Risa Strauss Biography
Risa Strauss, Congregation TOL’s Religious School education director, is a native New Yorker who arrived in South Carolina via Israel, Michigan and Maryland. Her Jewish education began at an early age and continued through high school and college. She was an active participant in Young Judaea – the youth movement of the Hadassah organization and was a Young Judaea representative to the Institute for Jewish Youth Leaders from Abroad in Israel in 1979 – 1980. Through college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, she was employed at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, United Hebrew Schools, Tamarack Camps, the JCC and Federation in Detroit.Tree Of Life Stained Glass

In 1987, after supervising a number of teen trips to Israel, and working for Project Renewal in Ramle, Risa and her husband Bill decided to make aliyah. They lived on Kibbutz Gezer until 1995, where Risa worked as a pre-school teacher and director. Upon returning to the United States, Risa’s work in Jewish education continued at the JCC and Federation’s Jewish Education For Families program in Detroit, and at Congregation B’nai Abraham in Maryland. While living in Maryland, she was also employed as a public school substitute teacher and home instructor.

Before assuming her new position, Risa had been at TOL for a year in the capacity of religious school and Hebrew teacher. Risa, and her husband have two children; Ariel (15) and Benjy (11). They make their home in the Blythewood area and are quickly assimilating into the community as well as mastering the nuances of saying, “y’all”.