Board of Trustees
Events @ PSJC
Welcome to the PSJC Events Page! Here you can find a listing of all of the classes, religious services, social and special events that are coming up at PSJC.
Events @ PSJC
Welcome to the PSJC Events Page! Here you can find a listing of all of the classes, religious services, social and special events that are coming up at PSJC.

Our Rabbi and Staff
Rabbi
Rabbi Carie Carter
Rabbi Carter joined PSJC in 2000. She received her ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1997, having studied both in Jerusalem and at the University of Judaism. Prior to beginning her position at PSJC, Rabbi Carter served for three years as Director of Cleveland Metro Hillel and Assistant Executive Director of Cleveland Hillel. She was also Auxiliary Rabbi at Park Synagogue, a Conservative congregation in Cleveland. Rabbi Carter has extensive experience with informal Jewish education, having spent many years as an educator at Jewish summer camps and youth programs.
Rabbi Carter is dedicated to promoting the inclusion of women within the public story of the Jewish people. She has lectured often on this subject and has facilitated numerous creative rituals around women’s lifecycle and holiday observances. Rabbi Carter has also been involved in inter-religious dialogue, social justice work, and ethical questions regarding the implications of technology.
Inspired by her extensive experience, Rabbi Carter is committed to finding ways to engage and excite those who are searching for meaning in Judaism. With an understanding that no single path is right for everyone, she strives to provide “many roads to the palace” of Jewish living. She is committed to building an inclusive Jewish community in which exploration and creativity are encouraged and where the dignity of every human being is honored and celebrated. A native Midwesterner, Rabbi Carter is thrilled to call Brooklyn home and can often be found wandering through Prospect Park with her partner Eden, their daughter Noa, and dog, Tali.
Rabbi Carter is happy to meet with people seeking rabbinic guidance or counsel or questions about PSJC. Please feel free to contact her at 718.768.1453 or send an email by clicking on the Rabbi’s name highlighted above.
A sample of some of Rabbi Carter's Divrei Torah (Torah Commentary) can be found on the PSJC Blog page.
Cantor
Judy Ribnick, C.S.W., M.A.
Judy’s love of music was cultivated west of the Hudson in Minneapolis, where she studied voice. PSJC Cantor Ribnick has served as High Holiday cantor for 34 consecutive years, including 24 years at the piano, and was deeply immersed in clarinet, synagogue, and Jewish communal life. Her interest in the Jewish community led her to the Jewish Theological Seminary and to Columbia University, where she obtained Masters degrees in Jewish Studies and Social Work. She has worked full-time at DOROT, Inc., a New York City-based agency serving the elderly, for more than 32 years, where she is Director of Community Services. After hours, Judy cantors monthly at PSJC and periodically at Congregation Beth Simchat Torah. She lends her voice and clarinet to other Shabbat, holiday, and lifecycle events. Judy is a member of Romemu and Congregation Beth Simchat Torah and is delighted to be part of the PSJC community. Judy and her spouse, Diane, live in Manhattan.
Rabbinic Fellow
Talia Kaplan
Talia feels grateful to serve such a kind congregation, which passionately pursues a myriad of ways to engage in Jewish community. She comes to New York from D.C., where she advocated for immigration justice with colleagues of diverse faiths for the Religious Action Center. Talia has written and spoken on reproductive justice, gender and Jewish ritual, and sexual ethics for organizations such as U.N. Women and the National Council of Jewish Women. Having been trained in pastoral care and movement chaplaincy, she has provided care as a chaplain at New York Presbyterian Hospital and as a mikveh guide with ImmerseNYC. Talia is a member of the 2024 rabbinic ordination class at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she is also pursuing a M.A. in Jewish Gender and Women’s Studies and a Certificate in Pastoral Care and Counseling.
Talia can be reached via email rabbinicfellow@psjc.org for rabbinic guidance or a conversation over coffee, tea, or ice cream!
Director of Education and Engagement
Aileen Heiman
Aileen has been working in the field of Jewish education since shortly after her own Bat Mitzvah. She holds a BA in Psychology from Goucher College, as well as an MA in Jewish Education from Hebrew College and an MA in Jewish Studies from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Aileen came to PSJC with a broad background in progressive Jewish education, including serving as a houseparent at a Jewish boarding school, curriculum development for supplementary programs, implementing an informal Jewish learning programming on a college campus, and directing the children’s program for the National Havurah Committee Summer Institute. Aileen loves helping PSJC students and families find new ways to connect with tradition and our community.
Synagogue Administrator
Stephanie Cooke
Stephanie is a senior-level administrative assistant and project manager with over ten years of broad experience in corporate and academic settings including real estate and marketing. She has also worked in foreign language education, and holds a Master of Arts in teaching world languages. Stephanie comes to PSJC with a rich background in event coordination, social media, document management, and a myriad of technology and software skills. Stephanie, her husband Aaron, their children Liam and Asher, and their menagerie of pets, come to us from upstate New York; they arrived in Brooklyn in July 2020. In their spare time, they have been getting to know Prospect Park, visiting city sights and sampling much of the great food and drink the city has to offer.
Office Coordinator
Antonia Tsangaris
Antonia is originally from Sleepy Hollow, NY, and has a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. She has worked as a performance artist since 2009, in nonprofit administration since 2017, and in the Jewish world since 2018, as the Office Manager at Congregation Beth Sholom, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Providence, Rhode Island. At CBS, Antonia was responsible for bookkeeping and finances, assisting members with non-rabbinical matters, basic facilities management, and providing clerical support for local mensch and rabble-rouser Rabbi Barry Dolinger, Esq. She is excited to continue a similar role and further assist the PSJC community. Antonia lives in Flatbush with her partner Gayge, and their cat that likes to attend Zoom meetings.
Facilities Manager
Patrick Francis
Patrick Francis joined the PSJC staff as the Facilities Manager in April of 2013 after completing a degree in HVAC and Facilities Management at the Technical Career Institute in New York. Originally from Jamaica, West Indies, he moved to the US and later joined the Navy. Patrick served our country proudly for 25 years. He has truly enjoyed becoming “a part of the family.” He is the father of 3 and a grandfather of 2. You will see him on Shabbat and all other major events, so please take a moment to introduce yourself.