Meet our Teachers!

KINDERGARTEN:

Nelly Wisner is very excited tobe a part of our TBH Religious School program having been a substitute and/or teacher for the last four years. Additionally, she has worked at Temple Beth Hillel Day School for the past 11 years—where she is the transitional kindergarten teacher, Jewish studies teacher for both kindergarten and transitional kindergarten and after-school enrichment teacher. Nelly is very excited to return to the Religious School to share her love of and passion for Judaism with the wonderful families here at TBH. As a teacher, she hopes to help children recognize their unique strengths and to support their love for Judaism and learning. Temple Beth Hillel has become a second home for her family as they have been members for 12 years.  During the time, she has completed her conversion and become an adult bat mitzvah. Temple Beth Hillel has provided Nelly and her family with a warm and nurturing community.

FIRST GRADE:

Nancy Kirkwood is a native of the San Fernando Valley. She is married with two children and has worked with our Religious School for the past year and a half and the Beth Hillel Day School for the last 12 years as the After-School Program Coordinator. She also works in the classroom assisting students that are in need of extra guidance. She has enormous passion and great respect for children and education. Nancy is very excited to be working with Religious School again this year.

Jenifer Kaplan is starting her first year at Temple Beth Hillel Religious School, but she is not foreign to teaching in the Jewish
community. She has a strong background in Jewish studies and taught kindergarten and first grade at Congregation Beth Israel in Austin, Texas. She has spent 19 years participating in URJ (Union for Reform Judaism) youth programs through URJ Greene Family Camp in Bruceville, Texas and NFTY. This native Texan has spent summers as a music, art and drama specialist. She has a BA in Theatre and Dance and a minor in Marketing. Her education has led her to seeking a Master’s in Expressive Art Therapy. A little-known fact is that you may know Jenifer without realizing it as she has done several of your favorite games, commercials and movies. She works for the studios and is an actor and voice-over talent. She is looking forward to joining the TBH family and is excited to be a part of the growth and development of the 2011-2012 school year.

SECOND GRADE:

Michelle Bauman was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She has been involved with Temple Beth Hillel since 2008, teaching in the Religious School since 2009. She enjoys sharing her love for Judaism and its rich traditions with interactive activities and discussions. Michelle’s class will focus on providing an understanding of Reform Judaism and the synagogue, becoming familiar with the Hebrew Alef-Bet, learning about the Jewish holidays and taking pride in being Jewish.

Mickey Rabinov was born in Israel where she graduated from the Techniyon and received her teaching credentials from a teachers’ seminary. She has been a teacher and administrator in the Los Angeles Jewish community for over 30 years. Alongside with teaching in the Religious School, Mickey also serves as the Director of Hebrew and Jewish Programming at Temple Beth Hillel Day School. Mickey is known for her enthusiasm, love of Judaism and her creative way of teaching. She is married and the mother of three grown children.

THIRD GRADE:

Mark Singer is beginning his 39th year as a teacher at the TempleBethHillel ReligiousSchool and his 40th year overall. After teaching eighth, fifth and sixth grades, he has taught third grade since 1988. He was honored with the Los Angeles Bureau of Jewish Education’s Lainer Distinguished Religious School Educator Award in 2007. Mark, a native Angelino, graduated from UC Santa Cruz and the University of Southern California School of Law. On days other than Sundays, he represents public employees throughout the State of California.  Mark and his wife Barbara have been members of Temple Beth Hillel since 1980. Their three children, Tamara, Joshua and Zachary became b’nai mitzvah and were all confirmed at TBH. Mark is currently President of the Pacific Southwest Region of the Men of Reform Judaism and a Big Brother with Jewish Big Brothers. On Tuesday evenings, you can find him singing bass at Temple for the Harmony Tradition Barbershop Chorus. He also sings with the TBH Choir.

Lindsay Perlman has been teaching third grade at TempleBethHillelReligious School since 2005. Growing up in Ohio, Lindsay attended a Jewish Day School where she became an active member of her Jewish community and the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization. She continued her Hebrew and Judaic studies at PennStateUniversity, traveled to Israel and spent a summer interning at Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. Lindsay currently works in children and family entertainment and enjoys being part of the TBH community.

FOURTH GRADE:

Jamie Elman (Hebrew) was born in New York City and raised in Montreal, Canada, where he studied Hebrew, French and Yiddish and earned his BA in English from McGill University. Jamie’s love of Jewish culture has led him to Israel several times, including a trip for his Bar Mitzvah, the March of the Living and a six month stint working on a kibbutz. Jamie has previously been a counselor at Jewish summer camps and has taught ESL here in LA.  He is also a professional actor of 14 years experience, having made numerous appearances in film and television. Jamie is a life-long piano player and sang for many years with the prestigious Shaar Hashamayim Synagogue choir.

Rachel Flader (Judaica)was born in Vancouver, BCCanada and moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was twelve years old. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in political science. After graduating college, however, Rachel decided to pursue her dream of working with children. Once she received her Early Childhood Teaching Certificate, she began teaching her own class. She has been teaching in Jewish pre-schools for 23 years and teaching in religious schools for almost the same amount of time. Rachel is pleased to have been a teacher at TempleBethHillel ReligiousSchool for

Avishay Goren (Hebrew/Judaica) was born in Israel and has been the summer music director for camp Barney Medintz (Georgia) and Camp Kimama (Israel and New York) for the past seven years.  He is filled with ruach (spirit) in anticipation of
sharing his passion for Hebrew, Israel, Judaism with his fourth grade students at Temple Beth Hillel. Avishay holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music and Film Scoring and has been composing, producing and arranging for various artists and companies worldwide—from Israel to Europe to the USA—since 2004. During this time, he has written and produced over 400 songs and countless projects from all styles and genres—ranging from rock, pop, hiphop and R & B to dubstep/electronic. In addition to being a musician and producer, Avishay has worked as a sound engineer for several top studios, where he has mixed, mastered and edited dozens of albums and individual songs. He currently works and lives in Hollywood with his Chihuahua/Pug dog, Charlie.

FIFTH GRADE:

Sara Shai (Hebrew) has been a Hebrew and Judaic teacher for over 32 years and teaching at TBH for over 7 years. She is also an artist and an author. Her deep-rooted passion is painting in oil and acrylic and sculpting in marble and alabaster. Sara is a proud grandmother to David, Adam and Rechal.

I worked as a public school teacher for
three years,
And as a school librarian for nine.
As your 5^th-Grade Judaica teacher,
I know the kids and I will get along just fine.
I love all things purple also music, books,
The beach and my dogs, who are precious
to me.
I also adore being Jewish,
Israeli dancing and food “fill” me with glee.

So, if you see someone wearing lavender
In a classroom, the main sanctuary,
Or even just walking down the hall,
Stop and say, “Hi,”—I look forward to
meeting you all!

Rachel Goodfriend (Judaica) grew up in the San Fernando Valley, attending Jewish day school and Yeshivah high school. During her freshman year of college, she studied in Israel at BarIlanUniversity. Rachel earned her biology degree at CSUN and is currently teaching 7th and 8th grade science. Rachel really enjoys teaching at TempleBethHillel ReligiousSchool and she particularly looks forward to the students’ enthusiasm in learning about Judaism each week.

SIXTH GRADE:

Lilach Whitman (Hebrew) moved here from Israel when she was 15 years old and studied at a Conservative private school. At 20, she moved back to Israel and worked for The International Institute with groups who came to study in Israel from around the world (Asia, Europe, South America, Africa and Middle East—Lebanon, Palestine and more). She is happy to be at TBH and is taking child development classes to work toward her degree. She is always excited to share her passion for Judaism and Israel with her sixth grade students.

Laleh Masjedi (Judaica) graduated as a Photojournalism major from CSUN in spring 2011. She attended a conservative Jewish day school until fifth grade and now, as an adult, feels that is is part of her life mission to teach about the beauty of Judaism. Her goal is to educate the students at Temple Beth Hillel about what Judaism truly is so that they can make fair and unbiased decisions about its traditions and customs in their lives.  Laleh looks forward to creating interactive lessons that her students will embrace.  

Tal Yanai (Hebrew/Judaica) is a teacher and an author. He was born and raised on Kibbutz Einat, Israel and moved to Los Angeles 20 years ago, where he received his teaching credential in Social Studies from CSUN in 2008. He has two beautiful kids, Gavriel (12) and Brooke (8). He loves the challenge of teaching and educating. Entering his third year at Temple Beth Hillel, Tal is confident that both the students and he will benefit from and enjoy their time together.

SEVENTH GRADE:

Yaron Spiwak (Hebrew) was born and raised in Kfar Saba, Israel. After serving for three years in the military as an operation sergeant with the military police. Yaron studied music at Rimon School of Music and has since performed, toured and recorded with many famous Israeli singers. Yaron’s passion for teaching started when he volunteered at the St. Paul JCC through the Jewish Agency for a summer to teach children Hebrew and Israeli culture through music and when he was a counselor at the international camp kimama for children in 5^th grade. Upon arriving in the States, Yaron worked for an Israeli non-profit benefiting children with cancer. He helped bring cancer-stricken children from Israel to Los Angeles for a once-in-a-lifetime trip. He is very excited to share his love of Israel and Hebrew with the students of TBH and to be working with the 7^th-graders
during one of the most character-building years of their lives.

Toby Zelt (Judaica) has been a teacher in the Jewish community for over 11 years, incorporating meaningful discussion, games and outdoor activities into her lessons. She is a trained TEVA Jewish environmental educator, a Rosh Hodesh girls’ group leader and a ropes and challenge course facilitator. Toby recently moved from Maryland to Los Angeles to become the Associate Director of TorahTrek: The Center for Jewish Wilderness Spirituality, a new non-profit devoted to facilitating experiences for Jews to deeply connect to the natural world through persona spiritual practice and Jewish learning in nature. Toby studied Administration in Jewish Education and Rabbinics in Jewish Studies at Towson University in Maryland, where she also earned undergraduate degrees in Philosophy, Psychology and Women’s Studies.  She is honored to be teaching her Temple Beth Hillel 7^th grade students about social action and ethics as she guides them through their own personal Jewish journey.

EIGHTH-NINTH GRADE:

Eitan Kadosh has been teaching and writing for almost a decade. He received an MFA in poetry from California State University Long Beach and a BA from UC Berkeley. His work has been widely published and he is a former National Poetry Slam Champion. In addition to teaching at Temple Beth Hillel, Eitan is a high-school teacher. This is his fifth year teaching at TBH Religious School.  He particularly enjoys teaching students about Jewish Pop Culture and Israel.

Allison Lattman has worked in the Jewish professional world since she was 15. Originally from Dallas, she holds a BS in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Texas at Austin. Allison has served the Jewish community as both an Educator and Program Director since she moved to the Los Angeles area nine years ago. She has created and
implemented many youth, family and adult programs, including “Entrée to Judaism,” a seasonal Jewish adult educational cooking course that received an Honorable Mention award from the Union of Reform Judaism and was featured in the URJ’s Program Guide. In addition to that, Allison has spent a great deal of time volunteering as a chair or committee person for many organizations. When she is not at Beth Hillel, she can be found creating in the kitchen or relaxing on the beach. Her dream is to have a kitchen on the beach.

Hebrew Specialists:

Michal Erez (Hebrew Specialist Coordinator) was born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel. Michal has worked as both a classroom teacher and private tutor in religious schools throughout the Los Angeles area. She is married and has two young sons. Her older son attended the ECE at Temple Beth Hillel, and her younger son currently attends TempleBethHillelDay School.  Michal is very happy to be part of the Temple Beth Hillel family.

Carmela Cohen, currently a Hebrew tutor at TempleBethHillelReligious School, has worked here since 1999. She was born in Tel Aviv and she is the proud mother of two beautiful children and grandmother to two beautiful grandchildren. She is very happy to teach our Jewish children to master Hebrew reading. Carmela is also overjoyed to impart the meaning of the prayers, an appreciation of our motherland Israel and the importance of our Jewish traditions to her students. Her goal is to have each student feel comfortable in the classroom, and to be proud of both their accomplishments and Jewish heritage.

Sally Mikael has been tutoring at Temple Beth Hillel for three years. She was born in Poland and grew up in Israel, where she studied art. She continued her education at ValleyCollege, taking classes in Early Childhood Education. Sally loves nature, art, being around people and working at TBH with such wonderful children.

SPECIALISTS:

Chen Rozenberg (Yachad Coordinator) was born and raised in Israel. She moved to Los Angeles in 2007 and holds a
Bachelor’s degree in Special Education. She has several year of experience working with kids with special needs and is beginning her fourth year as a Jewish educator in Los Angeles. In addition to working with the Religious School, she serves as a Hebrew teacher at Beth Hillel Day School. She enjoys spending her afternoons with her son and husband,  loves sports (mostly Volleyball) and enjoys the beautiful beaches of Los Angeles in the summer.

Shoshana Taitz (Madrichim Coordinator) is starting her seventh year at TBH Religious School, and her first year as Madrichim Coordinator. During the week, she works at a local school as a high school counselor. Shoshana received a
Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from CSUN and a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Phillips Graduate Institute. Her toddler son, Eli, keeps her super busy, and, in her spare time, she enjoys reading, music and spending time with her family and friends. Shoshana looks forward to an exciting school year and inspiring our TBH teens to be Jewish mentors!

Matt Wolpe (Music Specialist) has been teaching and playing Jewish music for over 10 years and with our TBH Religious School family for the past 5 years. Matt attended the Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music for Musical Theatre and Songwriting. While still a Boston native, he worked at Temple Israel Boston doing music, drama and running youth groups.
This native Angeleno has also been a summer music and drama specialist for over 10 years. When Matt isn’t at TBH, he is writing and playing music with various artists. Matt is a Capricorn who enjoys turkey bacon for breakfast (when he has time). Matt is STILL looking to adopt the perfect mini weenie dog.

Alissa Gotlieb (Art Specialist) joins us for her second year as the Art Specialist. She has experience working at Camp Ramah, The Skirball Cultural Center and Milken Community High School. She attended the University of California Santa Cruz and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. She especially loves printmaking, oil painting and photography. She is confident that this will be another wonderful and meaningful year!

Gitit Kohavie (Israeli Dance Specialist), born in Israel, is a performer and a master teacher. In Israel, she is best known as a dancer and choreographer on “So You Think You Can Dance: Israel.” She represented Israel as the winner in the Nike
Championship for women as a dancer and participated in projects with the Bat Sheva and Vertigo dance companies. Other credits include numerous television shows, stage performances and concerts. Gitit came to LA in 2008 and started performing with the Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble, The Blue 13 Bollywood Company and several commercial ventures. She started teaching through Keshet and brings with her a tremendous energy, enthusiasm and love of children.

STAFF:

Susan Levin (Director) Susan grew up in the San Fernando Valley. In fact, Susan grew up here at Temple Beth Hillel, attending Religious School from consecration through confirmation, volunteering at numerous Temple events, camping out at Seder in the Desert, and helping lead Israeli dance.  Before receiving her Master of Arts in Education from the University of Judaism (now American Jewish University), Susan attended the University of California at Santa Cruz. Though a part of the Temple Beth Hillel family her entire life, Susan has brought her love for Jewish education to the religious school and youth group since July 2005. She strives to be the kind of teacher and director that grabs the attention of her students, regardless of their age, and leaves them yearning to know more. Susan and her husband, Michael and daughter, Georgie May, enjoy being part of the Temple Beth Hillel community.

Allison Lattman (Assistant Director) See previous description under “Eighth/Ninth Grade.”

Sareene Proodian (Administrative Assistant) was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Literature with a Minor in History, she decided to escape Los Angeles. She moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to receiver her Master’s in Literature from Duquesne University. Discovering that snow is only beautiful on the first day, she decided it was time to move back to the Valley. A PhD in Literature, with a focus in trauma in the Victorian novel, is her eventual goal. As a Scorpio, she is mildly OCD; so, please do not rearrange her desk. As long as her desk stays organized, she is a very happy person and always willing to help.