Susan Rizzo
Education Director
Kathy Adams
Sprouts (pre-K)
AllyRose Caruso
Kindergarten
Bobbi Simmons-Sarnov
1st/2nd grades
Barbara Schwartz
3rd grade
Matthew Sarnov
4th grade (Sun)
Hannah Zusmanowitz
4th grade (Weds)
Rachel Sidebotham
5th grade
Leah Saada-Sherman
6th Grade/Music
Pauline Rosenberg
7th grade
Cantor Renata Braun
Confirmation
and Bogrim
Susan Rizzo (Education Director)
Susan was made (first Interim, then official) Education Director in 2022, after completing a Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Studies (Spertus Institute) with a Concentration in Israel Education (The iCenter). A life-long learner, she is engaged in on-going professional development through the Mandel Teacher Education Institute.
Susan is really enjoying watching the SJLL students grow!
Kathy has been a part of the Temple Sinai team teaching our young Sprouts since September 2021. She brings her love and passion into teaching young children. Kathy has worked in the education field for over 20+ years. She has worked at the JCC of Greater Rochester in the Wolk Children’s Center and After School Care for 12 years. Kathy was born and raised in Rochester, NY, and she has two adult children.
AllyRose Caruso (Kindergarten)
AllyRose Caruso has been involved in Temple Sinai’s religious school since kindergarten. Her time as a Madrichah following her Bat Mitzvah was what motivated her to pursue a career in education. AllyRose graduated from SUNY Fredonia in May 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a minor in French. At Fredonia, she was an active member of Hillel, serving as historian, public relations chair, and president during her time with the club. She is currently teaching 4-6 band at Lyons Elementary School and plays clarinet in community ensembles in the Rochester area. This is AllyRose's second year teaching in the SJLL.
Bobbi Simmons-Sarnov (1st/2nd grades)
Bobbi has taught in the SJLL for several years, including fifth, fourth and second grades. She has a BA in Biology from the University of Rochester and conducted research and development at Bausch & Lomb before leaving to be a stay-at-home mom. Bobbi has been involved with the Temple Sinai religious school since 2007, when her daughter Hannah started first grade and her son Matthew started Sprouts. Bobbi has a second-degree black belt in Kyokushin karate and teaches karate to students ages 4 years old through adult.
This is Barbara's sixth year teaching Sunday School at Temple Sinai. Before moving to Rochester, she was a teacher/director for many years at a synagogue in Jamestown, New York. Judaism is a very important part of Barbara's life. It made her feel special growing up in a small town with a very small Jewish population. Her friends all knew and respected their differences. And her synagogue felt like a big extended family! This is what Barbara enjoys most about teaching in the SJLL. Even though Sinai is larger than other synagogues she has been involved with, it still feels like a family. Barbara hopes to instill in her students a love of Judaism such as she has felt her entire life.
Rachel has been a part of Temple Sinai since she was a little girl. She attended the SJLL, became bat mitzvah, and served as a madricha throughout middle and high schools. She was also part of both SAWCY and RATSY Jewish youth groups and participated in Confirmation and Bogrim. After school, Rachel moved to Israel and taught English. When she came back to Rochester, she substitute taught and helped out at the SJLL whenever she could. She started teaching 2nd grade, then took a break to finish a master's degree in social work. The 2024-25 school year marks Rachel's sixth year teaching 5th grade. VP, Youth Initiatives, on the Temple Sinai Board of Trustees since 2023, Rachel works with and supervises teens, creating and promoting teen-oriented social, cultural, and leadership programs. EMAIL RACHEL
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Leah Saada-Sherman (6th grade)
Leah has been part of the SJLL family since 2010 in a variety of teaching roles from the director of Sason to teaching music and 6th grade. She has a background in Music Education with a BA from Fredonia and an MA from the Eastman School of Music. After 8 years of teaching music in the Churchville Chili school district, she decided to temporarily step away from public school teaching when she and her husband decided to start a family. Leah is very involved in her daughters' school, is on the board and an active member of Color Fairport Green, and is a member of the Fairport Central School District Sustainability Committee. In her spare time, Leah is part of an African drum and dance company and creates opal jewelry in her basement studio. She lives in Fairport with her husband, two daughters, and Manny (the dog).
Pauline began her career at Temple Sinai in 1997. In addition to teaching 7th grade, Pauline taught in the Kesher program (grades 8-1) for about 20 years. She has also been the Assistant Director for over 15 years. In that role, she mentors teachers, helps with curriculum development, and facilitates professional development for the faculty. Pauline is also an experienced b’nai mitzvah tutor. Pauline received the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education in 2011. Pauline does not only work with young people; since 2018, she has spent every Friday welcoming in Shabbat with the residents at Wolk Manor (the assisted living facility of Jewish Senior Life). Recently, Pauline co-founded the nonprofit Rochester’s LACE which aims to heal our community through English Language Acquisition and Cultural Exchange.
Cantor Renata Braun (Confirmation and Bogrim)
Cantor Braun brings to her teaching both her love for children and her strong desire to inspire b'nei mitzvah students to remain engaged in Jewish life. Born and raised in Ukraine, she began her music studies at the age of four, ultimately receiving a master's degree in choral conducting from Donetzk State Conservatory in the Ukraine. In 1999, six years after immigrating the the United States, Cantor Braun received a master's degree in sacred music and was invested as a Cantor from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. Cantor Braun brings a wide range of musical styles to her Cantorate and is a passionate advocate of children and young adults as they develop their musical and Jewish selves. She and her husband, David Braun, have two sons, Daniel and Jonathan. Read more about Cantor Braun on our clergy page.
