TEMPLE BETH-EL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Maintenance Team
- Office Administrative Assistant
Allison grew up in a small town in Alabama (Roll Tide) before moving to Florida in 2016 and then to St. Petersburg in 2023. Allison's professional background has been in early childhood education since 2013 and executive administration since 2012. She has been an assistant for 2 accountants, an optometrist, a project and event manager, and a department admin for a tech manufacturing company. Each role bringing on new challenges and fun ways to see how the world needs these industries and the assistants that support them. In 2017, she started her own small business and that really showed her the value of admin support - especially now that she is her own assistant! Allison has also worked and volunteered in a variety of nonprofits since 2009.In her spare time, she loves trying out pickling recipes, playing board or card games with friends, and relaxing in her hammock. What she loves most is tending to all her plants, helping them grow, and of course making new propagations!
Barbara Mazer is a classically trained soloist, songleader and educator, and has been leading music in synagogues and summer camps since 1993. During the day Barbara is a Business Development Executive for Adage Technologies, which provides digital marketing services for the arts and culture sector. She is also the Gulf Coast community leader for Momentum. Most importantly, she is the happy mom of two wonderful children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Maintenance Team
- Maintenance Team
Job Titles:
- Director of Early Childhood Education
Joyce S. Liu hails from a long line of Chinese musicians (her paternal grandfather was a Pekingese opera singer and her maternal grandmother a piano and voice teacher). Joyce S. Liu recognizes the depth and value of "L'dor Vador" - that we pass on our heritage and legacy from one generation to the next. She is honored to be a "klei kodesh" - a holy vessel - as she shares music with her favorite congregation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Maintenance Team
- RABBI EMERITUS
Lifelong learning has been a priority for Rabbi Morrison. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Sociology and with a minor in Spanish. She then began her formal rabbinic preparation at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, earning a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters in 2006 and becoming ordained in 2008. She is currently completing a Master of Arts in Gerontology from the University of Southern California.
From her ordination in 2008 through 2011, she was adjunct Rabbi for life cycle events at Temple Emanual in Greensboro, North Carolina. During that time, she also served as Associate Dean of Jewish Life at American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro. Rabbi Morrison served from 2011-2019 as Assistant Rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom, a 2,000+ family congregation in Miami Beach. She then moved to Temple Israel of Greater Miami as the Senior Rabbi, serving that congregation from 2019 through June 2023. Currently, she is working as a Chaplain at Accent Care Hospice in Miami, where she provides pastoral counseling and bereavement support. She also worked for Miami Jewish Health Systems from 2011-2022, serving as a Chaplain and adjunct Rabbi for the 1,000+ elderly population.
Rabbi Morrison holds a Synagogue Management Certification, an Executive Certification in Religious Fundraising (Indiana University), a certification as a Prepare and Enrich Facilitator for premarital counseling, and has completed special training on welcoming Jews-by-choice from the Gerecht Institute in Los Angeles.
Her work with Jewish youth goes back to 2001, including senior leadership, Jewish/Hebrew programming, and youth counseling over the last 22 years at Camp Coleman (where she first worked with Barbara Mazer and the Torop family), Taglit's Birthright Israel program, URJ's Camp Kalsman (Washington), Camp Mountain Chai (California), and NFTY in Israel.
Rabbi Morrison is a true believer in the benefits of community engagement. She co-founded iLGBT, an interfaith clergy organization, and has been very active in Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Miami-Dade Gay/Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Lotus House (women and children's shelter), Chapman Partnership for the Homeless, Miami-Dade County Interfaith Advisory Board, and Aqua Foundation for Women.
She brings creative ideas and improvements to the temple communities that she serves, and strives to find the funding to implement those programs. One great example is that she wanted to lead a trip to Israel for members of Temple Israel. She worked to obtain donations and other funding, providing full scholarships and travel expenses for 46 of her congregants on their 2022 trip to Israel.
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance and Operations
- Member of the Maintenance Team
Tara joined Temple Beth-El in 2022 and currently serves as the Director of Finance and Operations, where she oversees the temple's financial management, facilities, and day-to-day operations. With a master's degree in Educational Studies, Tara brings a unique combination of strategic thinking and operational expertise to her work. Her passion for creating efficient systems and fostering organizational excellence ensures that
Job Titles:
- Ask Bookkeeper / Registrar