Our Staff

Elana Paru
Director of Educational Administration

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In January of 2011, Elana Paru became the Director of Educational Administration at Central Synagogue. In this new position Elana is responsible for establishing enhanced management and communications systems and stronger operations among all of the education departments including early childhood,  religious school, youth group, young professionals and adult learning programs throughout the congregation.

Prior to joining the staff at Central Synagogue, Elana served as the Executive Director of Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, NY. Her responsibilities included administrative supervision of all synagogue programs and staff. Additionally, she delivered senior level management services to the board, clergy, committees, staff and congregants.

Before focusing her efforts on congregational life, Elana served the Interim Executive Director and Associate Executive Director of ARZA, the Zionist arm and voice of the Reform Movement; Director of Development at the Jewish Outreach Institute; and Director of Development and Director of Operations for Young Judaea, the Zionist Youth Movement of Hadassah.  As a stepping stone toward working for national organizations, Elana started her career in local institutions by serving as the Assistant Principal of Beit Rabban Day School located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and as a Planning and Campaign Associate at the United Jewish Federation in Pittsburgh.

As a Wexner Foundation Graduate Fellow, Elana completed a dual master’s degree program in Jewish Communal Service and Non-Profit Management at Brandeis University. She then spent a year in Israel studying at the Pardes Institute before returning to the States to launch her career in Jewish communal service.

Elana currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband Michael Spevack and their daughter Noa.