Our Team — Shoresh Jewish Environmental Programs

Meet the Team

Staff & Educators

Tiferet

Tiferet is a Jewish environmental educator and community builder. She holds a Masters in Education and a B.A. in Diaspora and Transnational Studies with a focus on relationships between diasporic and Indigenous communities. Tiferet completed the Wild Deer wilderness skills training, and is a recipient of the David Suzuki Award for environmental educators.

She has worked with the TDSB, the Toronto Parks Forestry and Recreation Department, the University of Toronto’s Multifaith Centre and is founding resident of Moishe Pod Toronto. Tiferet’s life has been woven with Shoresh since its inception and she is thrilled to be serving as Executive Director.

executive director

Cara

director of operations & development

Cara has been building inclusive and vibrant Jewish for 15 years. Cara loves Judaism, especially when its accessible and inclusive. At the Miles Nadal JCC, Cara spearheaded the strategic growth of inclusion programming, focusing on LGBTQ+ and under-40 Jewish through LGBTQ+ at the J, Queer Jewish Incubator and Lishma.

Cara has been a nature Jew since her early 20s when she received a permaculture design certificate at a Jewish eco-farm. Her connection to Shoresh has spanned over a decade, first as an attendee of the Shoresh Jewish Food Conference and then as a volunteer and facilitator of Shoresh’s past strategic plan. Her favourite thing to do is to sing morning blessings with friends in nature. She holds an MBA/MA in Social Impact and Jewish Professional Leadership from Brandeis University.

Paul is drawn to big questions: Where does Truth lie? How can I grow more intimate with life? How can we, collectively, live in a way that honours the dignity of life in ourselves and others? What does healing look like? These questions have taken Paul into politics, the wilderness, and on a spiritual journey that has included being ba’al teshuvah, leaving Judaism, and connecting with teachers from various traditions before reconnecting with Judaism through family, lineage and ancestry. Paul finds joy, connection and purpose spending time with young people.

Paul is a Child and Youth Care Practitioner that has worked with individuals and groups from family homes to summer camps, ballet schools to hospices. He is blessed to work in a mentorship role with people of all ages in the context of nature, and is excited to support B’nei Mitzvahs living into their own big questions at such a potent time in their lives.

b'nei mitzvah, teen and adult programs coordinator

Paul

Daniel

child & family programs coordinator

Daniel holds a Master of Environment & Sustainability from the University of Toronto, where his research explored how Jewish communities engage in environmental action. He has worked in plant conservation and nature education, and is passionate about connecting ecological sustainability with community life. Daniel’s Jewish education and personal passion for sustainability fuel his excitement about weaving together Jewish tradition and environmental values. In his free time, he can be found playing music with friends, hiking, or reading science fiction and fantasy novels.

Tamar

nitzanim coordinator & yesod mentor

Tamar is a teacher, student, and doer in the world of Jewish outdoor education, specializing in trees. Her work in trees in Toronto’s public and private sector and her years of experience leading canoe trips for Camp Ramah in Canada led her to the inevitable conclusion that the best place to be is outside. Tamar has studied in many institutions of Jewish learning, including TanenbaumCHAT, Associated Hebrew Schools, Pardes, and Urban Adamah. Tamar is a coordinator at heart, always looking for efficiencies in service of facilitating Jewish community gatherings focused on ritual, song, and nature connection.