Jodi Harris, Religious School Director

Jodi HarrisI was born in New Haven and moved to Bloomfield CT as a baby, where I attended Yeshiva of Hartford before attending public schools. My socially progressive parents and Orthodox grandparents helped shape my Jewish
identity and I embraced the concept of Tikkun Olam at a very early age. I received a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Connecticut College, but the pull of Boston’s big business in the Reagan era caused me to abandon
the idea of social work. Once I was back in Connecticut raising my family, I became very involved in volunteering not only for Temple Beth David, but also for numerous “good works” in the area. I taught religious school at Beth David for 13 years, serving as its president during a rabbinic transition. In 2013, I was accepted into the Master’s of Jewish Education on-line program at Hebrew College in Newton Centre MA as a Legacy Heritage Fellow and expect to receive my degree next spring. Before accepting these exciting roles as Religious School Director at TE and TBD, I worked full-time with children with autism in the public schools. I have a passion for finding ways for all students to achieve and believe that our Temple communities can provide all of our children with rich and meaningful Jewish experiences which will in turn help them make their own Jewish journeys.

I am the proud parent of William, a recent law school grad about to take a job at a firm in NYC, and Natalie, a rising senior at Georgetown, currently in Israel for the summer seeking ways to reach peace through cultural awareness. When I am not working, my greatest joy is spending
time with my friends and family, escaping to the coast of Maine, cooking, working out and enjoying a novel or two. I am looking forward to meeting everyone at TE and learning with you all!