Chaverim Religious School Faculty
Our Chaverim School faculty bring heart, creativity, and deep commitment to our children and community. Some have been with us for many years; others are newer to our team—but all share our mission: to educate children in a warm, dynamic, and joyful environment.
Like our broader synagogue community, our teaching staff reflects a beautiful diversity of life stages, Jewish backgrounds, and practices, modeling many authentic ways to live a meaningful Jewish life. Some of our educators hold advanced degrees in education or Jewish studies, while others are pursuing their undergraduate degrees at local universities.
We seek teachers who are passionate about Jewish living, love working with children, and bring experience from classrooms, camps, or both. Just as importantly, we value “reflective practitioners” who are thoughtful about their teaching and open to growth. We support this with ongoing professional development and a collaborative culture where educators learn with and from one another.
All faculty members undergo CORI background checks and are committed to maintaining a safe, nurturing space for all learners.
Hillary Pinsker Engler
Chaverim School Education Director
Hillary is entering her 11th year as Education Director of the Chaverim School. Hillary enjoys her multifaceted work at the Chaverim School; developing curricula, working with teachers, students and parents, and being part of the community. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Jewish Education (with a focus on supporting children of color) at Gratz College. She lives in West Roxbury with her family and enjoys reading, writing, running, and climbing trees.
Sarah Maron
Chaverim School Inclusion Coordinator
Sarah is returning for her second year as Inclusion Coordinator at Chaverim. Her goal is to ensure that students with varying learning needs have a supportive environment where they can learn about and connect to their Judaism at the Chaverim School. In addition to teaching students she acts as a resource to other educators, developing strategies so that each child can succeed.
Sarah has a B.A. in Speech, Language and Literacy from The College of New Jersey and an M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology with a specialization in Literacy from MGH Institute of Health Professions. Outside of Chaverim, Sarah is a Speech-Language Pathologist for middle and high school students with language-based learning disabilities. In her spare time Sarah likes to hike, read, and spend time with friends. Sarah looks forward to sharing her love of Judaism with her students.
Josh Mascoop
Gan Teacher
A native Bostonian, Josh has only recently returned to the area after finishing his doctorate in astrophysics. He is obsessed with badminton, curious about almost everything, and an inveterate nerd. He has always felt a strong love for Judaism and the Jewish community and he looks forward to helping his students develop their own personal connections as well.
Kayla Neumeyer
Alef (1st grade) Teacher
I’m a returning teacher and live locally to HBT in Roslindale. My service dog, Miles, is a very loving golden retriever who will join me in teaching at Chaverim.
I’m a speech-language pathologist and community organizer, particularly around immigrant justice, but most love to spend my time painting and gardening. I love Judaism and being Jewish and am excited to nurture that in your children as well.
Lily Ritter
Bet (2nd grade) Teacher
Lily is excited to be coming back for her ninth year teaching at HBT! Outside of Chaverim, she is a lawyer representing folks with certain health conditions in housing and benefits matters. Lily enjoys gardening, hiking and camping, and swimming outside when the weather is nice (and sometimes when it is not). She feels her best when she is singing, spending time with friends, thinking about big questions, and building community. Her creative pursuits include growing trees from the seeds of fruit she eats and making her own yogurt and pickles.
Rena Coben
Dalet (4th grade) Teacher
After several years away, Rena is returning to Chaverim School for her fifth year. Rena grew up at HBT, went to Chaverim School (where Hillary was one of her teachers!), volunteered as a madricha, was a teaching assistant in Alef/Bet, and taught Parparim.
She graduated from McGill University with a BA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and World Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. She is pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing (with a concentration in Writing for Young People) at Lesley University.
Outside of work and school, she enjoys baking, crafting, and spending as much time with her two dogs as possible. Rena looks forward to sharing her love of HBT and Chaverim School with her students.
Jon Wishnie
Hey/Vav (5th/6th grade) Teacher
Jon cannot believe it is now their 7th (!?!) year at Chaverim School - and they are so excited to be back!
Outside of Chaverim School, they spend my days doing a patchwork quilt of work: In the summer and fall, you’re likely to find them deep in the woods at Hale Education, Inc leading outdoor experiential education activities. In the winter, they work as a freelance facilitator, leading retreats for various social justice organizations. When not working, Jon enjoys being outdoors, rock climbing, and relaxing with their housemates and cat in their co-op style home in Jamaica Plain.
Mel Starr Teen Group Co-leader
Mel (they/them) is excited to co-facilitate the Chaverim Teen Group. They are getting their MSW at Boston College and lead horticultural therapy groups for patients with eating disorders. They are passionate about writing music, being active outside and connecting to Judaism through earth based ritual and community organizing. They live in Jamaica Plain with beloved friends and 3 cats in a co-op style home. This is their first year at HBT.
CHAVERIM TEEN GROUP Leaders
Jon Winshie & Mel Starr
Chaverim’s Teen Group is made by and for teens, bringing together students from grades seven through twelve to explore their own identities, connect with each other, practice making the world better, and learn about navigating the world as a Jewish adult. We do this through a wide range of activities – games, shared meals, communal projects, field trips, text study, guest speakers, making art, revisiting familiar Jewish stories with more complexity, and more. Teen Group meets one-to-two times per month. We hope that teens will gain deeper connections to each other, our Jewish community, and our wider world and be more prepared to engage in the world as Jews.
If you have any questions, please reach out to our facilitator, Jon Wishnie at jwishnie1@gmail.com who would be happy to talk to you.