Cynthia Groopman is a former teacher in the New York City Public School System, and she has contributed to her community through over thirty years of volunteer work, for which she has been widely recognized. As a result of a medical accident, she became blind in 1988, and has continued to read Torah, daven, and participate fully in Jewish life with the use of braille siddurim and other texts in Hebrew and English. She is elated—a favorite word of hers!—to be a part of creating Ashreynu.

Rebbetzin Judy Pearl brings decades of experience in the Jewish nonprofit world to Ashreynu. She served as Assistant Director for the Jewish Educators Assembly for over fifteen years, creating professional and highly customized experiences for Jewish educators around the world.

She has an impressive history of above and beyond volunteer engagement at synagogues around the New York Metropolitan area, from events management to donor relationships to communications, drawing upon her background in journalism. Along with her husband, Rabbi Pearl, she co-wrote The Chosen Image: Popular TV’s Portrayals of Jewish Themes and Characters, and founded and directed a national media research group. She’s even more famous, however, for her unbeatable brisket and her perfect execution of a long standing Jerusalem cholent family recipe.

Stephanie Luxenberg is a Jewish educator and artist with a degree in Creative Writing and Fine Arts. She integrates her diverse professional background in technology, program management, curriculum development, and community engagement to build on all areas of Jewish communal growth.

Stephanie has worked with students of all ages and learning needs, both through individual instruction and in the classroom setting. Her teaching experience includes the Jerusalem School for the Deaf, Hebrew Academy of West Queens, and MASKIT. She has also worked at East Midwood Jewish Center, The Village Temple, Astoria Center of Israel, and is now as part of the founding team of Ashreynu.

Her art practice, Studio Shoshan, draws heavily from Jewish nature, agriculture, and history, and she is passionate about exploring these themes with MASKIT students in the classroom.

Ayelet Pearl has devoted her career to creatively bringing Jewish culture, arts, practice, and history to museums and other cultural spaces.

She has led the MASKIT program for over a decade, and has completed advanced coursework and professional certifications in meeting the needs of all learners, as well as differentiated learning.

She currently works as the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Voelker Orth Museum, a historic house and exhibition space in Flushing. She also serves in a rabbinic capacity at Cedar Crest Senior Living Community.

Ayelet has a certificate in curating from the University of the Arts London, is a member of the Jewish Art Salon, and has written for the visual arts section of the Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Her art work can be viewed at Av Rimon.