Professional Staff

As a volunteer, Zach has ta‎ken action with Showing Up for Racial Justice around issues of jail reform and voting rights as well as projects to support those who are unhoused. Zach earned a doctorate in education leadership from UCLA, a Masters in Education at the AJU, and a B.A. in Sociology and Judaic Studies from UC San Diego.

In 2016 Zach became a 500-hour certified yoga instructor through YogaWorks as part of his research around how the pedagogy of yoga could enhance Jewish practice and make it more accessible and teaches workshops in this area.

Dr. Hannah Bennett is a twenty-year elementary school educator. Before her role as Head of School, Hannah served as Principal of Temple Israel of Hollywood Day School (now Briskin Elementary School) since 2013. During her tenure as Principal at TIOH, Hannah spearheaded the creation and implementation of the school’s advanced technology program; implemented the school’s reaccreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) by developing Student Support Services protocols and articulating curriculum. Hannah has applied new protocols to advance faculty- and grade-level team meetings as impactful professional development experiences. Most recently, she led the school’s adoption and implementation of Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence’s RULER program, an evidence-based approach for integrating social and emotional learning into schools.

Hannah resides in the San Fernando Valley with her partner, Shira Brown, their children, Charlie and Gabriel. She enjoys hiking with her family and their dog, Poppy, sampling various ice cream at local creameries around Los Angeles, and exploring the state (country coming soon!) in their RV.

Before joining the BNECC in 2023, Sarah worked as the ECC and Parenting Center Director at Sinai Akiba Academy, where she spent 19 years in various roles, including teacher, Assistant Director, and ECC Director. Sarah is committed to fostering Jewish identity and community from the earliest ages. She has pursued extensive professional development, earning certifications in Early Childhood Education and RIE Foundations, and completed the First 36 Project fellowship with the Simms Mann Institute and BJE. Sarah integrates her background in psychology and attachment theory into her work, recently developing a framework to support toddlers’ transitions into preschool. Her goal is to build resilient Jewish communities by nurturing strong early foundations for children and families. Sarah holds a BA in Film Production from the University of the Creative Arts in England, an MA in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, and a PsyD in Psychodynamic Child Psychology and Psychotherapy from the Reiss-Davis Graduate School. Sarah’s first passion is her family – her children, Maya and Soli, are both graduates of Jewish day schools in Los Angeles.

Rabbi Lara Regev is excited to join TIOH as the Religious School Director. As a Los Angeles native, she is returning after eight years at Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael, California, where she served as the Director of Jewish Living and Learning and Rabbi overseeing all programming for children and their families, including religious school and teen programs. Her background includes extensive experience with Jewish camps and youth groups and she continues to spend time in the summers at URJ Camp Newman where she was previously an Assistant Director, unit head, and song-leader.

Rabbi Lara graduated from the University of Judaism with a B.A. in Jewish Studies, and attended Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion where she was ordained and received an M.A. in Jewish Education and Hebrew Letters. She is happy to return to L.A. with her husband, Rabbi Yoni Regev, and their two children Noah and Jacob.