President Daniel P. Mass | president@kamii.org
Rabbi Batsheva Appel | bappel@kamii.org | (773) 924-1234 Ext. 122
Cantor Miriam Eskenasy | meskenasy@kamii.org | (773) 924-1234 Ext. 120
Religious School: Jessica Hassid | jhassid@kamii.org | (773) 924-1234 Ext. 115
Nursery School: Fran Gordon | fgordon@kamii.org | (773) 924-1234 Ext. 114
Executive Director: Tal Rosen | trosen@kamii.org | (773) 924-1234 Ext. 113
Bookkeeper: Jacqui Lyda | jlyda@kamii.org | (773) 924-1234 Ext. 111
Administrative Assistant: Abbey Allison | aallison@kamii.org | (773) 924-1234 Ext. 110
Administrative Assistant: Stewart Martin | smartin@kamii.org | (773) 924-1234 Ext. 110
Dr. Daniel P. Mass has been president of KAM Isaiah Israel since 2010. He is the Vice Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Rabbi Batsheva Appel is a
She graduated from
Rabbi Appel first served as a sabbatical rabbi, then rabbi-educator at
Rabbi Appel sees Jewish learning as an ongoing passion and thinks “the best learning is transformative, changing who we are and how we act in the world.”
Find her on Twitter at @ravbat7.
Cantor Miriam Eskenasy was born in Bucharest, Romania to a Zionist family. She immigrated to Israel when she was 10 years old and to the U.S. when she was 16. Miriam completed her undergraduate work at Ohio State University and Queens College of the City of New York with a degree in Romance Languages and music. Putting her personal aspirations on hold, Miriam devoted herself to her family. Finally, after a 20 plus years career in business, Miriam returned to school, earning a Master of Sacred Music, and was invested as a Cantor from the Hebrew Union College in 2002. Her thesis focused on the music of the Sephardic community in Romania. Before becoming the cantor at KAM Isaiah Israel in 2008, Cantor Eskenasy served congregations in New York, New Jersey and Milwaukee.
Religious School Director Jessica Hassid, brought up in Jacksonville, Florida, was raised in a thriving Jewish community. From childhood to adulthood, Jessica has been immersed in all things Jewish. As an active member in youth groups and summer camps, she has molded a solid Jewish identity. Her family roots are deep; with active parents on the shul’s board, Jewish volunteerism, and fundraising. Jessica enjoys traveling, especially to Israel, creating and selling Judaic art, and taking advantage of everything the city has to offer.
Jessica received her Bachelors of Science from Florida State University in Tallahassee, and is a certified teacher in Florida and Illinois. She taught advanced High School art for five years in Jacksonville, while she sponsored extra curricular activities such as the Jewish Club. She taught at Hebrew School and Hebrew High School for years. She volunteered for various organizations, including the Jewish Nursing Home and served on the steering committee for the Federation’s Young Leadership Division.
For years, Jessica was the Assistant Director of the art program at a Jewish Camp in Massachusetts. As a child, she attended Camp Ramah for many summers and credits it as a huge part of her upbringing. She was excited to return as a supervisor, where she coordinated the schedule, trained teachers and taught many classes.
In the summer of 2009, Jessica and her husband moved to Chicago, and she worked in administration at U.I.C. Hillel for the 2009-10 school year. She looks forward to making a difference in students lives as the Religious School Director at KAM Isaiah Israel. “Education is extremely important to me and I take pride in seeing my students learn and grow. My goals are to increase the student’s knowledge of Judaism and involve them in engaging classes to help them find their Jewish identity. I am involved with all things Jewish and I hope to pass on my love for Judaism to all students, so that they too will make Jewish culture and religion part of who they are.”
Fran Gordon, our Nursery School Director, was born and raised on the south side of
Executive Director Tal Rosen, joined the staff of KAM Isaiah Israel in 2009. Prior to his work in Chicago, Tal was the Executive Director of the Hillel at Miami University where he also received his MBA. Tal holds a BA in Religion & Judaic Studies from Dickinson College and completed two years of advanced Judiac Studies at the Hebrew Union College. He currently serves as the Treasurer for Hillels Around Chicago, is a regular business consultant for several firms, and frequently speaks on the topic of Non-Profit Management. You can often find Tal riding his bike on the lake front with his wife, Anna.
Jacqui Lyda, our bookkeeper, joined the KAMII team in 2011. She also works for the Global Foodbanking Network.
Abbey Allison, one of our Administrative Assistants, received her Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance and String Music Education, with an emphasis on double bass, from Ithaca College. She worked as a staff accompanist at Ithaca College for two years, and has worked as a freelance accompanist in the Ithaca, NY area and in the Chicago area, collaborating with vocalists and instrumentalists at every possible stage of their careers, from beginning Suzuki string players to national competition winners and contemporary music specialists. Abbey occasionally plays the piano for KAMII services, and plays the accordion in the Klezmer band. She is also a certified piano technician, having received her certification from the Chicago School for Piano Technology.
Stewart Martin, one of our Administrative Assistants, is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Stewart studied creative writing at Kenyon College before pursuing a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Michigan. Stewart is married to our member Karen Martin, who teaches in our Religious School and directs our youth group.
