Meet our faculty

Julia Foxman has enjoyed teaching Religious School for five years. She focuses on numbers in Hebrew, doing arts and crafts, and discussing the holidays.

She also teaches at B’nai Simcha preschool, where she has been for nine years. She has worked with all ages and enjoys singing with them, doing puppets, sharing books, and discussing the Jewish holidays. Julia enjoys the gym, and of course, children!

Morah Annabella is no stranger to Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center and the Louis B. Silver Religious School. Having attended LBSRS from kindergarten through her B’nai Mitzvah year, she returned as an educator when beginning her journey as a child development major at Pasadena City College in 2018. Annabella then taught with LBSRS through the pandemic and graduated from Cal State LA in 2022 with her BA in Early Childhood Education. Annabella is now returning for her 6th year of teaching here at LBSRS. During the summer, you can find Annabella on the PJTC campus as the Director of Camp Gan Shalom, a Jewish day camp offered by the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys.

Rebecca moved here from Chicago four years ago where she had spent the last seven years working in the Chicago Public School System and the last twenty years performing in film, theater, and comedy venues. A graduate of the Second City Conservatory, Rebecca has a love of performance comedy, and community. For over 30 years, Rebecca has been working with kids from camp counseling and teaching to even running a Children's theater Program for kids aged K-18. Since moving to Southern California, Rebecca has found a second home in PJTC and their welcoming community, and has loved teaching at LBSRS for all four of those years. Rebecca is also the Program and Community Outreach Director at the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, and loves the work and fun that both of her jobs allow her to be a part of. She believes in outside-the-box thinking, and takes great pride in being the kind of educator that reminds students that life is just a giant classroom and we are always learning.

As a graduate of LBSRS and former madrich, Elijah is excited to begin teaching formally! He is passionate about spending time with friends and family, and looks forward to bringing that same sense of community and enthusiasm into his classroom.

Elijah believes that learning Hebrew is a skill, just like anything else. As such, it takes a lot of time and practice to read and write, but who says we can't have fun while doing that?! From the Aleph Bet to history and traditions, he can't wait for lively discussions and interactive activities.

Anat's family have been PJTC members since 1984. Her three children went through all stages of Hebrew School and became Bar/Bat Mitzvah at the Temple. They were also engaged in tutoring and as TA’s. She started teaching at LBSRS in 1996 and retired 22 years later. Anat has a college degree in education from Israel, and BA in Business Administration from the US.

Now that Anat is back in the 6th grade classroom, her educational values and aspirations are for the children to master in depth the subjects. To achieve these goals, the students need to feel safe and comfortable in the classroom environment.

In addition to piloting the Gesher program (which she is SO excited about), Emily is the Assistant Director of Youth Engagement and Education at Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center. This is her fourth year working at PJTC and her seventh year working in Jewish engagement and education. Emily has an AA in Philosophy and is completing her AS in Child Development and Education this year, after which she plans to continue her education. When she's not working, you can find her camping, curled up with a good book and three half-full beverages, rock climbing, or trying out a new recipe.

Ellen Beck, MD, is a family physician, teacher, and rabbinical student. She is Clinical Professor Emerita in Family Medicine and Public Health at University of California, San Diego and Founding Director of the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project, which provides free high quality health care while inspiring the next generation of health professionals. Dr. Beck grew up in Montreal, Canada, where she studied and taught at McGill University. Dr. Beck and her programs have won national and state awards including a 2010 James Irvine Foundation California Leadership Award, 2014 Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award, and in 2018 was recognized as a Woman of Valor by the San Diego Repertory Theatre and Jewish Family Services of San Diego. As part of her work at UCSD, she had the pleasure of teaching middle-schoolers at Lemon Grove Academy to be junior health promoters for six years. She is honored to be the mother of three adult daughters.