Babette Cohn

Director of Education and Programming
301-593-3410 x106
bcohn@shaaretefila.org

Babette has been an educator in the D.C. area for over 20 years and became our Director of Education and Programming in 2018. Before coming to Shaare Tefila her experience included work in the religious school setting across a diversity of communities, comprised of multiple aspects of program coordination, including curriculum and workshop development, registration, communications and logistics. Babette received her Master of Arts in Jewish Studies & Education in May 2017 from Gratz College. She was awarded the title of Conservative Jewish Educator (CJE) in 2020 by the Jewish Educators Assembly (JEA), a designation recognizing her attaining a standard of achievement in the field of Conservative Jewish education. In 2020 she also became a member of the Board of Directors of the JEA and serves as Regional President for the Seaboard Region of Conservative Judaism.

Babette believes Jewish education and synagogue programming should be engaging and enrich the spiritual lives of all participants. She sees the relationship between member families and the programs that are offered as a way to strengthen the Jewish identity of everyone in the community.

Living in Fairfax, VA since 1996, Babette and her husband Jonathan raised Rebecca, Gabrielle and Sam. She is proud that all three of her children have expressed strong connections to their own Jewish identities and are all committed to Jewish practice. Babette is an avid knitter and enjoys cooking and finding ways to use the multitude of vegetables in her weekly CSA farm share. In her down time she also likes to read and watch TV shows that give her something to think about.