Bonim Beyachad Fellowship

Bonim Beyachad is a 10-month cohort-based fellowship developed by Hebrew College in Newton, MA, to support adults new to teaching in part-time and supplemental Jewish educational settings. The fellowship provides in-person and virtual professional development in pedagogy, Jewish content knowledge, and classroom management for new teachers.

Meet our inaugural cohort, representing communities across the country.

Midwest

Gabi Herzog Isaacs (she/her/hers)
Mount Zion
St. Paul, MN

Sarah Jane Heyman (she/her/hers)
Am Shalem
Glencoe, IL

Jonathan Norman (he/his/him)
Mount Zion
St. Paul, MN

Michael Orenstein (he/his/him)
Beth Emeth The Free Synagogue
Evanston, IL

Jenna Solomon
Am Shalem
Glencoe, IL

Ezra Stonyte (he/his/him))
Congregation Shalom
Milwaukee, WI

Northeast

Mark Beal
Temple Beth David
Westwood, MA

Erika Edwards (she/her/hers)
Falmouth Jewish Congregation
Falmouth, MA

Elizabeth Shulman (she/her/hers)
Temple Israel
Boston, MA

Jonathan Tatelman
Temple Emanuel
Newton, MA

Jordana Truboff
Congregation Kehillath Israel
Brookline, MA

Midatlantic

Karizmah Brauner (she/her/hers)
Shaarei Tikvah
Scarsdale, NY

Sylvia Fallas (she/her/hers)
East Midwood Jewish Center
Brooklyn, NY

Jennifer Goldberg
Congregation Har Shalom
Potomac, MD

Jem Oshins (they/them/their)
Congregation Rodeph Shalom
Philadelphia, PA

West

Elana Adler  (she/her/hers)
Congregation Har HaShem
Boulder, CO

Lyric Crane (she/her/hers)
Congregation Beth Shalom
Seattle, WA

Morey Lipsett
Congregation Beth Shalom
San Francisco, CA

Allison Silverstein
Temple Sinai
Oakland, CA

Hebrew College hears the call. There aren’t enough teachers for synagogue and other part-time or supplemental Jewish schools. We are ready to usher more community members into the field by helping to support new and aspiring teachers into these Jewish education settings.

• 18 synchronous Zoom seminars.
• One in-person retreat at Hebrew College outside of Boston, MA.
• 7 sessions of personalized mentoring
• 10 hours of adult learning

Bonim Beyachad Fellows should plan to attend eighteen 90-minute sessions which will take place on Zoom. In addition, Fellows will have the opportunity to engage in seven personalized mentoring sessions, an in-person two-day retreat, and selected adult learning opportunities.

In between Zoom sessions, participants will be expected to reflect on their teaching and learning through journaling, short-reading assignments, and creating materials for use in their work with students.

Each Bonim Beyachad session will introduce a theory and/or pedagogy, offer practical classroom applications, and provide Jewish content through a pluralistic lens. Fellows will engage with curricular materials, explore educational practices, and engage with a community of educators who reflect on their teaching to improve student learning.

All Bonim Beyachad Fellows will receive a Certificate of Participation from Hebrew College upon completion of the program.

With gratitude to a generous funder, the cost of Bonim Beyachad is heavily subsidized. Participants (and/or their communities/institutions) are responsible for the subsidized cost of the year-long program ($875 in 2024-2025) plus travel expenses to and from the in-person retreat at Hebrew College in Newton, MA, including air and ground transportation.

“During this course, I saw myself as a teacher and a learner. Teachers are always learning.” (Elena, Detroit Area, Grade 3 Teacher, and Youth Choir Leader:)

“This course validated my decision to venture into Sunday School teaching. I am more enthusiastic about teaching and always find ways to bring content into the classroom. I changed the seating arrangement in my classroom to be more engaging and interactive. I added multi-sensory activities and questions into my lessons. I worked on being more present and intentional while teaching. I gained new ideas and perspectives on how to teach G!d, prayer and Israel lessons. Can we have Part II of this course? I’d love to learn more.” (Lisa, Boston Area, Grade 2 Teacher)

“I’m taking away awe and curiosity. Kids can think differently about the world. This course reminded me to leave space for kids to teach me in my lessons because they have that ability. I feel inspired.” (Micah, Boston Area, Grade 6 Teacher)

“Thank you for providing and delivering such a wonderful class. I always left knowing more than I had before and I felt like I had some real, tangible things to take away from our classes and apply to my teaching. I felt close to our group! I always felt very supported, cared for and heard during our sessions. I appreciate the ways that you facilitated our learning and helped us to grow and learn together. This was such a wonderful experience and opportunity!” ((Jared, Boston Area, Grade 3 Teacher)

“Highlights of the course: very practical, helpful, offered new perspectives. based on proven science or theory or examples of what works. I walked away with a lot of ideas and resources to enhance my teaching experience. Robin was encouraging, calming and very knowledgeable.” (Anonymous, Elementary Grade Teacher)

Application for the 2025 (Cohort 2) Bonim Beyachad Fellowship coming soon!