A New Kind of Jewish Education
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The Alvin Browdy
Religious School at Ohr Kodesh Congregation
Cantor Educator
ABRS Assistant Principal
ABRS Faculty
Cantor Hinda Tz. Eisen Labovitz achieved ordination and a masters degree in Judaic studies at Hebrew College in Newton, MA in June of 2014. She is the two-time recipient of the Al Goldberg Scholarship in Jewish Music, and upon graduation, she also received the Israel Pollack Award for Excellence in Judaic Studies from Hebrew College. She is also the 2013-2014 recipient of the Gideon Klein Scholarship from Northeastern University, for which she dedicated a year of independent study of the cabaret at the Westerbork concentration camp in the Netherlands.
Cantor Labovitz served as part-time ba’alat t'filah and tutor at Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline, MA, and as the assistant to the conductor for the Zamir Chorale of Boston, where she also served as Mary Wolfman Epstein Conducting Fellow (studying conducting under maestro Dr. Joshua Jacobson) and sang alto for eight years. She also served as Vocal Coach for the 8th grade play, Aladdin, at Solomon Schechter in Boston in 2014.
Following her graduation from Boston University with a B.A. in Religion and a concentration in Special Education, Cantor Labovitz served as the Ritual Director at Temple Emanu-El in Providence, RI for three years and as Youth and Community Educator at Temple Aliyah in Needham, MA for one. She attended and worked at Ramah camps in the Berkshires, Wisconsin, and New England.
Cantor Hinda Labovitz
ABRS Director
Leah Miller
ABRS Assistant Principal
Leah is originally from Sacramento, California and received her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University. After discovering her passion for working with Jewish nonprofits, specifically synagogues, she moved to Baltimore and completed her Master’s degree in Leadership in Jewish Education and Communal Service at Towson University through the Baltimore Hebrew Institute. She has worked with several congregations across the country and has more than 10 years of experience working with youth and programming. Leah has worked in multiple JCC’s, synagogues, and camps. Most recently she was the Youth Engagement & Programming Coordinator at Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Potomac. She is married to her husband Michael and has a son Wesley.
Rachel Evenson
Ner Tamid Fellow
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Rachel Evenson is the Ner Tamid Fellow for Ohr Kodesh Congregation. She started work at Ohr Kodesh in June of 2018. Rachel is from Durham , North Carolina. She graduated college at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC on May 2018 with a Bachelors of Science in Applied Sociology and an Art Minor. During college she was in leadership roles in ECU Hillel, Interfaith Organizations and was a regularly attending congregant at the local synagogue. She is working at Ohr Kodesh to gain experience to reach her goal of working in the nonprofit community. She will continue for a 3rd year helping with ABRS Administration.
Danielle Galitzer
Kindergarten Teacher and 4th Grade, Wednesday's
I am Danielle Galitzer and I am so excited to teach Kindergarten on Sundays and fourth grade on Wednesdays. This past May I graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Special Education while on track to receive my Masters of Education this coming May. During my time at the University of Maryland, I was very involved in the Jewish community in participating in weekly services, different learning opportunities, and also creating a club in partnership with Hillel that had students visit nursing homes to facilitate fun activities. I am excited to continue working with the Kindergarteners and begin teaching fourth graders!
Lisa Landy
1st Grade Teacher
I worked at Shomrai preschool for 14 years. My experiences include working with a variety of ages in early childhood from 2 year old nursery all the way up to second grade Hebrew school. I was was born in Englewood New Jersey; grew up in Israel and served in the IDF. I live in Kemp Mill and I hold a bachelors degree in early childhood education from Bar-Ilan university.
I am married to my husband Eli and mother to four grown children, Ariel, Yosef, Amitai, Leora.
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I love working in Ohr Kodesh because I love to teach and when I teach I am challenged to learn too because the students ask in-depth and thought provoking questions. Being a teacher is a rewarding occupation and I love to witness the students growth throughout the school year. I love teaching at ABRS because the students are excited to learn and the school environment is warm and nurturing.
Brenda Bergstein
2nd Grade Teacher and Pre-K Teacher
Brenda Bergstein has been a member of Ohr Kodesh since 1980. She was a teacher at the Ohr Kodesh Early Childhood Center in 1990 enjoying the work of introducing our OKC children to the joys of Jewish learning. During her twelve years at the ECC, Brenda wrote a curriculum for 4-year-olds to begin learning about the synagogue. She is the OKC Salzberg Family Library volunteer librarian and the co-chair of the Hazak committee. She looks forward to teaching and being with the 2nd Grade class this coming school year.
Phebe Grosser
3rd Grade Teacher, Sunday's
I'm Phebe and I'm super excited to be working with the thrilling third graders this year! I am a student at George Washington University majoring in photojournalism and I am originally from Rockland County, NY. I'm so excited to work with our students to grow their Jewish identities. I studied at Jewish day school through middle school and I was lucky enough to study abroad on TRY/USY High, a semester in Israel in high school. I was active in USY in high school and served as both my chapter and divisional Israel Affairs Vice President. I have worked at Hebrew school in my home town and worked at a Jewish summer camp for kids with special needs. This year in addition to teaching Hebrew school I will be the project manager for GW Hillel Educational Innovation. I can't wait for a spectacular, sababa, and special year with Ohr Kodesh.
Eva Wildavsky
3rd Grade Teacher, Wednesday's
I’m Eva, and I will be teaching 3rd grade on Wednesdays. It’s fun being back at ABRS, because I was a Madricha here ten years ago! Since then, I have gone to Brandeis University, and graduated in 2016 with a degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. I work as an assistant in MCPS during the regular school day and live in Downtown Silver Spring.
I love teaching, and Judaism, so I’m very happy to have the chance to teach about Judaism! I’m also excited to teach the Hebrew language, which is one of the best tools for tapping into our rich tradition.
Zachary Bernstein
4th Grade Teacher, Sunday's
Zachary is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is a junior at the George Washington University, where he is majoring in Political Science and Religion. On campus he is the Holiday Coordinator for GW Hillel, planning and leading most Shabbat and holiday services, and president of Kehila GW, the school's LGBTQ Jewish student group. His hobbies include watching baseball and football and reading biographies or books about American history. After college he hopes to go to rabbinical school and study to be a rabbi.
Gillian Weinberg
5th & 6th Grade Teacher
My name is Gillian Weinberg and I am so excited to be teaching 5th and 6th graders at Ohr Kodesh. I am originally from northern New Jersey and I attended Rutgers University where I earned my BA in English and my Masters of Education in Secondary English Education. I have taught English for 16 years in both middle and high school. Currently, I am teaching 10th grade English at Parkdale High School, a Prince George’s County Public School in Riverdale, MD. I live in Silver Spring with my husband Asher and my 6 year old daughter Mimi. I enjoy teaching Hebrew School and working with students in 5th and 6th grade for a number of reasons. I love hearing the questions students this age pose about Judaism. In addition, I strive to have students make a personal connection to what they are learning in Hebrew School through class discussions, chavruta learning, carousel brainstorming and more! I am honored to be a part of a synagogue community that is so committed to Jewish education.
Mia Kaufman
7th Grade Teacher, Sunday's
Mia Kaufman is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland, where she received her Bachelors of Science degree in Special Education and an Israel Studies minor. During college, Mia was very involved with Hillel and served as the president of the Jewish Student Union. During the week, she is a special education teacher in Gaithersburg. In her spare time, Mia enjoys discovering new Jewish recipes, long-distance running, and playing Rummikub. She is very excited to learn and grow with the seventh grade class this year.
Ida
7th Grade Teacher, Wednesday's
