Young Adult Peer Connector Network
There are a number of amazing Jewish organizations throughout the Bay Area...grab coffee with one of their Peer Connectors to learn more!
What is the Young Adult Peer Connector Network?
What do the Peer Connectors do?
This Network is made up of incredible engagement professionals from different Jewish organizations in San Francisco, the South Bay, and the East Bay. They’re here to serve young adult Jewish folks all across the Bay Area, to find meaning and connection in Jewish life and community.
From their organizational home bases—ranging from an urban farm to a JCC to a synagogue without walls—Peer Connectors:
- build relationships with fellow Jewish 20- and 30-somethings.
- take peers out to coffee to learn about their interests, passions, and challenges.
- and connect young adults to resources, people, and programming—within their respective organizations and in the wider community.
Who is this for?
Whether you’re new to Jewish life, just curious about Jewish community, or have been connected to Jewish tradition for most of your life, the Peer Connectors are here to support you on your journey.
If you’re curious about one of their organizations, or just want to chat, reach out to them at their emails below to start the conversation—they would love to take you to coffee.
Piloted in 2019 and now in its fifth year, the Peer Connector Network is a collaboration between the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation and Gather, Inc., who assumed full ownership over convening and training Connectors in fall 2023. Want to learn more about this innovative initiative? Reach out to Blair Lineham, Networks Manager: blairl@gatherbetter.org
Emma Goss (She/Her) is the Young Adult Program Coordinator at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, and the peer connector for ENGAJ in the South Penninsula.
Emma grew up in the Bay Area attending Jewish day schools, and graduated from Kehillah Jewish High School, just across from the Oshman Family JCC. Emma is excited to co-create fun and meaningful Jewish experiences with ENGAJ in hopes of sparking lasting friendships and fostering an inclusive environment.
Before joining the JCC, Emma founded a Jewish young adult group in Bakersfield, California that served to bring local Jewish adults in their 20s and 30s to engage in Jewish social and cultural events and volunteer opportunities. She was also a Serve the Moment Corps Member with Repair the World Bay Area in the 2021 summer cohort engaging in Jewish social justice causes.
Emma loves testing out new recipes in the kitchen and sharing her best ones with friends and family. She’s also always up for a hike, grabbing a coffee and meeting new people.
Maya Kaplan (She/Her) is the Bay Area field manager of OneTable after returning from a year-long fellowship at Jews of Color Initiative.
Maya was born and raised in a multicultural home in Oakland, California where she learned about building community across global contexts and bringing people together from a young age. She is an active community member and loves to be out in the field. She also participates in LUNAR: the Asian Jewish film project as a speaker and community ambassador. At the core of Maya’s work she sees sharing stories, traditions, and values across the dinner table as central to our growth as a global community.
Emily McCrone (She/Her) is the Coordinator at The Orchard at Beth Am in Los Altos.
Emily grew up in San Jose, moved to Fresno and then Dallas for school before moving back to the Bay Area five years ago. She jumped right into Bay Area Jewish young life, completing the ENGAJ fellowship and living in Moishe House Silicon Valley.
She’s been a member at Beth Am for 5 years and is thrilled to be their newest Peer Connector. Aside from the Orchard, Emily also works in healthcare, is a member of the Junior League San Jose, and enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and traveling in her spare time. She is very excited to cultivate meaningful connections and contribute to the thriving Bay Area Jewish community.
Kayla Pollak (They/Them), is a present community builder and the Youth and Young Adult Program Director at The Kitchen in San Francisco.
They have a passion for fostering spiritual depth, communal care, and Jewish solidarity in liberation movements. They worked most recently as a public benefits paralegal and have experience as a collaborative leader at the Lake Merritt Moishe House, Romemu Synagogue in New York City, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, and The Bayit, the student-run Jewish Cooperative at Columbia University.
Kayla is originally from outside of Los Angeles on Chumash land. They studied Human Rights and Jewish Ethics at Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. They love the ocean, good conversations, and chocolate peanut butter cups.
Celena Ritchey (She/Her), is the Program Associate at Repair the World in the Bay Area.
Celena Ritchey is a Midwesterner at heart and excited to continue her west coast adventures while joining Repair the World in the Bay Area. In 2018 she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Policy from The Ohio State University (Go Bucks!). Her experiences at Ohio State prompted her to do a summer of service with AmeriCorps VISTA following graduation, which then inspired her to serve with Repair the World in their Detroit community as a Fellow in 2018-19.
Since completing the Fellowship program, she has worked in the non-profit field in both Program Management and Volunteer Coordination roles. Celena enjoys volunteering in local community gardens and if you ever need to find her, she recommends you check the thrift stores down Haight Ashbury or hop over to her SF house Instagram page to see where she’s walking.