Nina Rennert Cohen grew up in Northern New Jersey and attended Workman’s Circle Sunday School for her childhood Jewish education. By way of Washington, DC; Rouen, France; and Palo Alto, California, Nina finally settled in Berkeley in 2002 and joined Kehilla in 2016 when she and her husband, Jonathan, were in search of Jewish schooling for their sons. It was Rabbi Dev’s open heart and mind that sealed the deal for Nina who was initially a reluctant Jew.
Inspired by the quality education her son was receiving at Kehilla and interested in developing her own Jewish identity separate from her husband’s and sons’, Nina started taking classes with Sharon, Bracha, Rabbi Dev, Hazzan Shulamit, and Rabbi Chaya and was slated to have her own adult bat mitzvah on March, 21, 2020 in partnership with fellow Board Member, Ali Cannon; though the pandemic thwarted those plans, Nina offered a drash on Zoom that day – the first Zoom Shabbat Service.
Nina is delighted to join the Board and the Personnel Committee and hopes to offer her experience as a career educator – teacher and principal – and business owner to the community as she, in turn, learns and listens to Kehilla’s thoughtful community members, staff, and clergy.