Cantor Lisa Segal
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Cantor Lisa Segal is very honored and proud to join the Temple Beth Sholom clergy team. Along with her colleague, Cantor Haas, Cantor Segal looks forward to adding her special musical touch to the culture of Temple Beth Sholom. Her primary focus will be as the B’nai Mitzvah Director upholding the high standards of quality B’nai Mitzvah education set forth by her predecessors, Morah Shula Ben-David and Cantor Haas. She will also have a strong presence in all areas of congregational life, including worship services, life cycle events, Religious School and Early Childhood. Cantor Segal is also a certified “PREPARE/ENRICH” pre-marital counselor.
Prior to coming to Temple Beth Sholom, Cantor Segal served at Temple Beth Am, in Pinecrest for 24 years, where she was known for her personalized life cycle ceremonies, innovative alternative worship experiences, and her role as an educator in the B’nai Mitzvah Program, Day School, Religious School and Preschool. She has a passion to empower others to lead services, sing and play instruments, and chant from our sacred scriptures. Prior to becoming a Cantor, she served as a Cantorial Soloist for many congregations including Bet Breira, Temple Dor Dorim, Temple Beth El, Temple Judea and Temple Beth Am. She taught music for one year at Lehrman Day School and 18 years at Temple Beth Am Day School. Her prior career was in retail where she was employed by Jordan Marsh, Florida for six years as a Corporate Trainer and Systems Coordinator.
Cantor Segal is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology. In 2001, she entered the Cantorial Certification program of the American Conference of Cantors and Hebrew Union College/School of Sacred Music (HUC/SSM) in 2001 and was certified in 2007. She serves on the national Executive Board of the American Conference of Cantors (ACC). She is also a member of the Cantor’s Assembly. Cantor Segal is a member of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Cantorial Cabinet, and is a trained teen facilitator and volunteer for the Children’s Bereavement Center (CBC). In March of 2010, she was honored by the CBC. She also volunteers for Casa Valentina, a living facility for women and men who age out of the foster care system.
As a former camp and youth group song leader, Cantor Segal is extremely passionate about youth and summer camping. She is a member of the URJ Camp Coleman Committee, on its Clergy Advisory Board and loves to spend summers on faculty at Coleman. She also serves on the Executive Board of Directors of Hillel at the University of Florida. She is involved with the Reform presence at Hillel by assisting with the High Holy Day services and leading Shabbat services yearly on the UF campus.
Cantor Segal is a member of “The Garage Band,” a Miami area classic oldies rock n’ roll band which performs at benefits for local charities. An accomplished vocalist and guitarist, she frequently teaches and performs and has arranged and accompanied many Jewish artists on their CD projects. She has composed some liturgical settings which have been recorded and has led services at URJ biennials and Cantor conventions.
Cantor Segal was born in Detroit, Michigan and, at age 13, moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. Cantor Segal and her family share a fondness for the Florida Gators (all four of them attended UF). She has lived in the Miami area since 1981 with her husband, Jimmy, a native “Miamian”, and their two children, Danny and Andrea. Danny is a recent graduate of the University of Florida and Andrea is in her junior year.
Karen M. Lew, MEd., ATC, LAT
Karen has joined the staff at Temple Beth Sholom as a B’nei Mitzvah tutor. In 1996, Karen received her Bachelor of Science degree and Certification for K-12 Health and Physical Education at the University of New Orleans in Louisiana. Karen earned her Master of Education degree in Human Performance with an emphasis in Exercise Science in 1997 from the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Over the past twelve years Karen served in a variety of capacities at Shir Chadash Synagogue in Metairie, LA. Most recently, she served as the youth director and taught Hebrew school. She has been a tutor for six years and loves working with teens.
Karen’s interests include Learning and Teaching Styles and cultivating life-long learners. She draws on her experiences as an Instructor at the University of Miami to assist her in tutoring. She has a very vivacious personality and finds a way for each student to enjoy Hebrew and creates an excitement of Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
Karen has numerous publications including, Athletic Training Exam Review: “A Student Guide to Success”, Fourth Edition, and has recently been published by the NATA and Cramer Athletics for her work in preventing and reducing injuries in cheerleading. She regularly participates as an athletic trainer and medical support staff for Varsity Spirit Corporation, including the National Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championships, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the London New Year’s Day Parade.
Cantor Adelle Nicholson
Cantor Nicholson came to the cantorate during a four-year sojourn in Germany that gave her an opportunity to explore Judaism in a deeply personal way. A singer at the Cologne Opera House, she began to feel a keen sense of obligation to her grandfather, who had come to America before WWI. His father had hoped for a new start for himself and his family, as his businesses had been confiscated by the Russian government one too many times. Cantor Nicholson’s grandfather became a Bar Mitzvah on the boat, and worked hard for many years to put his son through college. Her father was living proof that her great-grandfather’s hope had been realized.
As she walked daily by the sites of preserved WWII ruins, Cantor Nicholson knew that she owed a great debt of gratitude to her grandfather and his family. She wondered why she had been so fortunate to have been born into the favorable circumstances of 1960s middle-class America, and later to have prospered in 1980s America-friendly Germany. This spiritual search eventually led Cantor Nicholson to the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music (DFSSM) at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she became invested in 1996.
Cantor Nicholson has served Jewish congregations in New York, Chicago, Detroit, California, Oklahoma, South Florida and St. Thomas, USVI. Presently, she serves Temple Chaim in Margate, FL, and Temple Adath Yeshurun in Manchester, NH as Cantor. She is also the Coordinator of Alumni Engagement at the DFSSM. She has officiated at Temple Beth Sholom services on several occasions, and looks forward to meeting and preparing TBS’s B’nei Mitzvah and celebrating with her students and their families on their special day.
From time to time, Cantor Nicholson wears her grandfather’s frayed Bar Mitzvah tallis on the bimah. It gives her a keen sense of connection to her family, and to our Jewish ancestors upon whose shoulders we stand. Every time Cantor Nicholson feels the excitement of learning together with a student, every time she stands beside a Bar or Bat Mitzvah on the bimah, she senses that she is paying a small portion of the debt of gratitude that she will always owe to her grandfather.
Vered Pasternak
Vered Pasternak was born and raised in Israel. Like most Israelis, she served in the Israeli Armed Forces. She graduated from the Art Academy in Tel Aviv and worked for "Isram" (a travel agency) for twelve years.
Temple Beth Sholom is like a home away from home for Vered. She worked here as a receptionist and in the last several years, she has had great success as a private tutor in the Alternative B'nei Mitzvah Program, alongside Cantor Haas.
Vered is proud to be part of a great team who will work under Cantor Lisa Segal’s supervision and sees it as her own mitzvah to be part of the new generation's Jewish education. Vered moved to Miami in 2001, is married to husband, Zev, and has one very adorable son, Daniel.
Liora Ramati
Liora Ramati is excited about joining Temple Beth Sholom Bnei Mitzvah program. Liora is a vibrant, talented teacher who captures the hearts of children and adults with her enthusiasm and love for Judaism. She is also an energetic Israeli dance instructor who has the pleasure of leading the Israeli dance classes and Harkadot at TBS . Liora has many years of experience teaching Hebrew and preparing for Bar/Bat Mitzvah as well as leading Family high holiday’s services. Liora was born and raised in Israel. She made Miami her home away from home 13 years ago when she came for the second time to the Alper JCC summer camp as the Jewish agency Israeli emissary. Liora feels she still fulfills her Zionist mission outside of Israel by creating and keeping a strong bond with the Jewish community. She believes the connections she makes with the community will strengthen their relationship and commitment to Israel. Her goal is to make Hebrew learning and the Bar Mitzvah journey an enjoyable and meaningful journey.
Andrea Segal
Andrea Segal recently graduated from the University of Florida where she majored in psychology.
Andrea received her Hebrew training as a child attending Beth Am Day School, Hebrew at the University of Florida and, of course, her mother, Cantor Lisa Segal.
She is currently working in the Foundation School with the two year olds and is very excited to be tutoring b'nai mitzvah students!
Irene Storch
Irene is very honored to be part of the Beth Sholom family and community. She had recently relocated to Miami Beach and joined the temple as an administrative assistant to Cantor Segal and the Bne'i Mitzvah program, and as a tutor.
Prior to joining Temple Beth Sholom's team, Irene was a V.P of Operations and a finance manager for an entertainment company in Reno, Nevada. Her educational background includes several years as a Hebrew and Judaism teacher at Temple Beth El in Fort Myers, FL as well as tutoring.
Irene is very passionate about teaching. She has a strong background in Hebrew and linguistic, and she applies different teaching methods to assure success.
Born and raised in Israel, Irene came to FL in 2001 after serving in the Israeli army and receiving a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. Here, she married her husband, Richard and has two beautiful children Skylar-Brooke and Tylar-Cole.
