TEMPLE BETH AM - Key Persons
Alex, an El Salvador native, is very happy to be working at Temple Beth Am. Since moving here from Long Island, he says his life is a beach!
Job Titles:
- Director of Education
- Education Director
Alissa Frankel, Director of Education here at Temple Beth Am, is originally from Baltimore. She grew up in NFTY MAR (Mid-Atlantic Region), served as President of her Temple Youth Group and attended Kutz Camp for two summers in high school. She attended Florida Atlantic University for undergrad and University of Illinois Chicago for graduate school, earning both her bachelors and masters in social work. She worked for five years as a Life Coach with youth in foster care transitioning them to independence. Alissa lives with her husband Jamie and their daughter Eliana who was born in July of 2016.
Job Titles:
- Youth and Family Engagement Director
Brandon is very excited to be joining Temple Beth Am as the Director of Youth and Family Engagement. Brandon is a recent alumnus of Florida State University, where he graduated with a bachelors in Media and Communication Studies. He served as the first Executive Director of the Jewish Student Union at FSU, while also being active in Hillel and Student Government. Brandon attended URJ Camp Coleman for two summers and URJ Kutz Camp for three, one of which was on staff. Brandon is a lover of all things books, baking, and Broadway.
Job Titles:
- Director of Education Finance and Administration
Carol has been part of the Temple Beth Am staff since August of 1997. A graduate of the University of Miami, she moved down to Jupiter from Southbury, Connecticut with her husband Forrest, and son Eric in 1988 deciding not to wait until retirement to enjoy the beautiful Florida weather and lifestyle. Being a breast cancer survivor she has learned that each day is special and worth fighting for. This belief molded Carol's philosophy that you should always be kind whenever you can because it's the right thing to do and you never know what the future may hold. Carol's family is most important to her and when she's not at the Temple she can be found hanging out with her twin sister Marci or at home with Forrest and their dog Mac, and their frequent visitors Callie (Marci's dog), and Colbie (Eric's dog).
Danna first moved to Florida in 1996, residing in North Miami Beach before heading north to Palm Beach County. She began working for Temple Beth Am in June of 2015 and enjoys sharing her love of Judaism with TBA members every week. In her free time, Danna enjoys playing tourist by trying new things and going on local adventures.
Debbie Baseman and her husband Hal have been members of Temple Beth Am since 1994. They have two sons, one wonderful daughter-in-law, and two super-cute grandchildren, one a graduate of The One School and one currently attending The One School at TBA. Debbie has been volunteering at TBA for the last 25 years. She was on the Board of Directors for 9 years where she chaired the Adult Education Committee, the Ritual Committee, and was the Board Secretary, and is again on the board as the Sisterhood representative. In addition, she taught Hebrew for many years in the Religious School and she has also taught many Adult Beginning Hebrew Classes. You can find her almost every day at the Temple working in the office. She says, "I couldn't think of a better way to spend my time!"
Job Titles:
- Men 's Club Representative
Job Titles:
- Executive Administrative Assistant and Assistant Editor of the Scribe
After moving to Florida from New York, Margot began working at Temple Beth Am and has been here for 15 years. Originally from New Jersey, her husband Paul and their 23 year-old twins Alex and Jessica, decided they had enough of the cold weather and headed down south. They live in Wellington but say it is worth the trip on the turnpike everyday to be working with such wonderful people at Temple Beth Am. On Tuesday evenings and Sundays you can find Margot teaching 4 th grade Hebrew, and during the week she is right in the front lobby, so stop by and say hello!
Vicente and Maria are both originally from El Salvador. They lived in New York for 30 years and now are happy to be living in Florida near family.
Meredith moved to Florida from the San Diego area of California. She has a BS degree in Finance from San Diego State University, where she met her engineer husband, Troy. She has two grown children, one son currently living in San Diego and one daughter who just graduated from Northern Arizona University. While she misses the mountains and waves of the California coastline, she is enjoying the warm waters and bird life of the Florida coast. In her free time, she likes to hang out at the beach with her husband, take a spin class at the gym or just curl up with a good book. Having never visited Florida before she looks forward to exploring everything living on the East Coast of the US has to offer.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research
Job Titles:
- Mishpacha Family Center Coordinator
Yael Lawrence is a Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist and received her Master of Science in Dance/Movement Therapy from The Pratt Institute in New York. She has worked with individuals of all ages and abilities ranging from infancy through adulthood in educational (Secular & Judaic), medical, recreational, and therapeutic environments. Yael is also certified as both a Yoga & Music Together Instructor. Currently, she is the Family Center Coordinator at Temple Beth Am in Jupiter, Florida, is involved in Hamakom at TBA with both elementary and high school students and independently runs the only Special Needs Dance Class in Jupiter, FL. Yael also leads private and group dance/movement therapy, yoga, dance, and creative movement classes for children and adults (both typically developing & special needs) throughout Palm Beach County at facilities including The El's Center for Autism, Jupiter Dance Academy, and VSA Palm Beach.