Employment
B’nai Tikvah is always looking for talented individuals to join our administrative and teaching staffs. If you are interested in career opportunities with us, please let us know!
Learn About Opportunities to Join Us
Staff
Marilyn Victor
Kindergarten – Room 202
Marilyn Victor has taught kindergarten at B’nai Tikvah and the Board of Jewish Education nursery school for 25 years. She has been the head teacher for the 3 year old class at several school locations. In her spare time, Marilyn enjoys going to musical theater shows, doing crossword puzzles, and rooting for the Illini and White Sox. She lives in Buffalo Grove with her husband, Sandy, and her cat, Sox. Marilyn has three grown children; Jeff is an illustrator, Debbie is a pediatric occupational therapist, and David is a middle school orchestra teacher.
Deborah Elkaim
1st Grade – Room 201
Debbie Elkaim has taught at B’nai Tikvah for 19 years. Her husband and seven children teach her something new every day. She loves teaching kids and looks forward each week to teaching the community’s children.
Natalie Zaborenko
1st Grade – Room 201
Natalie Zaborenko has taught at B’nai Tikvah for 4 years and holds a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. When not teaching, Natalie loves reading and art: one of her favorite places is the Art Institute. Other hobbies include cooking and yoga.
Erica Friedman
2nd Grade A – Room 103
Erica Friedman has been involved with Jewish education, sharing her love of Judaism with the next generation, throughout the country including: Cleveland, OH; Marlboro, NJ; Pittsburgh, PA; and here, in the Chicago area. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s Degree in Special Education and a Master of Jewish Studies from Spertus, as well as completing the Florence Melton Adult Mini School. Ongoing learning is important to Erica and she continues to study Torah with Jane Shapiro through Melton and improve her Hebrew language skills in an ongoing class at NSSBE in Highland Park. During the day she is a substitute in Deerfield and participates in Israeli folk dance three times a week. Erica and her husband educate children through programs they bring to libraries, camps, birthday parties and even B’nai Tikvah. She has three children and five grandchildren, none of whom live in the area. She is very happy to adopt yours several hours a week.
Deborah Proper
2nd Grade B – Room 102
Deborah Proper has taught at B’nai Tikvah for 2 years and is no stranger to teaching or to Congregation B’nai Tikvah. She holds a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and previously taught 1st through 4th grades in New England. She also taught Hebrew school in the Boston area. Deborah and her family are members of B’nai Tikvah and her older son attends the BJE preschool. They enjoy the strong sense of community – something her husband has enjoyed since being a founding member (at age 3).
Marsha Kasanov
3rd Grade A (Sun and Tues) & 4th Grade A (Wed) – Room 305
Marsha Kasanov has taught at B’nai Tikvah for 36 years. She continues to enjoy the look of recognition when a student sounds out a word they already know, such as “Shabbat” or “Shalom”, and realize they can read it in Hebrew! Marsha lives in Arlington Heights with her husband, Joel. Together they have two children and four grandchildren. Along with her interest in Jewish education, she is a Judaic fabric artist and creates various types of Judaic ceremonial fabric items such as tallitot, kippot, chuppot, ark curtains, etc.
Anita Gelbart
3rd Grade B (Sun and Tues) & 6th Grade A (Wed) – Room 302
Anita Gelbart has taught at B’nai Tikvah for 28 years. She enjoys teaching Hebrew, History, Torah, and Jewish Heritage. Along with teaching at B’nai Tikvah, Anita works at Hillel Torah Day School in Skokie as the Educational Coordinator. Despite a very hectic schedule, she finds time for power walking, swimming in the summer, reading, cooking and entertaining for Shabbat, and spending time with her children and four adorable grandchildren.
Zipporah Perlmutter
3rd Grade C (Sun and Tues) – Room 306
Zipporah Perlmutter has taught at B’nai Tikvah for 33 years. Born in Israel, she studied Hebrew, English Literature, and the Hebrew language at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Teaching Judaica is her passion – she is just as excited and enthusiastic every year as she was her first. Zipporah lives in Skokie.
Myra Friedland
4th Grade A (Sun) – Room 101
Myra Friedland was an elementary Physical Education teacher for over 30 years, the last 26 years of which have been at Solomon Schechter Day School in Northbrook. She also taught religious school at Congregation Beth El in Highland Park.
Susan Schwalb
4th Grade B (Sun) – Room 303 & 4th Grade B (Wed) – Room 306
Susan Schwalb has taught religious school for 13 years, the last 2 at B’nai Tikvah. When she is not teaching at B’nai Tikvah, Susan teaches at North Shore Academy, in Highland Park, a therapeutic day school for students with behavior disorders. Susan has two children, a 4 year old son and a 2 year old daughter. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, scrapbooking, and reading.
Irit Talor
4th Grade C (Sun) – Conference Room & 4th Grade C (Wed) – Room 303 & 5th Grade C (Tues) – Room 303
Irit Talor gets great joy from teaching the Hebrew language, prayers, customs, traditions and Jewish values. Having been born, raised and educated in Israel to Holocaust survivor parents, Irit realizes the importance of Jewish education for the continuation of our people and heritage.
Leora Eidenberg
5th Grade A (Sun and Tues) – Room 104
Leora Eidenberg has taught at B’nai Tikvah for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree from University of Chicago in Social Work. Aside from teaching, Leora tutors students in Hebrew and for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah. She temporarily employed as a Medical Social Worker, is a freelance event planner, and a life Coach. In her spare time she is part of a book club, plays Maj and Canasta, loves biking and tennis, traveling, and attending concerts. She has a son and daughter and is in the process of planning her wedding for next year.
Hanna Schiffman
5th Grade B (Sun and Tues) Room 304 & 6th Grade B (Wed) Room 304
Hanna Schiffman arrived in Chicago in 1985 from Israel and has been teaching Hebrew ever since. Working with children of different ages gives her the satisfaction of knowing that she can make an impact on their Jewish lives. Her goal is to create a warm, safe and fun environment in which your child can learn, flourish and grow. Hanna works at Solomon Schechter Day School and tutors children preparing for their B’nai Mitzvot and children and adults in conversational Hebrew and Bible.
Hagit Weinberg
5th Grade C (Sun) – Youth Lounge
Hagit Weinberg is teaching at B’nai Tikvah for the first time. For the past four years Hagit has been teaching at Lakeside Congregation and working as a substitute teacher at Solomon Schechter. In her spare time she loves to cook, work out, do yoga and see concerts. Hagit lives in Northbrook with her husband Michael and my two children. In 2006-2007 Hagit graduated from Florence Melton school program at BJBE.
Pnina Mazor
6th Grade A (Sun) – Library
Pnina Mazor has taught at B’nai Tikvah for 6 years. She holds a Master of Education from Loyola University and Bachelor of Arts in Judaic Studies from Hebrew Theological College. In addition to her work at B’nai Tikvah, Pnina has taught 7th & 8th grade Bible at Solomon Schechter Day School in Northbrook for the last 30 years. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, zumba, and working out. Pnina lives in Highland Park while her twin sons pull her in different directions, having settled in New York City and California.
David Blatt
6th Grade B (Sun) – Religious School Office
David Blatt is teaching at B’nai Tikvah for the first time, and has taught in many Jewish schools throughout Chicagoland for close to three decades. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in History from Roosevelt University and a Masters of Organizational Leadership from Lewis University. David is also employed as an Account Executive for Medical Diagnostic Services, based out of Skokie. In his spare time David enjoys swimming at the local High Ridge YMCA, participating in daily Talmud study and reading. He lives in Chicago with his wife of 20 years Pamela, a teenage son, and a very special Cocker Spaniel.
Alison Weiman
7th Grade A (Wed) – Room 101
Alison Weiman has taught at B’nai Tikvah the past 4 years and in public schools for the past 8 years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Binghamton University in Spanish and English. She also holds a Master’s Degree from National Louis University in Elementary Education. She teaches in Schaumburg District 54 as a bilingual resource teacher and is a 4th grade Hebrew Teacher and youth advisor at Beth Shalom.
Ariana Hershon
7th Grade B (Wed) – Library
Ariana Hershon is teaching at B’nai Tikvah for the first time. She recently moved to the Chicago area from Boston to be the Youth Director here at B’nai Tikvah after spending the summer at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. She graduated in May with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a minor in Resource Economics. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and traveling, as well as cheering on her home teams (Go Red Sox!).