Welcome to the Pardes Jewish Day School website.

                                                    

                                                          

Dear Pardes Parents and Friends,

It is my privilege to serve as President of the Pardes Board of Trustees this year.

We begin the 2011-12 school year with our largest beginning enrollment ever of 300 students. At this time, we are welcoming approximately 40 students and 7 faculty members from the Jess Schwartz Academy. The students are spread throughout the grade levels.

Regarding the Pardes - JSA integration, as of today we remain on our current campus. Both our mission as a board and name of school remain unchanged. Both sides are doing due diligence on multiple, complex legal and financial issues. The outcome of these discussions will determine the school's location for the 2012-13 school year. The Pardes administration and board are focusing on the school's mission of a rigorous secular and Judaic education in a nurturing community. Core goals continue to be providing excellent academics, teaching strong Jewish values, and fostering personal growth through a diverse curriculum.

Pardes has a very active Board of Trustees, drawn from different parts of our community and offering a wide range of talents and perspectives. Our Trustees are community leaders, parents of current and alumni students, grandparents of current students, and other members of the community. Their backgrounds include business, law, medicine, accounting, technology, real estate, government, theology, philanthropy, and fund raising. Our board is united in its commitment to Pardes’ success. We are honored to welcome four outstanding new members: Rabbi Mari Chernow, Jennifer Rawicz, Sid Spector, and Berry Sweet. Each offers an enthusiastic commitment to Pardes and the community. Please visit Pardes' website to view short biographies of all the board members.

The responsibilities of the Board include the following: creating and maintaining the mission and vision of the school, establishing policies for the school to ensure that the mission of the institution is pursued and upheld, developing and implementing a strategic plan, and financial oversight of the school, including the budget and fundraising efforts. Under Pardes' Board of Trustees are multiple well-run committees, including development, marketing, finance, trustees and governance, technology, and facilities. There are numerous opportunities for parents to become involved. We invite you to lend your talents and share your enthusiasm for Pardes.

Thanks to your generous financial support, we have made tremendous progress with our fundraising efforts this past year. These funds are critical, since they enable us to meet our 2011-12 strategic priorities and to make a Pardes education available to as many children as possible.

Thank you again for your support and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2011-12 school year!

B’Shalom,

Jeffrey Greenberg

Board President

Board of Trustees

Sue Adatto
Jon Brodsky
Rabbi Mari Chernow
Jeff Greenberg, President
Jill Kessler, Head of School, Ex-Officio
Ruth Khalsa
Nancy Koplow, Vice President
Steve Lee
Becky Lieberman, Immediate Past President
Sherman Minkoff
Jennifer Rawicz
Stacey Schwartz, Secretary
Sid Spector
Jill Stein
Berry Sweet
Scott Wallace, Treasurer
Gail Zucker

Rabbinic Council
Rabbi Mari Chernow, Temple Chai
Rabbi B. Charles Herring, Temple Kol Ami
Rabbi Rony Keller, Congregation Beth Israel
Rabbi John Linder, Temple Solel
Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman, Kehillah of Arizona
Rabbi Andrew Straus, Temple Emmanuel

Founding Head of School

Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman
Sue Adatto

Sue Adatto

Sue’s daughter, Mollie, attended Pardes for 8th grade in 2006-2007. She describes it as “Mollie’s best year ever!” Sue is currently on the Board of AIPAC and Brandeis National Committee Phoenix Chapter. She has been on previous boards of Har Zion Congregation and Women’s Philanthropy of Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix. Sue has been a community volunteer with Kivel, B'nai Tzedek Steering Committee, International Baccalaureate Parent Association and Jewish Family and Children Service (JFCS). One of her passions has been to help the seniors at the Senior Enrichment Center of JFCS in putting their stories they have written over the years into a book for them to share with their families.

Jon Brodsky

Jon Brodsky is the father of two Pardes students. he works as a management assistant in the City of Phoenix Public Information Office and has worked as the public information officer for the Phoenix City Council. Jon oversaw the city's successful All-America City Award effort last year and is kick-starting a campaign to raise money through corporate partnerships. Previously, he worked for the Tempe elementary School District Community Affairs and Marketing team, as a news reporter for Channel 5 in Phoenix, and as a news broadcaster in Tucson and Pennsylvania. Jon has been a member of Pardes' marketing committee the past year, and has also volunteered for the local ADL, judging essays for a student contest. In Pennsylvania, he coached basketball for the Police Athletic League and served on a United Way Marketing committee.

Rabbi Mari Chernow

Rabbi Mari Chernow joined Temple Chai in 2003 after being ordained at the Hebrew Union College (HUC) Los Angeles campus. At HUC she won awards in Biblical Scholarship and Rabbinic Literature. She graduated from the University of California at San Diego in 1994 where she studied Psychology and the Hebrew language. Prior to becoming a rabbi, she spent many years in the Jewish community, working in camps, synagogues, schools and agencies. Rabi Chernow's passions include study of the Tanakh, early childhood education and the Jewish healing movement. She currently serves on the board of the Mental Health Association of Arizona and the professional advisory committee of Banner Good Samaritan Hospital's Department of Spiritual Care. When she is not at the temple, Rabbi Chernow can most likely be found climbing a mountain or a rock. .

Jeffrey Greenberg

Jeffrey is a cardiologist with Cardiovascular Consultants, and is Chief of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery at Arrowhead Hospital in Glendale. Under his leadership, Arrowhead Hospital was named one of the top 100 hospitals in the country for cardiovascular care in 2010 by Thompson Reuters. His expertise is in the early detection and prevention of cardiovascular disease. In 2008 he was named one of the top Forty under 40 young leaders in Phoenix by the Phoenix Business Journal. He was named one of the "top docs" by Phoenix Magazine in 2010. During the past two years Jeff has served on the Pardes finance committee. He is married to Mara and has two children at our school and one in preschool.

Nancy Koplow

Bio to follow

Steve Lee

Steve Lee

Steve is a former police officer who now works in real estate. He devotes a great deal of time to work on the security committee and assisting Coach Zappa with intramural sports. His son graduated last year from Pardes, and his daughter is still a student in our school.

Dr. Sherman Minkoff

Sherman is a cardiologist by profession. With his wife Andi, Sherman founded the Jewish Genetic Diseases Center of Phoenix. Sherman has been actively involved in the Jewish community for many years.

Jennifer Rawicz

Jennifer and her family moved to Arizona in 2007 from Miami, FL. In Miami, she was a practicing trial attorney that focused on civil and commercial litigation. Since relocating to Arizona, she is retired from law and focuses full time on family and community volunteering. For the past two years, she has had the honor of being a Wexner Heritage Fellow. She is a past Board of Directors member and VP of Education and Youth at Har Zion Congregation. Currently, she serves as Membership Vice-Chair of Congregation Or Chadash. At Pardes, she was co-chair of the Kesher Social Committee for two years. Presently, she chairs the Pardes Community Outreach Committee and is a member of the Marketing Committee. She also enjoys serving on a couple of Federation committees, including the education Community Council, and is involved with AIPAC. Jennifer has twin daughters who are thrilled to be lower-school students at Pardes. Her husband, John, is a partner at Lewis & Roca where he practices commercial real estate law.

Stacey Schwartz

Stacey grew up in San Antonio, TX.  She graduated from Princeton University and then moved to Cleveland, OH where she met her husband, Adam.  Stacey worked in the Jewish community in communications, then as a pharmaceutical rep, and as a professional moderator in the pharmaceutical industry before deciding to take a break from her career to be a mom and community volunteer.  Stacey had always hoped to provide her children with a day school education and thankfully has been able to do so.   Stacey's oldest son graduated from Pardes last spring and attends Desert Mountain High School's IB Program.  Currently, she has a daughter in 6th grade and a son in 3rd at Pardes, and a 3 year old daughter who is anxiously awaiting her turn at Pardes.  Stacey has been active in the Jewish Federation for many years, first in MetroWest, NJ and then here in Phoenix.  Stacey has served on the Federation's Women's Philanthropy Board and is a National Young Leadership Cabinet Graduate.  Stacey Chaired the Pardes Committee on Trustees and currently serves on the Pardes Board Executive Committee and as Secretary of the Board.  Stacey is also a member of the Desert Mountain PTO and the Desert Mountain IB PTO.  Professionally, Stacey has her own health and wellness business with Arbonne international

Bonnie Sharfman

Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman, Founder

Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman, the Founder of Pardes Jewish Day School, served as its Head of School for over a decade and in recognition, is an honorary life member of our board. She currently is the spiritual leader of Kehillah of Arizona, a three year old synagogue community and President of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Phoenix. An Avi Chai fellow in Jewish Education, she attended the Principal’s Center of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Rabbi Sharfman lived in Israel for many years and holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Rabbi Sharfman served on the Executive Committee of the (then) UAHC (Reform movement) and a four year term as President of PARDeS (the Progressive Association of Reform Day Schools). She is an alumna of the prestigious STAR PEER Rabbinic Executive Leadership Program. Locally, she serves on several committees supporting the Paradise Valley School District. She is the proud mother of three daughters: Stephanie (who teaches in a Day School in Pittsburgh, PA), Erica (a Pardes alumna attending Emory University), and Rebecca (also a Pardes alumna, and high school senior).

Dr. Sidney Spector

Sid currently has three daughters attending Pardes Jewish Day School. He has been a member of the Committee of Trustees during the 2010-2011 school year. Sid has been a medical director in the Pharmaceutical business for the past 10 years as a mid-level executive, while maintaining a busy part-time clinical neurology outpatient practice at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He and his family are members of Or Chadash Congregation.

Jill Stein

Jill’s professional background includes marketing, advertising and fund development. She has worked for such companies as Nabisco, Warner Bros., AOL, MTV and Herman Miller. These days, Jill gives her time to many important organizations throughout the Valley. She is currently a member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix Women’s Philanthropy Board, Chanen Preschool Advisory Board, Congregation Beth Israel and the lead donor for the Jill and Jay Stein Community Mikvah, just to name a few. She is the immediate past co-chair of the Federations Mega Event and was the keynote speaker at the 10th Anniversary Event for the Jewish Chaplaincy at Stanford University. Jill is married to Jay Stein and they have four beautiful children.

Berry Sweet

Berry Sweet is a long-time community volunteer and activist. Having devoted more than 15 years to political advocacy for social justice and reproductive rights, she then immersed herself in Jewish community work, assuming leadership roles in the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Federation, Jewish Community Relations Council, National Women's Philanthropy Board, American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Community Foundation. Presently, she serves as a Board member of the Bureau of Jewish Education, secretary of the Board of the Jewish Community Foundation and chair of its Jewish Women's Endowment Fund.

Scott Wallace

Scott Wallace

Scott has been a Pardes parent and has served on the Finance Committee. He has very strong business skills as the owner of high-end retail furniture stores, and also has experience in his career consulting with public schools on financial matters.

Gail Zucker

Gail is a former Pardes parent. Gail is certified K-8 teacher, and currently substitutes in the Scottsdale school district. Gail is an active member of the Phoenix Jewish community and is also involved with Donor Network of Arizona and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.