Senior Staff

Sydney Fox, Executive Director

Sydney Fox is the Executive Director of Temple Shaari Emeth. A lifelong Jewish community member and leader, Sydney has been actively involved in Jewish life from an early age. She grew up at Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn, where she later returned after college to serve as the advisor for the same USY chapter she once belonged to.

Before joining Temple Shaari Emeth, Sydney developed her leadership skills as the Associate Director of Youth and Teen Engagement at Congregation Beth El in South Orange. She is passionate about inclusivity and creating relationship-centered programs rooted in Jewish values and community connection. Sydney is excited to bring her organizational, leadership, and programming skills to her role at Temple Shaari Emeth.

In her free time, she loves seeing Broadway shows, experimenting with new recipes, and hanging out with her cat, Kugel.

Sydney is honored to be part of the Temple Shaari Emeth family and looks forward to supporting its growth and vibrancy in partnership with clergy, staff, and congregants.

Melissa Pescatore, Director of Youth Learning and Engagement

Melissa Pescatore grew up in Old Bridge, NJ, and had her first Jewish learning experiences as a student at Temple Shaari Emeth. She became a Bat Mitzvah, celebrated Confirmation (see if you can find her picture on the wall in the School Wing!), and was in the inaugural Post-Confirmation class at TSE. Before stepping into her current role as Religious School Director in 2015, she fulfilled various positions at Temple Shaari Emeth, including Family Program Coordinator, Religious School Administrator, and Hebrew School teacher, building close relationships with families and students in grades K-12.

Melissa received a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Monmouth University and a Master of Arts in Teaching Degree in Elementary Education from The College of New Jersey. She is a proud graduate of the Leadership for Emerging Education Professionals (LEEP) Fellowship at NewCAJE, the annual conference for Jewish educators, and of the Matan Institute for Education and Youth Directors, whose mission is to ensure that children with special learning needs are welcomed and included in the fabric of Jewish life. She is a Board Member of the Association of Reform Jewish Educators (ARJE) and an active member of our local Federation Education Directors Council.

Serving as the Educator in the congregation where she grew up, she is passionate about instilling a love of Jewish learning and building a strong, positive Jewish identity in her students. Melissa lives in South Brunswick with her husband, Mark.

Sheryn Cohen, Director of the Early Learning Center

Sheryn Cohen has worked in early childhood education for over 10 years collectively in the classroom and as the Director of the Early Learning Center.

Over the years she has participated in Jewish early childhood learning opportunities and as a member of the ECE-RJ. She is also a member of the local Federations Directors group. She is an active participant in these groups attending workshops and conferences and webinars.

Sheryn continues to lead the Early Learning Center program, continually striving to incorporate best practices in Jewish early childhood education. Sheryn’s belief is that when children’s emotional, social, cognitive, and physical needs are met they can learn at their own pace and develop both a positive self-image and self-confidence.

Sheryn has been a member of Temple Shaari Emeth for over 12 years. She was President of Sisterhood, the junior and senior Youth Group advisor and has experience serving on the Board of Trustees.

Sheryn resides in Manalapan for over 20 years with her husband Doug, daughters Rachel (22), and Alyssa (19).