Rabbi Lisa kingston
Senior Rabbi
Rabbi Lisa Kingston is originally from Hartsdale, New York, and grew up at Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Skidmore College, she received her M.A.R.E degree from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion New York School of Education in 2009. She was ordained as a Rabbi from the HUC-JIR New York Campus in 2013. At HUC-JIR, she was a Bonnie and Daniel Tisch Fellow and received a master's concentration in Israel Education from the iCenter.
Rabbi Lisa came to PTBE after ordination where she began her career as a Rabbi/Educator. At PTBE, Rabbi Lisa has overseen all learning from tots-adults. She has particularly enjoyed leading Rishonim, our Sunday Morning elementary school program, and our 6th grade Wednesday Night Program- preparing students for BE Mitzvah.
As Rabbi Lisa transitions to the Senior Rabbi role, she continues to teach, lead prayer, and build community. She teaches the Tuesday Lunchtime Learning Torah study group, Saturday Morning Shabbat Torah study group, and 10th grade Confirmands (please join!). She hopes to look both outward and inward - to form new Jewish partnerships throughout the Peninsula while strengthening the relationships and connections for our members at PTBE. She is particularly excited about mentoring and overseeing our new clergy and education team.
Before coming to PTBE, Rabbi Lisa served as an intern for the Department of Lifelong Learning at Temple Emanu-el in New York City, and as the student rabbi for Temple Israel in Uniontown, PA. As a recipient of the Bonnie and Daniel Tisch fellowship, she spent a summer learning about congregational leadership at B'nai Israel in Bridgeport, CT. Rabbi Lisa also spent a summer in Jackson, MS as the rabbinic intern for the Institute of Southern Jewish Life. She continues her professional development through the Tisch Alumni network.
Rabbi Rebecca hecht
Associate Rabbi
Rebecca recently graduated from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. She has lived in Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City, Paris, Brooklyn, and is now returning to the SF Bay Area.
As a student at Stanford University, she earned a BA in history and French literature and an MA in East Asian Studies. During her college years, she directed the social justice organization Challah for Hunger, regularly led Shabbat services at Hillel, and co-wrote and co-produced a full-length original musical. Prior to rabbinical school, she worked full-time as a research assistant at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, studied Chinese and Hebrew at Middlebury College’s Summer Language Schools, and volunteered as a literacy tutor at her local library.
Rebecca’s time at HUC was filled with opportunities and lasting memories - Passover with the liberal Jewish community of Odessa, Ukraine, summer Shabbat services in Vermont, and endless rich and meaningful conversations with classmates, professors, and congregants. She has served as a student rabbi at two congregations and a Hillel, taught learners of all ages, and provided pastoral and spiritual care as a hospital chaplain intern. She was one of the leaders of the HUC Soup Kitchen, which is guided by the prophetic call to repair the world, feed the hungry, and honor human dignity. When she was not at HUC or her rabbinical student internship, she could usually be found exploring New York City on foot on her quest to sample all of the best bakeries and bookstores.
Rabbi JANINE SCHLOSS
Associate Rabbi /Educator
Rabbi Janine Schloss grew up in Palo Alto, California. She received her bachelor’s degree in religion from Princeton University and her master’s degree, rabbinic ordination, and an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). She is a member of both the Reform movement’s Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Assembly.
Following ordination, Rabbi Janine served for 12 years at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis, Missouri, first as an Assistant/Associate Rabbi and later as their Director of Education. Rabbi Janine then moved to Seattle where she served as the Director of Education at Temple Beth Am for 14 years. In 2020, she returned to St. Louis, serving as the spiritual leader of Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community, the Chaplaincy Coordinator at JFS, and then as the Rabbi Educator at Temple Emanuel. She is especially proud of the work she and her teammates have done throughout her career to make Religious School a warm and welcoming place for students with special needs and to keep Religious School exciting and meaningful for teens throughout their high school years.
Rabbi Janine recently concluded her time as a member of the Clergy Advisory Board for Access MO and her term as the Rabbinic Representative on the Board of Directors for the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. She is the Immediate Past President of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association (STLRCA). Rabbi Janine has also served on the Board of Directors of organizations such as the St. Louis JCC, the JCRC of St. Louis, the St. Louis Jewish Light, the Rabbi Robert P. Jacobs Jewish Fund for Human Needs, and the Missouri Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
Rabbi Janine has two children in their mid-20’s. In her spare time, Rabbi Janine enjoys riding out at the stable, reading a good mystery novel, and sipping a delicious latte.
Elana Jagoda Kaye
Cantor
Elana Jagoda Kaye is a Bay Area native who has shared her love of music with the PTBE community since 2004. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz, where she received her BA in Women’s studies, Elana began her career as a professional musician in the Bay Area. She taught music in Jewish preschool classrooms, summer camps and was also an instructor for Music Together, a family-based music program.
Elana had a vision: to record Jewish music for families that both kids and parents would love. Elana’s first two albums, Zum Gali Gali and Uri Uri were distributed to Jewish families nationwide as part of the PJ Library program. Soon her music became a beloved part of many classrooms and carpools across the country.
In 2007, Elana joined the PTBE clergy team as the full-time Cantor where she brings spirituality and depth to every service she leads. In partnership with her husband Saul Kaye, Elana has transformed the worship experiences at PTBE and beyond. Together, they are lighting up Jewish communities around the country with their unique approach to Jewish music, steeped in creativity and knowledge of our tradition.
Elana’s latest album release, This Is What I Offer You, is a personal exploration of light, struggle, and finding her voice through these challenging times. Elana’s music can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music. You can also purchase CDs from her website www.elanajagoda.com.
Photos on this page courtesy of Jeff Bartee Photography.