In a newly created position at Kehilath Israel Synagogue, Rebecca Speier is looking forward to recreating, and instilling in others, the passion she has had for K.I. her entire life.
Speier is a lifelong K.I. member, starting out in K.I. preschool. Growing up, she would come to K.I. multiple days a week to be with her mom, Shelley Rissien, who was director of the religious school. Her dream is to be able to keep K.I. families loving to come to the synagogue and growing their bonds with each other.
“Nothing brings me more happiness than sitting at Kiddush on Shabbat and hearing the kids run and play with each other, or tell me about the imaginary stories they have come up with about the history of K.I., or begging for playdates together so they can have more time with their K.I. friends,” Speier said.
In the position of family programming director, Speier plans to fill the K.I. calendar with new, family-oriented programs. She will also work with existing programming for children, families and adults such as KI Kidz, KI Next (K.I.’s young adult organization), and other stand-alone education opportunities. She will additionally collaborate with the director of the K.I. Fred Devinki Religious School to integrate students and the classroom curriculum with congregational programming and observances. She hopes to work closely with congregants who may have ideas for developing grassroots programming at K.I.
“Growing up without a lot of biological family locally, I never felt without family because of the connections I had growing up at K.I.,” Speier said. “I want to make sure that this is continued through our next generation of K.I. families. Through education, play, food, and so much more, we can strengthen the ties and attract even more people to our home away from home.”
