Our Staff

Gary Fifer comes to Congregation Beth Emeth after having served as both an Executive Director and an Interim Executive Director for diverse congregations in 5 states. Prior to that, while raising a family in Roanoke, Virginia, Gary served in numerous volunteer leadership roles in the Jewish community, including Board President, Secretary, Building Committee Chair, Ritual Committee member, and Chevra Kadisha member. Previously, Gary held senior leadership roles in the direct marketing industry, with responsibilities that included operations, personnel management and training, strategic development, customer service, and change management.

Gary’s passion for building Jewish community and his belief that synagogues are essential to helping our Jewish communities flourish prompted his career change. He believes that his contributions as an Executive Director draw on a combination of lessons learned from business, and lessons learned from Torah.

Gary has earned certification from the Jewish Leaders Program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and from the National Association of Temple Administrators as a Senior Executive Director.

Gary and his wife Hope Trachtenberg-Fifer met in New York City, and started their family there. They have four adult children and three grandchildren. They are proud that their children all contribute both professional and volunteer time to bettering the communities in which they live.

He can be reached by phone at 518.436.9761 x225 or by email at Gary@CBEAlbany.org.

Sara and her family are long time members of Congregation Beth Emeth, and Sara has taught our 6th graders in Religious School for 9 years. Sara brings a demonstrated passion for Jewish education, as well as considerable experience to this new role. In addition to her teaching with us, she has taught in Jewish supplemental schools in Syracuse and Troy, and is the past principal of the Troy Jewish Community Religious School. Sara has furthered her growth through participation in CAJE (Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education) and the Jewish Women’s Archive’s Institute for Jewish Educators.

When not enriching our CBE children, Sara is a licensed clinical social worker, supporting children and families in both community-based mental health organizations and in schools. She is currently employed by the North Colonie Central School District. Sara is mom to Chava and Micah, and is married to Aaron.

You can reach Sara at 518.436.9761 ext. 231 or Principal@CBEAlbany.org

Andrea comes to us from Los Angeles, where she was the Director of Jewish Learning Community at Temple Beth Am. Andrea has a Master of Arts in Jewish Nonprofit Management and Master of Arts in Jewish Education, both from HUC. She is responsible for developing, implementing, facilitating programming and other initiatives for current and prospective CBE members.  

Andrea collaborates with the Director of Lifelong Learning, Clergy and CBEYG advisors to implement and execute fun and educational programming to engage students in grades 7 - 12. Andrea is also the staff liaison to selected committees.

She can be reached by phone at 518.436.9761 x236

Lita is the Executive Assistant to the Clergy. She may be a familiar face to our religious school families as she served as an Educational Administrative Assistant at the Einhorn Center for Jewish Education in 2019-2020 before working in Online Learning Services at The College of Saint Rose. Lita and her husband, Theo, are members of REYUT and help deliver bereavement bags for loved ones. When not involved in activities at CBE, Lita participates in local theater productions and is a company member of Will Kempe's Players, a local Shakespeare cooperative that tours the Capital Region.

Lita can be reached by phone or call 518.436.9761 x224. 

Jillian is proud to be joining the Einhorn Center for Jewish Education as the Educational Administrative Assistant. Over the past 13 years she has been a teacher, Executive Assistant, and the Artistic Director for Drama Kids of the Capital Region, an extra-curricular theatre program for students ages kindergarten through 12th grade. Jillian, her husband Jeff, and daughter Jordyn are looking forward to joining this truly welcoming congregation.

Jillian can be reached by phone at 518.436.9761 ext. 227 and by email at Jillian@CBEAlbany.org.

Steve is our Director of Maintenance. His e-mail is Steve@CBEAlbany.org.

In an emergency, Steve can be reached at 518.229.1284.