Leadership Team

Rabbi Jordan David Soffer is our Head of School. In this role, Rabbi Soffer oversees all educational and administrative activities at Striar Hebrew Academy. Rabbi Soffer joined the SHAS community in 2019, after 3 years as the Rabbi-in-Residence of Carmel Academy, in Greewich, CT.  Rabbi Soffer has a BS from the University of Wisconsin, where he studied Jewish Education, Hebrew & Semitic Studies, and Religious Studies. He continued his studies at Yeshivat Maaleh Gilboa and Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. He received smicha from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and a Master’s Degree in education from Yeshiva University. Rabbi Soffer was awarded the Covenant Foundation's 2020 Pomegranate Prize, which recognizes emerging leaders in the field of Jewish education, and is currently Rabbinic Mentor for the Day School Leadership Training Institute.  Rabbi Soffer lives in Sharon with his wife, Dr. Marti Soffer, and their daughters, Maayan, Reiut and Shoshana. 

Dina Saks is our Director of Teaching and Learning. In this role, Dina works as a support to classroom teachers and plans professional development necessary for whole-school and individual teacher growth. She is a member of the Educational Leadership Team as well as the First Grade general studies teacher. A veteran teacher, Dina uses her training and background as a classroom teacher, to guide the staff in curricular improvement and implementation. She has a BS in Elementary Education and an MS in Reading Education. Before coming to Striar Hebrew Academy, she taught at the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, MD. Dina lives in Sharon with her husband Aaron and four children, Joshua (SHAS ‘16), Gabriella(SHAS '18), future SHAS graduates Julia and Noah.

Ilene Greenwald is our Interim Director of Student Support and Services. Ilene has been an extremely respected member of the SHAS family for many years, previously serving as an occupational therapist from Gateways:  Access to Jewish Education. In this new position, Ilene will continue her responsibilities as an OT, and will also direct the student experience more generally. Ilene has worked as an OT for more than 30 years, having received her Bachelor’s Degree and Certificate of Advanced Professional Studies at Tufts University’s Boston School of Occupational Therapy. Ilene is excited to work with our families to ensure that every child is thriving at SHAS.

Karen Snow is our Business Manager.  In this role, she handles all business and accounting functions at SHAS. Parents can contact Karen with any issues or questions related to tuition, financial aid, FACTS payments or tuition contracts. She is also responsible for managing employee benefits and payroll.  She brings to SHAS extensive experience in accounting and business operations for non-profits. Karen and her family have enjoyed being part of the Sharon community for over 20 years.

Simmie Hefetz is our Nursery and Pre-K Team Leader. She works with our team of early childhood educators to build and support an enriching early childhood program with a focus on teaching our youngest learners to become competent, independent thinkers as they begin to navigate their social and academic worlds. She is a lead teacher in the Nursery and Pre-K classrooms as well as a member of the Educational Leadership Team. Simmie has a BS in early childhood education from Boston University and has been in the field of early education for more than twenty years, serving as both a preschool teacher and a preschool director. Simmie lives in Sharon with her husband Ronen and their two daughters, Ellie and Maya, both of whom attended SHAS.