Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education

NESS

Professional Profiles

The Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education –

The NESS Initiative

(Nurturing Excellence in Synagogue School)

 

 

Professional Profiles

 

Anita Block, Director of The NESS Initiative at the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education, holds a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education from Saint Joseph's University, a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education and Administration from Arcadia University and a Masters Degree in Jewish Studies from Gratz College. Before becoming director of NESS, Anita served as Principal of Perelman Jewish Day School, Forman Center in Melrose Park. Prior to her role as principal, Anita was the Director of Education at Main Line Reform Temple, Beth Elohim in Wynnewood for twenty-one years and the founding director of the Early Childhood Center at Main Line Reform Temple. She also teaches at Gratz College .

 

Edward “Buzz” Bray, Jr., Professional Development for Teachers, Trainer.

Buzz Bray joined the ACAJE-NESS team in September of 2008. He is a retiree from 40 years of teaching college, high school and middle school in Pennsylvania .  Buzz has worked in Jewish Education for 13 years and currently coordinates the Teen-Aide program at Congregation Or Ami in Lafayette Hill , PA.   He has also worked with the URJ's ( Union for Reform Judaism) Introduction to Judaism course.  Most recently, he was invited to present at the CAJE conference at UVM ( Burlington , VT ) in August.  Buzz is certified in World Languages (K-12) and has taught German, French and Electronics.  He has also served as assistant Marching Band director, Baseball coach, Radio Club moderator, AV director and teacher-coach.   He has mentored numerous teachers into the profession.  He loves kayaking, hiking, ham radio and “spoiling his new granddaughter."  

 

Debra Brosan is the Organizational Development Consultant for the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education. Debra graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Science in Education and continued taking graduate business courses, earning her Master of Arts in Organizational Development from the Fielding Graduate Institute. Debra brings a unique blend of experience from organizational development, Jewish education, training, coaching and business. She has worked with small and large groups, non-profit organizations, Fortune 500 companies, the Federal Government, and family-owned business. Some of Debra's interests include communication skills, team building, lay and professionals relationships. She is also well versed in strategic planning and helping her clients express their needs and desires for success.

 

 

Dr. JoAnn Caplan has Bachelors and Masters degrees in Secondary Education from Temple University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. She was a teacher, academic facilitator, assistant principal, administrative assistant to the regional superintendent and principal of schools in the Philadelphia School District for 30 years. She has taught in the graduate education programs at Arcadia , Rosemont College , Lehigh University and Pennsylvania State University . Currently, she serves as the Director of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Coalition of Essential Schools, a national organization that provides support to 3,000 schools across the country. Dr. Caplan is currently working with NESS Schools as a POD consultant.

 

 

Rabbi Fredi Cooper has been working in the field of Jewish Education for the past ten years. She has served as both Rabbinic Intern and Associate Rabbi for Religious Education for Adath Jeshurun Congregation in Elkins Park. Additionally, she has worked for the Reconstructionist movement as the Director of Congregational Services and Education. She has taught practical rabbinics courses at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College over the past five years and was the Director of The NESS Initiative for one year. Before becoming a rabbi, Rabbi Cooper worked with individuals and their families as a therapist, specializing in issues relating to learning differences. Rabbi Cooper currently is working with NESS schools in the area of curriculum development.

 

 

Jim Culbertson is Associate Director of Learning and Development at Foundations, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides professional development, technical assistance, and assessment tools to build the quality of educational experiences for children. He holds a Bachelors in History and a Masters in Interdisciplinary Humanities from San Francisco State University, and a Masters in Education from Temple University. He has 40-plus years of experience as an educator. In the late 1960's, he served in the Peace Corps training elementary school teachers in Nigeria. He was a secondary school social studies teacher and department head in the School District of Philadelphia . For eight years, he served as a staff member of the Pew-funded Philadelphia Schools Collaborative and Philadelphia Education Fund working in high school reform. During his career he has been a teacher trainer and an instructor in the Foundations of Education at Temple University. Jim has been a Jew-by-choice since 2000. He continues to be active in his synagogue and pursuer of Jewish learning.

 

 

Rabbi Richard S. Fagan is the Consultant for Conservative and Traditional Synagogue Schools at the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education of Greater Philadelphia.  He has responsibility for the Professional Development for Teachers component of the NESS Initiative and shares responsibility for the Curriculum component. Rabbi Fagan was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary, and served as a congregational rabbi for eighteen years.  He has also been an instructor for the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Literacy Network, and is studying for a Doctorate in Moral Education.

 

Mimi Polin Ferraro, Professional Development for Teachers, Trainer. Mimi was born in and has lived in Philadelphia her entire life. She received her Bachelor's degree in Music Therapy from Temple University and a Master of Jewish Education from Gratz College . She earned her title of Reform Jewish Educator in 1997. Mimi joined the professional staff of Old York Road Temple- Beth Am as the Director of Education in 1995, where she coordinates the Religious School, Bar/Bat Mitzvah training, Family Education, Adult Education and Youth programming. She serves on several committees of the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education and was recently elected to the Board of NATE (National Association of Temple Educators).

 

Deborah Gettes, Professional Development for Teachers, Trainer. Debbie is the Special Needs Education Consultant at the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education. Prior to her work at ACAJE, she was the Regional Educator for the Pennsylvania Council of the Union for Reform Judaism, and taught special education in the public schools for 18 years. Debbie also taught Religious School for over 20 years. She has been involved in the development and implementation of curriculum for some of the NESS schools and, trained lay and professional assessors in the JSASIP assessment tool in Milwaukee and Pittsburgh . Debbie received a B.S. in Elementary Education and Special Education from West Chester University and an M.S. in Jewish Education and Administration from Gratz College.

Dr. Arlene B. Holtz teaches the Leadership Development Seminars for NESS, and also headed the team that developed the Jewish School Assessment and School Improvement Process (JSASIP). She is the Consultant for Reform Education at the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education and teaches leadership seminars for education directors throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania, where she taught in the Leadership Program for Aspiring Principals. She was a middle school principal, assistant principal, and English teacher in the School District of Philadelphia.

 

 

Rochelle Rabeeya is the Co-Director of Educational Services and Resources at the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education and is a POD consultant in the NESS Program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from S.U.N.Y. at Buffalo and studied for one year at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She also holds a Master of Arts in Jewish Religious Education from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion and has done post graduate studies in educational psychology, group processes and the development of critical and creative thinking skills. With over 35 years of experience as a Jewish educator, she has served as education director of congregational schools, a classroom teacher on both the elementary and high school level, including time at the Jewish Community High School of Gratz College, and was a member of the education staff at the URJ's (formerly UAHC) Camp Harlam . At ACAJE she also staffs the Dr. David Horowitz Community Board of License, as well as the Principals Council for Supplementary Schools. Prior to her involvement as a POD facilitator, she coordinated staff development and curriculum development programs, worked on organizational development initiatives with synagogue schools, and served as a JSASIP assessor for NESS.

 

Please direct all questions to Anita Block, Director of the NESS Initiative, at 215-635-8940, ext. 1235 or ablock@acaje.org.