Cantor Darcie Sharlein Cantor Darcie Sharlein joined Temple Emanu-El in 2008. Cantor Sharlein grew up in New Jersey where she was an active member of her home congregation, Temple Shalom in Aberdeen, singing in choir, teaching in the Hebrew School, serving as a lay leader for worship and life cycle events, and sitting on the Ritual Committee. She pursued undergraduate studies at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, earning a B.A. in Music. Cantor Sharlein later studied at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s School of Sacred Music; she received a Master of Sacred Music degree in 2007 and was invested as a cantor in 2008. While attending Hebrew Union College, she served as student cantor at Temple Sholom in Fanwood, New Jersey, and at Congregation B’nai Yisrael in Armonk, New York. Her thesis, Beyond Accessibility: Creating Worship that Resonates with Deaf Congregants, reflects her commitment to make worship and congregational life meaningful for all congregants. Cantor Sharlein lives in Royal Oak with her spouse, Jeff.

Susan Kirschner--Executive Director Susan is a native Detroiter, who returned to this area from New York in 2001 to assume the executive director position at Temple Emanu-El. Prior to that, she was Finance Director of Manhattan's historic Central Synagogue. She holds a Master's in Arts Administration from the University of Wisconsin School of Business and worked with arts organizations in New York such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Eliot Feld Ballet before entering synagogue management. She also taught General Management for the Arts at the State University of New York (SUNY)-Purchase. Susan has an extensive background teaching and performing Israeli folk dance, specializing in the first generation of dances choreographed in Israel. She has taught children and adults in metro Detroit and New York, and led workshops in Paris, Marseille and Aix-en-Provence. She has been a member of the National Association of Temple Administrators (NATA) since 1997.

Eileen Brand--Director of Early Childhood Community Eileen Brand has been Director of the Early Childhood Community since 2007 and has been part of the ECC for most of the past 25 years, as a Nursery Teacher, then as Associate Director of the program, and finally as Director of Student Services, before beng appointed as Director of the ECC. Ms. Brand graduated from Wayne State University with a B.A. in Education, did post graduate work in Early Childhood Education at Madonna College and attended the Jewish Early Education Enrichment Project of the Federation of Metropolitan Detroit in 2002-2004. For Eileen, the memories and experiences with her Temple Emanu-El family continue to be a significant part of her life. Her own children grew up during her Temple career; she witnessed (and enabled) the growth of the pre-school from a Nursery School to an Early Childhood Community and she has seen many children grow up and return to Temple to share their memories.

Geoffrey Berdy--Director of Education Geoff Berdy brings to Temple Emanu-El a passion for Jewish life and learning which includes particular interests in the arts and Tikkun Olam/social justice work. Geoff writes: "what I love about Jewish education is the uniqueness of each individual’s path and contribution to creating community and the opportunity to empower individuals and families to find and make their own meanings from its vast store of tradition and wisdom. To me, a congregation is a family of families, and I am excited and honored to make mine a part of Temple Emanu-El’s.” Geoff would like everyone to know that his door and phone line are always open to schmooze about Judaism, Jewish education, Temple life or really anything for that matter (except the Detroit Lions, enough heartache, enough said on that subject). Geoff spent his growing-up years in Metro-Detroit as well as Israel, England and Columbus, Ohio. He has been in Jewish education in some capacity for about fifteen years, in a variety of settings including: congregational Hebrew schools, camp, day school, Jewish communal organizations and adult education. Geoff’s own Jewish education is also diverse, ranging from time at a traditional yeshiva, study in Israel, at Hebrew College in Boston, courses with Elie Wiesel and a master’s from Harvard with a focus on Judaism and education. He is also a proud Spartan, and met his wife Dina, a social worker, when they were both undergraduates at Michigan State. Geoff and Dina have a two year old son named Lev whose current interests are basketball, watering flowers and challah. They also have a cat named Mr. Bingley whose interests are napping and lounging.