Pressman Academy
Annual Report 2023-2024
Pressman Academy Annual Report 2023-2024
Message from Dr. Erica Rothblum Head of School
Dear Pressman Community:
The 2023-2024 school year challenged our community in ways we could not have expected. The October 7th attack by Hamas horrified us, we navigated a year in which Israel was at war, and we experienced the increase in anti-semitism around our city, country and world. Like Jews everywhere, we felt fear and anger and sadness - and like Jews everywhere, we also felt incredible determination and a laser focus in fulfilling our mission to Develop Minds, Nurture Hearts and Instill Jewish Values in the next generation of Jewish leaders.
We are proud of the ways that we invested in the Jewish future, and Pressman students continued to shine:
• Our eighth grade class was admitted to top high schools around the city, including Jewish high schools, secular independent schools and public magnet programs
• Our seventh grade placed in the top 30 schools in California in math
• Three of our four Moot Beit Din teams made the semi-finals in the Southern California regional competition
• Three of our students received an Honorable Mention at the LA County Science Fair
• Four seventh graders were selected to be Truman Scholars, a two year high level enrichment program for outstanding middle school students focused on the foundational ideas, key texts, and great leaders of American civilization and modern Zionism
• And one student won first place, out of 230 entries, in the Association for Women in Mathematics Essay Contest
And even more than our individual students’ achievements, our school community continued to thrive. We invested in community structures, starting each day in the ECC with Morning Line Up, in elementary school with Mifgash HaBoker, and in middle school with T’fillah and Advisory. For the first time, we required Pressman Wear, ensuring that all students in grades 1-8 wear Pressman tops. Students reported that these structures helped them feel part of something bigger than themselves. We launched year one of a three year plan to expand Israel education; in year one, our Israel curriculum grew into seventh grade with a new class about Israeli history. The year saw students debating Herzl’s Uganda Plan and analyzing the events of the Altalena. We hired a full time theatre director for the first time, and we were able to offer a musical theatre program in elementary school, which joined our already popular middle school theatre program.
Pressman Academy is able to thrive because we have the best staff of any school. We were thrilled to celebrate our ECC teacher, Dassi Bass, who won the BJE Lainer Award for exemplary ECC teachers. And we were proud to launch the Pressman Residency Program, an initiative that supports early career educators who want to make teaching their profession.
In this report, you will read about some of these initiatives and about the incredible achievements of our students. And none of this could be done without the support of our whole community. We thank our Parent Association who were dedicated to bringing together classes and parents, supporting teachers, and raising essential funds for our school, and we thank the Pressman Academy Education Cabinet and the Temple Beth Am Board of Directors who work tirelessly for the fiduciary responsibility of the school and synagogue. We offer our deepest gratitude to each person whose tzedakah helped support these initiatives with special recognition to every Pressman Academy parent, as we were able to achieve 100% participation in our school’s Annual Campaign. Your tzedakah allowed us to fulfill the mission of our school as we invest in the future of the Jewish people and as we raise the kind of human beings we want to see in the world. We are deeply grateful for all of your support.
Am Yisrael Chai,
Dr. Erica Rothblum Head of School
Mission & Vision
On a MISSION
To develop minds, nurture hearts, & instill Jewish values.
We root children in our CORE VALUES
To grow the humans we want to see in the world.
Developing Minds.
From Transition to eighth grade, Pressman Academy teaches students to be creative and critical thinkers and effective communicators. In addition to reading and writing, phonics and vocabulary, Singapore Math and STEAM, Hebrew language and t’fillah, and holidays and texts, we create a number of special, experiential programs that bring texture, richness and meaning to each child’s academic life.
Special Programs
ECC Pageant of the Preschooler
At the end of the school year, our Early Childhood Center students and staff welcomed parents, grandparents and family friends to campus to view impressive student artwork and celebrate all that our ECC students accomplished in the 2023-2024 school year.
Bold and colorful projects filled the Ballroom as students took the stage in Pilch and Hersch Halls for joyful group performances. The projects, while aesthetically beautiful, showcased our youngest students’ fine motor skills, their education about different artists, their engagement in conversations about books and feelings and ideas, and their rich connection to Judaic content.
Pressman’s annual Winter Exhibition gives our Kindergarten through eighth grade students the opportunity to present their work to an authentic audience and gives parents the opportunity to see student work across grades. This year’s exhibition focused on Project Based Learning, which involves students designing, developing, and constructing hands on solutions to a problem. Different projects that were highlighted included kindergarteners’ study of force in science (Stop Motion Animation), the third grade study of Los Angeles (L.A. Landmarks Past and Present), the seventh grade Silk Road Experience, and middle school Hebrew biographies (Jewish Female Role Models).
Yom HaZikaron & Yom HaShoah Commemoration Services
Our eighth grade students wrote and led our school’s Yom HaShoah ceremony, which is attended by third through seventh grade students. After studying the Holocaust in depth, students carefully chose the poems, readings and music to teach the younger students, while also sharing personal stories of their family members’ fights for survival. The following week, our seventh grade class created and produced a special service for the Pressman Academy Yom HaZikaron commemoration. Leading our third through eighth graders, the students led prayers, sang and shared videos to commemorate Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.
Developing Minds.Spotlight: Our Graduates
Our graduates were accepted to the following high schools:
Beverly Hills High School
Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences
deToledo High School
Hamilton Humanities Magnet
Harvard-Westlake School
Milken Community School
New West Charter School
Shalhevet High School
Tree Academy
University Charter MAST Magnet High School
Wildwood School
Windward School
Yeshiva University Los Angeles (YULA)
Congratulations to the Pressman Class of 2020 who were accepted to the the following colleges and universities:
American University
Bard College
Belmont University
Berklee College of Music
Binghamton University
Boston University
Brandeis University
Cal Poly Pomona
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Carnegie Mellon University
Chapman University
City University of New York
Drexel University
Harvey Mudd College
IDC (Reichman University)
James Madison University
Parsons School of Design
Purdue University
Rhode Island School of Design
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rutgers University
San Diego State University
Stern College for Women
Syracuse University
SUNY Binghamton
Tufts University
University of Arizona
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Indiana
University of Maryland
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of Oregon
University of Pittsburgh
University of Southern California
University of Wisconsin,
Madison
Washington University in St. Louis
Williams College
Yeshiva University
Nurturing Hearts.
We believe deeply that children need to feel rooted in something bigger than themselves. Our students recognize they belong to our larger school community through Council and Kesher and Morning Line Up, and they understand their responsibility to our larger world when they feed the hungry and visit the elderly. This year, we introduced three new initiatives to intentionally build the kind of community we want our students to be a part of.
"We start the day with time to connect with each other and wake up our minds so that when we get to class, we can can be engaged and ready to learn and be productive." -Pressman Student
Mifgash HaBoker
Every morning, students in first through fifth grade gather as an elementary school community, beginning their morning on Ziering Family Field. Students line up by grade, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and loudly and proudly sing Hatikvah and pray for the safety of our soldiers in Israel. This grounding morning meeting reinforces the importance of the community we build each day.
Ahukim
Our Ahukim program buddies students in lower elementary school with students in fifth through eighth grade. Buddies engage in a variety of programs together, from whole school Kabbalat Shabbat to Tikkun Olam field trips. By creating these cross grade connections, students feel that Pressman is just a little smaller as they benefit from the relationships and leadership these connections offer.
Pressman Wear
This was our first year of a new initiative designed to help students feel part of their community by what is written on their hearts, literally! All students in first through eighth grade wear Pressman shirts and sweatshirts every day. We arrived at this new dress code after hearing from students about their feelings of disconnection in the community, and one year in, kids are sharing that they feel more connected to each other, and to the staff, and pride in their school. We are feeling proud to see our students feel a greater sense of community and belonging.
Nurturing Hearts. Spotlight:
The Arts & Athletics
No matter how meaningful reading and writing and Hebrew may be, we know that children sometimes come to school for the other things that nurture their bodies, minds and souls. This year we welcomed Kenzie Kuhlmann, our new Theatre Director, who led our middle school students in a spectacular performance of The Lion King. And for the first time ever, our elementary school students performed a musical of their own, including a backstage crew and we all “considered ourselves” lucky to watch them perform Oliver!
Bulldog spirit was through the roof at our first ever pep rallies to cheer on our middle school sports teams. Our girls' JV Basketball players played in the league finals, and our sixth grade boys' JV Volleyball team won the championship!
Instilling Jewish Values.
Jewish life, Jewish values, Jewish traditions and Jewish texts suffuse everything we do at Pressman. Prayer is one avenue in which our students connect to their Jewish identity. Students join together every day for t’fillah, whether in the sanctuary or in the ECC morning lineup. Shabbat is a particularly joyful day at our school, as ECC students dance with the Torah and our all elementary school monthly Shabbat Kulanu services fill the sanctuary with singing and dancing and so much joy.
And of course, we celebrated holidays with passion and excitement. Our hallways are thick with life during holidays. Children ate lunch in the sukkah, smelled oil in the hallways as classes cooked latkes and sufganiyot, shook graggers on Purim, danced on Yom Ha’atzmaut, and studied Torah in their pajamas for Shavuot. We immersed children in customs and foods while teaching the history and laws of each holiday.
Instilling Jewish Values.
Spotlight: Israel In Our Hearts
Teaching about Israel is always an essential part of the Pressman experience. Our students develop a love of Israel as well as their own personal relationship with the land and the people. In addition to their regular classroom instruction, our students bonded with our amazing Shinshinit, Shahar Kleiman, bargained for pickles in the Pressman shuk, embodied figures from the Israeli past and present in a wax museum, learned Israeli songs and dances, and celebrated Yom Ha’Atzmaut with the entire community. And though our sixth graders did not have the opportunity to travel to Israel this year, we are so grateful to The Linda Caro Fisher Israel Scholarship Fund for supporting scholarships that will help middle schoolers go on our signature Israel trip once it is safe to do so.
But Israel was at the very core of everything we did and every piece of our souls this past school year. October 7th and its aftermath impacted each student, each teacher, and each family. In many ways, the story of the 2023-2024 school year is really the story of how we came together, as a community, to support one another when we needed each other most.
Pressman parents and staff cared for each other through very difficult circumstances. Throughout the year, our Temple Beth Am Cafe Hatikva was filled with memorial candles, photos of hostages, and Israeli flags, and the adults in our community used the space to process their grief. Our Wellness staff and clergy provided support to those who wanted to be together, and that support extended beyond the cafe, as teachers and families opened their homes to one another, breathed with one another during difficult moments, sat together in sorrow and worry, and gave each other strength and love. In the weeks following October 7th, a dedicated group of parent volunteers kept the Cafe stocked with food and beverages at all times. Our teachers, like our students, benefited from an environment in which they felt safe, and loved, and where they knew that they mattered.
Cafe Hatikva Welcoming
Israeli Families
In the days, weeks, and months following October 7th, Pressman Academy proudly welcomed three families who came to Los Angeles from Israel due to the war. One family stayed for just a month until they could safely return home, while the other two families enrolled for the remainder of the school year. Of course, coming to Pressman was about school. But we offered each family a space to begin recovering, and most importantly, a place for their kids to just be kids. It was an honor to be able to support these families in the face of unprecedented tragedy, and we know that our community benefited as much from welcoming them into our midst as they did from being in our embrace.
"Life since October 7th has been unbelievably hard, but Pressman has been instrumental in making it considerably easier and better. The girls have grown, developed and thrived - and I am grateful to all of you for that." -Daphna Levin, Parent of Ellie & Lior Levin
Shoutouts
• Dassi Bass, teacher in our three year old class, won the BJE Lainer Award for exemplary ECC teachers.
• Our middle school students continued to excel academically. Seventh grade placed in the top 30 schools in the state in the California Math League and three of our students received an Honorable Mention at the LA County Science Fair.
• Three of our middle school Moot Beit Din teams made the semifinals.
• We are proud to have brought in Resetting the Table as a partner for Parent Education – over the course of six evenings, parents had the opportunity to learn how to speak across political and parenting differences. As we shared in those evenings, we are proud to be a diverse community and we want to learn to live in that diversity, not ignore it.
• We started a Residency Program in the Day School, bringing in young people who want to be teachers and paying for part of their tuition for a program/degree/ credential, and in turn, they will remain teachers at Pressman. In the 2023-2024 school year, we employed two residents, one of whom will be taking a lead teacher position in the 2024-2025 school year.
• Mazal tov to seventh grader Alma Miller, who won first place, out of 230 entries, in the Association for Women in Mathematics Essay Contest.
• Four seventh graders were selected to be Truman Scholars, a two year high level enrichment program for outstanding middle school students focused on the foundational ideas, key texts, and great leaders of American civilization and modern Zionism.
• One teacher is completing her Doctor of Modern Languages, in Hebrew; three teachers are pursuing doctoral degrees; two teachers are engaged in the Mandel Teacher Education Institute, a two year professional development program; and three staff are pursuing an 18 month leadership program through the Jewish New Teacher Project.
97% of families said they would recommend Pressman Academy to others as a great school.
Message from Josh Kaplan Pressman Academy Education Cabinet Chair
Shalom to the Pressman Academy Community,
One of the most recognizable traits of the Jacob Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Am (“JPA”) is our community. From a vibrant Parent Association to Room Parents and Chessed Chairs, from the Education Cabinet to all of the lay leaders sitting on committees, the dedication of families and parents at JPA to building and sustaining our community is inspiring. Here are just a few examples of how our community came together in the 2023-2024 school year:
For the first time 100% of JPA families participated in the Annual Campaign to help sustain a high level of programming, education and connection for JPA students.
The JPA co-curricular programs were outstanding:
• Productions of The Lion King (middle school) and Oliver (elementary school) played to sold out audiences in the Elbaz Family Foundation Gymnasium
• Over 50 middle school students playing on girls and boys basketball and volleyball teams, capped off with a dramatic Boys Volleyball championship
• “Shul of Rock” (the middle school band) played numerous times through the year at school and community events
The JPA community pledged over $10 million dollars (at last count) toward reimagining the JPA/Temple Beth Am campus with:
• A renovated roof with dedicated STEAM and Art classrooms
• A Middle School Mercaz with 8 classrooms solely for the JPA Middle School
• A refurbishment and reconfiguration of the Ganzberg school building to allow for age appropriate classrooms
• A black box theatre in the balcony above the old sanctuary to host plays, lectures and movie screenings
• JPA provided support, education, and space for staff, students and families to grieve, learn and take action in response to the horrors of October 7th and all that has transpired since.
Engagement with the JPA community takes many forms and across the board is extremely high! As we turn the page from the 2023-2024 school year, I am pleased to report on the financial health of Pressman Academy (“JPA”). High enrollment, a committed and generous parent body and a larger community committed to JPA’s success, again helped not only to sustain JPA, but to invest in the growth of a school committed to Developing Minds, Nurturing Hearts and Instilling Jewish Values.
Thank you for your support and commitment to JPA! Chazak Chazak v’Nitchazek!
Joshua Kaplan
Chair, Pressman Academy Education Cabinet ‘22’24
VP of Education, Temple Beth Am ‘22’24
Parent Class of ‘22, ‘26 and ‘29
New SameBuilding,Mensches.
This school year marked the launch of a new capital campaign to reimagine the Pressman Academy campus to match our vision and meet our momentum. By the time it is completed in the fall of 2025, we will have an Art Room and STEAM Lab on the Pilch Rooftop, a Middle School Mercaz, a renovated Ganzberg School Building with larger classrooms and more space for learning support, and a state of the art 250 seat theater. But this isn’t simply a plan prioritizing physical improvements; it is a plan to enhance the enriching, heimish experience that characterizes what it means to grow up at Pressman Academy and Temple Beth Am. Our capital projects double down on the value of raising Jewish children in this crucial moment in Jewish history and allow us to keep building the Jewish future. We are so grateful to the 56 families who have already invested, raising over $10 million to date to grow the school that shapes, educates, and inspires our kids.
Financials
Annual Campaign
100% of Pressman families donated to the Annual Campaign this year - a truly remarkable achievement. Thank you so much to all of our supporters from the Pressman Academy and Temple Beth Am community.
PILLARS/AMUDIM
($100,000+)
Marilyn Ziering
BENEFACTORS/TZADIKKIM
($25,000 - $49,999)
Elyssa & Gilad Elbaz
Rachael Gordon & Donald Snyder
BUILDERS/BONIM
($18,000 - $24,999)
Arlette & Harry Lumer
Virginia & Francis Maas
Wanda & Avi Peretz
Natalie Roberts
SUPPORTERS/THOMKIM
($8,000 - $17,999)
Vivian & Ron Alberts
Ilanit & Daniel Brook
Hannah & Marshall Kramer
Pam & Edward Levine
Karen & David Sachs
Jessica & Mark Samuel
Galina & Joseph Samuel
Laura & Michael Steuer
Tove & Carl Sunshine
Marshall Temkin
Diane & Michael Ziering
PROPHETS/NEVIIM
($3,600 - $7,999)
Dalya & Simon Backer
Hillary* & Daniel Chorny
Alisa Shudofsky & David Cohen
Hadar & Micah Cohen
Sherri & Michael Cohn
Dvorah Colker
Joel & Dorit Cooper
Nancy Solomon &
Alexander DeGood
Elisa & Brad Delson
Marlynn & Eliot Dorff
Felicia Saltzbart & David Ehrenberg
Revital & David Feldman
Jana Posalski & Kenneth Firtel
Shani & Seth Fisher
Elaine & Laurence Friedman
Karen & Zev Fried
Bonnie & Eddie Garon
Rachel & Avner Gereboff
Nancy & Lloyd Gilbert
Andrea Kasowitz & Andrew Goldberg
Sheryl* & Seth Goldman
Karen & Steven Grey
Simonette & Leo Grifka
Joelle & Daniel Gryczman
Jacqui & Alex Jacobs
Jules Kamin
Marcia & Bernard Kamine
Laurie & Michael Kamras
Rachel & Peter Kaplan
Joanna Kasirer & Josh Kaplan
Debra & Robert Kasirer
Danielle & Noah Kaswell
Havi & Adam* Kligfeld
Lauren & Wayne Klitofsky
Mandy & David Lande
Judy & David Langer
Richard Levey
Gabriela & Elie Litov
Jennifer & Daniel Low
Maya Newman & Ben Mahdavi
Einat & Raj Makkar
Roberta Feinberg & Ely Malkin
Danielle & Ari Mark
Susan & Arthur Mishler
Naz & Bobby Nooromid
Sara & Michael Onufer
Danielle & Etan Orgel
Leslie & Eli Pearlman
Rachel Weber & Ephraim Pelcovits
Deenie Silberstein* & Levi Pinsky
Dana & Josh Pollick
Susan & Joshua Pretsky
Elisa & Daniel Rabinow
Liora Rothchild-Reder & Benjamin
Reder
Nina & Michael Reinis
Fredi & Joel Rembaum
Mojdeh & Yonaton Rosenzweig
Salter Family Foundation
Angel Schneider
Tobie Schwimmer
Anna Kurtz & Zev Shechtman
Rinat & Amnon Siegel
Vanina & Jordan Simons
Lauren & Benjamin Sapir
Anne & Elon Spar
Leona Sperling
Fredelle & Steven Spiegel
Vanessa & Kenneth Stoff
Michelle & Dan Stone
Ziva Cooper & Sasha Strauss
Adynna & Michael Swarz
Janet Metson Urman
Rebecca Axelrod-Vanderweit & Donald Vanderweit
Gosia & Adam Weiss
Lisa & Marc Yassinger
HEAD'S CIRCLE
($1,800 - $3,599)
Lily Khalili & Michael Afar
Karen & Avi Ashkenazi
Ruthe Backer
Cathy & Michael Barry
Adriana Bodner
Leah Weiss & Alexander Cohen
Linda & Judith Cowan
Elaine Parker & BJ Elias
Fariba Matinfar & Albert
Eshtiaghpour
Shira Aitchison & Justin Hellman
Susan & Ofer Hetsroni
Melissa & Oren Hirsch
Gal Na'an Aharon & Bernard Hoffman
Efrat & Mark Jaffe
Aliza & Edward Klau
Gena & Joshua Krom
Shuli & Noam Kupchan
Jesse & Dan Lainer-Vos
Shir & Oren Langer
Mallory & Gregory Lee
Aviva Moss & Jeffrey Lewis
Annie & Jonathan Marquit
Mayer Max Foundation
Amy & Joseph Miller
Deborah & Ari Pozez
Anna & Adam Prager
Hannah & Yossi Reinstein
Sareet & Adam Rimon
Esther Feldman & Evan Rosenberg
Sayeh Farivar & Matthew
Rosenmayer
Erica* & Daniel Rothblum
Susan Grinel & Laurence Rubin
Elizabeth & David Saiger
Jessica & Scott Schreiber
Danielle Schwartz
Danielle & Jaime Schwartz
Lauren & Joshua Shapiro
Sima & Michael Shimansky
Marnie* & Steven Stiglitz
Alissa & Aaron Spiwak
Amira & Don Tashman
Melody & Michael Terani
Deborah & Michael Torgan
Lauren & Adrew Wallenstein
Linda Wisotsky
Jacqueline Lowy & Daniel Wollman
Rebecca & Benjamin Yaghoubian
Shira & Roye Zur
HAVERIM ($0 - $1,799)
Amanda Abeles*
Debbie* & Jerry Abeles
Rebecca & Eric Abramowitz
Sari Abrams*
Sigal Abukrat*
Jennifer & Aaron Aftergood
Martine & Adam Agatston
Alona Tevel & Moshe Agive
Michelle & Saeed Ahdoot
Luiza & Ilan Aklian
Deborah & Ian Alda
Margaret Burnett & Jeff Altman
Guy Amit*
Orly & Or Amsalam
Chauncey Anderson*
Andrea Pantoja*
Emily Applebee*
Amelia Arender*
Avigayil Metal & Brian Ash
Sarit Ashkenazi*
Miriam & Yehuda Ashkenazi
Griselda Avila*
Pasha & Lauren Azad
Andrea Elgrichi & Moshe Azran
Sharon & Michael Bacharach
Marlisse & Gary Bachrach
Rebecca & Ayal Bainvoll
Shlomit Levy Bard & David Bard
Karen Basson*
Hadassa Bass*
Angie* & Arthur* Bass
Joey Beckman
Adele Beiny
Owen Beiny
Jenny Aleev & Shai Belhassen
Judy Kerner & Frank Belz
Sheryl & Bowwbby Benjy
Tania & Jonathan Berenson
Tania Youseffi-Berenson & Jonathan
Berenson
Danielle & Jeremy Berman
Stacy Bernstein*
Roya & Scott Bernstein
Sandi & Solomon Bien
Dorielle & Reuven Birnkrant
Brent Bodner
Bella & Charlie Bogart
Tara & Michael Bokman
Michelle & Alain Bonavida
Sandra Borak
Rochelle & Jeffrey Boren
Rosalyn & Jason Bowers
Cindy Levey & Larry Braman
David Braun
Barbara Breger
Dale & Morris Brill
Claudia & Max Brodsky
Aditt Alcalay & Michael Buchbinder
Melissa & Eric Buchman
Eden & Roey Burg
Helene & Jay Calhoun
Dalia Yasharpour & Michael Cantor
Rinatte Hami & Michael James
Carloni
Anamay & Bryan Carmel
Rina Carmel
Elan & Dahlia Carr
Essia Cartoon-Fredman* & Howard Fredman
Deborah Chariton
Harris Hartman & Greg Clark
Alexandra Spielman & Sean Cohen
Rachel Cohen*
Marcos Cohen*
Russell Cohen
Kenneth Cohen*
Daniella & Tal Cohen
Avishag* & Alon Cohen
Danielle & Tal Cohen
Sara & Samuel Cohen
Sarah & Sam Cohen
Deborah Cohen
Johanna & Grant Cohen
Rachel Collins
Jenny Cowan*
Judith & LInda Cowan
Lemore & Barry Czeisler
Maytal Dahan
Stephen Dahn
Hana Damavandi
Jennifer & Ilan Danan
Kimberly Daniel*
Farrah Noah
Ires Dekel*
Erik Denning*
Victoria Densham*
Corien Dijsselbloem Giron*
Yael & Omeed Donay
Elana & Ori Doron
Financials
Revital & Ilan Douek
Keren & Leonard Dunn
Nina & Brant Dveirin
Brandice Dye*
Gail & Mel Ebenstein
Howard Eddy*
Stephanie & Andrew Eisen
Rebecca & David Eisenberg
Robin Schaffran & Ronnie Eisen
Bobbye Tigerman & Michael Eisenstein
Tova Elad*
Shelley Elias
Joel Elkins
Agnes & Semyon Emert
Monica & Eliott Ephrati
Sabrina & Aaron Eshaghian
Nicole & Mark Etchin
Sheila & Jeff Evron
Hannah Farkas*
Dalia Farkas
Ava Azizi & Jeff Faust
Gary & Danielle Feigenbaum
Rachel & Daniel Feinberg
Shira & Aaron Feinstein
Revital & David Feldman
Kevin & Anna Feller
Roy & Rochel Ferman
Nomi & Israel Feuerstein
Danielle & Adam Fogel
Samuel Forman*
Gabrielle Friedenthal*
Jason Friedman*
Maurice Friedman
Rebecca & Leonard Friedman
Margaret O'Neill & David Furtado
Lindsey & Ron Gad
Walter Galdamez*
Ashley Galdamez*
Sima Galker
Jamie Garelick
Norman Garr
Sylvia Garrett
Lara & Dmitri Geer
Karen Geiger*
Sarah & Joshua Gelbart
Adi & Jonathan Genish
Monique & Bradley Gibbons
Laya & Greg Gillman
Karen & Richard Ginsburg
Giuliette Recht & Aaron Gipsman
Rita Gitman*
Marlene Glaser
Frumi & Benjamin Gluck
Angelina & David Golbary
Samantha & Robert Goldenberg
Lauren & Scott Goldner
Amy Slomovits & Jeremy
Goldscheider
Trudy & Marlee Goldshine
Lisa & Michael Goldsmith
Valerie & Stanley Goldstein
Caroline & Mark Goldzweig
Bernie Goler
Julie Harris & Alexander Gonzalez
Sandra & William Goodglick
Shahin & Elisa Gozarkhah
Rachel Rubin Green & Norman Green
Frida & Mark Greenberg
Rebecca & George Greenberg
Marion & Jonathan Greene
Lisa Feldman & Brian Greene
Elizabeth Cohen & Wayne Greene
Jay Greenstein
Ayala Grimberg*
Jennifer Human & Jim Grollman
Marlea Gemmel & Adam Grossman
Stephanie & Michael Gudelman
Ruth Glass & Leor Hackel
Monica Hall*
Elizabeth Halpern*
Diana Braham* & Benjamin
Hamburger
Anita Happel
Farhana Haque*
Alicia & Reuven Harooni
Leilah Bernstein & Erik Harper
Beverly & Michael Harris
Elizabeth & Daniel Harrison
Catie & Leon Hazany
Ditza Meles & Ilan Heimanson
Janet Perkins & Louis Heller
Jacob Helmstadter*
Adina & Boaz Hepner
Jeanne & David Herman
Tamara Hirsch*
Yechiel & Daria Hoffman
Michael Hoffman
Gil & Adena Hopenstand
Sarah & Allen Hoorfar
Lori Harrison & David Horwich
Rebecca & Seth Hulewat
Erica Huls*
Zev & Claire* Hurwitz
Ilanit Wasserberg*
Dror & Amit Ironi
Neely Irwin*
Nili* & Ethan Isenberg
June & Joshua Jashinski
Rebecca Joseph
Cecily & Amir Kaballo
Danielle & Barak Kamelgard
Bella Kapp*
Rona & Joshua Karp
Hanna Kario*
Molly Mickelson & Shmulik Karmiel
Rena & Mark Katrikh
Leah Yadegar & Roee Kaufman
Simone & Jason Kboudi
Whitney Keats*
Samantha Kelley*
Chani & Alexander Kelman
Lisa Aziz-Zadeh & Dmitry Kemell
Hanna Keynan*
Trisha Langer & Adrian Khaghan
Neghin Khanverdi
Laura & Esti Kilmer
Carinne & Joshua Klaristenfeld
Shahar Kleiman*
Michelle & Scott Klein
Rachel Klein*
Chaim Kline
Whitney & Nader Kohanzad
Natasha & Sean Kohen
Laraine & Allan Kokin
Lisa & Jeremy Kolieb
Sofia Zway & Brett Kopin
Madeleine Kostman*
Maureen & Derek Krantz
Jacqueline Weiss & Jerry Krautman
Sharon & Oded Kravitz
Michal Kogen Kress
Alexander Kress
Erin Krinsky*
McKenzie Kuhlmann*
Deborah & Leon Kupferwasser
Benjamin Kushner
Yael & Ronen Landa
Elana Landau*
Stefani Langer*
Mo & Lauren Langer
Carly Mann & Alexa Lawson-Remer
Kathy Lebovic
Sara & Peter Leeb
Temmy Lehman
Bonnie Taff Leib & Roger Leib
Rossy Leon
Dalia Lerman*
Michelle Felner & Paul Lerner
Daphna & Guy Levin
Batel & Seth Levin
Tamar Levin
Ruth Orloff & Michael Levin
Rebecca Levine
Ornit Levinson*
Miriam Leviton*
Rebecca & Sean Levy
Janice & Avi Levy
Robyn Roth & David Lewison
Wendy & Ivan Light
Judah Linemann
Daniella Platt & Barney Lipson
Shea Lopez*
Lauren & Jeremy Lorber
Neil & Danielle Lourie
Jamie & Meghin Mahtaban
Danielle & Jared Maloff
Rishelle & Eric Maman
Sherol & Shahryar Manavi
Sharareh Nahouray & Sohail
Manesh
Karen Amit & Itai Manor
Edison Maqueos*
Suzanne & Zachary Marks
Kati Martinez*
Cazzie & Aaron Marzwell
Brooke Spencer Maserow & Calvin Maserow
Naomi Kahn & Alec Mazliach
Tzviah & David Mayman
Sharon & Boris Mayzels
Katya* & Haim Mazar
Michal Scharlin & Michai Mazar
Heather Weeks & Scott Mechlowicz
Sandra Mejia*
Vered Mirmovitch & Nahum
Melamed
Deborah Musher & Joe Menashe
Robert Meth
Alison Metzinger*
Sharon Meyberg
Aaron Miller*
Julia Miller*
Liron Elkan & Nuri Miller
Phyllis Zimbler & Mitchell Miller
Elana Miro*
Donna Mizrachi*
Nealy & David* Moeckler
David & Adi Mor
Dana & Saba Moreh
Suzanne Weiss Morgen & Henry Morgen
Daniel Moulton*
Richard Muller*
Lara & Metin Mutal
Liora Ashoori Nader & Nader Nader
Esther & Daniel Naor
Kerin & Jonathan Nash
Gilda & Justin Nassir
Myrna & Albert Nejat
Sigalit Neuman*
Marizon & Joseph Nimoy
Sara Dayanim & Abraham Nobel
Barb Noren*
Laura & Sam Notowitz
Shlomi Numa
Anna Bella Korbatov & Barry Nutovic
Cecile & Ariel Ohana
Sarah Olguin*
Becca Orsbern*
Patricia Kalmans & Michael Ozer
Rosalinda Fabian Ozone & David Ozone
Elana Havusha & Morris Panitz
Mia Pardo*
Lourie & Stephen Parker
Jennifer Medina & Josh Pashman
Sarah Goldberg & Jesse Paster
Suzanne Payne
Shara* & Phillip Peters
Ariella Moss Peterseil & Nachum
Peterseil
Lisa and Alan Petlak
Rachel Wald & Jake Petzold
Kathe Pilch
Tamara & Daniel Pinto
Mitchell Port
Miriam Van Allen & Scott Porter
Libby Pour
Daniela Murch & Jeremy Presser
Irene Weissman & Irvin Pretsky
Ori Cohen Raab*
Chirli Youssefia & Ramin Rabbani
Molly & Navid Rabbanian
Klara Rabinowitsch
Mona Raoufpour*
Rebecca & Fredric Raskin
Gloria Reich
Anne Reisman
Jessica & Michael Reiss
Zwi Reznik
Jana Lehman-Richland & Bruce Richland
Debbie Rich
Susan Green & Robert Ring
Caroline Weiss Rishe & Greg Rishe
Julie Miller & Matthew Risman
Naomi Cohen & Tyson Roberts
Daisy Rodriguez*
Jacob Roeder*
Limor Gottesdiner & Guy Ronen
Diane & Robert Roosth
Ashlyn Rosen*
Nina Golden & Jason Rosenbaum
Kathy & Barry Rosenblatt
Jessica & Yonatan* Rosner
Sara & Baruch Rothenberg
Jonathan & Alana Rotter
Sonia & Michael Rubin
Benjamin Rudy*
Shimrit & Yochai Sabag
Leah & Bobby Saedi
Sepideh Motahedeh & Yoram
Saghian
Linda & Lee Salem
Gloria & Bernard Salick
Sarah Kavka & Naftali Sampson
Rachel & Doron Santo
Dale Schatz*
Julie Schimmel*
Tamar & Adam Schlesinger
Sarah Chankin-Gould & Yonah
Schmeidler
Johanna & Benjamin Schmidt
Devra & Matthew Schwartz
Financials
Ashley & Daniel Schwartz
Stephanie Bass & David Schwartz
Jacqueline & Bryan Schwartz
Helene & Ira Schwartz
Stacey & Barry Serber
Tal & Nina Sessler
Jessica & Doron Shaham
Jessica & Brett Shainfeld
Deena Weisbaum & Philip Shakhnis
Noy Shalom*
Sharon & Tal Shalom
Cora & Chaim Shaouat
Stephen & Stephen Shalov
Alexandra Peha Shamash & Joseph
Shamash
Ortila Faryab & Ben Shamsian
Ariela & Ari Shandling
Ariana* & Matthew Shane
Lindsey Sundy & Yaron Shani
Paula Pearlman & Mark Shapiro
Diane Shapiro
Lauren Rakow & Adam Shapiro
Sarah Barukh & Matt* Shapiro
Sara & Oren Shaul
Liat Leibovich Shechter & Alon
Shechter
Dianne Shershow
Daniel Shiriwastaw*
Darlin Noghreheian & Dalen
Shoemaker
Tal & Sonja Sholklapper
Dorit & Alex Shub
Judy Unger & Jeffrey Siegel
Moshe Silagi
Tali & Esther Silon
Kay Silverstein
Talia & Eli Simsolo
Biyatris & Yitshak Siso
Debra & Binyamin Smith
Lee Leshem & Mark Sokolove
Dikla & Erez Solomon
Rachel & Michael Soumekh
Sarah & Aaron Sperling
Sean Cohen & Alex Spielman
Lilian Gelberg & Steven Spronz
Jeffrey Steinberg*
Sara Smith & Ariel Stein
Nancy & Neal Steiner
Laurie Guthmann & Jonathan
Steinfield
Sandra Steinfield
Susan & Joel Stern
Lauren Gans & Jeffrey Stern
Laura & David Steuer
Susan Stone
Gilli & Wayne Stuppel
Jodi Subel*
Johanna & David Ari Susal
Ornit Levinson-Suter & Dominik Suter
Emily Siag* & Michael Sweat
Sharon & Jonathan Swerdlow
Shira Landau* & Duvid Swirsky
Jennifer Drieves & Aaron Szekel
Lena Saghian & Rohom Tabankia
Joanna & Brandon Taitz
Sarah* & Brian Tannenbaum
Ora Tarashandegan*
Dafna Taryle*
Lori & Perry Tessel*
Inez Tiger*
Betty Brasky Tochner & Stuart Tochner
Demorah & Michael Torgan
Sivan Tsap*
Karyn & Chaim* Tureff
Madelyn Knaster & Reuben
Turtletaub
Michael Udem
Michal & Jacob Vaakil
Mojdeh Makabi & Payman
Vahedifar
Ana Ortiz & Jacques Van Dam
Naomi Zimmerman & Alan Van Gelder
Helen Wachs
Sarah & Don Waintraub
Aviva Pressman & Brian Wallace
Alex Warmer*
Judy Weintraub & Joel Warren
Julie & Michael Waterstone
Kathy* & Alan Wax
Sarah & Joel Weinberger
Shannon* & Justin Weissman
Marla & Stuard Weiss
Danielle & Brandon Werber
Shoshi & Izydor Wilchfort
Natalie Weiss* & Aaron Willis
MIchelle & Robert Wilson
Ronnie Winbush*
Emily & Bryan Wittlin
Michelle Wolf
Hilary & Mark Wolf
Judith Wolkovitch
Aya Barzelay & Yuval Wollman
Karine Yakter*
Katharine & David Yaroslavsky
Ilan Yona*
Dara & Ofir Yungman
Reyna* & Jeffrey Zack
Naz & Shahram Zackary
Miriam Zadeh*
Rachel Zaslow*
Ava Zeidler*
Nikki Bascon & Gad Zeitune
Sydney & Richard Zelichov
Farnaz & Abraham Zilkha
Farrah Zweig*
Eric Zweigel
Financials
Grandparent Giving
L’dor V’dor - From generation to generation. Thank you to the following Pressman Academy grandparents for their generous support.
Rozita Afar
Sara & David Aftergood
Sari & Arthur Agatston
Jules Aires
Renne & Efraim Bainvoll
Lorna Bluestein
Rochelle & Jeffrey Boren
David & Sherri Chapman
Dalia Chroman
Jane Taubenfeld Cohen & David Cohen
Joyce & Donn Delson
Glennie Dinin
Marilyn & Rabbi Elliot Dorff
Ada & Meir Doron
Linda & Glenn Feldman
Cheryl & Ed Finkel
Flawless International
The Linda Caro Fisher Israel
Scholarship Fund
Debbi & Morris Gelbart
Tamara Gidanian
Connie & Mark Goldberg
Bonnie & George Grifka
Diana Gruenbaum
Sam Gruenbaum
Beatriz & Tibor Grunfeld Blanca Hadar
Becky & Eric Hartung
Vered & Dov Hopenstand
Ann & Ollie Istrin
Suzanne & Sonny Kahn
Debra & Robert Kasirer
Lisa & Steven Kelman
Minou Khalili
Debra Kurtz
Luis Lainer
Esther & Sorel Lainer
Irwin & Rachel Levin
Diana & Maury Lewis
Anita Lind
Dina Lourie
Gail & Perry Maloff
Ilya Mayzels
Dani & Rosa Navi
Marna & Raymond Padowitz
Carmella Pardo
David & Viki Pashman
Sue & Jerry Pasternak
Paula Peters
Kathe Pilch
Judy Pollick
Deborah & Bruce Powell
Sheila & Larry Larry Reich
Fredi & Joel Rembaum
Cathy & Lou Rosenmayer
Lois & Rabbi Moshe Rothblum
Joan & Robert Rothenberg
Irene & Norm Saiger
Tamara & Anton Samuel
Susan & Isaac Schmidt
Joan & Larry Schwartz
Glynis & Mervyn Shainfeld
Gail & Stephen Shapiro
Annette & Dan Shapiro
Linda & Dr. Sylvain Silberstein
Alisa & Yosef Simsolo
Ralph & Claudia Slomovits
Jane Stiglitz
Susan Stone
Sheila & Alan Spiwak
Ronna Sundy
Shanaz & Hersel Tabankia
Emily Tigerman
Karen Yaghoubian
Jilla & Fara Yousefi
Reimagining Our Campus: Capital Campaign
We are well on our way to raising the funds we need for our campus expansion projects. Thank you to our generous donors.
Lily Khalili & Michael Afar
The Aftergood Family
Dalya & Simon Backer
Lynn & Les Bider
Leah Weiss & Alex Cohen
Elisa & Brad Delson
Felicia Saltzbart & David Ehrenberg
Gerald & Gloria Feldman
Jonathan Friedman
Karen & Zev Fried
Bonnie & Eddie Garon
Shani & Seth Fisher
Andrea Kasowitz & Andrew
Goldberg
Jacqui & Alex Jacobs
Nancy T. Beren & Larry S. Jefferson, M.D.
Joanna Kasirer & Josh Kaplan
David & Rachel Kasirer
Debra & Robert Kasirer
Wayne & Lauren Klitofsky
The Lainer Family
The Lowy/Grifka Family
Einat & Raj Makkar
Danielle & Ari Mark
The Miller Family
Sara & Mike Onufer
Danielle & Etan Orgel
Leslie & Eli Pearlman
Rachel Weber & Ephraim Pelcovits
Wanda & Avi Peretz
Linda Scharlin & Barry Pinsky
Deenie Silberstein & Levi Pinsky
Dana & Josh Pollick
Anna & Adam Prager
Elisa & Dan Rabinow
Hannah & Yossi Reinstein
Debbie Rich
Esther Feldman & Evan Rosenberg
Cathy & Lou Rosenmayer
Mojdeh & Yoni Rosenzweig
Erica & Daniel Rothblum
Alana & Jon Rotter
Elizabeth & David Saiger
Jessica & Mark Samuel
Lauren & Ben Sapir
Jessica Mani & Scott Schreiber
Sheila & Alan Spiwak
Laura & Michael Steuer
Marnie & Steve Stiglitz
Michelle & Dan Stone
Lori & Perry Tessel
Joe Weber
Gosia & Adam Weiss
Rebecca & Ben Yaghoubian
Zev Yaroslavsky
Abe & Farnaz Zilkha
Shira & Roye Zur
Revenue Expenses
Thank You To Our Leadership
Temple Beth Am Senior Staff
Rabbi Adam Kligfeld - Senior Rabbi
Rabbi Rebecca Schatz - Associate Rabbi
Rabbi Hillary Chorny - Cantor
Rabbi Matt Shapiro - Director of Youth Learning & Engagement
Sheryl Goldman - Executive Director
Dr. Erica Rothblum - Head of School, Pressman Academy
Mark Samuel - TBA President
Education Cabinet 2023-2024
Josh Kaplan, VP of Education
Shani Fisher, Vice Chair of Education
Lynn Bider
Elyssa Elbaz, Past Education VP
Yoni Feldman-Greene
Rob Goldenberg
Jacqui Jacobs, Executive VP of Temple Beth Am
Lauren Klitofsky
Shuli Kupchan, Parent Association President
Ariella Moss Peterseil
Joshua Pretsky
Amnon Siegel
Michael Steuer
Aaron Spiwak
Rachel Weber
Adam Weiss
Roye Zur
Message from Rabbi Adam Kligfeld
Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth Am
The school year 2023-2024, coinciding with the Jewish year 5784, was one of trauma for the Jewish people. But also, especially at Pressman Academy and within Temple Beth Am, one of triumph and solidarity. As we tried to absorb the overwhelming blow that 10/7 brought down on us, within days many in the community had mobilized to begin helping to ameliorate this national catastrophe, and to show love and support. Some moments/ achievements that stand out:
• Within a few days of 10/7, the TBA/JPA parking lot became an overnight packing and staging area as we collected and packed hundreds of bulletproof vests and flak jackets that were then brought straight to LAX, boarded onto an El Al plane via the direct authority of that flight’s pilot, and then delivered to soldiers deployed both in the north and south.
• Also within days of 10/7, the space of the upstairs lobby was transformed into an at first spontaneous, and now very intentionally curated, Israel centered area on our campus. With pictures of the hostages. Israeli flags. Writing stations to write letters to soldiers. A place both quiet but also “in the midst” of the TBA/JPA hubbub to vent, share, cry, enjoy a cup of coffee, and get some work done, all in a space suffused with images of Israel, reflecting this community’s profound Zionism. Later in the year, the space was formally renamed Cafe Hatikvah, thanks to the generosity of the Steuer Family, and will remain an Israel based hub on our campus.
• Dozens of TBA members and JPA parents joined the incredible rally in Washington DC in November to show solidarity with Israel, the grieving families, and those with loved ones taken hostage in Gaza.
• Rabbi Rebecca Schatz and I each participated in different solidarity missions to Israel for rabbis and Jewish educators, where we bore witness both to the horrors of 10/7 and the heroic efforts being made throughout Israel’s civil society to begin to heal the rupture.
• TBA sent a delegation to Israel in February for our own solidarity, witnessing and volunteering mission to Israel.
Beyond our Israel-facing activism, other highlights from our communal calendar included:
• Planning, implementing and hosting our 6th Kol Tefilah conference, bringing together rabbis, cantors, educators and lay leaders from around North America to spend a weekend focused on innovative approaches to prayer and spiritual life within our varied communities.
• TBA Travel’s destination for 2024 was the Western Balkans. Nearly 40 of us traveled to Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia/Herzegovina and Serbia, exploring each region’s Jewish and general cultural history and embedding within the small but proud Jewish communities that remain in that part of the world. A particular highlight within a highlight was being in majorityMuslim Bosnia/Herzegovina; with 24/7 police escort arranged for us by Muslim leaders with whom we were put in touch (not because they felt we would be in danger, but just so that we would feel fully welcome and embraced); celebrating an Iftar breakfast dinner to end one of the days of Ramadan with local Muslim leaders, including the chief Imam of Sarajevo; having a rare private viewing of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah in the National Museum; and visiting Srebenica, the site of a massacred of Bosnian Muslims by Serb forces, where we held a very poignant memorial service for all who lost their life there.
• At TBA, each week is a triumph, as we host hundreds in our building for shabbat prayer, ongoing text study, meaningful community building…and pickleball!
The world is scary right now. And yet we have much for which to be grateful here on La Cienega Blvd. We are honored to share this sacred Jewish family with you all, and look forward to another year of life, learning and celebration.
Rabbi Adam Kligfeld
