Meet the Chaverim School Teachers

Coretta Garlow Parparim/Gan Pre-K/K

Coretta looks forward to combining her passion for early childhood education and her passion for Judaism this year. She is bursting to begin learning, creating, sharing singing and playing with Parparim and Gan.

 

Binny Kagedan (Alef/Bet) 1/2

Binny joins the Chaverim School this year teaching the Aleph and Bet class. Binny grew up in New Jersey and has lived in New York, but is thrilled to now be calling Brookline home. He has a BA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University and an MA in Jewish Thought from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Binny loves to sing and play his guitar, and is excited to get to know his students and the whole HBT community!

 

Tracy Rich (Gimel/Dalet) 3/4

Tracy is excited to be returning for her second year of teaching at HBT. This year she will be teaching the combined Gimel/Dalet (3^rd/4^th) grade, and she is eager to get to know all the students! 

As a member of HBT and as a spiritual seeker, Tracy combines her love of learning, music, children, and education to encourage an open-minded and dynamic exploration of Judaism. This year the class will explore themes in Bereshit/Genesis, as well as focusing on Shabbat morning prayers, Hebrew script, and building a deeper sense of community and connection in the classroom.

Tracy’s primary work is a parent educator. She works as a Visiting Mom with the Center for Early Relationship Support/JF&CS and has a private consulting business, Compassionate Parenting, where she meets with parents to nurture authentic, evolving, mindful relationships with children. She has two daughters (ages 15 and 20), is part of the homeschooling community, and is always learning more about parenting and teaching!

 

Helen Bennett (Gimel/Dalet) 3/4

Helen is exciting to be joining the team at HBT! Originally from Seattle, Helen has lived in Israel for a couple of years, went to school for Community Planning and Jewish Studies, and mostly recently was living and working on a Jewish organic farm in Connecticut called ADAMAH. Helen has experience in a variety of Jewish community contexts, with kids at summer camp and as a b’nai mitzvah tutor, and is now doing community organizing through the Jewish Organizing Initiative at the Moishe Kavod House.

 

Nate DeGroot (Hey/Vav) 5/6

A second year rabbinical student at Hebrew College, Nate DeGroot is excited to join the HBT team as the Hey/Vav (5th/6th) grade teacher. Nate spent his summer leading a service-learning trip for the American Jewish Society for Service, where he worked to build Jewish practice among his group of high schoolers, while keeping people motivated in their various service learning gigs.  A lifelong lover of sports, cooking, music, and team-building, Nate looks forward to bringing a diversity of modalities to his classroom at HBT.  

 

Ilana Snapstailer (Zayin) 7

Ilana is excited to begin teaching 7th grade at Temple Hillel B’nai Torah.  Ilana has worked as the Director of Academic Affairs at the Israeli Consulate for the past 3 years, and recently began a new position as Associate Regional Director at ADL New England. 

Ilana can now say she has taught Hebrew School in every denomination of Judaism and brings her passion for helping each individual find their own connection to Judaism.     Ilana looks forward to helping her students form their own Jewish identities by exploring the values and universal lessons that can be learned from the Holocaust and other parts of Jewish history.     When Ilana is not working or teaching she loves to visit her family and the beach in Florida or cheer for the Red Sox. 

 

Yaakov Reef (Chet) 8

Yaakov Reef is excited to join the Chaverim School family. He will be leading the Chet students through an exploration of other religious and faith traditions as well as helping students grasp a better understanding of the similarities and differences held within our own Jewish traditions. He loves working with youth and helping them become confident leaders who are ready to shape the future.

Yaakov considers himself a Neo-Hassidic Jew with a commitment to beingshomer mitzvot within a traditional egalitarian context. He belongs to the Tremont Street Shul, an independent synagogue in Cambridge with two minyanim(one with a mechitza and one that is egalitarian). He is actively involved in the egalitarianminyan there and often leads discussions on a variety of topics. His favorite Hebrew month is Elul and his favorite Jewish holiday is Sukkot. Yaakov and his partner David live in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

 

Sharon Edvy (Siyum) H.S.

I am truly enthusiastic about becoming a member of the Hillel B'nai Torah family. This year I join your religious school to teach a course called LITE with the Siyum class. Here is a little bit about me and plans for the upcoming year: My name is Sharon Edvy. I moved back to the U.S. recently after living in Israel for 28 years.  I have a MS degree in School Counseling and am licensed both in Israel and Massachusetts as an educator. I have been an English (ESL) teacher for over 20 years, working with junior high, high school, college, and business executives. 

Since arriving in the U.S., my career path has been as varied and growth-inspiring as it has been challenging, and it has included teaching in Hebrew school. In Israel, Jewish heritage was infused in the fabric of daily life, even in secular communities.  It is that kind of natural identification with being Jewish I hope to share with my students. What I have always valued most about my role as teacher is the connection developed with my students and the honor of being a facilitator for their growth. To help them acquire vital tools for life, whether they be practical, emotional or spiritual.  

LITE is an acronym for "Life in Israel from the Teen's Eyes". We will be paired with students at the high school where I taught for several years in Israel, as well as (hopefully) friends and family from many other walks of life in Israel. The intent is to develop a conversation of discovery, utilizing email, social media, video and experiences. Hopefully, students will get a sense of the complex and diverse society in Israel. Looking closely at the fabric of others often has a surprising result - we discover even more about ourselves.

 

Meira Russ (Rosh Hodesh 6 & 7)

Meira is thrilled to lead the Rosh Hodesh group for the 6th and 7th grade girls. She's previously taught at Temple Israel in Boston, and at schools and Jewish organizations in New York and Perth, Western Australia. When not teaching, Meira is the Program Development Officer at the Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. 

Prior to that, she served as the Senior Education Attorney at the Children's Law Center of Massachusetts (CLCM). Meira has provided direct representation to children primarily from low-income families, specializing in special education and regular education matters with particular emphasis on issues of school discipline. Meira is a graduate of Yeshiva University and Boston University School of Law.

 

Alan Reinstein (Music)

Alan is looking forward to his fourth year as a song leader for the Chaverim School students.  He brings in love of singing and being with children-- along with his modest skill with the guitar and harmonica-- to each of his weekly sessions.  He's also a parent of three Chaverim School students.  Outside of the synagogue, he teaches high school English at Newton South High School.