Dear Educator,
My name is Austin Zoot, and I have had the privilege of serving the Valley Temple as Rabbi Educator since 2020. Next year, I will assume the role of Associate Successor, preparing for a Rabbinic Transition. Therefore, our congregation is seeking an Education Director to help guide our school into our next exciting chapter. And we hope that person will be you.
You are absolutely going to love the culture we have created at Valley. Sunday mornings are full of laughter, joy, and energy, allowing students to learn, play, and build relationships with other Jews. Because of the size of our congregation (approximately 260 family units), we are in the unique position to create a program that is responsive to the needs of the families in our system, and are delighted to create learning experiences that welcome learners of all ages, developmental stages, and personalities.
I know first-hand that committing to a life as a Jewish educator requires deep passion and commitment, and I am so excited to see the ways that you live out your mission as well as ours. Your creativity, enthusiasm, and willingness to grow are going to fit in perfectly with our staff of Rabbis and professionals who strive everyday to make Judaism accessible, relatable, and powerful in the lives of those we serve, and I look forward to seeing how you put that into action.
I truly can’t wait to work with you. Your commitment to Jewish authenticity, your willingness to grow into new skills, and your enthusiasm for making positive connections with our congregants are going to make this a truly successful partnership.
(Does this letter feel like it was written with you in mind? That’s because it was! I hope you’ll apply for the position and give us the chance to see how incredible you are and the amazing ways you can help to lead our program.)
Can’t wait to meet you soon!
Best,
Rabbi Austin Zoot
Valley Temple
Wyoming, OH
January, 2026
Valley Temple Education Director
Job Description
The mission of the Valley Temple is the deepening of Jewish experience and knowledge for our members in order to strengthen faith in God, love of Torah, and identification with the Jewish people, through education, involvement in the Temple and participation in Jewish life. We will foster the personal and spiritual growth of each member and each member’s family in an atmosphere where respect for self and others in enhanced. We will design the Valley Temple to serve those preferring the greater intimacy, informality, and sense of personal satisfaction that can be more readily achieved in a smaller congregation.
The Valley Temple Religious School’s mission is to develop in each child a positive Jewish identity through the joy of learning together, inspiring all of them to weave Jewish ideals into the rest of their lives.
With these as our mandate, our congregation seeks a qualified Jewish professional to guide our educational program. We hope to find an individual with robust background in Jewish education, a deep joy for Jewish learning and community, and a working knowledge of trends and best practices in the administration of a small congregation program. A successful candidate will be creative, enthusiastic, positive, and intentional in their approach to crafting deep, impactful relationships, both with the congregants we serve as well as between the congregants and one another and their Jewish identity. We also highly value an educator who brings a skill for diverse learning styles to meet the unique needs of our learners. Our community takes great pride in the strong community culture we have crafted, and are looking for someone who will understand and appreciate the model we’ve created and who is willing to invest of themselves in furthering the mission. At the same time, we want to work with an individual who is excited about individual growth and is willing to continually learn and grow with us as we develop our congregational awareness of best-practices and living out our value for lifelong learning, both as providers and consumers of that wisdom.
Key Relationships:
- Rabbi Austin Zoot, Associate Successor (reports directly to Rabbi Zoot)
- Rabbi Sandford Kopnick, Senior Rabbi
- Kelli Gleiner, Administrator
- Beth Schwartz, Incoming Congregational President
- Neil Berman, Immediate Past President (as of educator start date)
- Amanda Rosenberg, Administrative Assistant
- Education Committee Members (to be selected by educator in partnership with Rabbinic team)
Responsibilities:
Curricula
- Attend and manage each week of Sunday School and Hebrew School
- Coordinate all programs and activities of the Valley Temple Religious School
- Organize and manage the religious school calendar and coordinate with other events at the Temple
- Coordinate the B’nei Mitzvah program and work in partnership with the Rabbinic team to establish a tutoring schedule
- Manage and edit the curriculum for each grade and for the school as a whole, in partnership with the Rabbinic Team and the Religious School Committee
- Create and facilitate Family Education experiences to bring Judaism to the entire family unit
- Help to coordinate Shabbat Family dinners throughout the year alongside the Rabbinic team
Leadership
- Supervise and provide professional development and support for our Religious School faculty, serving children from the toddler program through 8th grade
- Supervise and train the Madrichim (high-school student-aide) program
- Coordinate all aspects of Religious School operations, including ordering supplies, acquiring books, and setting classroom layouts.
- Administer all aspects of personnel management, including payroll; hiring, coaching, and terminating employees; establishing expectations and managing accountability; and offering performance guidance in conjunction with the Rabbinic team
- Implement and manage the Religious School budget
- Uphold and evolve a system of communication to share information with parents, students, and community partners
Congregational Life
- Participate in congregational leadership, including partnerships with Rabbis, Administrators, and Board Members
- Lead and administer the Religious School Committee
- Participate in Cincinnati’s Jewish Educator Council
- Attend Shabbat Services on a regular basis as established with Congregational leadership
- Embrace and embed within the larger congregation, creating a sense of being “part of the family”
Benefits:
- Salary: $35,000-$40,000 for 20 hours per week.
- Congregational Membership
- Including waived fees for all programming and free religious school education for children
- Two weeks vacation (in addition to time off during school breaks)