Rabba Shani Gross believes that Jewish texts can serve as a shared language to connect Jews to their tradition and to each other. This passion is what drives her work as the Senior Director of Education at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.
Before joining Pardes, Shani was the Founding Director of the Silicon Valley Beit Midrash. She earned rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva Maharat, and her Bachelors Degree from Yeshiva University. Shani is a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar, a Hillel International Fellow for Rabbinic Entrepreneurship and a fellow of Va’tichtov: a fellowship aimed at elevating Jewish women’s scholarship. Shani has studied at a number of Batei Midrash including Migdal Oz, the Drisha Institute of Jewish Education and of course at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Shani particularly loves teaching Tanakh, Talmud and Midrash. She lives in Berkeley, California with her husband Chaim and their three sons, Elan, Navon, and Shalom.