Early Career Educators Program

Amichai (he/him), born and raised in Chesapeake, Virginia, received a BA in Foreign Languages with a concentration in French and minors in Judaic Studies and Korean Studies from George Mason University in 2024. Amichai is excited to be in his second year as the Springboard Ezra Jewish Education Fellow at Hillel Council of New England (HCNE), which serves 12 schools with small Jewish populations in greater Boston. He has the privilege of acting as the Jewish Life Coordinator at Suffolk University Hillel and manages HCNE’s Regional Programming portfolio, including facilitating cohort learning opportunities and managing HCNE’s Shabbat Home Hosting Initiative.

Becca Zdanoff is the Assistant Director of Learning and Family Engagement at Shaarei Tikvah Synagogue in Scarsdale, NY. Previously, she served as Director of Teen Engagement and as a kindergarten teacher at Mohawk Country Day School in Westchester, NY. At Shaarei Tikvah, Becca helps oversee the synagogue’s religious school, Sha’ar, the teen learning program, Gesher, and guides teens in the STeen program and board. She also teaches 5th and 6th graders, focusing on Israel and Mishna study. Becca played a key role in developing a values-based curriculum for the religious school and organizes a variety of volunteer and service opportunities for students and families. When she’s not working, Becca can be found hanging out with her two dogs, Pickles and Olive, creating floral arrangements, skiing, cooking it up, or exploring rooftops around NYC & Westchester.

Maggie Sonenshine in an Educator at the Lese Center for Living Judaism at Central Synagogue in New York City. She oversees the first and second grade curriculum and programming as well as teaches a variety of ages in the religious school and Central Tots program. Maggie loves engaging with Central’s youngest students though music, play, and experiential learning. Previously, she was a 2024-2025 Jewish Ideas Fellow through Hebrew Union College. Maggie graduated with honors from New York University in 2024 with a BS in Early Childhood Education and Special Education with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. She served as Vice President of NYU Hillel and President of Kesher: Reform Judaism at NYU. Maggie lives in Manhattan and loves spending her free time seeing theater, solving crossword puzzles, and crafting.

Matt Teitelman is a teacher and grade level coordinator at Rodeph Sholom School in New York City. He teaches Jewish Studies to 5th and 6th grade students and coordinates grade level programming for the 5th grade advisory program. Teitelman earned his Master’s of Jewish Education from Hebrew College while attending the Pardes Institute’s Day School Educators program in Jerusalem. He was an iCenter Graduate Fellow and recipient of the Harry H. Fein Memorial Prize for outstanding studentship. Prior to his work in Jewish Education, Teitelman earned a Bachelor of Music Degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, after which he performed, recorded, and toured on drum set and percussion. In his free time, Teitelman enjoys playing music with friends and family and biking around Manhattan with his two children.

Micali Morin is the Director of Teen & Young Adult Engagement at the YM-YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood. She is also serving as the Director of Social Responsibility & Teen Engagement at JCC Harlem, and is delighted to work with both of these incredible institutions. Micali is inspired by the endless passion and fervor of teens and young people engaging with their communities. A native of Massachusetts, Micali first learned about the impact of teen community through NFTY Northeast and during her twelve summers at Crane Lake Camp. She is a proud graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with dual degrees in Dramatic Writing and Journalism. Prior to her time at The Y and The JCC, she worked as the Family Program Manager at Repair the World New York; she has also taught at a number of synagogues, educating and learning with youth as they explore and form their own Jewish identities. Micali lives in Washington Heights, Manhattan, and outside of work she can be found reading, experimenting with new recipes, and corralling her rambunctious rabbit.

Rachel Kaye is the Director of School Age Programs and a member of the Center for Family Life at the Marlene Meyerson JCC. For nearly three years, she has overseen school-age and after-school programming for children ages 4–10. A former teacher and a graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University, with a Master’s degree in Sociology and Education/Education Policy, she currently supervises a team of educators, designs programming, and develops curriculum to support engaging, meaningful, and inclusive learning experiences. Rachel leads Havurah, the JCC’s experiential Jewish learning program, along with the After School Clubhouse and a range of enrichment classes, cultivating environments where children can explore, connect, and grow. She looks forward to deepening her practice as a Jewish educator, learning from peers, and bringing new ideas back to the JCC. Outside of work, she enjoys pottery, walking in Central Park, and traveling with her husband to visit family in Canada and Israel.

Samantha Brody Marks is the Springboard Ezra Fellow at Boston University Hillel, where she oversees engagement interns’ leadership development, develops outreach strategy, and creates meaningful opportunities for Jewish learning through courses and everyday conversations. She graduated from Brandeis University with Bachelor’s degrees in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Education Studies and is a current student in the Hornstein program’s MA in Jewish Professional Leadership. She has previously served as a board member of both Hillel International and Brandeis Hillel. Samantha loves to host Shabbat meals in Cambridge with her husband, Eitan.