Education Staff

Email Roni Shapiro

Roni Shapiro - Director of Early Childhood and Temple Programs 

Roni believes that families with young children are the future of Judaism and wants to guide them along the way to find their connection to Judaism.

Her philosophy of early childhood education is based on the premise that children learn best through a play-based, exploratory environment with loving teachers. It is important to meet the suggested benchmarks put forth by the New Jersey Department of Education, while respecting the emergent curriculum that comes from the children's own classroom environment.  

A successful early childhood program should also include STEM (science, technology, engineering & math), children’s art as an expression of their individuality and the process by which they do so, social emotional development and mindfulness, music and art as an expression of individuality, and language development. In all areas and throughout their day, Jewish values - middot - are embedded to bring love of Judaism and develop empathy for others and our world.

Roni has a B.S. in Education from the University of Texas and both an M.A. in Jewish Education and a Principal and Supervision Certificate from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Prior to joining Temple Emanuel, she was the Educational Director of Congregation Sons of Israel in Briarcliff Manor, New York for 32 years. In that role, she oversaw the Nursery, Religious and Hebrew High Schools. Additionally, she ran family and youth programs. Roni met her husband Benny Ben-David while volunteering in the Israeli army and they have three sons, Eitan, Ari and Lior.