Rabbi Steven Bayar
Director
Rabbi Steven Bayar holds a B.A. in Religious Studies and an M.A. in Medieval Jewish Philosophy and Biblical Studies from the University of Virginia. He was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and has served pulpits in Greenbelt, Maryland and Spring Valley, New York before coming to B’nai Israel Congregation in Millburn in 1989.
He is the co-author with Francine Hirschman of “Teens & Trust: Building Bridges of Jewish Education,” (Torah Aura Publications); with Ilene Strauss of “Rachel & Mischa” (KarBen); and with Naomi Eisenberger “You Shall Teach Them Diligently to Your Children.” Transmitting Jewish Values from Generation to Generation.” He was the lead author of the ZIV/Giraffe Curriculum (Righteous Person’s Foundation) and as co-founder of Ikkar Publishing has written more than 40 curricula ranging from the “Philosophy of Moshe Chaim Luzzatto” to “Teaching Jewish Theology through Science Fiction and Fantasy.” His curricula are currently being used in over 900 educational settings in the United States, South America and Israel.
He is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly and Rabbis Without Borders and has trained as a hospice chaplain, and Wise Aging facilitator and served as a trainer for #GamAni (the Jewish #MeToo Movement) for creating safe workspaces. He is currently the Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn and proudly teaches at the Golda Och Academy in West Orange, New Jersey.
Rabbi Julie Schwarzwald
Associate Director
Rabbi Julie Schwarzwald is dedicated to the idea that Jewish education should be fully accessible to all, since we are each created B’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. Julie currently works as the Director of Congregational Learning at Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn, NJ, where she is responsible for educational programming for all ages. Having grown up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Julie has a BA from Wesleyan University in Education Policy Studies and an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University in Computing in Education. After years of teaching in public, private, and day schools, Julie received rabbinic ordination in 2019. She is honored to serve on the board of the Jewish Educators Assembly and to be the Associate Director of JMorim.org.
Joe Strassler
Graphic Design
Joe is a freelance web and print designer based out of Boston with over twelve years of experience. With a B.A. from Clark University in Studio Art and a minor in Communications, he has a passion for creating clean and functional design in both print and digital applications.
In his free time, Joseph enjoys painting, biking, and skiing the slopes of New England.