Administrative Staff
Ken Turkewitz, Executive Director
Ken serves as Executive Director of Temple Shalom, overseeing temple operations, including management of the office and the property, fiscal operations for the temple, staff liaison to the board and outside organizations, member relations, and staff management of the administrative and operational personnel.
Ken has previously served as Executive Director in New Bedford, MA, and Worcester, MA, and as an Interim Executive Director in Pittsburgh, PA and Princeton, NJ. In addition, his Jewish community volunteer and lay leadership experience is deep, having served as a synagogue President and in numerous other committee roles. He recently completed eight years as a member of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, and is a past volunteer with Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Boston and of Big Brothers of Greater Boston. Ken is a past Regional President of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC), and remains quite active in the organization, including chairing the organization’s Leadership Development Institute in January 2020, and currently serving as Treasurer of the foundation arm, The Foundation for Jewish Life.
Ken is on his second career. In the past, he has held roles as a high tech Program Manager, working on programs such as the establishment of Internet infrastructure and creation of new driver license systems for several U.S. states.
Ken grew up in New York (Long Island), and now lives with his wife, Carol, in Walpole, MA. Ken and Carol have five adult sons. Ken holds a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from M.I.T.
Connect with Ken, ext. 102
Gray Schulman, Administrative Assistant
Gray Schulman joined the Temple Shalom team in 2023 with previous experience in administration and
customer service. Originally from Edison, NJ, they have been involved in the Jewish community in various capacities,
including becoming Ba’al Tekiah at Temple Neve Shalom in Metuchen, NJ. Gray received a BA in History
from Muhlenberg College in 2016. They made the move up to Massachusetts in 2020 and currently
reside in Newton Lower Falls. Gray enjoys baking, writing, watching hockey, and playing tabletop games.
Connect with Gray, ext. 116
Erin Borras, Assistant to the Clergy
Erin Borras joined the Temple Shalom team in 2009. She transformed from being a Lead Teacher in the nursery school to the Education Program Coordinator and is currently the Executive Assistant to the Clergy. She lives in Hopkinton with her husband, Michael, their vibrant and fun loving daughter, Delilah, and cat, Dante. Erin enjoys everything about the water, kayaking, paddle boarding, and, of course, swimming.
Connect with Erin, ext. 109 (Please also contact Erin to get in touch with our Clergy)
Scott Shore, Financial & Administrative Specialist
Scott Shore joined the staff at Temple Shalom in September 2022. He previously worked for many years at a physical therapy clinic, in the front office, performing various administrative and financial tasks. He currently resides in Wilmington unencumbered by roommates. Scott enjoys watching and attending various sporting events, especially those involving Boston’s professional teams, the Connecticut Sun and Northeastern hockey.
Connect with Scott, ext. 104
Alonso Bautista, Facilities
Alonso is dedicated to maintaining a safe and clean Temple. He lives in Framingham with his family.
Learning and Engagement Staff
Kim Bodemer, Senior Director of Congregational Learning and Engagement
Kim joined Temple Shalom family in 2018 as a nationally recognized Reform Jewish educator. She is responsible for the overall vision, supervision and implementation of all learning and engagement efforts. She works closely with the Learning and Engagement Team to create curriculum and identify meaningful projects as part of our Project-Based/Expeditionary Learning model. She also works collaboratively with our auxiliary groups to support affinity group experiences. Prior to joining Temple Shalom, Kim was Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Chayai Shalom in Easton. She has consulted for Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), Hebrew College and synagogue educators across the country on the design and implementation of new Jewish education models. Kim lives in Taunton with her husband, Brian, and has three grown daughters. She enjoys hiking, running, volleyball, puzzles and board games.
Connect with Kim, ext. 110
Lucy Banerji, Temple Shalom Nursery School Director
Lucy became director of the Temple Shalom Nursery School in 2017. Lucy studied psychology and sociology of childhood at Saratov State University, Russia and holds a doctorate in Sociology of Childhood. She is passionate about children's rights, equity, inclusion and anti-bias curriculum. Lucy's professional experience includes work with preschool children, academic research and teachers' training, including at Tufts University.
Connect with Lucy, ext. 119
Liz Corman Shiro, Director of Hebrew and School Administration
Liz has been with Temple Shalom since 2013. Liz wants to help our kids and families find their connection to Judaism. She values mentoring teachers and helping teachers find their authentic voice in their teaching. Liz received her Master’s Degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew College in 2007. She has also completed the MEAH program through Hebrew College and the DeLeT program through Brandeis University. Liz lives in Sharon with her husband Lee, their twin girls, Eliana and Rose, their son, Jacob and their dog, Luna.
Connect with Liz, ext. 112
Marriah Vengroff, Director of Experiential Learning
Marriah grew up primarily in Storrs, Conn., but has lived in Newton Centre for a decade. Marriah’s family joined the Temple Shalom community in 2013 when her son, Henry, entered the Nursery School. She was a history major at Wheaton College and earned her Masters of Education from Regis College. She taught elementary school in Weston for two years. Marriah and her husband, Chris, both avid volleyball players, are the parents of Henry and Norah.
Connect with Marriah, ext. 111
Becca Yudkoff, Director of Early Childhood Engagement & Nature Explorer Summer Camp
Becca joined Temple Shalom staff in 2017. She has a bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Lesley University and a masters in Early Childhood Education from the University of British Columbia. She taught elementary school for six years before becoming the Program Director at a community center in Beacon Hill. Becca lives in Newton with her husband, Ben, and their three children. Becca enjoys singing, biking, sewing and going out to hear live music - especially if it involves a banjo!
Connect with Becca, ext. 118
Alison Lobron, Inclusion and Program Development Coordinator
Alison joined the Temple Shalom staff in 2018. Alison began her career as a public school teacher, then moved into the field of social/emotional learning and eventually into Jewish education. Alison is ardent about creating learning environments where students of all abilities feel confident, capable and eager to learn. Alison graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994 with a degree in Elementary Education and Communications. She earned a Master’s in the Risk and Prevention program at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education in 2000. Alison lives in West Newton with her husband, David, their children Shira and Gabriel, and their bunny, Buzz.
Connect with Alison, ext. 115