Julie comes to us with a diverse and multifaceted background as a Jewish Communal Professional. With over 20 years of experience working in the Jewish community she has held positions in fundraising, membership and temple leadership in organizations such as UJA, JCCS and community synagogues.
Julie graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and a minor in Jewish Studies. In her personal life she enjoys spending time with her husband Michael, her daughter Mallory, and her very cute Lhasa Apso, Monty. She is so excited to meet everyone and be a part of the Temple Chaverim family. She invites everyone to come in and see what Temple Chaverim has to offer and can be reached at: julie@templechaverim.org.
Debbye Brandell has been the Director of Education at Temple Chaverim since 1998. With her energy, vision and dedication she has been instrumental in developing our Religious School from a one day a week program to the vibrant religious school that we are so proud of. She has worked to meet every child, strives to insure that students of all abilities and backgrounds are included and celebrated, and welcomes them along their Jewish journey.
As the school director she has spearheaded many innovative programs. She created Stay, Play and Pray, a hands on exploration of Jewish holiday and values for our very youngest families as well as our Kindergarten class. She has worked collaboratively to establish our classes for children with special needs. Debbye played a central role in bringing ShalomLearning, which combines online digital media along with traditional classroom methods as an option for our 5th and 6th grade students.
A love of all things Jewish and especially Israel has been a part of Debbye’s life since her first teen experience, when she lived on Kibbutz K’far Blum for a month. She more recently participated in the Jewish Education Project’s Qushiyot Program where she was involved in a yearlong investigation of modern methods and philosophy of Israel Education. Previously, she was fortunate to be a part of a two and a half year fellowship in the Leadership Institute, a groundbreaking joint program of study at Hebrew Union College and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Her education also includes a Master’s Degree in Education.
Debbye and her husband Hal are so proud of their three grown children and their five adorable granddaughters. You can reach her at Dbrandell@templechaverim.org.
