In 2000, my family and I made the decision to move to the United States. I was in my 40’s, a mother of two young boys and my entire life shifted. Living in Miami, I was hired as the cantorial soloist at Temple Israel of Greater Miami. This unexpected opportunity took me on a path that gave me a chance to reframe my singing and artistic career and synthesize it with pastoral work in the context of a congregation.
Many mentors and teachers aided the evolution of my professional life. My artistic career expanded through Jewish liturgical music and educational work during my seven years at Temple Israel. Together with Rabbi Mitchell Chefitz and Dr. Alan Mason (with whom I recorded the Temple Israel-produced 2004 CD Drawing Close), we revitalized the community and increased membership by 70 percent.
Another layer of my personal and professional growth emerged when I was presented with the opportunity to work at the 92nd Street Y, the world-renowned Jewish community and cultural Center in New York City. There I founded and led an intergenerational Jewish community called 92Y Shababa (a melding of Shabbat with the Arabic word "sababa" which means "cool" in modern Hebrew).
Shababa was a true fusion of my talents, experiences, teachings and trainings. This multigenerational community model proved to be an immediate success because of its countercultural approach to family spiritual life in the midst of fast-paced city life, where the programmatic mode is usually prioritized.
Shababa's innovative approach brought human interaction and intentionality to the forefront, allowing the design of the “program” to evolve along with the needs of the community. As music was an integral piece to Shababa, we recorded several CDs in which members of the Shababa community were featured: 2008's Shababa With Karina, 2012's Shababaland and 2015's Shababa of the Heart with Rebecca Schoffer.
Joy, mindfulness, music and real connections became the precious ingredients that gave birth to the “Shababa Approach/The Art of Engaging,” which further defined the why and the how behind this synthesis. The Covenant Foundation recognized my work, bestowing me with the high honor of the national 2012 Covenant Foundation award for excellence in Jewish education.