MEET THE MEMBERS OF OUR FACULTY
2011-2012
Please contact our faculty through our Religious School Adminstrator, Linda Schultz, gro.tcibcnull@peyibc, 860-233-8215 x233.
Bruce Badner is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and has spent 28 years in the IT field with the Hartford Insurance Company. He has been a member of this congregation for nine years, and has been a professional musician for over 40 years. He offers his musical gifts at all temple events, and plays bass and acoustic guitar as well as drums. He is a member of our Kabbalat Shabbat band and our ‘Not Quite Ready for Purim Players’ band. Bruce is the father of Noah and Sterling, both of whom are students in our school.
Ben Beck and his wife Sarah are the parents of three boys, James, Craig and Zachary, two of whom are enrolled in our religious school and one who attends every Sunday while being held and hugged by all passing congregants! He is just a bit too young to attend school – yet! Ben is currently the Student and Home Intervention and Support Clinician for an elementary school in inner-city Hartford. Ben has won many awards for his endeavors, but the two he is the most proud of are having his name on the national Wall of Tolerance for his work on teaching tolerance, and the creative programming award he received for his original Harry Potter curriculum. Ben is currently working on his next degree (and the one after that).
Wendy Ennis is delighted to be joining the faculty as a third and fourth grade teacher after substitute teaching in the religious school year last year. Wendy lives in West Hartford with her husband, Don, their three children, Sean, Sophie and Liam, and their dog, Peanut Butter. The family began coming to CBI seven years ago after moving here from Florida. This is Wendy’s 5th year teaching 7th grade at Sedgwick Middle School and she welcomes the opportunity to work with a wide variety of students. Wendy enjoy the arts, cooking, reading and swimming and looks forward to sharing her passion for learning with all of you.
Daniel (DJ) Fortine majors in music education at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music. This summer he will return to the URJ’s Camp Eisner in Great Barrington, MA for the fourth consecutive year as a song leader and bunk counselor. He has pursued his Jewish education at Gratz College in Melrose Park, PA where he enrolled in the Isaac Mayer Wise Program for religious education from 2007-2009 and simultaneously served as a religious school teacher’s aide at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, PA. Apart from leading services at Keneseth Israel, Hartford Hillel, Chabad Chevra and Camp Eisner, DJ pursues numerous musical endeavors in other venues. He sings in L’Shir, University of Hartford’s premier co-ed a cappella group; the Hartt Chorale; and the University’s recently-founded Men’s Barbershop Octet. He also was delighted to play baritone horn in the University’s pep band at the women’s NCAA tournament in March. He is excited to intermix his interests in music, education, and Judaism by working with students and the congregation here at Beth Israel.
Andrew Gibeley lives in Simsbury and attends Simsbury High School. Andrew loves writing, reading, cross-country skiing in the winter, and running track in the spring. He is involved in many other extracurricular activities, including the student council, the mock trial team, and the WHTY youth group at Beth Israel. Andrew is excited to teach in the Youth Education program because he enjoys working with kids and wants to make a difference in the lives of others, be it small or big. Andrew plans to attend a small liberal arts college, majoring in perhaps English or writing, and going on to become a writer, editor, or something in this field.
Mariah Jacobson, a senior at Hall High School, is thrilled to be teaching Prekindergarten at Congregation Beth Israel. The youngest of four sisters, Mariah has attended Religious School at our temple for as long as she can remember! For years she has wanted to be a teacher. She has taught dance classes for children ages 3–7 years for the past few years, as well as helping out in our school as a Madricha. Mariah enjoys playing on the Hall High School volleyball team, participating in school plays and taking as many dance classes as her schedule will allow. She enjoys taking care of children above all else. Mariah definitely sees a future in teaching elementary school and looks forward to majoring in education in college. She is excited to be teaching here next year, and hopes this will be the beginning of a long teaching career.
Michelle Meyer enjoyed her religious school experience so much in her home town on Long Island that she continued in the Jewish High School and worked as a madricha assisting the Art teacher and the Israeli folk dance teacher. Through her high school and college years she taught these subjects at conclaves and summer camps. Since leaving college she has taught at Jewish religious schools in New York, Minneapolis, Boston and Washington D.C. and West Hartford. Life Cycle, Jewish Holidays, History, The Holocaust and Ethics are just some of the topics she has covered. She enjoys teaching because it connects her with the Jewish community and gives her an opportunity to give students the great experience she had as a child. Michelle also teaches the songs and prayers of the Reform Jewish Camp to our younger grades, ably assisted by her colleague Bruce Badner. Michelle is the mother of Isaiah, who will enter the 3rd grade this fall.
Scott Myers has been an active member of our congregation for eleven years, has served on the Religious School Committee, and is currently the chair of the Ritual Committee. Scott is responsible for special event programming for the religious school. He facilitates the annual ‘reading of names’ on the day of Yom Hashoah. He holds degrees in Clinical and Social Psychology. He is an attorney and does pro bono work representing abused and neglected children. He is married to Susan Myers, also an active member of our community, and they are the proud parents of two children who graduated from our religious school and continue to follow a path of Jewish education. Scott coaches a girls’ softball team.
Sandy Naboicheck originally began teaching Hebrew at Temple Sinai, Newington, Connecticut and became the Assistant Vice Principal for three years (1975-1978). She then took a sabbatical and did not resume her Hebrew teaching career until 1992 when she joined the faculty and became part of the community of Congregation Beth Israel. Throughout the years, she has taught Hebrew to pre-school through adult students, as well as tutoring students for the Bar and Bat Mitzvah program. Outside of CBI, Sandy worked at the JCC working with young children while their parents participated in the exercise classes. In her ‘spare’ time she enjoys knitting, reading novels, cooking and playing bridge and mah jongg. Sandy has four adult children and seven grandchildren.
Claire Newman has been a member of Congregation Beth Israel since 1997. She started as a second grade student in Kol Hamishpacha (a chavurah group which was an offshoot of CBI) and entered our Hebrew school the following year. She is now entering her fourth year of teaching at CBI, as a 3rd grade Hebrew and 4th grade Israel teacher. In the fall she will begin her senior year at University of Hartford, where she is pursuing certification in Integrated Elementary and Special Education with a concentration in Behavioral Studies. Her goal as a teacher is to provide each student with the means to reach their full potential, no matter what their unique learning styles may be.
Samara Perlman is a senior at Hall High School in West Hartford. She loves participating in her school’s Mock Trial team and other extra curricular activities at Hall. Samara loves learning about History and Spanish, and hopes to one day live in a Spanish speaking country. She loves Congregation Beth Israel and is very excited to be a teacher because she looks forward to teaching students the many great lessons she learned while a Religious School student here.
Amy Rosenfield earned her degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Connecticut. She has four children, the oldest of whom, Josh, serves as a madrich in our Youth Education Program and recently became a Confirmand in this temple. Hanna became a bat mitzvah last year, and is currently enrolled in our JOURNEY ONWARD program for 8th and 9th grade students. Rachel, aged 11, and Eliana, aged 2, are looking forward to one day following in their older siblings’ footsteps! Amy will be teaching our Kindergarten students this year. This past Passover Amy organized an extremely successful ‘pot luck seder’ at the local library which was attended by many of our young families. Amy and her family live in Farmington.
Norman Schain has taught at Congregation Beth Israel since 2007 and also tutors B’nai Mitzvah students. He greatly enjoys the opportunity to serve the needs of the children of our community and in so doing feels that he has “found his calling.” Norman lives in Prospect, CT with his three cats and has three children, two of whom are in college. In his ‘other profession,’ Norman operates his own tax and accounting practice as a CPA serving the needs of individuals, trusts, estates and small businesses and specializing in the preparation of individual income tax returns. He received his B.S. degree in Accountancy from Bentley University. Norman is also a participant in our adult choir and the Naugatuck Valley Community College Choir in Waterbury.
Abby Schneider will be one of our second grade teachers this fall. She will be a senior at Hall High School where she plays flute in the school band and takes an acting class. She loves to dance, and is a member of the Hall High Jazz Dancers. Her love of the Spanish language has led her to participate in the exchange program ‘Intercambio’ organized through Hall High. She will spend this summer in Madrid, Spain living with a host family. Abby has assisted our religious school teachers for the past three years as a madricha and has found the experiences fulfilling. These experiences, combined with her love of children and deep commitment to Judaism, have inspired her to teach her own class in our Youth Education Program. As a second grade teacher Abby will ensure that our students receive an enthusiastic background in Judaica, bible stories, holidays, Israel while making each student feel unique and yet part of the tapestry of this community.
Bonnie Schneider has been a happy and involved member of CBI since 1987 and has taught Sunday school since 1996. She has taught preschool, kindergarten, first and second grade; she currently is a first grade teacher. She also teaches preschool at Solomon Schechter Day School and loves teaching children the joys of being Jewish. Bonnie lives with her husband, Eric, and two younger children, Abigail and Jacob, in West Hartford. Her oldest son, Benjamin, attends the University of Pennsylvania.
Rabbi Dena Shaffer is thrilled to join the clergy and education team at Congregation Beth Israel! She is a graduate of Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, OH, where she was ordained in 2010. Prior to her rabbinic studies, Rabbi Shaffer earned her Bachelor of Arts in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and her Bachelor of Arts in East Asian History at Brandeis University. During her years at HUC, Rabbi Shaffer served as a student rabbi in Texarkana, Texas, the Culver Academies (a boarding school for 9th-12th graders) in Culver, Indiana, and as a rabbinic intern at Temple Israel in Dayton, Ohio. She spent her first year in the rabbinate at Cornell University Hillel in Ithaca, New York, as the Rabbinic Fellow where she aimed to enhance and strengthen Reform Jewish life on campus and also led social justice initiatives and immersion experiences. In addition to her passion for Judaism, Dena is passionate about martial arts which she has pursued since the age of three! She spends her free time with her dog, Darby, honing her skills in the kitchen, and reading classic and new fiction.
Carrie Shaw has been teaching Sunday School at Congregation Beth Israel for the past sixteen years. She started her teaching career with the Family Education program called ‘Kol Hamishpacha’ and continued teaching in the religious school with 3rd and 7th grade students. Her favorite class to teach is “You Be the Judge,” in which she lets the students do the talking while she listens! Carrie is one of the facilitators and pioneer faculty members of our very successful teen program called Journey Onward. This program focuses on “JAM” – Judaism! Action! Mitzvah! It is open to our 8th and 9th grade students who wish to continue building their Jewish community. The goals of this group are to keep our teenagers together, to maintain a connection to the temple, to provide a safe environment for students to voice their opinions and to raise awareness of their Jewish perspective in daily living, spirituality and world events. This fall Carrie will continue with this program, and lead the new 8th grade students in their ‘JAM PACKED’ adventures! Carrie lives in West Hartford with her husband, Steve, and two children, Lauren and Bryan.
Debbie Sheridan has had the pleasure and distinction of teaching at Beth Israel for 21 years! She has taught in the 1st, 3rd. 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th grades and this year will be teaching grades 3, 5 and 6. She has four children, a husband David, and a dog, Bupkis. All of the children have gone through the fantastic Sunday school program here. Her three oldest have all been madrichim and have all graduated from the Confirmation program. Her youngest child, Danny, eagerly anticipates following in his siblings’ footsteps. Having four children means that Debbie is always busy with ‘kid’ things, whether it’s moving someone into their new college dorm or attending a 7th grade family program at the temple.
Deena Sisitsky has been teaching at Congregation Beth Israel since 1997. She has taught 1st, 4th, 6th and 7th grades, as well as adult classes and helps to prepare students for their B’nai Mitzvah. She lives in West Hartford with her husband, three children and pet fish, Romeo.
Jeff Smith has a Bachelor’s degree in Earth Science and a Master’s in Resource Management and Policy. He has lived in West Hartford for 29 years and has been a member of this temple for almost all of that time. Jeff’s involvement in the temple community is legendary: as a member of the Board of Trustees; as Chair of the Youth Committee and Membership Committee; as president of the Young Families group and an early and eager participant in the ‘Kol Hamishpacha’ Family Education Program. Jeff is one of the facilitators and pioneer faculty members of our very successful Journey Onward teen program. This program focuses on “JAM” – Judaism! Action! Mitzvah! It is open to our 8th and 9th grade students who wish to continue building their Jewish community. Jeff has performed in our Purim spiels for the past sixteen years and has enjoyed leading roles in the many theatrical and musical productions presented at the temple. In April of 2008, Jeff and his famous librarian wife Jane Zande took their first trip to Israel which reinforced his love for that country and the Jewish people.
Roberta Tansman received her Ph.D. in American History from Cornell University. She taught American History at Wellesley College and then went on to become the dean at Bowdoin College in Maine and then at Douglass College of Rutgers University in New Jersey. When young and idealistic, Roberta taught Social Studies at Booker T. Washington Junior High School in Harlem in New York City. Still optimistic and idealistic, Roberta will teach fifth, sixth, and seventh grade students in the religious school this year. Roberta is a very active participant in the CBI Social Justice Committee and its many endeavors. She is also an avid book club enthusiast and organizer and has passed on her love of books to many of our young students here at Beth Israel.
Alyssa Weiner works as a school psychologist in Manchester, CT. Alyssa earned her Master’s Degree in School Psychology from the University of Hartford in May 2008. She also attended the University of Hartford as an undergraduate and obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. In addition to working with children, Alyssa loves to travel and enjoys studying other cultures. While in graduate school, Alyssa worked at the University’s International Center where she provided guidance to visiting international students and helped plan social and educational programs for them. Alyssa studied abroad in London, and later traveled to Israel with Birthright Israel. Alyssa lives in West Hartford with her husband, Jon, and their chocolate Labrador retriever, Mocha Jo. Alyssa loved her first year of teaching in our religious school and is delighted to once again teach second grade students this year.
Please contact our faculty through our Religious School Adminstrator, Linda Schultz, gro.tcibcnull@peyibc, 860-233-8215 x233.