Our Instructors

Anya Lane, DMH is child, adolescent and adult psychologist in private practice in San Francisco. She provides consultation and workshops on child development throughout the Bay Area. Dr. Lane received her doctorate from UCSF where she is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry.

Ariel Goldstein was born in Montevideo, Uruguay where he studied Latin American history at the Universidad de la República. He is the Spanish Teacher at the Jewish Community Center in San Francisco since 2004 and the Travel Program manager since May 2007.

Before arriving in the USA, Ariel lived in Jerusalem, Israel for nine years. He graduated from the Israeli National School of Tourism at Hebrew University. In addition to being a tour guide in Israel, he worked as a tour manager for trips throughout Europe.

In 2004, as well as teaching Spanish, Ariel founded “Aventura Sudamericana” a travel program which brings students to South America in order to experience the Spanish language in real-life situations. This program has since been operated four times with great success. In 2005 Ariel began working as a tour manager for High Country Passage in San Francisco, leading a National Geographic tour to Malta, Tunisia and Sicily.

Ariel speaks Spanish, English, Hebrew and Portuguese.

David Gardella
Classes: Dabblers: Eco Art; Introduction to Drawing & Painting; Dabblers: Art Explorers

Ellen Resnick, LCSW  is a psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco and Redwood City. She specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and incorporates the use of mindfulness into the treatment of depression, anxiety and emotional overeating. She runs a successful weight loss program called The Center for Thoughtful Weight Loss. Ellen is also a skilled couples therapist. Formerly a faculty member at UCSF, she continues to supervise psychiatry residents at UCSF and lectures extensively in the Bay Area.

Gabi Moskowitz has had a love for food and cooking since she was a child. A native of Santa Rosa, CA and a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, MA, she has taught cooking and worked as a caterer and private chef for the past two years, including demonstrating cooking techniques at Williams Sonoma. During the week she works as the clergy assistant at Congregation Sherith Israel.

Harvey Deutch, PT/CEO Red Hawk Physical Therapy is the owner and founder of Red Hawk Physical Therapy. He has been practicing Physical Therapy and yoga for more than 28 years. Harvey has found the language to enable yogis to access these principles. He has consulted and written articles for Yoga Journal magazine

Jacob Kramer. Since getting his MM in classical guitar from the San Francisco Conservatory in 2004, Jacob Kramer has been teaching and playing guitar for music lovers of all ages. He started working with young children by coaching gymnastics, and continues to incorporate a lighthearted energy into all his music classes, as well as Orff Schulwerk philosophy and games. He has performed classical guitar solo, in the flute guitar duo Duo Fuoco, and has accompanied singers around the Bay Area. He is currently on faculty the San Francisco Guitar School. Jacob is Orff Schulwerk certified.

Jamie Furr – “Dancing is just walking with panache.” Jamie Furr has studied many dance styles and found her passion when she began social dancing in 1998. After studying Lindy Hop (the original swing dance) with some of the Bay Area’s best instructors and performing with South Bay Lindy troupe SFBounce, she pursued Ballroom Dancing. In 2003, Jamie graduated from San Francisco’s Ballroom Dance Teachers College in American Style Smooth, Latin, and Nightclub and has been teaching ever since. She believes that anyone can learn to dance, and loves sharing her passion for dance with new and continuing dancers. Her specialty is training new dancers as well as preparing couples for their first wedding dance.

Jennifer Morrice has been a senior apprentice to Judith Hanson Lasater since 2003. She has been certified by Judith in Levels 1 & 2 Relax & Renew® Restorative Yoga and Yoga Therapeutics. Jennifer continues to teach abroad with and learn from Judith as much as possible. Jennifer also is greatly influenced by Ramanand Patel, who helped her to establish a regular healing breath practice. Jennifer is eternally grateful to the practice of restorative yoga, as it's relaxation and deeply present qualities enabled her to give birth to her son, Quinn, naturally and without invasive procedures. Jennifer is currently the Yoga Program Director at the JCCSF.

Joshua Margolis
Classes: As the Wheel Turns: Beginning Potter's Wheel; Clay & Wine; Passover Seder Plate Playshop; Mud Pie; Wheel for Kids; Ceramics Social: Wheel & Hand-Building; Clay Club; Clay for Kids; Clay Cravers

Kevin Hibbitt. A yogi and psychotherapist, Kevin Hibbitt facilitates a deeper knowledge of the self, an experience of freedom and a path to avoid suffering.

Emanuel (Manny) Schongut received a BFA and MFA from Pratt Institute in New York and works in watercolor, pencil, and pen and ink. His editorial and advertising illustrations have appeared in major publications from The New York Times to Harper's Bazaar. He has created book jackets and interior illustrations for many publishers in addition to posters for Masterpiece and Mystery Theater. He has illustrated over twenty children"s books. Please go to www.eschongut.com to see examples of his work.

Matt Simpson-Weber has been a personal trainer and rehab trainer for 15 years. Matt believes that finding and correcting muscle imbalances is the key to having a stronger, healthier body, and that M.A.T. is the tool to get you there.

Nadim Roberto Sabella is a photographer and art educator who currently resides in Oakland, California. He graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2006, where he also taught various Youth and Adult Continuing Education classes in photography.

Sabella has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Jack and Gertrude Murphy Fellowship for Photography and the San Francisco Art Institute Photography Award. His work is published and exhibited internationally in major cities including New York, Rome and Capetown. Locally Sabella is represented by the SFMOMA Artists Gallery. In addition to exhibiting his personal work, he works as a Photoshop expert with various commercial photography studios in the Bay Area. He also extends his photographic expertise to private clients with a variety of photographic services including family portraits, wedding photography and headshots.

Rachel Johnson, ABT has been practicing Asian bodywork and movement therapies since 1983. Her training includes Traditional Thai massage, Shiatsu, Prenatal & Baby Massage, Tai Chi, Watsu, & Aqua Chi (qigong in water). She teaches Thai massage in a variety of settings in the Bay Area.

Rachel Yellin has been practicing Yoga since 1997 and is deeply committed to helping others find peace and comfort physically, emotionally and spiritually. She is a hypnotherapist, childbirth educator, and provides medical support services and advocacy to people undergoing medical treatments.

Rebecca Ets-Hokin, CCP, contributes the Joy of Jewish Cooking Column j weekly, formerly known as the Jewish Bulletin of Northern California. A popular cooking teacher, she focuses on contemporary and seasonal cuisines, and wine and food pairings. She teaches at the JCCSF and Temple Emanu-El. She spent a few summers in Yosemite, as Executive Chef at Camp Tawonga, a residential Jewish summer camp for children and families.

She is a founder of HomeChef Cooking School and Kitchen Store, which was sold in 2000 to Viking. She has been a Certified Culinary Professional since 1993.

Sal Núñez, PhD is a psychologist, consultant, researcher, and professor with special interest in health, neuropsychology, indigenous and behavioral medicine, and medicinal drumming as a healing methodology. Sal and his healing drumming circles have most recently been featured in the San Francisco Examiner.

Samantha Terhune. A visionary teacher of Anusara-Inspired and Relax and Renew® Restorative yoga, Samantha ’s keen eye, wit and wisdom make her a joy to study with. Her long list of training includes John Friend, Tony Briggs, Judith Lasater, Lama Tarchin, Michael Harner and Angeles Arrien. Samantha is also an international minister and a shamanic practitioner.

Stephanie Snyder has been featured in Yoga Journal Magazine, Yoga Journal Online, YogiTimes Magazine, InStyle Magazine, and Fox News. She teaches workshops and public classes in San Francisco where she is also a primary member of the Yoga Tree Yoga Teacher Training faculty.

Ray Wilcox has been working as an arts educator at the JCCSF since 1993 teaching music, film & video production, song-writing and recording. He's been a bandleader whose groups have performed at The Filmore, Great American Music Hall, Slim's and Candlestick Park, composed soundtracks for award winning short films, as well as running Pacific Soul Records, his own independent record label. With 8 releases under his belt, Ray is excited to share his knowledge about the many sides of the music business with young, eager musicians who want to be heard.