In our January 8 update to the congregation, we announced that we were hosting two candidates at the OJC the week of January 13th, during which they would each observe Kulanu, have dinner with our Rabbis, lead Minyan, teach a short adult education class and have in-person interviews with our search committee.

With the benefit of the feedback we collected from the search committee, our Rabbis and congregants who attended Minyan and learning, we are excited to share that both candidates will be visiting our congregation for respective Shabbatot during the month of February. Please save the dates of February 14-16 for Rabbi Anina Dassa’s visit and February 21-23 for Rabbi Claire Shoyer’s visit.

Below you will find bios for each candidate. Next week, we will distribute more details on the schedule for each Shabbat. We hope to see many of you at our events. This is an important decision for our community and the Search Committee is looking for your input. Your presence is needed to evaluate and compare the candidates and is an important way for us to showcase who we are! A survey will be circulated after the weekend requesting your feedback.

L’Shalom,



Justin Rubinstein, President

Benay Josselson and Josh Turnof, co-Senior Vice Presidents

Rabbi Anina Dassa

February 14-16

Anina Dassa is a rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary and a recipient of the Nachshon Graduate Fellowship. Anina grew up in Los Angeles, where she attended and worked at Camp Ramah in California for a total of 14 years. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2018 with a BFA in Interarts Performance, an interdisciplinary degree from the School of Art & Design and the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Anina has studied as a year-long fellow at Yeshivat Hadar and was a preschool teacher at the Chabad of Tribeca. Since starting rabbinical school, Anina received the Slifka-Nadich Fellowship and served as the Rabbinic Intern at Princeton University. She also served as the Chaplain Intern at JASA Geriatric Mental Health Clinic. Currently, Anina serves as the Rabbinic Fellow at B’nai Jeshurun in NYC.

Rabbi Claire Shoyer

February 21-23

Claire Shoyer is a fifth-year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary pursuing her MA in Midrash. Originally from Massachusetts, Claire received her BA in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania. She is in her second year as the rabbinic intern at the Westchester Jewish Center in Mamaroneck, NY, with a focus on adult education. She has worked with youth of all ages at Camp Ramah New England, and she has supported Jewish students as a rabbinic intern at the University of Maryland, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Virginia. Claire is a trained Mikveh guide and recently became the first woman to receive certification for the kosher slaughter of fowl and cattle.