Leadership and Staff Directory

Founder

Ellen

Founder

Iris

Founder

Miriam H-K

Founder

Nos

Honorable Mention: Anne, without whom we never would have named our endeavor "TeleTefila." | Jacob, our first Consulting Technologist, without whom our ZOOM launch would have been a disaster. | J.R., who launched our weekly Havdalah. | Marge, who initiated our special Psalm reading. | Dennis, who encouraged us to add more Torah reading; and Bill, who encouraged us to rename it "Aliya Peticha." | Evelyn, for helping establish our monthly Torah discussion.


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Percival
Chief Technology Officer

Percival has been with TeleTefila since the the Fall of 2020 when he and Ethelred implemented the transition to our new supercomputer.

Percival has a B.S. in data science from Everest College and is a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP). He also is DoD 8140 certified (one of the Department of Defense's most prestigious cybersecurity tiers).

 

Email me!
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Miriam H-K
Organizer of Kiddush L'vana and co-instigator of P'sukei D'zimra
she/her

Miriam has been with TeleTefila since its beginning in March of 2020. She says "I'll do anything except give a D'var Torah." And it's true: she has led davening, chanted Torah and Haftarah, and led Havdalah for us. Miriam initiated our Kiddush L'vana; she and Ilana are the co-instigators of our P'sukei D'zimra.

Email me!
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J.R.
Book Club Chair

J.R. has chaired our Book Club since November of 2020, when the first reading was Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Under J.R.'s wise leadership, the Book Club continues to grow and flourish. You can learn more about the Club at the Book Club page. Professionally, J.R. is a medical logistics specialist.

"If you have suggestions for what we should read at the Book Club, drop me a note!"

Email me!
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Mandy Sparkledust
Chief of People
te/tes/tir

Mandy brings to TeleTefila many years of experience in Deploy­ment of Talent, Employee Develop­ment, Stra­tegic Culture Change and Transfor­mation Initiatives. Te is highly effective in the areas of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and will be working to get all of us to display our preferred pronouns.

Email me!
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Aloysius
Director of Communi­ca­tions

Aloysius is the newest staffer at TeleTefila World Head­quarters. He recently grad­uated from Ursa Minor College, having earned his Master of Arts in Strategic Communi­ca­tions.

"I look forward to keeping you informed about all the exciting develop­ments here at Tele­Tefila. If you have questions about our activities or our plans for the future, drop me an email."

Email me!
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Michael M
Gabbai

Michael recently joined the TeleTefila leadership team, having been onboarded in December 2021. As Gabbai, Michael ensures that our Torah service runs smoothly. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening and landscaping. The jardin à la française on the roof of the TeleTefila World Headquarters is a tribute to Michael's skill in this area.

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Bruce
Chief Astronomer and Director of the TeleTefila Observatory

Bruce first became interested in astronomy after reading Cycles of Fire by William K. Hartmann and Ron Miller, and Galaxies by Timothy Ferris.

Outside of work, Bruce's hobby is military history and he gave the highly acclaimed talk "Przemysl and the Fight for Galicia, 1914–1915" at the New York Military Affairs Symposium.

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Nos
Chief Cook & Bottle Washer
nos/nos's/nos

Nos has been with TeleTefila since we launched in March of 2020. Nos takes care of everything that the other staffers are too busy for, thus making nos the most indispensable member of the team. If other staffers can't — or won't — address your concerns, drop a note to nos.

Eugene Klein Award

Email me!
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Báthory
sysadmin
Pronoun: "You wanna make something of it?"

Sysadmins are responsible for the upkeep, configuration, and reliable operation of computer systems. They are notorious for being prickly, territorial, libertarian, and very protective of "their" computer systems. Báthory is no exception. A typical conversation with her might go like this -- "Can we install a . . . ?" Báthory: "NO! A thousand times NO!" But she keeps our supercomputer happily humming along, and we love her for that.

I'm too busy for emails from "users"
guido
Guido
Coco-ordinator of Kiddush

Guido is a professional chef, having earned his culinary degree from the famed Hattori Eiyō Senmon Gakkō in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo.

Guido is presently staying with Miriam H-K and George, having taken over their bathtub. He says he's very pleased to be living with a family that is both kosher and vegan.

At TeleTefila, he and his coco-ordinator Murgatroyd are responsible for keeping George fed. It's a big job but these two are up to the challenge.

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Gila
Leining Coordinator for TeleTefila

Gila has been with TeleTefila since its founding in 2000, and has been an active member of the West Side Minyan for much longer.

She has now (Dec. 2023) agreed to take on the job of drafting and assigning leiners for TeleTefila services.

When not busy banging out emails here at TeleTefila World Headquarters, Gila enjoys playing piano, Skyping with the grandkids, and serving on the WSM Steering Committee.

Hybrid Task Force: Marge, Michael B, and Paul Breese-Garelick from Temple Beth Am in Rochester NY