Terri Soifer, 36, spent the first several years of her career as a Jewish educator, including at local synagogues Old York Road Temple-Beth Am and Temple Sinai in Dresher. Later, she moved up to development roles at Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel, Hillel at Temple University and the Jewish Theological Seminary.

But in March 2022, Soifer became director of strategy at Makom Community, the Jewish after-school program in Philadelphia.

The role combined Soifer’s educational and developmental skill sets, as Makom was both a growing educational program and a pedagogical model that the organization aimed to spread across the country.

The nonprofit’s Jewish placemaking curriculum emphasizes engagement with Jewish texts and a culture that is built by the students, parents and teachers involved. This summer, Makom began certifying educators in Jewish placemaking. Between the 2025-26 school year and the summer of 2026, the organization also welcomed a total of 150 students to its programs.

“I love that it’s text-based. I love that we are not shying away from bringing texts to families and kids,” said Soifer. “I also love the access we bring to families. There’s really no bar to entry. If you want to be here, we will work with you.”

The Brewerytown resident grew up in North Jersey and Baltimore. In both places, her parents not only belonged to synagogues but were active members and leaders.

“We’d walk into the synagogue, and they’d have mailboxes because they were community chairs. I loved the prayer. I loved the leadership of it. And I really just loved the community,” Soifer said.

Soifer served as a teacher and youth advisor at Old York Road Temple-Beth Am in her early 20s, but she never wanted to teach for the rest of her career. After a couple of years, she helped launch a Hebrew school, Derech HaLev.

Around the same time, Soifer was also freelancing for different organizations, and Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel asked her to help with a membership drive. She asked if she could have a full-time job instead, because, as she put it, she wanted “one desk.” The synagogue gave it to her.

Soifer talked to prospective members and grew to enjoy the work. She liked hearing people’s stories and needs, and she enjoyed helping them find their Jewish place at BZ-BI.

“That’s really where I learned the beginning of my development skills. It taught me that to be a good fundraiser, you have to be a good educator,” Soifer said. “I feel like I use my education degree every day to listen to people, talk to them.”

While serving as director of community engagement at BZ-BI, Soifer met a potential congregant who decided to join, Beverly Socher-Lerner, the founder of Makom. Some time after that, Socher-Lerner put out a call on Facebook: Makom wanted help formulating the vision for its new space.

Soifer answered the call.

“I love a good building project,” she said.

The day made her more familiar with Makom’s approach to Jewish education.

“To do this work, I really believe in the approach Beverly and Makom were taking to educating Jewish families,” Soifer said. “They were taking a rigorous approach to Jewish education that met families and kids where they were.”

The educator and development professional asked if she could join Makom’s board. Socher-Lerner gave her a spot.

Then, during COVID, as the pandemic decimated Hebrew school attendance, educators from outside the organization started reaching out to Socher-Lerner. They wanted to learn how to meet families where they were.

“That was when we started to see the need nationally,” Soifer said.

In response to the demand, Socher-Lerner created a new role: director of strategy. When it came up during a virtual board meeting, Soifer left the chat. The founder called her after the meeting.

“Are you OK?” Socher-Lerner asked.

“I said, ‘I think this is the job I want. I can’t be part of these conversations,’” Soifer recalled.

As director of strategy, Soifer conducts “prospect research, cultivation, the ask and stewardship,” according to her LinkedIn page.

Over more than four years in the role, the Society Hill Synagogue member has helped Makom steadily grow its enrollment and establish its certification program. The organization is in the process of certifying 10 educators in Jewish placemaking.

Soifer and Socher-Lerner want to certify 60 educators in Jewish placemaking by 2030, according to the director of strategy.

“I’m excited to see what these educators do in Jewish placemaking connected to their community. I’m excited to tell stories about Jewish educators doing Jewish placemaking across the country,” she said. “What happens here at Makom can happen outside of these walls. This pedagogy can work in different communities and on different schedules.”

jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com