Sheila Feldman joined Adat Shalom in 1993 and quickly became one of our most
active members. Her volunteer work for the congregation has included serving as High Holiday Coordinator, Newsletter Editor, and Co-Chair of the
Community Life Committee (a Board position). In November 1999, Sheila accepted a full-time, salaried position as our
first executive director.
She remains in that position and has become a member of the National Association of Temple
Administrators (NATA).Sheila honed her administrative skills while holding executive positions at the National Naval Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. She has long been active in the Parent Encouragement Program (PEP) and continues to serve that organization as a certified parent educator, leading parenting workshops and giving talks in the larger community. She finds that her work in PEP and in Adat Shalom complement each other nicely, and she remains strongly dedicated to both organizations. She and her husband, Bill Blackburn, live in Silver Spring. They have six grown children and two grandchildren from previous marriages.
Chaya Silver is honored to be the new Education Director at Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Bethesda, Maryland. For 10 years prior to accepting this position, Chaya was the Education Director at Heska Amuna Synagogue, a Conservative congregation in Knoxville, Tennessee. Chaya is a recent graduate of the Mendel Teacher Educator Institute. She has completed several trainings sponsored by Ruach Ha’Aretz and Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal. Chaya earned a PhD from the University of Wisconsin/Madison, where she specialized in Drama Education.