Rolly Cohen, Director of the Marshall Jewish Learning Center

Rolly S. Cohen has been working for the BJE for fourteen years. She has taught religious school for 24 years at the kindergarten, first, third and fifth grade levels and has been a music and Israeli dance teacher. She has been part of the BJE/Supervisor Teacher program, mentoring beginning religious school teachers in the Chicago area and is a graduate of the Florence Melton Adult Mini School and the Israel Seminar. Currently, Rolly is a Teacher Educator Institute Fellow with the Mandel Foundation. She attended the Whizen Institue for Family Education at the University of Judaism, Los Angeles and has created many family education programs integrating Bible figures and the values they represent with music, art, and drama which she presents at Chicago area religious schools. Rolly is married to Stuart Cohen and is the mother of Harris and Abra.

Email: rolly@bjechicago.org

Nancy Manewith, Director, BJE Preschools

Nancy Manewith joined the BJE Early Childhood Centers staff in 1983. Since then, she has served as a teacher in every capacity instructing all age levels, has served as on-site coordinator at one of the largest centers, and has served as Assistant Director overseeing all 5 centers. In 2002, Nancy became Director of the 5 facilities that comprise the BJE Early Childhood Centers. Nancy earned her B.S. and Master of Education degrees from the University of Illinois in Champaign, is a graduate of the Florence Melton Adult Mini School and participated in the Israel Seminar. In 1993, she was instrumental in bringing the world renowned “Reggio Emilia Approach” to Jewish preschools in the Chicago Metropolitan area and facilitated its integration into our BJE-ECC Judaic program. To further her professional growth, Nancy regularly attends national and international conferences and currently serves on the Board of the National Jewish Early Childhood Network. She is married to Leonard S. Manewith and has two married children, who attended the BJE Early Childhood Centers as young children.

Email: bjeecc@aol.com

Janice Cohn, Director, Director Emeritus

Janice Cohn accepted a Fellowship to the University of Chicago and received a Masters Degree in Social Work focusing on early childhood development. She worked with top consultants in this field while on the staff of the Jewish Children's Bureau for six years, prior to raising her own three children. Disappointment with early Jewish education led her to create her own Sunday school, and after several years of teaching preschool, to accept the challenge of creating Jewish preschools with an age-appropriate curriculum that integrates our Jewish heritage with the latest knowledge in the field of early childhood education. From her first BJE class of fourteen, she has taught and directed the Early Childhood Centers to its current five schools and more than 600 children.

Email: bjepreschool@bjechicago.org

Sara S. Shapiro, Senior Consultant

Sara Shapiro is currently a senior consultant for the BJE.

David Barany, Assistant Director Marshall Jewish Learning Center

David Barany, Assistant Director Marshall Jewish Learning Center, earned an MAED from the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. He has BA's in Literature and Political Science. David has been in Jewish education administration for nine years, and has been a Jewish teacher for twenty years. He has done curriculum development and consulting in a variety of settings. He has served on the planning committees for both the national Conference for Advancement of Jewish Education and the Midwest CAJE conference. He is married to Melissa and father of Avi and Kyra.

Email: david@bjechicago.org

Marcie Eskin, Librarian of the Marshall Jewish Learning Center

Marcie Eskin joined the BJE staff as the Learning Center's librarian in October 2000. Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Marcie received a BA from Cornell University and a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science from Dominican University. She is helping to organize, catalog, and classify the Center's collection.

Email: marcie@bjechicago.org

Linda earned a Masters Degree in Jewish Education and Jewish Communal Service from Brandeis University. Over the past 25 years she has worked as an educational consultant, principal and art educator in a variety of Jewish settings. She lives in Buffalo Grove with her husband Jeff, and their children Becky and Ben.

Email: linda@bjechicago.org

Ms. Gejman has been the principal at West Suburban Temple Har Zion since 1998. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Education and Psychology from Bar-Ilan University, a Master's degree in School Psychology from Hebrew University and Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from George Washington University. She served as bilingual School Psychologist for the Washington D.C. public school system. She served as a bilingual psychology consultant for the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. She served as Hebrew instructor and special needs coordinator at several congregations in Maryland. Ms. Gejman was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She made aliyah in1977 and lived in Israel for almost 10 years.

Email: alicia@bjechicago.org

Paula received her BA in Sociology with a minor in Psychology from the University of Illinois, in Champaign. She has taught for the past thirteen years at various synagogues in the Chicago suburban community. During that time, Paula completed the BJE Master Teacher program and was awarded the Faye and Haskell Lurie Award for excellence in teaching. In 2005, she completed the Teacher Education Program (TEP) and the Florence Melton Adult Mini School for Educators. The program culminated with the Melton Seminar in Israel. Paula was born and raised in Skokie, Illinois and currently resides with her husband and three children in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.

E-mail: paula@bjechicago.org

Joanne holds a Master of Science Degree in Health Systems Management-Rush University in Chicago and a B.A. in Public Administration and Industrial Psychology-from the University of South Africa in Pretoria South Africa. She works in the Chicago suburban area as a teacher and Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutor. Joanne was born and raised in Cape Town South Africa. She met her husband while both attended the World Union of Jewish Students one year program in Arad, Israel. They live in Highland Park with their children, Joshua and Leah.

Email: mjelster@yahoo.com