Our Educator
Philip Gaethe has been the Educator at Gates of Prayer since 1996. Prior to that, he was a teacher in the Jefferson Parish Public System as well as Gates of Prayer and Communal Hebrew Schools. Phil is a native of New Orleans, LA. He received his B.A. degree from the University of New Orleans and earned a Master of Science Degree in Judaic Education from Spertus College in Chicago.
Phil was a 1998 recipient of the 1st Annual Covenant Fellowship Program. This Fellowship was given to ten Jewish educators from around the country who demonstrated outstanding promise and potential for significant leadership in the field of Jewish education.
In 2005 Phil was awarded the designation of R.J.E. (Reform Jewish Educator). The much-coveted title of Reform Jewish Educator is granted only by the Reform Jewish Educator Title Granting Commission composed of representatives of the constituent bodies of Reform Judaism. The title is granted to those Educators, Rabbis and Cantors who have fulfilled extremely stringent academic requirements in the areas of education/educational administration and Judaic studies plus a supervised educational internship.
In the summer of 2016 the Rabbi Nathaniel Share Religious School of Congregation Gates of Prayer, overseen by Phil, was awarded Accreditation by the Association of Reform Jewish Educators. This distinction is shared currently by only 23 other synagogues throughout the country.
In addition to Phil's duties as head of our Religious and Hebrew Schools, Phil tutors all of our B'nai Mitzvah students, created and maintains the Gates of Prayer Website, works with our youth groups, teaches Adult Hebrew and assists the CGoP clergy team with Visual Tefillah, Torah reading and occasionally leading Shabbat worship.
Wed, September 18 2019
18 Elul 5779
Wed, September 18 2019 18 Elul 5779