Dara Wood
Director of Education
Dara Wood holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education from the University of Cincinnati and a Montessori certificate. She spent time substitute teaching with Lakota schools and then served as head teacher at a local Montessori pre-school for 4 years. Dara currently is beginning her 6th year as the Director of Mercaz Conservative Hebrew High School. Dara has been an active volunteer at Adath Israel for many years. She had previously served as the chair of the religious school board and is looking forward to helping our shul and being a part of running the program this year. She is married to Rob and has two children, Brittany and Becca, both Adath Israel Religious School and Mercaz graduates.
Questions can be addressed to school@adath-israel.org
Mollie Newman
Coordinator of Youth and Family Programs
Mollie Newman earned her bachelor's degree from the Univirsity of Michigan and went on to work as a producer in the television industry in both New York and Hollywood. As a graduate of Yavneh Day School nad Walnut Hills High School, she has always held a special place for Judaism and her hometown. When she moved back to Cincinnati with her husband, Jared, she was eager to use her coordinating and communication skills for the youth and families at Adath Israel.
OUR TEACHERS:
Debbie Lempert
Kitah Gan, Kindergarten and
Kitah Alef, Grade 1
Debbie Lempert grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. earned her B.A. in Elementary Education and Masters in Literacy from the University of Cincinnati. taught first and second grade over 8 years at the Wyoming City Schools in Wyoming, Ohio. She left Wyoming to teach two very special students, Zachary and Hannah Lempert. Debbie teaches Kindergarten and first grade at Adath Israel Religious School. her many interests, Debbie spends a lot of time volunteering at Adath Israel. also is learning to play the guitar. her free time, she loves spending time with her family and enjoys cooking, making scrapbooks and playing games.
Kitah Alef, Grade 1
Becca Wood is a student at the University of Cincinnati majoring in History. She spent her senior year of high school as a Madrich, a student assistant, at Adath Israel Religious School with the first grade which peaked her interest in teaching. Becca has a passion for the arts, with an avid interest in photography. She has also actively spent time over the years learning as much as she can about the holocaust, culminating in a trip to Poland and Israel through March of the Living. Becca was a student at Jarson Education Center at Adath Israel and became a Bat Mitzvah here. She is also a graduate of Mercaz. Becca is excited to come back to teach the First Grade this year.
Scott Kabakoff
Kitah Bet, Grade 2
Scott Kabakoff has been teaching at Adath Israel's Jarson Education Center for 10 years. He has lived most of his life here in Cincinnati. Growing up he attended the entirety of his elementary an middle school years at Rockwern Academy, where he recieved a strong foundation in Hebrew and Judaism. After high school Scott attended the University of Cincinnati, graduating with a BA in Judaic studies. He lives with his wife Shauna and son Jacob. In his spare time he enjoys interacting and playing with his son. He also enjoys photography and has a fondness for history and antiques.
Zahavah Rendler
Kitah Gimel, Grade 3
Zahava Rendler earned a teaching degree from the Pedagogical
Institute in Israel and a teaching
certificate of Jewish study from Hebrew University of Jerusalem.In Israel Zahava
taught Hebrew as a second language to immigrants.Zahava has taught for over 30
years in different capacities in Cincinnati, including at Yavneh day school,
Cincinnati Community Hebrew schools, and Adult Education. Zahava has also served
as a Yavneh Ambassador at large over the years. She started the Hebrew
enrichment program at Yavneh.As a Holocaust survivor she is active in the
Holocaust and Humanity center. Currently, Zahava teaches at Adath Israel's
Hebrew school. In her spare time she likes to read, knit and cook.
Melissa Koppel
Kitah Dalet, Grade 4
Melissa Koppel is a senior year at University of Cincinnati achieving her Bachelor's in Psychology.She plans on becoming a Child Life Specialist, and will work with children undergoing surgeries and other procedures in the hospital. Melissa has volunteered and worked with children with disabilities. She has also worked as a nanny.Melissa has taught religious school for four years. She had a strong Jewish upbringing and went to a private Jewish day school for several years. She is happy to be teaching for my second year here at Adath Israel.
Stephen Lamb
Kitah Hei, Grade 5 on Sunday mornings
Stephen Lamb is in his senior year at the University of Cincinnati, working towards a bachelor’s degree in Judaic Studies and Business. He is both an active leader in Hillel as well as past president of UC’s Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. Growing up in Toledo Ohio, Stephen attended the Stone Hebrew Academy and taught at both the local Sunday school and Hebrew school. Stephen hopes to stay in Cincinnati and continue working within the Jewish Community.
Maura Linzer
Kitah Hei, Grade 5 on Monday & Wednesday afternoons
Maura Linzer is from the Pittsburgh PA area. She attended Washington University in St. Louis, where she graduated with honors, receiving a BA in psychology and Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies, with a minor in Modern Hebrew. During college she studied abroad at Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School. Upon graduation, she went to Hebrew Union College for Rabbinical School. She has served student pulpits in Crimea, Ukraine, Rapid City, SD, Beckley, WV, Fort Walton Beach, FL, Toledo, OH, Muncie, IN and is currently serving in Richmond, IN. She took a year off from rabbinical school to attain an MA in Middle Eastern Studies at Ben Gurion University in the Negev. This past summer Maura served as a Pastoral Care Intern at Children’s Hospital. She has been teaching Hebrew school since 2002, and is looking forward to another great year with the fifth grade at Adath Israel Congregation.
Gail Jacobs
Kitah Vav, Grade 6
Gail Jacobs
has been a life long member of Adath Israel Congregation. She became a bat
mitzvah there and attended Adath Israel Religious School fro K-
graduation. She was also a teaching assistant, when she was in high school .
She was active in Kadima and USY and attended Camp Livingston and Ramah
and traveled to Israel with other Ramahniks. She studied Elementary Ed,/
Early Childhood Development at University of CIncinnati. She is the mother of
five children, four Mercaz graduates and one who graduates next year. She lives
in Wyoming with her Pit Bull Moses and her Chihuahua Skitch. She is going into
her 6th year of teaching Kitah Vav.
David Gershuny
Kitah Zayin, Grade 7
David Gershuny has taught 7th grade for Adath Israel for the past several years. He has enjoyed teaching the Etgar Curriculum. He is a very active volunteer with the Jewish Federation’s Partnership 2000: Cincinnati-Netanya Program. David is also very involved with the Jewish National Fund and is working on their National Convention that will be held in Cincinnati in September.
Toby Samet
Resource Supplementary/Remedial Education
Toby Samet, a Cincinnatian by birth, graduated from Avondale
School, Hughes High School and the University of Cincinnati College of Education
(with high honors). She has taught at Adath
Israel since 1966, while also teaching kindergarten at Yavneh Day School (Rockwern),
preschool at the Jewish Community center, and was Director-Teacher at Adath
Israel Preschool. Her family includes husband Sam, son and daughter-in-law Mike
and Julia Samet, grandson Danny Samet and daughter Michelle (of blessed
memory).Hobbies are gardening, indoors and outdoors,
animal conservation (volunteered at the Zoo for 25 years), classical music, and
mah jongg. The Resource Room is where you can find her, supporting the needs of
Religious school children.
Barbara Bresler
Librarian
Barbara Morrison-Bresler grew up in Dallas, Texas and holds a Fine Arts Degree from the University of Texas and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia. She was a librarian at the University of Nebraska, the Archivist/Director for the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, and a consultant archivist with the Jewish Women's Archive in Boston. Since moving to Cincinnati, Barbara has served as the Librarian at Adath Israel. Barbara is married to Scott Bresler and loves being the mom of Lenny, Elka and Micah.
Mitch Cohen
Music
Mitch Cohen has been teaching music at the Jarson Education Center! This year he will also be teaching trope. Mitch is Adath Israel Congregation's High Holy Day Choir Director and enjoys composing original music. He started in the choir as a congregant when he was 16 and was promoted to Director in 1991. Mitch also directs Adath Israel's Friday Night Live band, Shir Ami, and other synagogue music programs. Mitch also enjoys teaching at the Mercaz Hebrew High School. Mitch is a graduate of Walnut Hills High School, and earned a BA with high honors in Psychology from the University of Cincinnati, where he received the Claire E. Hubert award given to the outstanding senior man. He has many interests, including computers. He runs an internet dot com company he started with his wife Sherry. He has studied under Rabbi Wise and Alan Weiner at Adath Israel where he chants Haftorah and Torah and regularly attends daily morning minyan services. He is married to Sherry and has three children, Jeff, Emily and Ben, all Jarson Education Center graduates!
School Leadership:
Dara Wood
Director of Education
Debbie Lempert
Vice President of Education and Youth
Jill Segerman
Religious School Board Chair
Religious School Board Members
Marci Blachman
Jacobo
Capuano
Melissa DelBello
Rebecca Goldwasser
Marnie Hayutin
Loren Israel
Debbie Titlebaum
Laura Wright
Administrative Assistant: Marlene Beraha
Administrative Assistant: Mikey Frank
