Tani Prell Epstein
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Tani Prell Epstein hopes to live in a more diverse, inclusive and creative future, and she's doing her part -- starting with Chicago's Jewish youth. As the Director of Jewish Learning and Engagement at Emanuel Congregation in Edgewater, Tani is crafting a vision for the synagogue's religious school that aligns with Jewish practice and social justice. And she's always looking to grow; last year she participated in the Union for Reform Judaism's JewV'Nation Leadership Fellowship, Jews of Color cohort.
Equal to Tani's passion for education is her passion for the arts. She sits on the associate board of Urban Gateways, which helps provide arts education resources and programming to schools in need, and she spends part of her summer on faculty at URJ 6 Points Creative Arts Academy outside Philadelphia. She dreams of starting a high school dedicated to the arts for students who would otherwise have no access to arts education.
AGE:
28
PRIMARY GIG:
Director of Jewish Learning and Engagement at Emanuel Congregation
ON THE SIDE:
Grad school student at Spertus, casual creative writer
RELATIONSHIP STATUS:
Married
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 10 WORDS OR LESS:
I’m a creative, positive and happy Jewish Woman of Color.
SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT ME:
In high school, I was a two-time national qualifier in forensics, also known as competitive public speaking. My junior year, I competed in Dramatic Duet Acting and my senior year I qualified for my Original Oratory.
A JEW WHO INSPIRES YOU:
April Baskin is the immediate Vice President of Audacious Hospitality for the URJ. She ran my fellowship and is constantly working to ensure that we have a more equitable future that breaks down systems of oppression. To me, April is a prime example of what it looks like to act on the changes we need to see in the world and to do so through a Jewish lens.
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