Mikey Pauker has been named music director of Or Shalom Jewish Community, a Reconstructionist congregation in San Francisco. Pauker grew up in Orange County and lives in San Rafael. In 2013, Time magazine called him one of “the 10 stars of the new Jewish music.” His albums include “Sim Shalom,” “Mikey Pauker & The JoyMachine,” “Extraordinary Love” and, most recently, “Ascension.” “For the past eight years Mikey has served as music faculty at the National Songleader Boot Camp Conference teaching classes on Jewish embodied practice, music business strategy, and artist development,” according to an Or Shalom email announcing his hiring.

Dana Blecher is the new director of grants program at Taube Philanthropies, which is based in Belmont. Blecher is a government and nonprofit programs administrator. In her previous position, she managed global partner relationships for AuPairCare; before that, she was director of cultural affairs at the S.F.-based Israeli Consulate. Blecher has dual master’s degrees from the Jewish Theological Seminary (Jewish studies) and Columbia University (social work). She also is a textile artist and serves on the Berkeley Civic Arts Commission.

After seven years as head of school at Kehillah Jewish High School in Palo Alto, Rabbi Darren Kleinberg will begin a new role this summer: CEO of HaMaqom | The Place, the Berkeley-based Jewish learning institute. Prior to Kehillah, he was the founding executive director of Valley Beit Midrash in Phoenix. Kleinberg was born in the U.K., studied at Yeshivat HaMivtar in Israel, was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in New York and earned his Ph.D. in religious studies at Arizona State University. “He is a superb and experienced educator, a dynamic and creative thinker, and a warm and engaging person,” read a HaMaqom announcement. Said Kleinberg: “I have long been inspired by Fred Rosenbaum’s founding vision for Lehrhaus Judaica [HaMaqom’s name from 1974 to last year] and am excited about leading the organization in this next stage,” Kleinberg said.

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