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Education / Religious School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Religious School Faculty Our outstanding faculty is both diverse and experienced in formal and informal Jewish education. Drawn from the ranks of the Jewish Theological Seminary, including the William Davidson School of Education, and other institutions of higher learning like Columbia University, Barnard College, New York University and Fordham University, a majority of our teachers are themselves students pursuing advanced degrees in Jewish education, Judaica and other fields. Members of our faculty are graduates of Jewish day schools, Religious Schools, have been involved in United Synagogue Youth and Camp Ramah. Rebecca Elkus, Religious School Programming Administrator/Kitah Vav Rebecca Elkus, Religious School Programming Administrator/Kitah Vav Rebecca is thrilled to be returning to Habonim this year! This year Rebecca will serve the Religious school in a new capacity as the Programming Administrator, assisting Rabbi Phillips with daily religious school programming and administration details. In addition to her role as the Religious School Programming Administrator, Rebecca is the Kitah Vav 1 educator. She is excited to be working and learning with her participants this year---many of whom she had when they were in Kitah Dalet! Rebecca also serves the Habonim community as a b’nai mitzvah tutor. This May, Rebecca will graduate with her MA in Jewish Education from the William Davidson Graduate School for Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). Last year Rebecca interned at the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust as a part of her studies and wrote a museum tour linked to a curriculum, Coming of Age During the Holocaust, Coming of Age Now. She spent this past summer as the Teenside Jewish Programming Supervisor at Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, NY. Rebecca is a graduate of Michigan State University with a BA in Journalism and a Specialization in Jewish Studies. Rebecca looks forward to a wonderful year at Habonim and welcomes you to stop by her and Rabbi Phillip’s office to say “shalom!” Steve is returning for his second year at the Habonim Religious School. He works as both a teacher in the Gan and in the Pre-K class in the nursery school. Steve is currently taking coursework in early childhood education at Bank Street College of Education. A passionate Jewish educator, Steve met his wife at a Jewish overnight camp. He is looking forward to an exciting and meaningful year with his students. Joan Shavit has been teaching Religious School since 1991 and also teaches Bar/Bat Mitzvah and Torah Trope. She also teaches at the Habonim Nursery School. This will be Joan’s fourth year teaching at Habonim. She has taught in Philadelphia, PA; Middletown, CT and here in NYC in several Hebrew Schools for ages K-9. Habonim has been a special place for Joan since she has found a warm, vibrant community among the children, parents and staff here. She loves being here so much that she celebrated her wedding here this past June! Joan really enjoyed her Hebrew School experiences as a child and young teen. She received her Hebrew School Teaching Certification in 1991, graduating with Honors from Gratz College Hebrew High School in Philadelphia. In college, Joan was active in Hillel at the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated magna cum laude and received her BA in English with a concentration in Dramatic Arts. She then worked at the Hillel of Greater Philadelphia, helping to edit the Graduate Student newsletter and organize Jewish cultural events for students. In 1996, on her second visit to Israel, Joan participated with American and Israeli students in a “Theatre in Israel” program that combined several workshops with formative Israeli artists and excursions to various plays and performances throughout Israel. The group saw plays in Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Akko and Haifa, ranging from children’s theater, classical, contempory and fringe theater performances. This extraordinary experience made her realize the vitality of the Israeli culture and the significance Jewish history has had on their education and their art. It also made her want to challenge her students with more artistic projects to help them better connect to the ideas behind the stories and subject matter they were studying in Religious School. Joan always endeavors to make the classroom an exciting environment where the children can feel comfortable to express their ideas as freely and creatively as they desire. She believes that having fun is an integral part of learning. Joan is so excited to be teaching Aleph class and looking forward to fostering relationships with students, faculty and parents and working on new projects, stories, Hebrew language and prayers in the upcoming school year. Joan’s passion has always been acting as well as education. She received her MA in Theatre from Villanova University and her MFA in Acting from The Actors Studio Drama School. After graduating, Joan performed in numerous schools in the U.S. in a touring Living Voices Theater program called Through the Eyes of Friend which recounted the story of Anne Frank and the Holocaust. She wrote/performed her play Walking in His Footsteps at Congregation Habonim for Yom Ha’Shoah and in last summer’s NYC Fringe Festival. Joan’s favorite thing about teaching is listening to her students discuss and ask questions about Judaism in a manner that reveals personal interests, insights and curiosity. Last year, She and teacher Steve Shimshak shared videos of Shalom Sesame with the Gan and Aleph classes, making Israel come to life for the students in a fun, meaningful way. Josh is currently a Junior at New York University where he is double majoring in Philosophy and Cinema Studies. He attended Jewish day schools throughout his life, at the North Shore Hebrew Academy, in Great Neck NY, and Ramaz High School in Manhattan. In addition, he spent a year studying in a yeshiva in Israel. Josh is thrilled to be teaching at Congregation Habonim starting this September. He regularly participates at the Hillel at NYU and in Shabbat services and groups at his home, in Roslyn NY. While spending a year studying in Israel Josh came to reflect upon the smorgasbord of diverse paths a Jew might take in affirming his identity. He hopes he can ensure that the road down one of these many different paths will be sparked by uncovering the beauty of the religion, culture, history, and literature of Judaism to his young students. By teaching some of the values and fundamental ideals of Judaism, not only his students, but he too, will grow as both Jews, and people in general. Tova is a graduate of Queens College with a degree in theater and performing arts. She has worked with several theaters in several positions over the past few years, and has previously worked with children in a summer arts program. When she heard about the after school program she was more then excited about the chance to work with your children to bring Judaism into their lives through the use of her experience in the arts. She is looking forward to an amazing year with your children and hopes to grow with them through their work this year. Gail is excited to return to Habonim after working as a Hebrew specialist for Kita Dalet and Kita Vav last year. She loves the friendly, family-like atmosphere at Habonim as it reminds her of her home synagogue in Silicon Valley. She is beginning her second year of rabbinical school at JTS, and is returning after a hospital chaplaincy internship this summer. Gail has many years of experiencing working with children through Ramah, theater camps, and leading Shabbat and High Holiday services for 7-12 year-olds. She loves finding ways to make Judaism relevant, and as someone who went to an after-school religious school program herself, is excited to provide fun, meaningful learning opportunities to others in this setting. Her mom, a learning needs specialist who also teaches religious school, has been a role model when it comes to education. She is looking forward to a wonderful year! Ethan Pack was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended the community-wide Jewish day school, the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, from kindergarten through 12th grade. During that time, he also founded and led clubs for the Young Judaea youth movement, a peer-led, pluralist group that focuses on social activism, informal education, Jewish identity and Israel through summer camps, local clubs, and regional conventions. The first clubs were for 3rd-7th grade students, with 8th-12th grade clubs being founded soon after. The clubs are still going strong. Ethan was also a camp counselor at two Young Judaea camps, and was three times elected Senior Educational Programmer for the movement, twice at the regional level, and once at the national level. This position transformed Ethan’s interest in Jewish education, religion and culture into a passion for informal education, peer leadership, and fostering a welcome sense of community for young Jews. Ethan deferred his freshman year at Columbia University to participate in a year of study and volunteering in Israel. There he taught in Israeli public schools, studied Israeli history and the Hasidic movement, and began working at the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz. Ethan joined Congregation Habonim in order to contribute to a close-knit Jewish community that promotes a welcoming, enjoyable atmosphere and a personal touch to foster Jewish education. Ethan recently graduated from Columbia with a Bachelor’s in Comparative Literature. He works part-time at the Council on Foreign Relations, writes journalism free-lance, and tutors Hebrew and Arabic privately. Raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Dana is a senior in the Joint Program between Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she is majoring in American History and Modern Jewish Studies. Throughout her young adult years, Dana served as a teacher’s assistant in her hometown’s Afternoon Hebrew School, where she worked with amazing and inspiring teachers. She also served as a Judaica counselor in a Jewish day camp for children of all ages. From those experiences, Dana recognized the importance of Jewish educators in inspiring our youth to get involved in Judaism, specifically through synagogue attendance and service participation. Just as her teachers stimulated and motivated her to be a good student and taught her some of the most important lessons about being Jewish, Dana hopes to encourage her own students in her role as a Hebrew and Judaica teacher. Rachel Rothschild, Kitah Dalet 2 Rachel Rothschild is studying Psychology at Landers College. She has experience tutoring many different age groups, and has spent a lot of time creating a warm and loving atmosphere that will foster an interest in the Jewish culture. I chose to join the Habonim faculty because of the individual attention that every child receives, and the dedication involved in creating the most effective curriculum for the students. My favorite aspect of Jewish education is the ability to enable each person to find their personal connection through the variety of facets that the Jewish Culture holds. One of my most memorable experiences that I had while tutoring my students that really affected my outlook on education was when I would tell my student how they had taught me something that I had not known previously. This small gesture, which I considered to be menial, empowered my student with such an incredible amount of confidence that I am now careful to point out something that I learn from my students. I am very excited to have the opportunity to cultivate my students relationship with Judaism, and will do my utmost to make it a fun experience! Phillip is excited to be joining the teaching staff of the Aenne Hahn Religious School at Congregation Habonim! In addition to teaching the Hei class, this will mark his 2nd year leading High Holidays kids services. At Habonim, he has also worked as a fundraising consultant. Phillip originally hails from Minneapolis and grew up in Northern California. There he participated in BBYO and attended UAHC Camp Swig, which began his passion for Jewish education, culture and community. In college, he majored in Theatre, which he was able to put to great use as the drama director for two summers at Camp Tevya in New Hampshire. Helping connect kids to Judaism through the creative arts was a hugely rewarding experience. Since college, Phillip has earned an MFA at The New School in Dramatic Writing and has had plays produced in here in NYC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London and Paris, and has written for television at VH1 and ABC. He has also worked extensively in New York theatre with The Play Company, The Vineyard, and most recently spent the 2007/2008 season at The New Group as Marketing Director. Currently he is the co-founder and president of a chocolate toffee matzah company, “Matzel Toff!” founded in 2007 and is back to writing again full time. Jaymie Testa is excited to begin her first year at Congregation Habonim. She is a senior in the Double Degree program at Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary. At Barnard, she is majoring in Art History and at JTS in Jewish Art and Material Culture. Jaymie has been very fortunate to travel the world this year, both for school and with her family. She saw beautiful synagogues in six different cities and even attended services in Rome where she spend most of her time abroad. Ben is a student at the Jewish Theological Seminary where he is studying Jewish thought and Columbia University where he is studying philosophy. He has had two years of experience working in Hebrew Schools and three summers of being a camp counselor at Ramah Darom. He enjoys planning and running creative and active lesson plans such as having students work together to write a song about a subject or act as different people responding to an issue such as how different Israelis observed the Shmita year. He loves building relationships with and among the students and helping them personally connect to the material being explored. He is very excited to join Habonim because of its strong devotion to community which he shares as a strong Jewish value. Josh Geldzaharer, Kitah Zayin 3 Known to his students as “Moreh Moshe”, Josh Geldzahler is an educator and artist. Outside of the classroom Josh is a practicing artist, educated in sculpture at Brandeis University, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Rutgers University. In addition to teaching Kitah Zayin at Habonim, he currently lectures in the Art History Department at Berkeley College in New Jersey. This is the second year that Josh is joining the Aenne Hahn Religious School staff. Ayala Danzig, Ivrit Specialist Having joined the faculty at Habonim in 2006, Ayala has taught 5th and 6th grade in the Religious School and is excited to be continuing on, this year as an Ivrit Specialist. Ayala has a degree in Biblical studies from Michlalah Jerusalem College for Women and a master?s in clinical social work from NYU; elementary and middle school Jewish education has enabled her to combine her interest in Jewish studies and work with children and adolescents in a particularly meaningful and fascinating way. Ayala feels deeply privileged to have become so much a part of the Habonim community. Shari Lichter, Ivrit Specialist Shari Lichter joins the Habonim staff while completing her senior year at Barnard College where she is studying sociology and economics. Last year Shari taught Kittah Bet for the first time and was delighted to find out how rewarding and fun the experience was. Although this year she will be joining us in a new capacity, she is very excited to come back to the Habonim community. After 12 years of Jewish day school education and a year studying in Jerusalem, you can pretty much say that Jewish education is in her blood! She is looking forward to getting to know more students at Habonim and their parents in the year to come. Cheryl Wunch, Shira Specialist Cheryl Wunch was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and her Associate’s degree in Child and Youth Work from Humber College in Toronto. Cheryl grew up at Temple Har Zion in Thornhill, Ontario where she eventually became a Religious School teacher, as well as the Youth Advisor. She was also the Assistant Principle and a teacher at Iyr Hamelech congregation during her years in undergrad. Cheryl also spent a few years working with children and youth in various capacities, such as group homes and counselling facilities, as well as acting as a Youth Worker for the Toronto District School Board. Cheryl has been studying music since she was very young. She is a classically trained singer, and has experience as a songleader. Cheryl discovered her love for Jewish music as a camper and then staff member at the Goldman Union Camp Institute in Indiana. She also worked as the Staff in Training director and Head Songleader at the B’nai B’rith Perlman Camp in Starlight PA, as well as various day camps in Toronto. She spent a year as the Cantorial Intern for Temple Ohev Sholom in Harrisburg, PA, is currently the Cantorial Intern at Temple Beth Jacob in Newburgh, NY, and was the Head R.A. at the URJ Kutz camp this summer. Cheryl is in her third year in the School of Sacred Music at the Hebrew Union College, and is very excited for the opportunity to serve such a wonderful congregation this year. Maiya Chard-Yaron, Junior Youth Group Coordinator This year will be Maiya Chard-Yaron’s third at Congregation Habonim, having spent the past two years teaching at the Religious School as well as coordinating the Tichon Community Service program. This year, Maiya will take on a new role, planning fun and creative programs outside of religious school for Habonim kids in 5th-7th grades. Maiya is entering her third (and final!) year of her master’s degree program in Jewish education at the Jewish Theological Seminary. In addition to her time at Habonim, Maiya has worked at Camp Alonim (in her native state of California), and spent this past summer at Camp Ramah in New England as an educator and softball coach. Prior to enrolling at JTS, Maiya graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Columbia University (Columbia College), where she also captained the varsity softball team.
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