Faculty
Administrators
Alyson Horwitz -
Alyson Horwitz, Ed.D., is beginning her eighth year as head of school. Her background as assistant superintendent and then interim superintendent of Lincolnwood School District prepared her well...
Eric Keitel -
Eric Keitel is beginning his ninth year at the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. During his first year, he served as director of family education, and since that time has served in a variety of...
Tzivia Garfinkel -
Tzivia Garfinkel has led the Jewish Studies department at the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School for 17 years. Prior to her arrival, she worked at Solomon Schechter Day School in Northbrook for...
Idyth Zimbler -
Idyth Zimbler is beginning her seventh year at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. A middle school educator for her entire career, Idie has taught all subjects: language arts, social studies,...
Rachel Jury -
Rachel Jury grew up in Evanston and came back to suburban Chicago after earning a bachelor's degree in Jewish studies at Emory University. Since then, she's been teaching Hebrew and Jewish studies...
Abby Aloni -
Abby Aloni is beginning her fourth year as head of lower school at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. Previously, she spent 10 years as a classroom teacher, teaching both second grade and senior...
Debbie Rostami -
Debbie Rostami is beginning her 38th year at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. Debbie started here as a student teacher and was nearly heartbroken when at the end of that year, there were no...
Katie Rich -
Katie Rich is new this year to Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. Previously, she served for six years as director of early childhood services at the Florence Heller JCC in Lakeview. Katie...
Marna Goldwin -
Marna Goldwin was born and raised in Chicago and attended Anshe Emet Day School for seven years. She went on to the Latin School of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern...
Derek Gale -
Derek Gale is originally from Kansas City and worked in a community Jewish day school there as a journalism teacher before settling here in Chicago. Derek holds a bachelor's degree in...
Chris Butera -
Christopher Butera, beginning his seventh year at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, previously worked at two independent schools in the Bay Area, and before that, spent time as a developer for a...
Dan Wiersma -
Originally from western Michigan, Dan Wiersma spent time in Washington, D.C., as an elementary and secondary education budget analyst for the governors of South Dakota and Ohio before moving to...
Schoolwide Staff
Rachel Charlip -
Rachel Charlip, entering her sixth year at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, is the assistant director of development and special events coordinator. Originally from the Detroit suburbs, Rachel...
Jennifer Dubansky -
Jennifer is new this year to BZAEDS. She most recently served as executive recruiter at Giving Tree Associates in Highland Park, and also has previously worked at Edelman, Towers Watson and...
Jon Stoper -
Jon Stoper is the technology coordinator at BZAEDS, and has a daughter entering JK in the fall. Before coming to BZAEDS in 2002, Jon worked as a software consultant in Oakland, Calif. During...
Cassandra Villadonga -
Cassandra Villadonga, LPN, came to Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in 2010. Previously, she worked at The Northwestern Children's Practice. In addition to serving as the nurse at BZAEDS,...
Tara Young -
Tara Young is the community coordinator in the Development Office at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. Originally from Advance, North Carolina, Tara holds a bachelor's degree from the University...
Library
Frederica Berg -
Fredrica Berg, a graduate of Anshe Emet Day School and a parent of BZAEDS graduates, is a longtime library assistant. Before working at BZAEDS, she did all of the internal hiring at the University...
Rena Citrin -
Rena Citrin, born and raised in Chicago, is the longtime library media specialist at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. Prior to working here, Rena was a high school English teacher. She holds a...
Social Work
Alyssa Richman -
Alyssa Richman is new this year to BZAEDS, joining the school as a social worker. Previously, Alyssa served as a therapist at the Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago. She is a graduate of...
Melissa Steger -
Melissa Steger is one of two social workers at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. Originally from Michigan, Melissa worked with children in their families through traditional schools in Detroit...
Learning Services
Deirdre Churchill -
Deirdre Churchill is new this year to BZAEDS and is job sharing the head of learning services position with Sylvia Meyers. Previously, Deirdre served as principal of Crow Island School in Winnetka...
Rebecca Ferat -
Rebecca Ferat is originally from Newton, Mass., and first moved to Chicago to work at the Art Institute planning experiential arts programming for family and youth audiences. Now in her seventh...
Carrie Joy Lash -
Carrie Joy Lash was born in Chicago and raised on the North Shore, but also has lived in Hawaii, where she taught ninth grade on the island of Oahu. Since returning to the Chicago area two years...
Sarah Riggs -
Sarah Riggs is originally from Tampa, Florida. Her younger brother, who is a promising chef in New York City, inspired her interest in the field of learning disabilities and differentiation in...
Early Childhood
Rachel Ahitow -
Cindy Friedman -
Cindy Friedman has held a variety of roles in Jewish education in New York, Michigan and Illinois. These include teaching pre-K and fourth grade Hebrew/Jewish studies at the Abraham Joshua Heschel...
Lindsey Elliott -
Lindsey grew up in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and studied at the University of Minnesota, where she earned a bachelor's degree in art history. She moved to Chicago after college and later decided to...
Lisa Goodman -
Lisa Goodman came to Chicago from Detroit to attend college at Northwestern. After a brief stint in the advertising industry, she earned her master's degree in elementary education from the...
Lauren Mages -
Lauren Mages, originally from Indianapolis, is in her sixth year teaching at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. She holds a bachelor's degree from Indiana University and a master's degree in...
Tami Mizrachi -
Tami Mizrachi, from the south suburb of Homewood, has spent 10 years as a nursery teacher and library assistant at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. She also heads the BZ Kids Camp early...
Mara Rubin -
Mara Rubin worked in fashion for a number of years before going back to school to pursue her passion of becoming an early childhood educator. Now in her second year teaching junior kindergarten at...
Sheila Schraber -
Sheila Schraber taught preschool and kindergarten for seven years and directed the early childhood camp at the Heller Jewish Community Center before arriving at BZAEDS. Here she teaches junior...
Lower School
Briana Allen -
Briana Allen is new this year to BZAEDS. Originally from a small city in Iowa, Briana moved to Chicago to study theatre at Roosevelt University. But with a strong desire to teach, she entered the...
Meghan Breyer -
Meghan Breyer, in her eighth year teaching at BZAEDS, is "a francophile at heart" who lived in Paris and earned a bachelor's degree in French during her time at Washington University in St. Louis...
Benje Casper -
Benje Casper comes to Chicago from Dallas,where he shadowed in a kindergarten classroom at Akiba Academy. Benje holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and child learning development from the...
Riva Cohen -
Riva Cohen was born and raised in New York City and came to Chicago six years ago. After completing a master's degree in administration and supervision from Loyola University Chicago, she's been...
Karen Cuculic -
Karen Cuculic, in her seventh year at BZAEDS, spent many years working in wealth management before pursuing her first love, teaching. She's lived in Boston, San Francisco, New York and Chicago,...
Charki Dunn -
Charki Dunn, a native of Glencoe, has been teaching music at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School for 18 years. Before arriving here, she taught in the small town of Jamaica, Illinois, and in Racine...
Lori Deradoorian -
Lori Deradoorian first became acquainted with Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School while nannying for two students who have since graduated. After getting to know many teachers and administrators,...
Brooke Glassman -
Brooke Glassman, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, went to school at Indiana University, taught for two years in Denver (one year as a special education teacher and one year as a first-grade...
Kimberly Golden -
Kimberly Golden grew up in New York and taught in a New York City public school for seven years before coming to BZAEDS. She holds a bachelor's degree in education and psychology from the...
Andy Hirt -
Andy Hirt was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Columbia, Md. He came to Chicago for medical school and decided to stay to begin raising a family. After leaving a pediatric residency at the...
Lindsay Kaplan -
Lindsay Kaplan, originally from the Detroit suburbs, spent two years at BZAEDS as the Lower School intern, and now teaches senior kindergarten. Prior to getting her master's degree in elementary...
Lindsay Kogan -
Lindsay Kogan, originally from Deerfield, is in her fifth year at BZAEDS. Previously, she taught junior kindergarten in an inner-city Philadelphia charter school. Lindsay is passionate about...
Karen Leavitt -
Karen Leavitt grew up in Carmel, Indiana, moved to Chicago after college and has been here since. During her schooling she completed teacher training at Francis W. Parker, and then taught second...
Bene Lederer -
Bene Lederer, in her second year at BZAEDS, previously taught first grade for four years at Hillel Day School in Michigan. Born and raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Bene earned a master's...
Ashley Merced -
Ashley Merced, a Chicago area native, worked in Chicago Public Schools for two years before joining Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. Now in her fifth year teaching here, Ashley holds a bachelor...
Rebecca Richman -
Rebecca Richman grew up in Highland Park as the daughter of an Anshe Emet Day School graduate. After earning her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in...
Sharon Winter -
Sharon Winter was born in Chicago and then moved to the southern suburbs. In her graduating class of 750, there were only seven Jewish children. She taught in Flossmoor for more than 20 years,...
Lauren Yambra -
Lauren Yambra, originally from Houston, is in her second year at BZAEDS. She previously taught third grade for four years at Lovett Elementary in the Houston Independent School District, and was a...
Middle School
Barbara Applebaum -
Barbara Applebaum was born and raised in Huntington Woods, Michigan, just outside Detroit. She spent six years in Ann Arbor while getting her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of...
Olenka Bodnarskyj -
Olenka Bodnarskyj was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and moved to Chicago in 2002 to pursue a master's degree in studio arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since then, she...
Alyssa Brody Seidler -
Doug Davis -
Doug Davis has been teaching at BZAEDS for 10 years, prior to which he worked in graduate school admission. His favorite job before arriving here, however, was as a natural areas assistant at the...
Mitch Daar -
Mitchell Daar, a BZAEDS graduate, was born and raised in Chicago. After earning a bachelor's degree in economics and psychology from the University of Michigan, he "came back to my old stomping...
Duffy Deitz -
Duffy Deitz was born and raised in New York City and is a die-hard fan of the Yankees, Knicks, Giants and Rangers. She has taught middle school math for more than 20 years at a variety of public...
Jeff Ellison -
Jeff Ellison has taught at the Latin School of Chicago, the College of Lake County and Triton College in addition to teaching at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. Jeff holds a bachelor's degree...
Emily Friend -
Emily Friend is a Teach for America alumna in her ninth year teaching at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. During her time here, she's been able to travel to Thailand and Spain to broaden her...
Karen Manilow -
Karen Manilow grew up in Chicago, went to Francis W. Parker for school and then on to Washington University in St. Louis, where she earned bachelor's and master's degrees in teaching. She taught...
Josh Mather -
Josh Mather grew up in suburban Denver and moved to Chicago a few years ago. Prior to joining BZAEDS, he served as band director at Thunder Ridge Middle School for four years. Josh holds dual...
Deanna McBeath -
Deanna McBeath, in her sixth year at BZAEDS, grew up in Kentucky and Costa Rica, and also has lived in Connecticut and New York City (where she taught at the Heschel School). Deanna holds a...
Sara Mervis -
Sara Mervis is a Chicago-area native in her thirteenth year teaching at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. Previously, she worked with the learning services departments at two suburban schools....
Abby Murphy -
Abigail Murphy, in her seventh year at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, teaches performing arts and directs the BZAEDS On Broadway program. She previously worked in production, casting and...
Yael Newman -
Yael Newman has lived in many different states and regions across the United States, including Page, Ariz., Redlands, Calif., Memphis, Tenn., and Austin, Texas. Her career working with children...
David Schwartz -
David Schwartz grew up in Chattanooga, Tenn., where his father is a cantor. During his studies at Washington University in St. Louis, he organized an interfaith Shabbat program that attracted 275...
Lauren Vander Pluym -
Originally from Southern Illinois, Lauren migrated north to Chicago to pursue her master's degree in anthropology at the University of Chicago. After completing an internship at Human Rights...
Jewish Studies
Bilha Avni -
Bilha Avni, beginning her sixth year at the Day School, was born and raised in Ra'anana, Israel. After graduating from Kibbutzim College of Education in Tel Aviv, she taught for 25 years in Israel...
Mali Barak -
Mali Barak, originally from Israel, lived in Atlanta for six years, where she taught at Solomon Schechter Day School before coming to Chicago. New at the Day School this year, Mali previously...
Bracha Dror -
Bracha Dror, in her second year at BZAEDS, was born and raised in Israel where she spent three years teaching English. She later moved to Atlanta to teach Hebrew and Judaic studies at The Epstein...
Noemi Fertman -
A native of Mexico City, Noemi graduated from Hebrew University and has several years’ experience teaching in day schools, including the Ramaz School in New York.
Nurit Hellmann -
Nurit Hellmann is in her 11th year at the Day School. She began her career teaching high school in Jerusalem, and then spent several years as a librarian at the University of Jerusalem Law Library...
Rina Jacobius -
Rina Jacobius, in her 14th year at the Day School, was born and raised in Israel, served in the Israeli army and earned a bachelor's degree in social work from Hebrew University. She came to the...
Ann Schneiderman -
Ann Schneiderman was born in Israel and came to the United States at age 3. She grew up in Glencoe and attended Solomon Schechter Day School, going on to the University of Michigan for her...
Anat Tanner -
Anat Tanner was born in Haifa, Israel, studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and taught Hebrew and Israeli culture to Ethiopian immigrants in Israel. While earning her teaching certificate,...