September 04, 2026 | 22 Elul 5786
Pamela Goldner grew up on Milwaukee’s West Side and attended Hillel Academy for grade school. When it came time for high school, her parents moved to Glendale so she could attend Nicolet High School (at a time when there were no Jewish high schools in the area). After graduating from Nicolet, Goldner attended University of […]
Ilene Elias-Queen grew up in California before moving to Milwaukee with her family at 16. Her career began as a school sign language interpreter, working alongside a regular education teacher. At one point, her principal asked why she wasn’t a teacher herself. With that, she soon attended Cardinal Stritch University to earn her teaching certification […]
The Coalition for Jewish Learning and Israel Center organized a multi-synagogue, intergenerational field trip to Chai Point to create a “Wings of Hope” art piece, which will be displayed during a Yom HaZikaron ceremony on April 27. Residents of Chai Point and 50 students in 2nd through 5th grade from five Milwaukee synagogues joined together […]
Jody Lansing’s love for education began early. A Milwaukee-area native, Lansing attended Good Hope Elementary School, where an accelerated math program in third grade first sparked her interest in math and education. By fifth grade, inspired by her teacher Vicki Olsen’s warm, personalized classroom environment, Lansing knew she wanted to be a teacher. “Connecting with […]
Our featured educator this month, Rebecca Fine, teaches first through third grade at Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid on Sundays. Her students engage with Torah, Jewish traditions, and culture through hevruta, art and music. This is Fine’s first year teaching young children, although she holds a degree in early childhood education. Growing up in Round […]
“A mom by love, a teacher by passion, and a baker by hobby.” That’s how Sara Perlman, a Milwaukee native and Jewish educator for more than 20 years, describes herself in a nutshell. Perlman has spent the past 18 years teaching Judaic studies to fifth-grade girls at Yeshiva Elementary School on Milwaukee’s West Side. Throughout […]
This month, I sat down with Dr. Susan Bornstein-Forst of Bader Hillel High. Known as “Doc” by her students, Bornstein-Forst has been teaching at Bader Hillel High for four years. While she is currently teaching biology, Bornstein-Forst is no stranger to Jewish education. Bornstein-Forst was raised in a traditional Orthodox home in Mount Vernon, New […]
Noah Sumner will be embarking on his third year at Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun this month, but he is a long-time veteran in the field of education. He began his career 29 years ago teaching English at Spotted Eagle High School, a Native American immersion school for at-risk youth. Since then, he has taught elementary […]
When I first sat down with Kreinie Tiefenbrun, early childhood educator of Mequon Jewish Preschool, I immediately felt her warm, comforting presence. It’s no wonder that connection is one of the most important values to her as a person and an educator. Tiefenbrun’s family is originally from New York, where her grandparents studied under the […]
This month, I had the honor of interviewing my mother, Mandy Wienke, school administrator and educator at Congregation Shalom for the past 24 years. When you first step foot into Mandy Wienke’s office, you can’t help but notice the many graduation pictures of past students that line the eastern wall. While there are many photographs, […]
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