 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Click here to read (and hear) the Torah blessings.
This week's Torah portion is Parashat Re'eh. Havdalah starts 42 minutes after sundown, at 8:22 pm on Saturday, August 30. Courtesy of hebcal.com |
Candle lighting is at 7:24 pm on Friday, August 29. Sandee Lever: Gan Am (Kindergarten) My love for teaching young children in a Jewish setting can be seen in my professional background. I have directed a Jewish Early Childhood Education program for 25 years at a local synagogue; and at the present time, I am director of a Jewish child/care center/pre-school program which I founded five years ago. I have been an adjunct faculty member at Baltimore Hebrew University where I taught and mentored new early childhood educators in curriculum planning and child growth and development. I received my B.S. degree from Penn State University and my Master's degree from Johns Hopkins University. I am married to Dr. Barry Lever, and I have three children and six grandchildren.
Marla Americus: Gan Am (Kindergarten) I joined the Beth Am staff last year to share my love of learning and love of Jewish life with our Gan Am class. I completed a B.A. in English communications and an A.A. in Judaic studies from Yeshiva University with a M.S. in speech-language pathology from Columbia University. With many visits to Israel, one did include intensive study of Jewish texts and philosophy. Living in Baltimore for more than 12 years, I have dedicated myself to continue learning and growing both professionally and personally by frequently attending classes and workshops available in the area. My passions are family, husband and three daughters with a Torah- dedicated life and Eretz Yisrael.
Shira Alper Glickman: Machina (1st Grade) I am very excited to be teaching the first grade class for the 2006–2007 school year. I graduated with a B.A. in liberal arts from Thomas Edison State College and have worked as a paralegal in a tax law firm for the last three years. When not working or spending time with my family, my one year old daughter Bayla, and my husband Moshe, I enjoy reading, music, and biking.
Zoe Rammelkamp: Machina Assistant/Tutor I am a tenth grader at Baltimore City College High School this year. Also, I am a 2005 graduate of Krieger Schecter with a particular interest in Hebrew and Judaica. Every Tuesday and Thursday night, I continue my Jewish education at Netivon in the Rosenbloom Religious School. For the past few years, I've been working at Beth Am as a tutor/teaching aid. My favorite pastimes are tennis and running cross-country.
Joanna Reich: Aleph (2nd Grade) I am very excited about becoming a part of the Beth Am Religious School Faculty. After graduating from high school in Denver, Colorado, I went to Israel for a year and a half to further my Jewish education. Then, I came to Baltimore to pursue a Bachelors degree in art. I have been working as a graphic artist now for over a year and thoroughly enjoy it; yet, I am looking forward to pursuing my dream of working with children, teaching Torah and sharing my love of being Jewish. Thank God, I have had a very exciting summer, as I recently got married and am anxiously awaiting the year ahead!
Shani Malka Sterling: Bet (3rd Grade) I will be teaching the third grade in the religious school this year. Currently, I am in the joint BS/MS occupational therapy program at Towson University. I have had a lot of experience working in both general and special education. Most recently, I taught at Temple Beth Ami in the special education department. I just got married this summer and moved to Baltimore. Looking forward to meeting all the parents and students and a having great year.
Shira Saperstein: Gimel (4th Grade) I have worked at Beth Am for three years and enjoy teaching the fourth grade students as I have done at other schools. My M.S. is in Early Childhood Special Education from Johns Hopkins, and I have worked with children of all ages with special learning needs. Also, I am a private resource teacher working with students between the ages of three to 16 individually or in small groups. I enjoy teaching and love to be around kids.
Rabbi Yitzchak Jaffe: Dalet (5th Grade) I received a degree in Judaic studies from the State University of New York at Albany in 1998 and followed it by studying in Israel for the next eight years. Then, I received my Rabbinic Ordination at the Blechner College and served in the Education Division of the Israel Defense Forces. New to Baltimore, I am married to Maayan, who is a writer for the Baltimore Jewish News and am the father of one son, Shlomo Raphael. Currently, I am teaching full time at Yeshivat Rambam such subjects as oral tradition, Bible, Jewish law, and Jewish history.
Lauren Silberman: Hay (6th) on Wednesday Besides serving as the sixth grade history teacher at Beth Am, I serve as the Education and Program Coordinator at the Jewish Museum of Maryland. I work as a guide with the original Fells Point Ghost Walk and am a freelance graphic designer and illustrator as well. My B.A. is in painting and art history from George Washington University. Plus, I'm a halfway decent belly dancer and still remember a few phrases in sign language.
Chana Fefer: Hay (6th) on Sunday I am a law student (Prez of JLSA) with a religion major in college having a focus on Judaism. My senior thesis was on Jewish tradition's call to action on behalf of others. Most recently, I learned about Judaism from the most sought after Jewish educators of our time (for a little over a year). My mission is to get the students excited about being Jewish. Through my teaching, I would like for them to get a better sense of self, be happy, and overall become better human beings and grow Jewishly.
Rabbi Jon Konheim: Vav (7th) on Wednesday I have been Beth Am's Rabbi for four years and have taught the Wednesday section of the Vav class since then. Teaching consistently for the last 25 years, I have served as Assistant Head of School and Director of Jewish Studies at the Agnon School in Beachwood, OH. I enjoy the many active projects that are part of the Vav class curriculum, including tallit making and the many field trips where students use Jewish Baltimore as a laboratory for Jewish learning. Rena, my wife, runs Shukan, The Little Shop, for the synagogue. We have two adult daughters.
Alison Wielechowski: Vav (8th) on Sunday Shalom, not only am I the Vav teacher, I am the Director of Goucher College Hillel. I have a Masters degree in Jewish Education and a B.A. from Western Maryland College now renamed McDaniel College. This is my first year joining the Beth Am community and my sixth year as a religious school morah. I am excited and looking forward to this new beginning.
Rabbi Yehudah Oratz: Avodah Coordinator (8th and 9th Grade) This is my second year teaching in the Beth Am Religious School. I am now the coordinator of a new service and learning program for eighth and ninth graders entitled Living Jewish Values through Avodah (service). Also, I work full time as the Director of Judaic Studies at Beth T'filoh Dahan Coumunity High School. I look forward to the opportunity of involving our confirmation students in service work and exploring the work we do through the lens of Jewish tradition.
Cantor Ira Greenstein: Music Specialist For the past seven years serving Beth Am, I have taught in the Hebrew School program throughout, focusing primarily on liturgy, trope, and the structure and meaning of the synagogue service and its terminology. Among other things, I have run junior congregation and adult services, served on Camp Ramah staff, and taught classes and seminars since I was a teen, encompassing every age group from kindergarten through adult. For the past ten years, my youth-related work has centered on the period from pre-b'nai mitzvah through confirmation. This year, I will work with all classes to further enhance the music program and our Jewish holiday celebrations.
|