Jody Margolis named Educator of the Year

Jody Margolis will be honored as the 2009-10 Educator of the Year by the Coalition for Jewish Learning, the education program of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, at the Day of Discovery on Jan. 17.

For the past decade, Margolis has directed Keshet, a program of Jewish Family Services that provides educational resources to children with special needs, allowing them to be enrolled in a Jewish education program.

With a staff of 14, Keshet serves Jewish children in every Jewish day school and four synagogue religious schools upon the request of parents or school administrators.

“Without Keshet, these children would not be serviced in a Jewish school,” she said in a 2002 interview with The Chronicle.

A native of Chicago’s north shore, Margolis attended Indiana University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in speech and language and a master’s degree in special education/learning disabilities.

“Jody has designed a program to ensure that the unique needs of each Keshet student are met,” wrote JFS chair Nathan Fishbach in a letter nominating Margolis for the award.

“Through her work, Jody shows that a true ‘Jewish community’ includes the entire population, including those with special needs.”

Fishbach attributes much of Keshet’s success over its 13 years to Margolis’ work. “It is rare that a smaller community such as Milwaukee maintains such a vibrant program. Through Jody’s work as Keshet director, she demonstrates that a smaller community can sustain a Keshet program. For families of Keshet students, Margolis’ contribution is personal. In a letter of recommendation, Deborah Gollin wrote, “She listens, she suggests, she has heart and she has knowledge…. Jody is small in stature, but to our family she is larger than life.”

She is married to Dr. David Margolis and has two daughters, Rachel, 18, and Melissa, 15.

The CJL Educator of the Year Award is given annually to an outstanding educator for demonstrating leadership in the field of education, for inspiring students with a love for Jewish learning and for personally contributing to the status of Jewish educators in the Jewish community.