We want everyone to get to know the fabulous Temple Jeremiah staff even better. With this goal in mind, we have created #TakeoverTuesday where a staff person will take over the temple’s Facebook page every Tuesday! They’ll post about what they’ve been up to, what they do at Temple Jeremiah, and give you a little glimpse into their lives.

We begin with Shira Brandhandler, the Youth Engagement Director.

“I am excited to be taking over the Facebook page for our first staff #takeovertuesday! Jewish youth programs had a huge impact on me growing up and my favorite part of working at Temple Jeremiah is that I now get to create those experiences for others.”

“A fun fact about Shira: I love to knit! This has been a great hobby and creative outlet to have during the quarantine. Here is a picture of my blanket to be!”

“As part of my position at Temple Jeremiah, I am also a URJ CLASP (camp leader and synagogue professional) fellow. This means that I get to create camp-style programming during the school year and spend my summers working at

OSRUI. Some of my favorite OSRUI memories come from celebrating Shabbat. On Shabbat the whole camp gathers for Shabbat Shira, a special song session with singing and dancing. I love the energy and spirit that fills the room and have frequently woken up the next morning without a voice from singing so loudly.”

“One of my favorite programs from this year was our JeTY dessert hop!

I took the train downtown with an awesome group of teens and we had a blast sampling treats from popular Chicago spots. My favorite dessert was the super fresh mini doughnuts from the Dapper Doughnut!”

Want to get to know Shira even more? Say hi to her at 847.582.4139 or shira@templejeremiah.org.