3405 Gulling Road, Reno, NV 89503
3405 Gulling Road, Reno, NV 89503
A discussion about the importance of learning as it relates to Jewish values and how to nurture it.
Josie is a Midwest transplant and Sinai School Director at Temple Sinai. She has a background in both Jewish and Montessori education and is passionate about helping children to discover their personal path and communal place within Judaism. Josie is currently in graduate school to be a therapist and spends her free time hanging out with her 13-year old daughter, Coco, and their orange cat, Mittens.
Michael moved to Reno in 2021 and quickly became active at Temple Sinai, joining the Board and teaching in the Sinai School. He has taught the 6th–7th grade class for three years and finds great joy in connecting with his students.
Born in Israel and raised in New Zealand, Michael came to the U.S. for graduate school. His family spans the full spectrum of Jewish practice, and he believes that “Jewish is as Jewish does.”
A discussion about the importance of Jewish values and practicing social action.
Tova was “Battle Born” and raised in Reno, Nevada, and is a graduate of UNR’s writing program. She has worked in Title and Escrow for nearly a decade and enjoys helping people make Reno their home. A lifelong dancer and thespian, she gained leadership experience by managing and choreographing productions.
Co-founding the Nada Dada Art Show introduced her to community activism and the struggles of weekly motel residents. Though always identified as a Nevada Jew, it wasn’t until attending Temple Sinai that she found a place to serve her community from a proudly Jewish perspective. Tova also serves as president of the Rotary Club of Reno Midtown.
Welcoming the Stranger. A discussion about the Jewish values of welcoming the stranger.
Jeff is a retired geriatric and hospice medicine physician who joined Temple Sinai shortly after moving to Reno in 1989. He has had the privilege and pleasure to teach B’nei Mitzvah students, lead Shabbat services occasionally and be a member of the past three Rabbi Search committees. He has been most active in the programs of the Temple Sinai Social Action Committee, often with the help of his wife Jane.
Jane is a native Nevadan. She has been a member of Temple Sinai for more than 30 years, during that time she has served as Treasurer, member of past Rabbi Search committees and as teacher and judge for numerous culinary and social action events. Her favorite activity is Grandma-ing.
A discussion about what Jewish practices teach us about caring for our physical world.
Jane and Brian will highlight how the message of Chanukah reverberates through environmental responsibility in our community. Latkes will be served following the program as together we light (just a tad early…😉) the first candle of Chanukah.
Brian Beffort was hired as Washoe County’s first Sustainability Manager in February 2023 and led the drafting of the County’s Climate Action Plan to reduce emissions both in County operations and community-wide, which was adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in March.
Before joining the County, Brian spent the bulk of his career in Washoe County, first as a journalist (with the Reno Gazette-Journal), then with environmental nonprofits, including Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Great Basin Institute, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, and the Sierra Club.
Brian holds a Master’s in Journalism from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and a Master’s in Sustainability and Environmental Management from Harvard University. He was born at Washoe Medical Center in Reno.
Jane Grossman, a longtime Temple Sinai member, has a deep passion for community service and led the Social Action Committee for many years. With nearly 25 years of experience as a Management Consultant and an earlier career in recycling and alternative transportation for government and nonprofit organizations, Jane brings both professional expertise and personal commitment to sustainability. She’s thrilled to reconnect with her environmental roots by joining Brian for this event.
Recognizing International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a discussion about generational family experiences related to the Holocaust.
Judy and Gary Schumer have been active members of Temple Sinai since 2004. Judy has served on the Board of Directors, the Jewish Practice and Caring Committees, chaired the ‘Family Promise’, and coordinated annual Purim carnivals and Torah for Tots. She has chaired the Governor’s Advisory Council on Education Relating to the Holocaust and co-chairs Reno’s Holocaust Day of Remembrance.
In conjunction with February 20th Repro Shabbat, a discussion about Jewish thought regarding reproductive rights.
Tanya holds an MA in English Literature and is pursuing her second masters in Gender, Race, and Identity at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her current research explores the intersections of gender, sexuality and race in twentieth century “middlebrow” American literature, and her community engagement fosters dialogue while highlighting the need for nuance. She currently lectures in English composition, literature, and women’s studies.
Molly Rose Lewis has been working in the government, political, and nonprofit sectors in Nevada since 2016. She spent several years and two Nevada Legislative sessions with NARAL (now called Reproductive Freedom for All), and has been with the office of U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen since 2021. Molly Rose is joining this Temple Sinai event in an unofficial, personal capacity and looks forward to the conversation.
A discussion about Jewish thought regarding women’s empowerment.
Mary is a retired Software Engineer/Data Analyst. She and her husband, Harvey, have been members of Temple Sinai since 2013. In May 2021 Mary started leading volunteer efforts with neighbors for RISE (Reno Initiative for Shelter & Equality) and Our Place (women and families shelters) by making bag lunches and by November 2022, the volunteers were preparing full hot meals. An active member of the Temple Sinai Social Action Committee she organizes volunteer activities for Our Place guests including children’s birthday parties, women’s bingo and other women’s activities.
A discussion about Jewish values regarding caring for the needy. Please bring a food donation.
Jocelyn Lantrip is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and has been with the organization for 16 years. She has more than 30 years of experience in marketing, PR and communications and has a real passion for helping those who face hunger. She sees food as a right for all people, and loves to talk about how to make our communities healthier through access to nutritious food.
Met You At Sinai: a conversation with Rabbi Benjamin Zober led by Rabbi Emerita Myra Soifer.
Rabbi Benjamin grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where he developed a love for winter, underdog sports teams, and corned beef. After earning a J.D. and working as a public defender on capital appeals, he sought a more proactive way to serve and entered rabbinical school.
Ordained in 2018 by Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, Rabbi Zober served congregations across the U.S. and was a Social Justice Fellow in Cincinnati. His thesis explored little-known Jewish-American responses to the Holocaust. He received the Cora Kahn Prize for excellence in sermon delivery. In his free time, he enjoys reading, running, and making pop-up books.
Rabbi Myra was ordained by the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati as one of the first 10 women ordained a rabbi. After an assistantship in New Orleans, she came to Temple Sinai in Reno and served as its Rabbi for 26 years. She is now Sinai’s Rabbi Emerita. Among her many retirement “gigs” was service in the Peace Corps in Panamá from 2018-2020. Rabbi Myra loves to travel and continues to pursue life’s adventures!
In conjunction with Nevada Day on Friday, October 30th, Temple Sinai member Tanya Nawrocki will discuss her current research work about Jews in Nevada During the Gold Rush Era.
Tanya Nawrocki
Temple Sinai Member
Tanya Nawrocki holds an MA in English Literature and is defending her second masters in Gender, Race, and Identity at the University of Nevada, Reno this fall. Her current research explores 20th century American social and labor movements, and her community engagement fosters dialogue while highlighting the need for nuance. She currently lectures in feminist theory and gender studies.
Movember is a campaign focused on men’s health that shines a light on issues facing men throughout the month of November, including men’s mental health and the silence that often surrounds it. But emotional vulnerability is part of being fully human and in both counseling and many Jewish traditions, healing happens through relationships and community, where we hold each other through struggle. Making space for men to be held in that struggle is necessary for the individual and for those who hold him.
Shay Rian
Temple Sinai Member
Temple Sinai member, Dr. Sheridan “Shay” Rian is an associate professor, elementary school counselor, and researcher who works at the intersection of holistic wellness, spirituality, and the great outdoors. With academic degrees in counseling, psychology, and holistic health, her professional background includes advanced training in spirituality, religion, mindfulness, and nature-based approaches to therapy. Shay’s passion for helping people reconnect with themselves, each other, and the earth is shaped by her own Jewish identity, and she’s excited for a conversation about mental health through a Jewish lens.
Mark and Julie Rosenberg
Temple Sinai Members
Long-time Sinai members, Julie and Mark Rosenberg are active volunteers at the synagogue and in the community. With extensive training and expertise in dentistry and dental hygiene, together they have exemplified how to utilize one’s skills for the betterment of our community through their generous gifts of time and talent to augment dental care in Northern Nevada. Their rich history with Temple Sinai includes serving on numerous committees, holding various leadership roles, and actively assisting with diverse campaigns and events. Through their volunteerism, they epitomize how to help thy neighbor.
James McSpadden
UNR Associate Professor of History
In conjunction with International Holocaust Remembrance Day, join a conversation with Rabbi Benjamin and Jamie McSpadden, Associate Professor of Modern European History at the University of Nevada, Reno. Jamie holds a Ph.D. in History from Harvard University, an M.A. in Dutch Studies from Leiden University, and a B.A. in German Studies from Yale. His current research focuses on the confiscation and redistribution of Nazi- and Holocaust-era books, with a particular emphasis on the legacies of these Nazi-era books in the United States.
Movember is a campaign focused on men’s health that shines a light on issues facing men throughout the month of November, including men’s mental health and the silence that often surrounds it. But emotional vulnerability is part of being fully human and in both counseling and many Jewish traditions, healing happens through relationships and community, where we hold each other through struggle. Making space for men to be held in that struggle is necessary for the individual and for those who hold him.
Shay Rian
Temple Sinai Member
Temple Sinai member, Dr. Sheridan “Shay” Rian is an associate professor, elementary school counselor, and researcher who works at the intersection of holistic wellness, spirituality, and the great outdoors. With academic degrees in counseling, psychology, and holistic health, her professional background includes advanced training in spirituality, religion, mindfulness, and nature-based approaches to therapy. Shay’s passion for helping people reconnect with themselves, each other, and the earth is shaped by her own Jewish identity, and she’s excited for a conversation about mental health through a Jewish lens.
Rabbi Emerita Myra Soifer
Temple Sinai Rabbi, Retired
August 1984 – June 2009 & September 2012 – June 2013
Rabbi Emerita Myra Soifer was Temple Sinai’s rabbi for 26 years. Among several “retirement gigs,” she served as a hospice chaplain and a “snowbird rabbi” on the Florida Gulf Coast. After Trump’s 2016 presidential win, she left the country and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama, from 2018 to 2020. Following Trump’s second election, she again searched for a home outside of the U.S. That brought her to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she currently lives part-time, having found an active, warm, and wonderfully diverse Jewish community where she is both a participant and sometimes a volunteer rabbi.
Elizabeth Lyster
Temple Sinai Member
Temple Sinai member, Liz Lyster, MD, MPH, is a medical doctor, author, and Women’s Midlife Health Expert. As she frequently visits Buenos Aires and spends time with her native-born Argentinian parents, aunt, cousins, and extended family, she has become connected with several Jewish communities and a synagogue there, sharing Shabbat dinners and a Passover Seder. Those connections have become part of her Jewish journey.
Rabbi Sara Zober
Rabbinic Support & Scholar-in-Residence
Rabbi Sara Zober serves Temple Sinai in Rabbinic Support, bringing pastoral care, scholarship, and music to key services and educational programs. After co-leading Temple Sinai with her husband, Rabbi Benjamin Zober, from 2018 to 2026, she became a local hospice chaplain while remaining active at the temple through weekly Torah Study and cantorial soloist leadership. A former cantorial soloist who holds a vocal performance degree from Elizabethtown College, Rabbi Sara earned her Master’s in Hebrew Letters from HUC-JIR and was ordained in 2018, receiving the Ferdinand M. Isserman Prize for community relations.