Saskatoon where her family was very involved in Congregation Agudas Israel (Conservative) Synagogue. She first came to Vancouver in 1988 to attend University. She went home to work in Saskatoon after graduating intending to return to Vancouver in two or three years. Back in Saskatoon she took up the family tradition as a board member and lay leader at her shul. In 2006 Susanne moved back to Vancouver along with her parents who she shares with her two sisters, her brother and various nieces and nephew.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Caretakers
 
 
         Melody                         Jaime                      Lito

  Sign in   Recent Site Activity   Terms   Report Abuse   Print page  |  Powered by Google Sites