Lori L. Abramson, M.A.J.E., R.J.E.

Email: Lori_a@oranim.ac.il

EDUCATION

            1988 – 1991         Masterof Arts in Jewish Education, Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of                                                                                                 Religion

·Rose Warren Award for Achievement in Studies in Jewish Education, 1991

·Samson H. Levey Award for being an Outstanding Student in RabbinicLiterature, 1991

·Rhea Hirsch Award for Overall Excellence in Studies in Education, 1990

·Harvey Goldstein WATE Award for Community Service in the Field ofEducation

                1988-1989            HebrewUnion College – Jewish Institute of Religion, Jerusalem, Israel

·Studied Hebrew Language, Literature, Bible, Midrash, Mishnah, Liturgy

                1978-1983            Bachelorof Science in Chemical Engineering, University of California at Davis

EDUCATIONAL WORKEXPERIENCE

2007-Present       Shdemot’sDepartment for Jewish Peoplehood, Oranim Academic College, Tivon, Israel

·Headof Educational Tourism (since 2009)

·Evaluation(since 2007)

·Marketing(since 2010)

2008-Present       PedagogicGuide for Early Childhood, Tali Foundation, Jerusalem, Israel

2004 –2007         Head of School and JudaicStudies Principal, Yavneh Day School, Los Gatos, California

·Responsiblefor all day to day operations of the school, including 

·implementationof school philosophy and pedagogical oversight

·staffsupervision, curriculum development, evaluation and implementation

·facilitiesmanagement

·$2M budget,financial management and financial resource development

·communityoutreach and representation

·school-wideprogramming

·policydevelopment

·strategicplanning

·parentcommunication

·recruitmentand retention of the student body

·Student bodygrew from 122 students in 2004-2005 to ~150+ students for 2007-2008, reflectinga growth rate of 19% in 2006-2007 and an estimated 15% in 2007-2008 and a dropin attrition rate from 33% in 05-06 to 17% in 06-07 to an estimated 10% in07-08.

·Managedtransition to academic excellence and institutional stability, includingbuilding of infrastructure, creation of processes and procedures and successfulaccreditation

·Oversawfinal stages of construction process and move to new facility

·Managedexpansion into middle school grades

·Developedand implemented new K-8 Judaic Studies and Hebrew curricula

·Mentored,guided, supervised and evaluated teachers in classroom management , curriculumdevelopment and instruction

·Fulfilledthe goal of meeting diverse learning needs by creating and funding a  full-time Learning Specialist position

·Taught and ledtefilah in school-wide and classroom settings

·Guidedimplementation of Seventh Grade Tzedakah Project, in which students collectedfunds, set funding priorities and made allocations to non-profit organizations

·Participatedin the strategic planning process, created the action plan for several areas,and successfully completed major areas toward our core goals

·Built a recruitment and admissions program that is not only according tobest practices but that has been nationally recognized by PEJE (Partnership forExcellence in Jewish Education) as deserving of support

·Supervised personnel who created brochures and publicity that reflect avision of excellence and a professionally-run, exciting place to learn;provided direction and copy and edited these documents

·Supervised the creation of processes and procedures in all operations ofthe school, from health and safety, to budget management, to purchasing tofacilities

·Oversaw the creation of a structure for resource development

·Built morale and confidence in the school by bringing together amanagement team and providing a work environment in which their creativity andaspirations were respected and encouraged.

                1994-2004            Directorof Education, Temple Sinai, Oakland, California

·Provided institutional leadership for the synagogue's education programsfrom Kindergarten through adults

·Areas of responsibility included Religious School, Adult Education,Family Education, Special Education, Informal Youth Programming and communityholiday celebrations

·Facilitation and implementation of vision and strategic plan forcongregational education, in collaboration with several lay committees

·Communication through community presentations, marketing, publicity,extensive public speaking opportunities, newsletters, and written and verbalinteractions with parents, teachers and students

·Administration of Religious School of 370 students, Grades K-7, and 20adult learners

·Development and implementation of Judaic and Hebrew curricula

·Hiring, supervision, staff development and motivation of 64 staffmembers

·Preparation and management of a $450,000 budget

·Complete re-organization and refocus of staff development program,resulting in an increase in reflective teaching practice, greater investment onthe part of the teachers in their students' success, integration of newteachers into a strong culture, and vast improvement in student learning andperformance

·Grant writer and recipient of funding for Special Needs Program andcurriculum development projects

·Initiation of Temple Sinai's annual Mitzvah Day, which began as aReligious School event and became a temple-wide event with over 500participants

·Mentoring of two educational administrators, both of whom have wonprestigious grants/fellowships for their work, and of several teachers who havepresented their work at local conferences

·Taught in Adult Education, Family Education, and Religious SchoolPrograms

·Leading Tefilah in the Religious School

                1991-1994            Directorof Education, Temple Beth Hillel, Valley Village, California

·Areas of responsibility included Religious School, Adult Education,Family Education and Temple Library

·Religious School educated 470 students, Kindergarten through Grade 11,with 53 staff members

RELATED PROFESSIONALLEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

                2003-2004            Chairof Alumni Recruitment Working Group, Rhea Hirsch School of Education AlumniAssociation

·Lead and implemented strategic planning process to increase alumniparticipation in recruiting candidates for careers in Jewish education

                2002-2004           

                and

                1998-2000            Chairof Principals' Council, Center for Jewish Living and Learning, Jewish                                                                                         Federation ofthe Greater East Bay

·Lead East Bay Jewish educators' organization, which gives voice toJewish education concerns and issues in the community, initiates staff developmentopportunities for teachers, and functions as a support network

                2000                       AdministrativeChair of National Association of Temple Educators (NATE) Conference

·Planned, organized and carried out the administration of the annualnational conference, which met in San Francisco in December 2000

                1995                       Receivedcertification as a Reform Jewish Educator (RJE) in recognition of academic                                                                      achievement,continuing education, and experience in the field of Jewish education

                1993-1994            ClinicalFaculty Member of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education, Hebrew Union College

·Mentor/supervisor to two graduate student interns

                1992 – present     Frequentpresenter at national and local Jewish education conferences in the areas ofstaff                                                           development,curriculum, Jewish values, working with lay committees, and development (CAJE,                                                  NATE, PEJE and others)

OTHER PROFESSIONALEXPERIENCE

                1985-1987            EnvironmentalCoordinator, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, The Geysers

                                                Designed andimplemented programs to meet all federal, state and local hazardous waste, air                                                     quality and water quality regulation;worked closely with regulatory agencies; trained all plant                                                        personnel (approx. 400 people)in hazardous waste management; planned and coordinated                                                         emergency response.

                1983-1985            ChemicalEngineer, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, The Geysers

                                                Provided engineeringsupport for the ongoing operation of pollution control systems. Included                                                       troubleshooting and system design.

PUBLICATIONS ANDRECORDINGS

Abramson, L., Bell-Kligler, R., Mittelberg, D., “IsraelEducation in School Twinning Programs,” Forthcoming paper to be presented atMelton Conference, December 2009.

Abramson, L., Bell-Kligler, R., Mittelberg, D., “JewishPeoplehood Education,” International Handbook of Jewish Education, publicationforthcoming, 2009-2010.

San Francisco School Twinning Program Compendium of Evaluations,2007-2009. Shdemot Dept. for Jewish Peoplehood, Oranim Academic College, Tivon,Israel. (April 2009).

                Boston-Haifa Connection, School-to-School PartnershipPrograms, Evaluation Reports 2002-2007. (March 2008).

Leadership Capacity for Lasting School Improvement, by Linda Lambert,Ed. D.

                “The Collaborative Principal.” Vignette detailing theevolution of Temple Sinai's staff development program and my                 growth as an educator.

                “Shirah B'Tiyul: A Musical Israel Curriculum,” A.R.E.Publishing, Inc., (Denver, Colorado, 1993). Co-authored with     Joel Abramson. An eleven unit curriculumwhich uses a selection of popular Israeli folk songs as the vehicle to study      the history, culture, and traditions ofIsraeli and Jewish life. Each song relates to a specific geographica location,         allowing the students to embark on aunique tour of Israel.

                “Shirah B'Tiyul: A Musical Tour of Israel.” (1992).Arranged, performed and produced with Joel Abramson. Musical recording of ten Israeli folk songs, eachfocusing on a specific geographical location Accompanied by a booklet             which includes backgroundinformation, translations, Hebrew and transliteration.

SPECIAL INTERESTS ANDTALENTS

                Semi-fluency in biblical and modern Hebrew

                Particular love of Jewish text study

                Ability to write and deliver divrei Torah

                Song Leader – Teach Jewish and Hebrew music to adultsand children, with guitar accompaniment, 1984 – present.

                Cantorial Soloist , Ba'alat Kriah and Ba'alat Tefilah–  Lead and perform music for Shabbat,festival and High                                                            Holidayservices, including Torah and  Haftarahcantillation, 1984 – present.

                Musical Entertainer–  Entertain in both volunteer andprofessional capacities as a soloist and as a vocalist with Joel                                              AbramsonOrchestras. 1984 – present.

REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPONREQUEST