Ruach PNW

Artist-in-Residence at Temple De Hirsch Sinai and Camp Solomon Schechter

Josh Niehaus

Josh Niehaus is a musician, shaliach tzibbur (prayer leader), and Jewish educator in the greater Seattle Jewish community. He began his journey in Jewish professional life in the camping industry, where he first fell in love with Jewish music and prayer. Some of you may already know Josh from his time as the Camp Director at the SJCC Summer Camp or at Camp Solomon Schechter, where he spent 21 summers as a camper and staff member! 

Josh is a graduate of Columbia University and the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. After graduation, Josh worked in the music industry in Los Angeles as the Music Assistant on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. During that period, Josh worked with many of the biggest bands in the world and even scored a few commercials. But something was missing, and Josh decided to look deeper into his Jewish identity and explore the world of Jewish music. He never looked back. 

Josh entered the Synagogue world as a Song Leader at Temple Sholom in Vancouver, BC. He worked as the Cantorial Soloist at Temple B’nai Torah, the Music Director at Herzl-Ner Tamid, and is the current Artist-in-Residence at Temple DeHirsch Sinai. He is passionate about celebrating Jewish life, meaningful and spirited prayer services, and great music! Josh has recorded several Jewish music albums, which can be found on all major online platforms. 

Josh met his wife Karli at Camp Solomon Schechter. They have two children, Jaylan (2.5) and Shaya (9 months), and a Border Collie named Mylo. Josh and Karli both grew up in Seattle and currently live on Mercer Island.

Chief Community & Jewish Life Officer at BB360, Artist-in-Residence at Congregation Beth Israel in Portland

Kim Schneiderman

Kim Schneiderman, Portland musician, singer-songwriter, service leader and educator is dedicated to cultivating Jewish engagement and joy, infused with music, torah, and service throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond!

Kim has spent the last 20+ years singing, service leading, songwriting, and making music with families and communities of all ages. Kim spent fourteen years as the music specialist at Portland Jewish Academy. Today, Kim serves as the chief community and Jewish life officer for BB360, the umbrella organization for BB Camp. In addition, Kim holds the title of Artist-in-Residence at Congregation Beth Israel where she service leads, runs songwriting workshops for the religious school, leads tot Shabbats for the Mini Mensches program, and has created original musical settings for shabbat services, some of which have been recorded in Spring of 2024.

Kim also spends time service and song leading for programs at Camp Tawonga in Northern California, and in Bend with Temple Beth Tikvah, leading services there as well as singing for various Oregon PJ Library family programs.

Other projects include writing and directing numerous Purim spiels, with one featured on NPR, creating original curriculum based musicals, lending her voice on Oybaby! and Thatbaby!, a CD series of Jewish and secular music, along with her sisters, Stephanie Schneiderman (producer) and Lisa Schneiderman, and recording an album of her original children’s songs titled Walk Around the Block which received a distinguished 2017 parents’ choice award. Yad B’yad, an intergenerational program Kim created and implemented, ran for ten years at Cedar Sinai Park, connecting young families and residents through music.

In January, Kim will head back into the studio to record her latest project, Dig in!, an original musical haggadah with a live, full cast performance planned for Spring of 2025.

Teva Director at Camp Solomon Schechter, Founder of Outdoor Jewish Adventures

Josh Lake

Josh Lake received a Master’s degree in Jewish Education from The Jewish Theological Seminary. He is the founder and principal operator of Outdoor Jewish Adventures, a company whose goal is to explore Creation and the role Jews play as partners in Creation. Josh works with teachers and educators to empower and equip them with the skills and tools they need to work successfully with their constituents. Josh is a faculty member of the Cornerstone Conference, which brings together over 300 Jewish camp counselors to help them become better educators at their respective camps. He has been programming, leading, and outfitting Jewish outdoor spiritual journeys and forays for over 25 years.  Exploring Creation is Josh’s passion, and he loves sharing the skills that help turn nature into an outdoor Jewish classroom. Josh lives in Portland with his wife Tamar and their two young daughters. He can often be found with his family hiking a local trail or camping somewhere in the Pacific Northwest’s amazing forests.

Senior Rabbi at Congregation Neveh Shalom

David Kosak

David Kosak has been a pulpit rabbi for two decades. He is also a poet, entrepreneur, and meditator. He just completed a two year teacher’s certification program for Jewish meditation.

PJ Library Program Manager

Rachel Zell

Rachel is responsible for overseeing the PJ Library® and PJ Ourway® programs including planning, organizing, coordinating, and collaborating with key partners in the community to develop and execute programmatic elements that are delivered virtually, in-person, and direct to families. She works closely with colleagues in the PJ Library® and Harold Grinspoon Foundation community to learn best practices and works to build relationships with families in Seattle to facilitate authentic engagement in programming. She oversees PJ Library® Parent Connectors and works closely with the rest of the engagement team and marketing and development teams as needed.  She is a California native, although undergrad and graduate school brought her to the East Coast and she has spent time living in London with her husband, pre-kids, prior to relocating to Seattle in 2018. She has a 6 year old and 78 year old and enjoys being outside hiking, visiting u-pick farms, and exploring the PNW. She loves sharing her love of reading, Jewish holidays, and cooking and baking with her daughters Charlotte and Eleanor,  and has personal interests in Montessori education, early literacy, yoga, and time walking in her neighborhood or taking a Barre class.

Mental Health Counselor

Zach Snyder

Zach Snyder (MA,LMHC), is passionate about the caretaking of one’s well being, whimsy and a good snack. Zach began his adult journey as a summer Camp Director and still thinks camp is the best place ever. His love for camp gave way to helping as a licensed mental health clinician. He holds a Masters in Psychology from the University of Washington. While running his private practice in Seattle, Zach also volunteers his time as the board vice president of Seattle Jewish Community School, a member on the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) in Seattle and member of the Mental health advisory committee for the foundation for Jewish camp (JFC). Zach also serves as the Faculty Educator on Mental Health for the FJC Cornerstone program.

Jewish Studies Teacher at Portland Jewish Academy

Jana Hopfinger

Jana Hopfinger holds a Masters degree in Jewish education and has worked in Jewish day schools for many years. She currently works at Portland Jewish Academy where she is inspired by her students on a daily basis. Artistic expression has been an integral part of her teaching and she loves sharing projects and ideas with others. When she is not teaching, Jana likes to be with friends and eat good food. And laugh. That’s essential.

Director of Jewish Engagement at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle

Samuel Klein

Rabbi Samuel Klein is Director of Jewish Engagement for the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. In the everyday, Samuel is involved in generating and implementing ideas to engage people in Jewish life and has taught Jewish thought and philosophy in a variety of community settings including synagogues, JCCs, and Federations nationally. Prior to his move stateside, Samuel was director of a contemporary art gallery in London and a specialist at Sotheby’s in Hebrew rare books and manuscripts. A lecturer and writer on religion and the arts, Samuel holds Master’s degrees in Theology from Cambridge University, History of Art from University College London, Non-Profit leadership from the Spertus Institute, and trained as a teaching artist at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Years ago, when a yeshiva student in Israel, he would often frequent the tisch (Shabbat table) of rabbis from all walks of Jewish life, and it was here that he began to explore melody and song as a community building practice and which has informed much of his teaching style as an educator.