Matthew Oziel
moziel@shaaretorah.org
Matt joined the Shaare Torah community as its first Executive Director in May of 2015. Matt wears “many kippahs” and sits on most committees. Shaare Torah is committed to empowering its members to connect to one another and create positive experiences. Finding ways to support this mission while driving intentional, organizational change as we grow, is what excites him most about his position. Matt and his wife Rachel celebrated the birth of their son Henry, in late 2018 and their daughter Emma in 2022. Henry and Emma are regular shul goers. Emma is attending the Early Childhood Center.
Allison Colker
acolker@shaaretorah.org
Allison joined the Shaare Torah community in June of 2015. She has worked in the fields of early childhood education and Jewish education since 1992. Allison’s role at Shaare Torah is two-fold: she directs our Early Childhood Center, private Kindergarten, and ECC Summer Program; and she leads our family engagement, special events, and Shabbat and holiday experiences for families with children 5 and under. Allison’s passion as an early childhood educator is to help young children develop a love of learning and learn how to learn. Understanding the process of learning and constructing knowledge provides a foundation for the children’s future academic careers and their entire lives. Allison herself is a lifelong learner and a co-learner with the children. She believes that the most important part of early childhood education is social-emotional learning, which fosters in the children independence, self regulation, social skills, problem solving, and conflict resolution. Allison partners with parents and teachers to raise good humans who are citizens of the world. She can always tell when she encounters an adult who did not go to a good preschool (ha ha!).
Allison is excited to lay the first foundation of Jewish identity and community by instilling a joy for Shabbat and Jewish holidays, a connection to Israel, and a set of Jewish values that are truly universal human values. In addition to her work directly with the children, Allison spends much of her time mentoring teachers and coaching parents. She is committed to developing a strong early childhood educator workforce within STECC/STK and in the broader community. Allison provides partnership, resources, and support for parents on a variety of topics, such as morning and nighttime routines, potty training, welcoming new babies, and moving to a new home.
Outside of Shaare Torah, Allison is an active participant in the Greater Washington Jewish Early Childhood Education Directors’ Council. Allison and her husband Ryan both grew up in active synagogue families, spending summers at Jewish sleepover camp, were actively involved in Jewish youth group and later in Jewish life on campus, and started teaching religious school as teenagers.
Jennifer Kramer
jkramer@shaaretorah.org
Jen Kramer joined Shaare Torah in 2021 as the Office Administrator after a decade as an active Jewish community professional. In her new role, Jen oversees programming and communications, helping our community to connect to Shaare Torah, to each other, and to their passions and interests.
Jen and her husband, Kirill Reznik, live in Gaithersburg with their daughters Cait and Gabriella (Gabby), and their dog, Zelda.
Beth Ann Katz
bakatz@shaaretorah.org
Beth Ann Katz joined the STECC faculty in June 2021 and she became the Assistant Director in 2024. She has worked in the world of Jewish preschool and religious education for over 35 years. Creative Movement, Israeli Dance, Parent & Child, Toddlers, 2s, 3s, 4s… she’s taught them all. She was the Education Office Program Coordinator for 6 years at a synagogue in Washington, DC. She has a master’s degree in education and human development. She lives in Gaithersburg with her adorable dog, Buddy, and she has two amazing grown daughters.
Yismaw Beyene
ybeyene@shaaretorah.org
Yismaw Beyene, a native of Ethiopia, is joining the Shaare Torah community as our Shaliach. Yismaw made Aliyah to Israel with his family at the age of three, first living in an absorption center in Haifa. The family later moved to Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, where he grew up and was educated.
After completing high school, Yismaw began his path in education, first working as a night counselor at the Neve Amiel boarding school. He later traveled to Canada after his army service, and upon returning to Israel continued working in education within a pre-military academy. Over several years, he served in a variety of leadership roles: two years as an instructor, one year as a coordinator, one year as a branch director, and an additional year as the alumni program coordinator. Yismaw is also a skilled soccer coach and certified in graphic design (specifically UI/UX).
Yismaw aspires to work in the public sector, with the goal of advancing and empowering diverse groups within Israeli society.
In his free time, Yismaw is a pianist, enjoys drawing and hiking in nature, and believes in sports as a way of life. A perfect day for Yismaw starts with playing soccer on the PS4, continues with a soccer game on the field with friends, and ends with watching a soccer match on television—preferably the UEFA Champions League.
