Our Staff

Rabbi Martin Lawson
rabbi@templeemanuelsd.org

Rabbi Martin S. Lawson was born in Muskegon, Michigan on June 9, 1945. He is married to Anita Satlof-Lawson and they are the parents of a daughter, Bethami, and a son, Joshua.

Rabbi Lawson received his Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Florida (Gainesville) in 1967. He received both his Bachelor of Hebrew Letters and his Master of Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1974. At that time, he was also ordained as a Rabbi.

Rabbi Lawson served as the Cantor and Student Rabbi of Temple Israel in Dayton, Ohio from 1972 to 1974. Upon ordination he assumed the position of Assistant Rabbi at The Temple in Atlanta, Georgia from 1974 to 1976. In 1976, he came to San Diego as the Assistant Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, assumed the post of Senior Rabbi of Emanu-El in 1978, and in 1993 was honored with a contract through retirement.

Rabbi Lawson is one of the founders of and an Instructor at the San Diego High School of Jewish Studies. He is also one of the founders and former Director of the San Diego Jewish Academy. The Academy was founded as a community Jewish Day School in 1979. He is a Board Member and Executive Committee Member of the San Diego Chapter of the National Conference (formerly the National Conference of Christians and Jews). He is the former Chairperson of the San Diego Task Force on Holocaust Commemoration for the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation. He is on the National Rabbinic Cabinet of the United Jewish Appeal. Rabbi Lawson also serves on the Relief and Subventions Committee and the Ad Hoc Tax Force on Committees of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. In 1993, Rabbi Lawson was appointed to serve as one of the CCAR representatives on the National Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. This deliberative, policy-development body brings the vision of Judaism to issues of social justice, peace, human rights and environmental protection. The U.S. Attorney recently appointed Rabbi Lawson to serve on a Working Group dealing with the issue of Hate Crimes.

He has served on the Executive Board of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis (PARR) and is the immediate Past President of the PARR region. In 1988, Rabbi Lawson was selected as PARR's representative to visit with Refuseniks in the Soviet Union. The Lawsons visited 18 families in Leningrad, Kiev and Moscow. During the Gulf War, Rabbi Lawson helped to initiate community dialogue to prevent harassment of Arabs and Muslims in the San Diego Community. As a result, he helped establish the Interreligious Council of San Diego under the auspices of the National Conference. Rabbi Lawson represents the San Diego Rabbinical Association and is the current President of the Interreligious Council.

He served two separate terms as President of the San Diego Rabbinical Association and received the first award for Rabbinic Leadership from the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County. Rabbi Lawson pioneered an Introduction to Judaism course for resettled Soviet Jews and chaired a community Reform Marriage Celebration for ten Soviet couples.

Rabbi Lawson has special interest in music, having studied voice for a number of years. He also pursues his hobbies of stained-glass, needlepoint and Jewish art history.

Cantorial Soloist
Myrna Cohen
muzkmom@aol.com

Myrna is our much adored Cantorial Soloist. She began as a songleader in 1975 before becoming a cantorial soloist, and also has worked for the San Diego Jewish Community Centers as Senior Adult Worker, Music Specialist, and Camp Jaycee Music Specialist, and the San Diego Jewish Academy as Music Specialist. Prior to that, Myrna worked at the St. Louis Jewish Community Center Camp Sabra, as a music specialist and unit head. Myrna received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education and Music from the University of Pittsburgh, and was employed as a counselor and youth advisor at the Irene Kaufman Center, as well as being a music specialist at the Beth Shalom Synagogue Sunday School.
Myrna lives in San Diego with her husband, Michael and their children Ryan, Laura, and Greg.

Executive Director
Susanne Geshekter
susanne@templeemanuelsd.org

Preschool Co-Director
Judy Medoff
preschool@templeemanuelsd.org

Preschool Co-Director
Rachell Clavell
preschool@templeemanuelsd.org

Torah School/Hebrew School Director
Cathy Kamin
cathy@templeemanuelsd.org

Torah School/Hebrew School Administrative Assistant
Star Laddon
star@templeemanuelsd.org

Administrative Assistant
Donna Lander
adminassist@templeemanuelsd.org

Bookkeeper
Michelle Howe
bookkeeper@templeemanuelsd.org

Front Office Assistant
Joni Cohen
joni@templeemanuelsd.org

Youth Director
Danny Bailund
youthcom@templeemanuelsd.org

Program Coordinator
Jessica Kort
jessica@templeemanuelsd.org

Maintenance
Victor Palos
Benjamin Hernandez
Jorge Perez

Preschool Staff and Teachers
Janet Arkin
Janet Baxter
Rachell Clavell
Myrna Cohen
Kolleen Dennison
Jessica Grimes
Barbara Kugler
Judy Medoff
Ilene Miller-Shackelford
Teri Neill
Antonet Phelps
Shiri Puhovitsky
Melissa Eisenhamer

Torah School Teachers
Danny Bailund
Michael Bailund
Barbara Birenbaum
Lori Bunshaft
Jessica Daniels
Rachael Davila
Leslie Friedman
Shelley Sloan
Lindsay Spector
Melissa Stroh

Hebrew Teachers
Betty Erez
Judy Goren
Frieda Grossman
Shelley Sloan

Prayers and  Blessings Teacher
Elana Hamovitch

Family Education Coordinator
Jessica Daniels

Temple Board Members
President, Aaron Cohn
First Vice President/President, Elect Debbie Macdonald
Second Vice President, Jim Lewis
Co-Treasurer, Layne Cogan
Co-Treasurer, Ed Spilkin
Financial Secretary, Ron Marx
Recording Secretary, Linda Greenberg
Immediate Past President, Aaron Borovoy
Executive Past President, Rob Zitsman
Directors: Ron Baranov, Robert Handler, Stacey Kasendorf, Lee Loventhal,
Matthew Schenck, Roberta Schwartz, Shari Shelton, Char Sultan
WRJ Representative Rae Marie Ibarra