By Martha Ransohoff Adler
Along with all of Temple Micah, Machon Micah is going through changes this year, as Director of Education Sharon Tash retires and Mckinley Edelman (currently Assistant Director of the Machon) is joined by Rabbi Samantha Frank as co-directors of the Machon. Alison Litvin, Assistant Director of Education, will continue to provide critical administrative support.
Congregant Martha Adler interviewed Edelman and Rabbi Frank about what the future holds.
Mckinley Edelman: I’m very excited about my new counterpart, Rabbi Frank! And I’m thrilled to continue getting to know all of our Machon families more.
Rabbi Frank: I’m really excited to lean on Mckinley’s deep understanding of the Machon and families as we work together to deepen relationships between the greater Micah community and Machon families – while maintaining our high standard of learning.
Mckinley Edelman: Sharon came in with her profound wealth of knowledge in Jewish history, and created an amazing curriculum, rich in ritual, Jewish history, values, and Israel education. She also leaves a really good working team. She set us up for Rabbi Frank to come right in and join us and we’re ready to go.
Rabbi Frank: I agree one hundred percent. When I first became a Jewish educator, people used to say that learning Jewish content in a supplementary educational program [like the Machon] was impossible, so it is better to focus on Jewish values and make religious school fun. But Sharon has proven that Machon can be fun while students can also walk away confident in their Jewish knowledge.
Rabbi Frank: Let me tell you what’s unique about it here. This is deep intellectual engagement, it’s not just social. In many synagogues, the popular teen programming consists of lock-ins and parties.
Mckinley Edelman: We’ve adapted our teen program to what the teens have told us they’re looking for. From school to sports, drama, and music, they have a lot on their plates. But they still want to think about what it means to be Jewish today. So we provide that container for them.
Rabbi Frank: At R2B we can have conversations about Jewish values and current events because Micah’s teens are so mature. They learn that Judaism isn’t just about living the Jewish calendar: it’s also that there’s a Jewish response to everything we’re reading about in the news.
Mckinley Edelman: There are some teens who only want to become madrichim (classroom helpers). They don’t want to learn anymore in a classroom setting. They want to teach. They want to engage. They want to make some money. They want to gain leadership experience.
Mckinley Edelman: Our biggest challenge is space, both physical and existential. We have always been a haimish community, and it’s important for us to maintain that feeling. The Machon has more than doubled in size over the last 5 years. Last year we had about 240 students in PreK-7th grade and nearly 30 8th-12th graders enrolled in the Machon. This growth is so wonderful, but it also potentially impacts our families feeling ‘known’ in this community. So we have lots of plans to help build relationships. We want every parent to feel known by us and seen by the community, to know that they belong here.
Rabbi Frank: Another goal is helping to support the whole family, whether that’s deep and inspiring parent education, or family education (for parents and children to do together), or helping families feel confident in the Jewish rituals that they’re doing at home.
Mckinley Edelman: The beautiful answer is Jewish joy. The focus is: what are you already doing in your life that you don’t realize is attached to Judaism? We jokingly call it the Shabbat cookie model. Every Friday, my daughter Mollie (4) and son Izzy (2) know we go and get a cookie because it’s almost Shabbat. In our house we also light candles, recite Kiddush, and have dinner together. But above all they know Friday is Shabbat cookie day. And that’s what we want the feeling to be: the joy that comes with Shabbat. We want to help families create their own path toward Jewish joy.
Rabbi Frank: We want to help families have confidence with both the actual rituals and understanding where they come from. What have we inherited, and how does it fit in my family’s life today? What might we let go of or add? When we bring families together to have these conversations, the connections shine.
Mckinley Edelman: Exactly!
Rabbi Frank: I do want to answer what makes this “not your mother’s Sunday school.” It’s a really short answer: It’s fun.
Mckinley Edelman: Absolutely. The goal is for kids to walk out of Machon with questions about Judaism. And that they walk into Temple Micah when they’re back from college and they think ‘Oh, I love this place!’
Rabbi Frank: I think of being a Jewish educator as being an activator. How can we spark questions? How can we spark curiosity? Plus, the kids are so fun and so smart, and just great to be around.
Mckinley Edelman: I love Judaism, and I’m so enthusiastic about it that I think it forces kids to get on board with me. I love watching them when they realize that dots are connecting from things we’ve been talking about in Biblical periods all the way up to Mahmoud Khalil. I’m sure every educator thinks their students are smart, but Temple Micah has the most exceptional student body and really wonderful parents.
Rabbi Frank: Something fun about me is that I ran a marathon last year, which was amazing. Also: I grew up here, in Silver Spring, so I’m excited to be back.
Mckinley Edelman: My absolute favorite thing right now is dance parties with my kids after breakfast before school drop off. I strongly suggest everyone add this to their morning routine. My daughter’s #1 song choice right now is Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan.
This article originally appeared in the June/July/August 2025 issue of the Vine.