Rolly Cohen, Director of  Marshall Jewish Learning Center

Rolly S. Cohen has served the BJE in many capacities since 1991. She is currently Director of Education, overseeing the Marshall Jewish Learning Center, a cutting-edge teacher center; and the Center for Jewish Teacher Education that offers Morasha, the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School for Educators, teacher training, and graduate classes. She was instrumental in founding the BJE Makor Or Center that serves children and young adults with special needs. Rolly has taught religious school for 25 years and has been part of the BJE/Supervisor Teacher Program, mentoring beginning teachers. She is a graduate of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School and the Melton Israel Seminar, a Teacher Educators Institute Fellow with the Mandel Foundation, and is completing her Masters of Arts in Jewish Professional Studies at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies.

Rolly serves on the Board of National CAJE and Midwest CAJE, and is a working member of The Jewish Educator’s Association, and the Chicago Association of Temple Educators.

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.

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