the magazine of schechter boston
Interview with Dr. Jonah Hassenfeld 4 What We’re Taking with Us 8
SPRING/summer 2021
Table of Contents
SPRING/summer 2021 Why Jewish Education Is More Important Than Ever
1–3
4–15
Life at Schechter
Features
letter from Rebecca lurie
education is the lever: an interview with Dr. jonah hassenfeld
this is schechter
what we're taking with us
Writing and Photography
Stephanie Fine Maroun, Assistant Director of Adnmission
Contributing Photographers
Heidi Aaronson ’96, Rachel Kornreich, Julie Krasker, Maura Richards
Design
Joel Sadagursky
Printing
Puritan Capital We have made every effort to ensure accuracy. Please contact: schechterstories@ssdsboston.org.
16–24 Interviews instrumental: darren ruch ’97 ready role models: isabelle folkman ’19 Yael Margolis ’19 kayla weissmann ’19 walk the walk: ben bryer ’11 america the beautiful: annie davis ’08
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26–33
Schechter Spirit Shop
Class Notes Arnold Zar-Kessler Outstanding Alumni Award Rachel Chiel Katz ’97
School Photo
125 Wells Avenue Newton, MA 02459 617-928-9100 | ssdsboston.org
a letter from Rebecca
Shalom friends, I write to you as we approach the summer with feelings of hope, relief and deep pride. It goes without saying that this has been an extraordinary school year. I am thrilled to say, “We did it!” The key word here is “we” because running school during a pandemic has been an all-out, vigilant communal effort that has required courage and commitment from every single student, parent, faculty and staff member. If there were ever proof of the fact that we are better together, this is it. We created uplifting and colorful wayfinding under the leadership of artist and parent Tova Speter. Facilities Manager Dan Brenn and Assistant to the Head for Strategic Projects Judy Flad measured every space on both campuses to determine physical distancing capacities. Our community rallied around and welcomed 95 new students and their families who, in many cases, started at Schechter in September without ever being able to tour or visit the building. Faculty mastered novel, innovative ways of teaching while making sure our students felt safe, engaged and loved amidst so many changes.
workers. Devoted parent volunteers spent hours online booking vaccination appointments for teachers and surprising faculty and staff with goodies, packaged lunches and other treats to show appreciation. It is impossible to acknowledge every contribution, every sacrifice and every moment when we had to figure out how to do this, regroup, reimagine and keep going. I am grateful and in awe of what we have achieved together for our students and ourselves. At the same time we recognize the hard work and resources upon which we have been able to draw throughout the pandemic, we must remember those who have been lost and the devastating hardships faced by so many students, people and communities across the globe. May we all heal and move forward steadily to better days. L’shalom,
Rebecca Lurie, Head of School
Parent Association Co-Chairs Sydney Gross and Shirah Rosin hosted innumerable virtual parenting lectures, cooking classes, happy hours and coffee schmoozes. Current parent and advising physician, Dr. Sabrina Vineberg, and Nurses Lori Duhaime and Kaylee Brazell have served as our own frontline
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This Is
Schechter Middle Division Language Arts students have won awards and received recognition in both national and local contests.
1,000
$
raised by the annual Intermediate Division Tzedakah Read-a-thon to support the Boston Foundation’s COVID-19 relief efforts in and around the city. Students also made an equal contribution to Feed the Fight Boston, a nonprofit program that has enabled local restaurants to provide meals to health care workers and other first responders during the pandemic.
43
Schechter alumni who are current parents
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National WordMaster Grade 6: 2nd in the nation Analogy Test Competition Grade 7: 6th in the nation Grade 8: 4th in the nation 11 Middle School students received perfect 20/20 scores Statewide Letter to an Author 2 out of 5 Honors were granted to contest sponsored by the Schechter sixth-graders Center for the Book Will McDonough 1st Place – the sixth time a Schechter Sports Writing Contest student has won this contest 2nd Place Honorable Mention
In partnership with StormPort Productions, students in Grade 8 created three fictional, interrelated short films featuring an original soundtrack, songs and artwork. One of the films included a documentary depicting behindthe-scenes footage from the first two films and the broader experience of being eighth-graders during COVID-19.
140+ students participated in a school-sponsored Hanukkah scavenger hunt around Newton on a 60ºF Sunday in December.
5.4% increase to 430 students
Hebrew Senior Life residents have joined Lower School students by Zoom for Shabbat Shira, Schechter’s joyful, weekly singalong every Friday.
Schechter Parent Simon Rabinovitch, Associate Professor of History at Northeastern University, delivered a lecture, "Communities in Motion: A Brief History of Jewish Migration to and Within Boston,” to almost 100 members of the Schechter community over Zoom. Simon discussed how, when and why Jews came to Boston and the reasons that Jewish neighborhoods within the city have moved over time. He also talked about how he worked with his students at Northeastern to create a website and digital tools that help visualize both Jewish and black shared spaces in Boston and Jewish migration within Massachusetts.
95
new students ages 15 months through Grade 8
18
eighth-grade students took the National Spanish Exam. 5 earned a Silver Medal 5 earned a Bronze Medal 3 earned Honorable Mention
Prayer is water Moving through the mind And swishing through the body Prayer is rock Staying with you Holding you down or, Skipping across Prayer is time Bringing you back Pushing you forward Prayer is community Helping you through the hard times Moving you through the good The best parts of your life are Prayer By Liza Scott ‘23 Part of the Prayer Project for Grade 6 Tanakh
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features
Education Is the Lever Introducing Dr. Jonah Hassenfeld
This past summer, Dr. Jonah Hassenfeld, stepped into the newly created role of Director of Learning and Teaching. In addition to a broad, dynamic portfolio ranging from overseeing Schechter’s new educational structure beginning in the 2021-2022 school year to collaborating and pioneering with faculty members in Schechter’s ongoing pursuit of “no limit to better,” Jonah runs a weekly Current Events class and makes a point to visit as many classrooms as he can every day. Jonah and his wife, Ziva, have three children at Schechter, Amal (Kindergarten), Tehila (Pre-Kindergarten) and Moshe (Gan Shelanu). Let’s get to know him better. What is your background? I grew up in Newton and went to Maimonides, then the New Jewish High School before it was Gann Academy. I’ve always loved teaching. When I was in 10th grade, I had to propose an independent project, and I knew I wanted to teach history somewhere. I found a teacher at Maimonides who said I could come into her classroom
Everything we do should be in the service of our students. Every single decision we make.
What does the Director of Teaching and Learning do? The Director of Learning and Teaching works with the professional leadership team, faculty, instructional coaches, learning specialists and counselors to formulate and implement a vision for learning and teaching. The director is the architect of a shared vision among faculty about the pedagogical and curricular approach to learning and teaching at Schechter. This role champions a culture of reflective practice and teacher leadership throughout the school while also measuring student outcomes, managing Schechter’s approach to support services and continually evaluating our school program. The director partners with stakeholders including faculty, students, parents and administrators in their shared passion for children and education.
and teach for a week. It was just a super fun experience. Then, I worked as a counselor and in youth groups, but it was never just a summer job for me. It was about the real joy of seeing someone grow whether it was intellectually or emotionally. That, to me, was the most amazing thing. Can you talk about your early days of teaching? When I was an undergraduate at Columbia, I got involved in different types of educational work. I taught a GED class at a court in midtown Manhattan for juvenile offenders who wanted to avoid short jail time. The program offered these young people the chance to earn their GED instead. I ended up coaching them on resume writing and how to do a job interview. I got very close to the students in that class. I have always believed that education is the only thing that can make the world better. Education has to be the lever. That’s how the world becomes different. After I finished college, I joined the New York City Teaching Fellows. I taught fifth grade at a public school
in New York City. It was a hard experience. I was 22, had no formal training and it was an under-resourced school. That experience made me question whether it makes sense to take the least trained teachers and give them really challenging school environments. That experience forced me to ask myself, ‘Whom do I want to educate? Where can I make the biggest difference?’ I realized that before I go into someone else’s community, I had to look at my own community, the Jewish community. I think this idea that when we do service, we have to go away to another community isn’t necessarily right. I want the young American Jews whom I teach to be able to go out into the world and be able to be kind, sophisticated members of their communities. That ultimately led me to being a teacher at Gann where I taught history. I then went back to graduate school and earned a Ph.D. at Stanford University before coming here to Schechter.
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Schechter’s New Organizational Structure Beginning in the 2021-2022 Academic Year This fall, Schechter will debut a progressive and forward-thinking model of distributed leadership. We believe that teachers need support from a direct supervisor and a team of colleagues to help them reflect on and continually improve their practice. Faculty members will be part of at least one dynamic and collaborative team to help us create structures in service of each and every student. This new model is composed of the incoming Director of Student Experience, Team Leads and Grade Heads, a Support Team, Grades 6-8 STEM Team Lead, working groups in Arts and Athletics as well as subject area coordinators. Team Leads will supervise a cluster of grade-level teachers, partnering with them on professional development plans, regularly visiting their classrooms to observe, model and think through lessons together. We are galvanized by this culture of shared responsibility as we move forward to develop learning goals across the curriculum and build a shared vision of the overall Schechter experience.
What excited you about this job and what do you feel it brings to Schechter’s educational structure? The thing that brought me here was the job posting. It showed a school that was thinking about education in interesting ways and not just saying, ‘We know how this is done and we’re going to keep doing it this way,’ but a place that wanted to be on the forefront of what education is really about. I had stepped away from the classroom when I was in grad school and I thought maybe I would be an educational researcher. But, the magic happens in the classroom. I love the way my job connects the 30,000-foot strategic vision with the everyday of what’s happening on the ground. I teach a Current Events class and it’s one of the highlights of my week because it helps me remember that teaching is really hard. You make a promise when you’re a teacher that you’re going to give people wisdom. That’s a big responsibility! What are some of the core philosophies that drive you? My teaching philosophy is that every single child can be taught anything at some level. We should not ever think that something is too hard for a student. I think a lot about the example of ‘What does calculus look like in first grade?’ I think that we have to believe that’s possible. It’s just a question of what that looks like. I try to listen to kids, I think about what they want and need to learn and then it’s my job to help make that happen.
Tell us about some of your favorite “aha” moments at Schechter so far. I don’t know what Schechter is like in a normal year. So many schools are just trying to tread water this year or even not fall back. It’s inspiring that we are a school still trying new things and still trying to move forward in exciting ways even during a pandemic. One of the things that has been most energizing was working with Marla Quinn (Grade 1 General Studies) and Maya Pariser (Grade 3 General Studies) to rethink our literacy curriculum. We would brainstorm and have all these ideas and then the next day, they would be trying our ideas out with their classes. This is what’s different about a school versus almost any other kind of context. It’s almost like being at a Silicon Valley design firm. If you have an idea, you can try it out the next day and then you learn from it. I think what holds schools back is when people say, ‘Oh, we have to wait until next year.’ Try it this year! This is all part of a bigger idea about trying new approaches. We identify an obstacle and then we just come up with something that we want to try. We are able to think about the educational opportunities that we come across and how we can look at as many moments as possible as teachable moments.
What is the best part of your day? I try every day to walk through every classroom in whatever building I’m in, sometimes for just two minutes. I’m not always successful, but the times that I can do it, it’s definitely the best part of my day. I remember there was one day I walked around and, in one eighth-grade classroom, kids were debating what, if any, restrictions on voting rights should ever be allowed. Then I walked down the hall and I was in a fourthgrade Hebrew classroom and they were talking about Natan Sharansky and what it means to stand up for liberty. Then I walked into Music and David Schockett (Grades 4-8 Music Specialist) and his class were having a techno-dance party. So, just imagine getting to see those three things within a span of six minutes. It’s really amazing. What are some other aspects of this job that compel you? I think new teacher induction is a growth opportunity for Schechter. The first time you’re in charge of your own classroom, there’s a lot to think about. Graduate school doesn’t really prepare you for the reality of being the adult in the room with fifteen kids. This year, our Learning Specialist, Barbara Edwards, is coaching some of our new teachers. She meets with them weekly, creates a professional development plan and follows up with them. What excites you about this new organizational structure? The job of a principal means being responsible for so many different things including all the operations, communication, teaching and learning. No human being could really do all of those things perfectly. Teasing those apart a little bit means that we can focus on our vision of great learning, actually ask those questions and make sure
that we have enough time to really think about that and put it into action.
creating a space where those conversations can happen, I can facilitate that vision becoming reality.
Weaving in and out of classrooms for two minutes is one thing, but if you really want to help someone become a better teacher, you have to see them teach a lot. I think the number of hours that teachers will have to collaborate with colleagues around them to improve their practice is something that is really powerful. I also love the idea that the person who is your supervisor is shoulder to shoulder with you, teaching with you side by side.
What are a couple of things that you think make good teaching and learning? Good teaching starts from the question of who you want your students to be and become. We should ask, ‘What kind of children do we want them to be? What kind of grown-ups do we want our students to be?’ And then we need to make sure that everything we do with them serves those goals.
It’s inspiring that we are a school still trying new things and still trying to move forward in exciting ways even during a pandemic. Your role is new for the school. What do you think this role brings to Schechter? Ultimately, everything we do should be in the service of our students. Every single decision we make. That’s everything from what the schedule is, to what teachers do in their classrooms, to what books we use. And learning includes both the emotional and the intellectual. You can’t really have one without the other. I see my job as working together with all of the different stakeholders to craft a really compelling vision of what great learning looks like and then to make that a reality. I know that I don’t have all the answers, but I know that I have a lot of questions. So, by asking those questions, and
For instance, we want students to be able to express themselves in an articulate and precise way. To do that, you need to be exposed to a lot of different kinds of words. You need to practice using those words. We need to ask ourselves, ‘With this assignment, what am I trying to prepare my students to be?’
Our approach to math as a school has changed. Sure, you have to know your multiplication tables. Being able to calculate is valuable, but math is also a way of thinking that kids are going to use throughout their lives and they have to be given a chance to do that kind of thinking when they’re in school. I’ll give you an example. I saw a lesson recently in which a teacher put a picture of a cube up on the board with all the dimensions of the cube labeled. The teacher said, ‘I want you to tell me everything you can about this cube.’ That was the launch of the class and I thought it was such an interesting way of telling students, ‘You’re here to discover. You’re not here to do rote problems even though sometimes you might have to do that, but, ultimately, this is about discovery.’
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We thought the focus would continue to be on distance between desks and mask wearing, but pretty soon we realized, ‘We're learning!’ —amy newman, Grade 8 tanakh
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features
What We’re Taking with Us There will come a time when we are on the other side of this.
“This,” of course, is the COVID-19 pandemic. If you talk to Director of Jewish Life and Learning Rabbi Ravid Tilles, he will tell you that this is not unprecedented and this is not the worst thing that the Jewish people have faced and that this is not a reason to stop doing everything we do and throw up our hands. And while this is not specifically a Jewish problem, we, as a Jewish day school community, have had to formulate a response and solutions in order to find our way during and through the past year. In fact, Jewish education is more important now than ever. Rabbi Tilles turns to Kohelet “[which] talks about how there is nothing new under the sun. You might think this is new, but there is nothing new happening. It’s all about perspective. We are living through an extremely difficult time in our lives, for sure,
but the beauty of Judaism is that it reminds us of the long arc of Jewish history and Jewish existence. In thousands of years, there have been much greater challenges than this. We can’t stay stuck or write this off as a lost year.” Indeed, this unforgettable experience has offered revelations that otherwise might never have reached our consciousness or the daily reality about who we are, how we work and learn best. To keep our school open and support each other, we have been forced to look within, beyond the obvious plexiglass partitions and masks, programmatic limitations, innumerable cases of hand sanitizer and social distancing markings on the floor. This has been a time for a reckoning about the things we thought we needed and where the opportunities lie to remake ourselves and grow.
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We can't wait to get back to normal, but there is a lot we're taking with us when we get to the other side.
Embedded in Jewish life is an immutable instinct to move forward and summon our history of tough self-reliance and communal solidarity. School is not solely about academic learning, but offers comfort and sustenance through structure and social and emotional engagement alongside the rhythms of Jewish life and ritual. Put simply, our students observe and take cues from adults who model flexibility and normalcy. Amy Newman teaches Grade 8 Tanakh and is a current parent of three children, two already at Schechter. “I approach this as a teacher and a parent. Last summer, we were building a plan to be in person, but we weren’t sure what we were walking into. Would the kids learn? What about their mental health and socializing? We thought the focus would continue to be on distance between desks and mask wearing, but pretty soon we realized, ‘We’re learning!’” Over the past several years, faculty members had invested extensive time and planning hours to make tefillah (prayer) more meaningful and relevant for Middle Schoolers. From the beginning it was clear that convening together, singing and praying as a group would not be possible. Amy recounts, “For the first few weeks of school, we tried hard to make the old model for eighth grade doable with the new restrictions. Basically, make the old model work under new circumstances inside or outside on
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the field. We tried to pray together as a community through Zoom. We would Zoom to other cohorts, but the effort was too high and the impact too low.” Letting go of the old model of a congregation and leader and temporarily tabling many of the new changes that had been undertaken were disappointing and frustrating realizations. “There was heartbreak in letting go of the huge work we had done, but we had to put it aside and reinvent. We had to come up with a new way to pray and turn inward more. This allowed us to recognize that the things we took for granted and thought were fixed are not. We must be flexible, open and expand our gates. A year ago, we would have said that one of the main goals of tefillah is to do tefillah. Now, we say the goal is not necessarily the service, but the goal is to connect with each other or with tefillah or something spiritual in a way that is meaningful, deep or joyful.” To that end, Grade 8 Language Arts Teacher Rachel Katz offered a way to tap into students’ natural, good-spirited competitiveness by developing a new model for tefillah that would be completely experiential. Replete with a giant barometer, a point system and prize catalog (every cohort chose fairy lights for their classroom!), students are immersed in tefillah challenges that range from making a tefillah commercial or Shema jingle, translating a prayer into their own words or creating dance and jazzercise routines set to a prayer, to name only a few of the original, inventive options.
I like that everyone learned how to stay positive and have hope during this year. I think that's a good feeling we should keep. —jacob rubin, Grade 3
Amy reflects, “Middle Schoolers are increasingly aware of what’s going on in the world, separate from their parents. Jewish learning and rituals are always both academic and personal and can give us a framework for understanding our experiences. As Jewish educators, a lot of people talk about adult Jewish life and needing to know things for when our students are adult Jews. We’re selling Jewish learning short by saying this. Kids need it now! It totally matters now and doing it now matters. We want to give kids meaning now. You’re Jewish today, you’re Jewish right now.” Reinventing traditional concepts of classroom space were perhaps the greatest, hardest-won adaptations. How could we manipulate our expertise, address vulnerabilities, accept limits and recognize new avenues for learning? We created Schechter@Home, the Zoom-based platform we used from March through June of 2020 and to which we pivoted and returned periodically throughout the year when necessary. Before opening in September, we tackled major physical changes to our indoor classroom spaces which were complemented by staking and marking spaces on both campus fields to create discrete outdoor classrooms. We established new thresholds and schedules for being outside: 20° or above for recess and 40º above for snack, lunch or even class. Students found themselves connecting from their own bedroom at home
with their teachers and classmates or sitting on yoga mats in the parking lot for math or Language Arts or Hebrew. Ziva Hassenfeld is the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Assistant Professor in Education and Jewish Studies at Brandeis University and the parent of three current students. She partnered with teacher Sondra Kaminsky who has led a cohort of fully remote Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 2 students all year. Ziva describes her research and teaching as “all in service of this incredible moment in life, childhood. Children learn at a dizzying pace. If we have the privilege of slowing down, we can see how children do this and understand how to support them with increased sophistication. That’s the goal of my research.” Ziva and Sondra developed a unit on Torah for Pre-Kindergarten and first-grade students that served as a perfect microcosm and lens for the amalgam of remote, synchronous Jewish learning. Ziva offers, “The goal is not just to absorb discreet, transient Jewish knowledge, but to embody this and make it a way of thinking in life. Jewish learning is not about filling vessels. “Learning on Zoom isn’t just switching the classroom,” Ziva adds. “You can’t recreate a classroom on Zoom. It forced us to realize the ways in which we rely on physical structures to convey expectations. The organization of a space conveys educational purpose, values
It was delightful to have some of our students’ relatives from Israel join us for our Friday Shabbat program. This will be a great way for busy parents to be able to spend a little time in the classroom by reading a book over Zoom. —Julie Krasker, Dagim teacher
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We are a school that supports individual passion. In the middle of all the difficulties of COVID-19, we suddenly had access to amazing learning opportunities, resources and teachers. —Penina Magid, Director of Innovation and Enrichment
and power. School depends on some level of expectations and conformity to function, but where is conformity necessary and where is it not? It was a very powerful experience.” Ziva turns to the fascinating concept of the “porous classroom” which stretches and challenges notions of traditional, physical learning spaces and, in the process, reimagines the proverbial four walls of the classroom. She notes, “[that] children are full of resources and expectations. They don’t have walls up. What is incredible in the porous boundaries of Zoom is what we do bring into the classroom. Everyone is a whole person and whole lives come into the Zoom classroom. It’s much harder to take a deficit perspective towards any student when peering into their lives. This is a good thing. The goal is to view every student with a generous and transformative perspective. It’s an amazing phenomenon to recognize that we can’t go back. We have learned to exist in a whole new world.” Indeed, Zoom and remote learning can potentially broaden understanding of the contexts of students’ lives and, therefore, the students themselves. Despite being forced on us by the pandemic, this novel window should be part of a larger eyeopening moment in time that prompts us to reenvision how differences can be fanned and nurtured and what that means for the definition of success. All of this dovetails well with Penina Magid’s philosophies. As Director of Innovation and Enrichment, Penina oversees the Middle School elective program. She spent the summer of 2020
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taking stock of Schechter’s usual broad and varied offerings and pivoting to the reality of delivering safe, robust and engaging elective choices during COVID-19 that would still speak to students’ curiosities and exuberance. Penina doubled down on developing classes, thinking big and thinking elastically about what would be possible for the upcoming school year in which students would be physically at school while electives would be delivered remotely. “We are a school that supports individual passion,” Penina says. “In the middle of all the difficulties of COVID, we suddenly had access to amazing learning opportunities, resources and teachers. I had to figure out whom I could access remotely that I normally couldn’t. How could I create real learning opportunities and resources for the kids? How could students tap into their own leadership abilities? It was important to create a structure that was adaptable to each student.” Independent Studies have proven to be both opportune and exciting for Middle Schoolers. Through weekly meetings over Zoom with mentors, students honed their ideas into sophisticated, tangible projects with a time frame and deliverables. With the support of Grade 7 Social Studies faculty member Jennifer Curren, students Orly Bolan and Naomi Stoll dove into weighty research on Black Lives Matter and civil rights. They developed a class on white privilege which they taught over Zoom to the sixth-graders during the school day.
Our kids know what we’re doing is a big deal, they get it. —Rabbi Tilles
A group of nine boys formed a Minecraft Middle School Design Independent Study. Under the guidance of experts including architects, mentors from the Pratt School of Design in New York and current parent and architect Varda Lis whose son, Alon, was part of the class, the boys designed prototypes for an ideal Middle School building which they shared with Head of School Rebecca Lurie. Ilan Newman launched into an Independent Study on Gemarrah while classmate Evelyn Edwards drafted a family tree and history. Penina notes that students were expected to demonstrate progress. “It was important for the kids to showcase their work to a panel, answer questions, present again and, ultimately, prepare a final project to share with the community.” Penina found a wealth of remote options that had never been available in the past. “I had wanted to do film forever, but I couldn’t get a great film company to come to school for a one-hour class. I found a film school in New York, Cinema Kidz, that has been a phenomenal partner with whom we will continue to work. I had also wanted a serious coding program with advanced goals. We found a fantastic company with a very rigorous and individualized approach. Teachers view all the students’ screens as they are working. We will continue to offer coding remotely and we’re going to expand this program going forward.” Penina wondered how she would exhibit students’ artwork and discovered Kunsmatrix through which she created an online gallery tour of student
work. Family members and grandparents from near and far have been able to “walk” through the interactive 3-D online gallery as never before. “We have hit our stride,” adds Rabbi Tilles. “The notion that we can engage at a high level over Zoom has opened up far-reaching opportunities. It has shown us the possibilities of what we can do. For Ani Ma’amin, the Grades 4-8 NPR-style This I Believe series, we have had a pool of speakers from all over our country in a way that is unparalleled. We had a first responder, a friend of mine who is an EMT. We had someone speak on the Paris Climate Agreement and a member of John Kerry’s State Department, Elan Strait, speak to the kids on Tu B’Shevat.” So, here we are, at the end of a full school year filled with examples of triumphs, changes, possibilities, restrictions and, most of all, a commitment to each other that is nothing short of permanent glue. This unwelcome journey has taught us a lot and reminded us of just as much. We are strong, connected, creative and willing. “Things have been lost,” Rabbi Tilles will say, “but things have been gained. It feels normal now and the students are with friends. We will have a net positive after this year and next year, school will be even better. Our kids know that what we are doing is a big deal, they get it.” This matters more than ever.
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I was overwhelmed by the maturity and appreciation my 8th-graders expressed when we returned to the classroom. This was likewise echoed by the thank yous from parents. It was a gift to be in person with my students despite all the steps we had to take to be together. They showed resilience as did the entire community. It brought us as a staff together, helping each other and listening to each other. —Ilyse Ehrenkranz, Grade 8 Social Studies, High School Placement and Subbing Coordinator
I have particularly enjoyed the bins that we have next to our desks. I liked that we could have all of those extra pencils and paper right next to us instead of outside the classroom in our lockers. —Annalise Hait ’22
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Being in a pod with such a small group of kids has made us all very close. When one of the students in Dubim saw the school pictures of each student in a composite class photo, she said, ‘Look! It’s our family!’ —Judi Boviard, Dubim teacher
I have loved spending so much time with our students outdoors for early drop-off, snack and lunch and hope we continue to embrace the outdoors as much as possible. —Rebecca Lurie, Head of School
SPRINg/summer 2021 | Schechter Stories 15 Photo Credit: Heidi Aaronson ’96
Instrumental
AN interview WITH
Darren Ruch ’97
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Classical trumpet, working in Djibouti, cyber security, speaking Hebrew and having a pilot’s license do actually go together if, that is, you are Darren Ruch. His current work supporting infrastructure for the Air Force combines much of what interests and drives him, but to understand a life and career so full of diverse and intercontinental choices and experiences, it is best to draw on Darren’s own words. “Anyone who knew me at Schechter knows I was obsessed with music and obsessed with airplanes.” Both of these passions appear, even overlap, from the early days of recitals at Schechter to Darren’s involvement in the music program at Newton South High School and his 2005 Bachelor’s Degree from the New England Conservatory of Music in classical musical performance and trumpet. During college, Darren explains, “9/11 had happened. I had little exposure to the broader world, foreign policy and what was going on in the world. So, I decided that if I did not have a major job after college, I would complete one small contract in the military and see how it went.
“I had met someone in college who had his pilot’s license. I was asking him about flying all the time and one day, he finally said to me, ‘Why don’t you just get your pilot’s license?’” After graduating from the Conservatory, Darren joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard where he stayed from 20052013. “It had not occurred to me to just go do it, to go get my pilot’s license. I am privately instrument rated which means I can fly through weather. I keep my head down and just focus on the instruments. I don't look out the airplane windshield.” A frontier and professional journey were unfolding in front of Darren. “I just loved everything about it. I learned a lot and my eyes were opened. It was a whole different language and element from what we read in the news, most of which is not even covered in generic news outlets. I really wanted to understand what was happening behind the scenes. People think they know what's going on, but now I am one of the ones who does know what’s going on.” Darren was soon off to varied, exotic assignments in counter-terrorism. Darren recalls his work at the US Embassy in Jordan for five months in 2008 as part of the Military Assistance Program, a liaison office between the United States and Jordanian militaries that supports Jordan’s ability to grow its military and build effective defense programs that aid in stabilizing the region. “I had gone back and forth to Israel a few times to visit family and was struck over and over about the similarities between Arab and Jewish culture. My whole Schechter education came into play because of the Hebrew and also because Schechter
Schechter was pivotal for me. I found a knowledge that I have always carried with me and which enabled me to make decisions appropriately. —darren ruch ’97
taught me to be empathetic, to have true understanding for other people. I became very friendly with a Jordanian officer who could not believe I was Jewish because it was the first time he had worked in such a cooperative relationship before.” Darren returned home, living in D.C. for several years in between foreign posts before being deployed to Djibouti in 2014 in support of Special Operations. Jetting back to the States after that assignment, Darren took a diplomatic job with an Australian exchange program, the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization, which is part of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, an Australian exchange program that ultimately dispatched him abroad for a year in Australia to focus on ongoing counter-terrorism work. In 2018, Darren was sent to South Korea with Special Operations to support exercises on military situations that invoke weapons of mass destruction. While Darren is not always able to reveal many details about his work, it is a fitting testament to his college-age wish to know what is really going on behind the scenes. Darren’s current rank is Major in the US Air Force Reserve with a title of Senior Plans Officer. He clarifies that “[both] the Guard and Reserves are components of the Air Force. In the Air Force Reserve, I always report to the President of the United States
as my Commander in Chief. In the Guard, my Commander in Chief is the Governor of Massachusetts, unless I am activated to support the federal force. So, in 2007, I was in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, but got activated – reporting to the President – for a deployment to Iraq. When I returned to Massachusetts from that deployment, I then returned to supporting the state and governor.” Darren adds that he has flown some “pretty cool aircraft which is lots of fun,” but is nonetheless glad his current work is on the ground at Hanscom Air Force Base as a Technical Advisor. Darren credits his experience with diverse people in helping him to understand how defense enterprises work. “Being in defense can mean so many things. There is a lot of job stability, but it all comes down to the people. The government is a huge bureaucracy and is very complicated. There are a lot of personality types.” Darren praises Schechter for giving him a solid understanding of Jewish culture and Judaism which served as a guiding foundation for making choices throughout his life. “Schechter was pivotal for me. I found a knowledge that I have always carried with me and which enabled me to make decisions appropriately. When I am working with Department of Defense army commanders, for instance, I give them information and might share what I think should happen without being prescriptive. I can advocate for a course of action, but it is not my call. I learned to think on my own and not just go with the flow. It’s why I am sending my kids to Schechter. Schechter won’t dictate religion or how they should act, but it will give them the knowledge to make their own decisions.”
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Ready Role Models AN interview WITH
Isabelle Folkman ’19 Yael Margolis ’19 Kayla Weissmann ’19 Students for Social Justice is the brainchild of three recent alumni, Isabelle Folkman, Yael Margolis and Kayla Weissmann, who have come together to found an impressive program. The free monthly online classes are geared towards third- through fifth-graders and cover a range of topics from feminism and environmentalism to racial injustice, LGBTQIA acceptance and mental health. “Over the summer of 2020, during the pandemic, my parents and I were talking about how I should start a community service initiative,” Yael explains. “I remembered my 8th-grade Feminist Club at Schechter with Rabbi Rebecca Weinstein. It got me thinking about the importance of teaching issues to kids at a young age. So, I texted my Schechter people.” Isabelle and Kayla quickly came on board and the three tossed ideas back and forth about what to be and whom to teach while knowing that their project would somehow focus on social justice. Isabelle notes that “[it] was lots of fun and we had so many ideas. We had to put the puzzle pieces together, and we had to make sure our ideas were viable and not so big that we couldn’t make them happen. We knew we wanted to teach young kids about things that are important.” Scraps of paper with notes of names, colors and fonts soon materialized and by the time the trio had conceptualized the name and logo of their program, they had a keen sense of their direction. Despite a long “To Do List” of things to figure out, Isabelle, Yael and Kayla were ready to begin recruiting volunteers. The program was intentionally based online not only to bypass the limitations
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of COVID-19, but to broaden participation among volunteers and eventual students. In fact, volunteers signed on from Texas, Hawaii, California and even Rome after the team listed Students for Social Justice on internsforgood.com, a clearinghouse where nonprofits can post internships. Along with volunteers, the young women jumped head on into curriculum development while Yael also designed and launched the website. “There are three lessons a month and we had to come up with a topic for each month. Kids can sign up one month at a time and choose any topic,” says Kayla. “We chose immigration first. We included videos, discussion, definitions of words like ‘green card’ and ‘visa,’ and students were asked to interview someone they know who immigrated and create a project around the interview.” December centered on the timely theme of government and the recent election. “We covered presidential duties, what the electoral college is and how an election is run, how we vote and why it is important.” The first month, five students enrolled, then more than double that number joined on the next month. Over time, the goal is for Students for Social Justice to grow and reach a more diverse group of students. While Yael serves as the go-to person and the Director of Communications, Kayla works with the volunteer counselors who create curriculum in her role as Director of Teaching and Learning. All the while, Isabelle, as Director of Outreach, zeroes in on social media and promoting the program to prospective students. Isabelle adds, “We want to be able to educate kids and cover topics they might not learn at school. We want these ideas to stick with them their whole lives and open their minds.” With strong infrastructure and over twenty high school volunteers, they are well poised to expand. All three young women agree that the program “somehow works.” Actually, far more than that. Students for Social Justice is a powerful, much-needed voice in a world that is ever more complicated and marked by continuous change. The challenges facing young children as they try to understand and navigate choices, questions and feelings necessitate the dynamic, safe and inclusive leadership and guidance that drives the group’s mission. While Isabelle, Yael and Kayla are just young enough to be relevant and relatable peer models for their students, they possess and have deployed uncommon maturity and wisdom. The topics they have chosen to tackle are current, even controversial in some cases, revealing their courageous and confident readiness to face the complex and critical education of young thinkers. To learn more or enroll your 3rd-5th grader, please go to: https://www.studentsforsocialjustice.org
I remembered my 8th-grade Feminist Club at Schechter with Rabbi Rebecca Weinstein. It got me thinking about the importance of teaching issues to kids at a young age. So, I texted my Schechter people. —Yael Margolis ’19
Isabelle Folkman ’19 Director of Outreach
Students for Social Justice
Yael Margolis ’19 Director of Communications
Our Vision is to create a more just and equitable future by educating elementary school students about social justice issues in an engaging and meaningful way. Our Mission is to provide our students with the tools and resources they need to learn about and understand current issues, and to help
Kayla Weissmann ’19 Director of Teaching and Learning
them grow to be socially responsible individuals and leaders of change in their own communities. By fostering an inclusive, supportive, and diverse space, we hope to cultivate a welcoming and judgment-free learning environment with room for everyone's unique voice. studentsforsocialjustice.org
SPRINg/summer 2021 | Schechter Stories 19
Walk the Walk an interview with
Ben Bryer ’11 “As the son of immigrants, I have always felt that there is so much to be explored and learned. All of my life experiences affect how I see the world. I gain empathy by going to the people, speaking their language, talking and shaking hands, eating their food.” This perspective, along with an astute philosophy of his place in the world, have driven Ben Bryer's educational, volunteer and professional choices. “It is how I try to be a better citizen, but this only happens when I leave my comfort zone.” After graduating from Gann Academy in 2015, Ben enrolled at the University of Maryland where he excelled in hard and social sciences. He felt as if he were always taking ‘intro’ classes and questioned what path to take. During a fateful “Introduction to Public Health” class, however, Ben realized he had finally landed on the right mixture of his interests and turned to studying the social, psychological and educational determinants of health. During the second semester of his junior year, Ben embarked on the bold and consequential Public Health, Gender and Community Action program with the School for International Training (SIT) Study Abroad in New Delhi, India. The program focused on weighty and persistent issues of public
health, gender disparities, femicide, LGBTQ rights, diarrhea, infectious and chronic diseases, among others. Ben immediately began conversational Hindi classes. “It was important for me to be able to ask basic questions of people on the street, make people feel comfortable and relate to them in their own language.” He recalls that being a foreigner in India provoked curiosity and attention. He was often stopped and asked for selfies or people would sit next to him on the bus and request his number. “It was a humbling experience to feel that empathy and connect with people in Hindi. Learning the language helped to break down cultural barriers.” While in India, Ben undertook a month-long research project on the grueling lives of cycle rickshaw drivers in Varanasi. He interviewed seven men for the project in which he detailed their quality of life and social determinants of health. Ben explains, “The drivers’ main goal is to support their families. There is a tension between wanting a better life for their kids, but then worrying their kids will move up and onward and away from
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them. Their lives are so physically demanding that they cannot work long. They need their children to stay there to help them as they age, but their kids end up going to bigger cities and leaving home.” Ben returned home and graduated summa cum laude, receiving his B.S. in Community Health in 2019 and nabbing the Dean’s Scholar Award and Fraley Award, the highest undergraduate honor bestowed by the University of Maryland School of Public Health. As an undergraduate at Maryland, Ben was active in Hillel, the Alternative Breaks Program and Student Life. He was also chosen as a member of the Jewish Leadership Council as part of Hillel’s Board of Directors and relished leading trips to New Orleans that focused on criminal justice reform and mass incarceration as well as to Las Vegas to study systemic inequalities in education. During the summer after graduation, Ben embarked on a 13-month Medical Fellow Program with Global Public Service Academy in Guatemala. During his time in Central
The opportunity [at Schechter] to analyze rabbinic texts and have the types of conversations we had was unique for middle schoolers. —ben bryer ’11
America, he lived with a Spanish-speaking host family and was assigned to a local government primary health center where he supported the community health worker doing screenings and fairs, education in schools, vaccination campaigns and helped to lead high school volunteer trips. From the beginning, Ben had clear cut objectives. “I wanted to learn Spanish, do public health, not just learn about it, and travel. I knew from day one that I was there for myself. They did not invite me, they were not begging for my help. They were fine without me for 1,000 years and will be for another 1,000 years. Who am I to come in and change the community or the world and tell people what to do?” To that end, Ben embedded himself in the community with the goal of experiencing and learning rather than instructing. “I had to find my lane, find my place.” Ben’s position with the local government health center was transformative for him.
“My supervisor was a health technician and I followed her guidance. There were campaigns to get babies vaccinated and teach school children personal hygiene habits. It was fun to tag along, but I was not in charge. I followed the lead. I felt as if I were part of a community, not an outside trespasser. As my Spanish improved and their trust of me grew, I could take more initiative.” Ben soon acquired enough skills to take vital signs, screen residents of the rural community for vision, glucose, BMI and blood pressure. He was charged with going to the dollar store in town and using the clinical budget to buy as many reading glasses as possible in a variety of strengths. “Chronic issues such as diabetes and vision loss are all high. We had to make healthcare accessible, easy and cheap. It showed me that public health is about going to the people because they might not always seek it out.” Each of Ben’s choices has been guided by personal philosophies and inner clarity about purpose. “At Schechter, I loved the emphasis
on critical thinking which pushed me in ways I didn’t always recognize in the moment. The opportunity to analyze rabbinic texts and have the types of conversations we had was unique for middle schoolers.” Almost a year after having to leave Guatemala early because of COVID-19, Ben is preparing to attend graduate school this fall at the University of Washington in Seattle where he plans to earn a Master of Public Health and study epidemiology and global health. “When I think about my future as a health care worker, I want to be based in my own community where I have credentials and relevance.” In a world in which need grows and becomes more complicated almost by the day, Ben’s chosen field is inextricably vital, current and humanitarian. With hands-on experience under his belt and more study ahead, Ben will make his mark on communities close and communities far.
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America the Beautiful AN interview WITH
Annie Davis ’08
Talking to Annie Davis about her time as a park ranger, her current job in historical restoration or even being a history major at Johns Hopkins University is a conversation that ranges from one coast to the other, one century to the next, through familiar and unfamiliar communities. Annie’s breadth of experience is fascinating and unexpected. Starting in 2010, Annie spent her summers volunteering and then working at national parks. From the storied, cobblestone streets of the Freedom Trail and Adams National Historical Park in Quincy to Rocky Mountain Park, a summer at the Grand Canyon and then two post-college seasons at Shenandoah National Park, she has tread through history and nature to learn and lead others through so many of this country’s greatest treasures. It should not be surprising that Annie’s 2016 college senior thesis focused on Atlantic history. As she notes, “I like to say that Atlantic history is everything on both sides of the Atlantic, a little bit of the Pacific, from Pre-Columbus to 19th-century imperialism, colonialism and early Caribbean history.”
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Annie looks back on her park service years as an invaluable opportunity to connect with people from all over the country whether visitors or the local community. “I found the area around Shenandoah to be a real culture shock. Appalachia is very rural. People work so hard to make ends meet. They might work in the park for one season or, the next season, in a chicken processing plant if they’re lucky enough to have a job in the winter.” Annie’s understanding and respect for residents is real and unclouded. “Even though the partisan divide and rancor in this country feel very real to me, I get frustrated. I met lots of beautiful people who voted differently from me. People know each other, they say hello to each other and are incredibly generous. You don’t have the anonymity you find in a city.” Indeed, Annie’s time working in Appalachia offered broad human perspective. While park service itself reflects the sweep of history or the physical expanse of nature, it can be conversely limiting. Annie explains that the mission-driven, singular focus on
Being on your own on holidays means you can daven (pray) at your own pace. You are completely free of distractions in the woods. —annie davis ’08
preservation forestalled her experience in “the non-national park world” and, with it, an understanding of how “the rest of the world functions, how society works.” She explains, “Park service can have a narrow scope in the sense that is about preserving ecosystems or special historic sites. At the end of the day, it’s somewhat artificial in the sense that humans have always used the environment. There is always going to be erosion because people use trails and infrastructure.” Ultimately, Annie concluded it was time “to tear [herself] away from Shenandoah,” live in one place for more than the five or six months of park season and be able to practice Judaism. “It is very isolating to be a religiously observant Jew living in a national park. I kept kosher and made it a point to have my own little Shabbat dinner, do Shacharit.” Despite the loneliness of holidays, Annie points to a plus. “Being on your own on holidays means you can daven (pray) at your own pace. You are completely free of distractions in the woods.”
SPRINg/summer 2021 | Schechter Stories 23
I kept kosher and made it a point to have my own little Shabbat dinner, do Shacharit. —annie davis ’08
Back home, while working as a receptionist at a downtown law firm amidst the bustle of Boston, Annie wound down an alley behind Old City Hall on the way to the T one day. It was pure kismet. “I was behind Old City Hall,” Annie recalls. “I had never been back there, which is strange. I went into the lobby and was reading exhibit labels. One description mentioned an organization that had preserved a building back in 1970. The office was still there on the ground floor, so I knocked on the door at 4:45 in the afternoon. The president of the organization opened the door and I said, ‘Do you have a job?’” Six weeks, many writing samples and interviews later, Annie had a position with the Architectural Heritage Foundation. As a nonprofit real estate organization, the Architectural Heritage Foundation redevelops historic buildings, primarily and ideally in disinvested communities for the purpose of bringing vacant and deteriorating buildings back to modern use.
One such adaptive reuse project, the Charles River Speedway in Brighton, is nearing completion. The perfect captivating mix of history and conservancy, the building’s many reincarnations – an old DCR facility, the superintendent's office for the Charles River Reservation Upper Basin Metropolitan District Commission, an office, a jail, cow and horse stables – ended when it became vacant in 2005. Annie is proud of the foundation’s role in harnessing community consensus and support for the mixed-use facility which will bring economic development through food and beverage spots, space for events, artisans and nonprofit groups and a publicly accessible courtyard. Annie can easily identify the roots of her love affair with national parks. “My brother, Max ‘95, was more of the trailblazer and was a seasonal park ranger when he was in college. He would come home with incredible stories. When I was in fifth grade with [General Studies teacher] David Wolf, we went to the Freedom Trail. Max was working
Many people who hear the last name Davis will remember the family’s iconic CD’s, Carpools and Kippahs and Two Jews, Three Carpools. Ask Annie about it and she will say that she cannot resist a “shameless plug” for the legendary songs written by her mother, Linda, and featuring her siblings, Jimmy ’93,
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in the Charlestown Navy Yard and at the Bunker Hill Monument. He asked his boss to schedule him so that he would coincide with the field trip. I was the coolest kid there because we saw my brother, the park ranger, in his uniform. I liked history and public speaking, so I put two and two together.” Open and astute appreciation best defines Annie’s character and work. Appreciation for the magnificent landscapes where she has served. Appreciation for the ability to find and pursue an irresistible calling. Appreciation for not only who she is, but for the array of people she has known. “I think that maybe the thing I am most grateful to Schechter for is teaching that every Jew is a Jew. When you go out in life and you are in different communities, you meet people, people who are Jewish, people who are not, and you get a window into other perspectives, some of which are good and some of which are not. Schechter did a very good job encouraging a more pluralistic view.”
Max ’95 and Mirele ’99, when Annie was between the ages of six months and six years. “Listening to it now as an adult, I am very impressed with the quality of my Mom’s writing and creativity.” Go to Amazon iTunes, Spotify, Pandora and other platforms for these classics from the Schechter community.
a ppa r el
Schechter Boston Spirit Shop Grand Opening www.ssdsboston.org/spirit
ac ce s s or ie s
life s t y le
SPRINg/summer 2021 | Schechter Stories 25
Class Notes
2020 Seth Korn, Joshua Wolf and six friends from Newton South High School created an outdoor scavenger hunt in Newton and were featured in a Patch article. "We walked around Cold Spring Park, taking pictures to guide the people who would do the scavenger hunt. All you have to do is find where one picture is taken and you should be able to see where the next one is taken from. We had a lot of fun and you should all go and check it out!"
2019 Benjamin Schwartz and his brothers, Noah ’17 and Jordan (Grade 8), made special deliveries of snacks, drinks, Sudoku and word puzzles to people stuck at home during COVID-19.
2017 Eyal Arkin, David Carmel and a friend created Project Driveway which provides food to vulnerable residents. Samuel Bogomolni has been awarded the Thomas M. Menino Scholarship at Boston University which grants a four-year, full tuition scholarship to graduates of Boston public high schools on the basis of academic achievement, leadership and merit by a committee of representatives from Boston University, Boston Public Schools and the Boston Mayor’s Office. Samuel will be a freshman this fall. At Boston Latin School, he was a player in the advanced level in the school’s Junior Classical League classics competitions. He was also a member of the Boston Latin School’s Concert Choir and
plans to keep singing as well as continue his involvement in the Classical League when he is at Boston University. Additionally, Samuel was a student leader of the school's Young Men of Color group in which he met with other students of similar demographics to form a community. Outside of school, Samuel is a member of the Boston Racial Reconciliation and Healing Project, a group that helps bring young people together to work through racist structures in life.
2016 Shoshi Gordon received a Seal of Biliteracy from Massachusetts in Hebrew. Her parents, Ken and Lisa Gordon, add that “[they] credit Schechter with much of her achievement. [Shoshi] continued Hebrew lessons after graduating, but, without her Hebrew education at Schechter, she would not have earned this achievement. In fact, the Hebrew program at Schechter was one of the leading reasons we chose the school.”
2014 Jason Bryer is working with the Baltimore Orioles as a Marketing and Product Development Intern for the 2021 baseball season. He shares, “In this role I am researching, analyzing and developing marketing campaigns for the organization working alongside the marketing, advertising, product development and club initiatives teams to learn about their respective roles and help where needed.” Jason also moderated a lecture, Fan Engagement During the Pandemic with Maryland Athletics and Communications, sponsored by the University of Maryland Sports Business Conference for which Jason serves as the Marketing Contact for Wrestling.
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Josh Finkel is studying game design at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts where he will be a junior in the fall. “I have always loved using my art to express my creativity whether as a game designer or as a freelance artist. I am particularly drawn to the artistic medium of game design because game developers can create imaginary ‘worlds’ in which players can interact and explore. One of my games, Travis Trails and the Tale of the Treeteller’s Treasure, tells the story of an explorer named Travis Trails who must recover a stolen artifact and deliver it back to its rightful owner. I have loved creating stories ever since I was a student at Schechter. I fondly remember writing my own stories using class vocabulary words and writing comic books during my breaks and freetime to share with my classmates and teachers. My Schechter education is very much a part of my academic and professional work today. Most recently, my artwork was featured in a medical journal submitted by a doctor of Yale Medical School. Schechter’s nurturing of my confidence and art has been a strong foundation for taking my skills to the next level.” Elliot Kann had an internship from September 2020-January 2021 at Cornell University where he will be a senior in the fall. He worked for the Jet Propulsion Lab which is part of NASA. Hadas Maroun will be a senior at the University of Vermont this fall where she is majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Physical Activity Promotion in Children and Youth and minoring in Religious Studies. She will be a Student Site Leader for Fit Kids Psychology Course which includes working in person with elementary students in the Burlington, Vermont public school system. She also handles social media for Green
class notes
◄ jordan bickoff-elfman
Mountain Veggies, a group focused on plantbased health, environmental stewardship and animal rights.
2012 Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff graduated in June from Northwestern University in the Medill School of Journalism with a B.S. in Journalism and a double major in International Studies. “This past fall, I interned at The Texas Tribune on the economics beat, covering everything from government corruption to widespread unemployment in one of the country's most populous states. I also covered the election and coronavirus, interviewing local government and health officials to help Texans best keep up with this dizzying year.” Dan will be an intern at The Washington Post this summer before doing a research Fulbright grant in Germany this fall on the integration of Syrian refugee women and young adults. Mazal tov to Veronica Leifer on her graduation from Barnard College.
2011 Emma Starr has been accepted to the Masa Israel Teaching Fellowship in Israel for the 2021-2022 school year.
2009 Tirzah Maroun is Store Manager at Artist & Craftsman Supply in Cambridge, a national chain of quirky art supply stores. “In my free time, I am either making and selling jewelry or testing out all the neat supplies I buy from my job!”
2007 Mazal tov to Alyssa Bickoff and her husband, Daniel Elfman, on the birth of their son, Jordan. Elan Baskir has been awarded the Robert Kemper Award for Professionalism in Medicine at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine where he is a fourth-year medical student. The award is given to students who demonstrate uncommon compassion, altruism, professionalism and empathy as well as dedication to the ethical practice of the medical profession. Elan’s career goal is to provide longitudinal care for kids with chronic, complex illnesses.
2006
Benjamin Kasdan graduated last year with a Masters in Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Benjamin currently works as a Data Analysis Advisor at the United States Agency for International Development supporting HIV/AIDS work around the world.
2005 Mazal tov to Benjamin Jaeger and his wife, Dr. Alexandra Lucas, on the birth of their son, Asher Lucas. Mazal tov to Sara Miriam Liben on her marriage to Adam Margolis.
2004 Mike Dezube participated as a panelist in Schechter’s Alumni Speaker Series: Diving into the World of Healthcare and Medical Research. Mike is a Senior Data Scientist at Verily Life Sciences.
Mazal tov to Bradley Baskir and his wife, Aliza, on the birth of their daughter, Abigail. Bradley also hosted and moderated three Alumni Speaker Series events for Schechter in which alumni panelists speak with other alumni on career growth and networking.
2003
Mazal tov to Alanna Wolf and her husband, Herschel Singer, on the birth of their daughter, Razie Gita.
Mazal tov to Emily Jaeger and her wife, Rabbi Chaya Bender, on the birth of their daughter, Shlomtzion (Shlomi) Miryam Dvora Jaeger Bender.
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Class Notes Max Kinchen’s feature screenplay, GOLEM, based on the Jewish legend of the Golem of Prague, was recently named a quarter finalist in the Screencraft Screenwriting Fellowship and is currently in competition for the semifinals and finals rounds. Naomi Forman was a panelist on Schechter’s Alumni Speaker Series: Diving into the World of Jewish Leadership. Naomi is an English and Social Studies teacher at Hannah Senesh Community Day School in Brooklyn, NY.
2002 Jessica Leifer is the Senior Lead for Behavioural Science for the Government of Canada and lives in Toronto. Jessica notes, “We are very busy with COVID-19 response!” Mazal tov to Jonah Liben and his wife, Nofar Dadush, on the birth of their daughter, Gefen. Mazal tov to Benjamin Park and his wife, Kira, on the birth of their first child, a son named Gabriel. Gabriel is the grandson of Schechter Boston fourth-grade teacher Evie Weinstein-Park and former teacher, Dan Weinstein. David Micley ran for Newton City Council in the special election on March 16, 2021. David is currently the Director of Sales and Client Relations at Floating Point Group. Jacob Liberman was the grand prize silver winner in the 15th annual Solas Literary Awards for his publication, The House Within.
2001 Mazal tov to Leora Kling Perkins and her husband, Matthew Goldstone, on the birth of their daughter, Reena Hodaya Kling-Goldstone. Mia Schon was a finalist in an online Jewish arts and crafts reality show called “Expedition Maker.”
2000 Mazal tov to Joshua Goldstein and his wife, Traci, on the birth of their first child, Lev Brill Goldstein. Joshua was also a panelist on Schechter’s Alumni Speaker Series: Diving into the World of Jewish Leadership. Josh is the Sports and Leagues Director at the JCC of Dallas, Texas. Ariela Nurko is listed in the credits for the new movie – “big hit right now!” – called Soul. She does visual effects and was a rendering supervisor for the movie. Leah Forman participated as a panelist in Schechter’s Alumni Speaker Series: Diving into the World of Healthcare and Medical Research. Leah is a Statistical Programmer in Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health.
1999 Mazal tov to Anya Manning and her husband, Rafi Lehmann, on the birth of their second son, Shalev Sasson.
Mazal tov to Shana Simkin on her engagement to Matthew Shwachman.
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Mazal tov to Jackie Schon and her husband, Drew Pierce, on the birth of their second child, Siena. Mazal tov to Alison Silverman and her husband, Andrew Wolin, on the birth of their son, Matthew Felix. Gabe Teperow participated as a panelist in Schechter’s Alumni Speaker Series: Diving into the World of Business. Gabe is the Head of Corporate Sales, Northeast at Hubspot. Sophie Rosenbaum participated as a panelist in Schechter’s first Alumni Speaker Series: Diving into the World of Business. Sophie is the Senior Manager of Operations at Liberty Mutual Insurance.
1998 Mazal tov to Meechal Hoffman and her husband, Daniel May, on the birth of their son, Solomon May.
class notes
Mazal tov to Jona Ludmir and his wife, Yael May, on the birth of their third child, Maya Paz. Jona also participated as a panelist in Schechter’s second Alumni Speaker Series: Diving into the World of Healthcare. Jona is a Critical Care Cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Joseph Simons and his wife, Doreen, moved to Potomac, Maryland. Last year, Joseph was appointed to the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Washington, D.C. ACCESS Board.
Mazal tov to Alison Silverman and her husband, Andrew Wolin, on the birth of their son, Matthew Felix.
1991 Mazal tov to Jennifer Schockett and her husband, David Miller, on the birth of their third son, Eli Isaac. “We’re blissfully outnumbered!” shares Jennifer.
1996 Heidi Aaronson was named one of Boston Magazine’s “Boston’s Best Dentists” for the fourth year in a row. Liora Halperin has written her second book titled The Oldest Guard: Forging the Zionist Settler Past. It will be published by Stanford University Press in August 2021.
1995 Rabbi Max Davis was a panelist on Schechter’s Alumni Speaker Series: Diving into the World of Jewish Leadership. Max is the rabbi at Congregation Darchei Noam in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
Mazal tov to Avrom and his wife, Michelle Okon on the birth of their son, Zev Yosef, in July of 2020.
1985 Adina Astor participated as a panelist in Schechter’s first Alumni Speaker Series: Diving into the World of Business. Adina is the Principal of Adina Astor Consulting.
1984
1997 Josh Grodin participated as a panelsit in Schechter’s first Alumni Speaker Series: Diving into the World of Business. Josh is the Director of Cross Asset Electronic Trading at Wellington Management
1987
After 30 years serving in a variety of capacities as a Jewish educator at synagogues, camps and schools, Devora Fish has launched her own lifestyle event designer services and global movement for “uplifters.” After 15 years serving as a pulpit rabbi, Rabbi Ilana Garber became the Director of Global Rabbinical Development for the Rabbinical Assembly starting in July 2020. Rachel Gordon held a book club for Schechter grandparents titled “Gentlemen’s Agreement and Its Relevance Today” on February 11th. Rachel is an Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Florida.
Are you interested in Schechter’s alumni work and engagement?
1978 Naomi Golden and husband, Jeff, "launched" their twins last year and are officially empty nesters! Maya is in her second year at Bates College and Eli is an EMT and preparing for paramedic school. Naomi mentions, “In 2019 I left my 30+ years in retail and I bought a small business in Newton.”
We are always looking for Schechter alumni to assist with class reunions, events, class engagement or being a member of the Alumni Committee. Please contact Jake Levine, Development and Community Engagement Manager, at jake.levine@ssdsboston.org to learn more about opportunities.
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Arnold Zar-Kessler Award
Rachel Chiel Katz ’97
This award was established in 2014 in honor of former Head of School Arnold Zar-Kessler, and is presented to a Schechter alumnus or alumna each year who embodies Schechter’s values in his or her professional, academic and volunteer roles in his or her community. This year, we are thrilled to announce Rachel Chiel Katz ’97 as the recipient of this honor.
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Rachel graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005 and began teaching at Schechter in the fall of 2005. She has taught Grades 7 and 8 Language Arts and Grade 8 Social Studies and, through those courses, introduced hundreds of students to her passions: literature, writing, American history and civics. In her time at Schechter, she has channeled her love of Jewish text and tradition into creating numerous middle school tefillah initiatives and electives including Current Events Through a Jewish Lens. Rachel has served as a Student Council and Havurah advisor and has worked in those capacities to make students feel known, loved and capable of creating positive change within their community. Rachel and her husband, David, live in Newton with their three children who are all current Schechter students.
She instills Jewish faith and a zest for the written word in her students each day that she teaches. —max scott ’21
Rachel's entire being, her entire way of living in the world, is a reflection of Schechter's values.
Mrs. Katz is the person who deserves the award because she is one of the best teachers I have ever had.
Rachel is now reaching the end of 15 years teaching the next generation of Schechter students, and I think she is deserving of enormous gratitude from the school. ‘Indivisible’ is a new motto for the school, but I think it describes the work Rachel has done here over many years as a student and a teacher.
She teaches in a way that is engaging and interesting, and the whole class gets involved in whatever we're doing or talking about. Class is fun and upbeat while still being a place where we all discuss serious events and ideas.
Rachel is an outstanding General Studies teacher and is also, at the same time, an amazing Jewish educator; her Jewish wisdom informs her General Studies teaching, and the wisdom of our tradition is always on her mind. [She is at] once an expert in world history and literature as well as in Jewish texts and traditions. [We] know, from the students who come back to visit her and who keep in touch, that her influence remains with them and helps shape their paths. As a teacher myself, I have learned so much from Rachel about the importance of holding our students to high expectations. Our kids are capable of doing serious, difficult, sophisticated work when we show them that we know they can and that we will not accept less.
Mrs. Katz pushes all her students to try their hardest and test their limits, while giving them helpful feedback so that they can learn from any mistakes they make. Because of her, I feel that my writing has much improved since the beginning of eighth grade. I've understood everything we learned in class, and have been given new perspectives on topics I already knew. Mrs. Katz is an amazing teacher, and I fully believe she's earned this award twice over. —Kochav Ross ’21
Rachel has a brilliant mind, and could have excelled in any career path she might have chosen. A whole generation of Schechter students and teachers is so lucky that she chose to be our teacher. —Amy Newman, Grade 8 Tanakh
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One of my favorite things about this year was posing in the box for school photos. I hope we always do it that way. —Margalit Bresman, Grade 3
“I love Photoshop and digital photography, and it was wonderful getting to put my skills to the test while thinking outside the box! I had so much fun working with the students, getting to see their personalities shine through while they posed for their photo. I was
worried that teachers wouldn't ► want to sit on the floor in a deconstructed box, but I clearly underestimated them because they loved it! I am grateful to the school, the faculty, staff and students for indulging me and my crazy photo ideas year after year!” —heidi Aaronson ’96
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Photo Credit: Pre-Kindergarten Teacher Rachel Kornreich
Check out the new Schechter Boston Spirit Shop at www.ssdsboston.org/spirit