Mrs. Sara Gruenspecht, Administrative Assistant, works in the front office. Everything she needs to know she learned in nursery school, having taught at Gan Rina, Teaneck Jewish Center and Bnai Yeshurun. Sara earned her B.A. in Art History from Barnard College and served as a museum educator and assistant to the director at Yeshiva University Museum. Most recently, she held the position of executive assistant to the senior partner at Leshkowitz & Company, an accounting and law firm in Manhattan.
Mrs. Gila Guzman teaches Nutrition at Ma’ayanot. She is the Director of Main Asset Health LLC, a health coaching practice. She is the in-house Nutrition Health Coach at Grand and Essex Market, where she has her own line of “Coach Gila-Approved” healthy takeout foods. She serves as the Camp Nutritional Specialist at Camp Mesorah, where she teaches nutrition workshops and is responsible for all of the special dietary needs of campers and staff. Coach Gila is also a health columnist for The Jewish Link and Shopping Maven. She has taught healthy cooking classes at Ma’ayanot and at Yachad’s vocational program, and in addition to teaching Nutrition at Ma’ayanot will also be teaching a Nutrition/Cooking Elective at Yavneh Academy this year. She holds a B.A. from Stern College, a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, and certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
Mrs. Meredith Hanauer is Ma'ayanot's Business Manager. Prior to joining our staff in 2014, Mrs. Hanauer worked as an HR Manager. She earned a B.S. from the Sy Sim School of Business at Yeshiva University.
Mrs. Emma Horowitz teaches English at Ma’ayanot. She graduated Washington University in St. Louis magna cum laude with an A.B. in English Literature and a minor in General Business. She earned a J.D. from Benjamin Cardozo School of Law with a Concentration in Intellectual Property Law, and has been admitted to the bar in New York and New Jersey. She has worked in the field of law for the past 13 years. For more than six years, she was an Assistant District Attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, managing hundreds of felony, misdemeanor and Grand Jury cases.
Mrs. Shalvi Isseroff teaches English and serves as the Co-Director of Interdisciplinary Studies. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from Stern College and an M.A. in English Education from Teacher’s College of Columbia University. Prior to coming to Ma'ayanot, Mrs. Isseroff worked as a student teacher at the high school and middle school levels.
Natalia Kadish joined the Ma'ayanot faculty in 2014 and teaches Art. Mrs. Kadish, who holds a B.A. in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York, has extensive and varied experience as an art teacher: she is the president and founder of Kadish Studios, where she conducts artistic workshops to promote understanding and stimulate creativity for students seeking art enrichment; she created and directed Spirit Art Camp and has worked as an art instructor for numerous other summer camps; and she conducts art therapy for the elderly. Ms. Kadish is also a professional illustrator whose artwork and stained glass have been displayed at numerous venues in New York and New Jersey.
Mrs. Melissa Kapustin teaches Contemporary Israel at Ma’ayanot. She is a partner at The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP as well as a frequent lecturer on the topics of Jewish History and Law. She has been a guest speaker in many communities across the Northeast, including the Institute for Jewish Ethics as well as Yeshiva University’s Midreshet Yom Rishon. Mrs. Kapustin attended Stern College as a Forcheimer Academic Scholar earning a B.A., Magna Cum Laude, in Judaic and American Studies. While pursuing a B.A., Mrs. Kapustin also attended a joint degree program at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University where she received an M.A. in Modern Jewish History. After several years of teaching Jewish History at Ma’ayanot, Mrs. Kapustin earned a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law-Newark, graduating with High Honors as well as receiving acceptance into the “Order of the Coif,” a National Honors Society for law school graduates.
Mrs. Adele Katzenstein works as a Learning Specialist in Ma'ayanot's Learning Center and teaches Jewish Philosophy. She joined Ma'ayanot in 2014. In addition to working at Ma'ayanot, Mrs. Katzenstein maintains a private tutorial practice and is a Parent Trainer for EPIC (Every Parent Influences Children) in Rockland, NY. Mrs. Katzenstein has had extensive experience in special education in yeshiva day schools for more than 30 years. Mrs. Katzenstein earned a B.A. in Special Education from Baruch College and a Master's in Education and Reading from Walden University. She has presented numerous staff development workshops throughout the tri-state area.
Mrs. Dina Klapper teaches AP Statistics, Algebra II and Geometry. She has an M.S. in Mathematics Education (5-12) from Touro College and a B.S. in Management from the University of Massachusetts. Previously, she taught middle-school mathematics at Ben Porat Yosef. Ms. Klapper also served in the Israeli Defense Forces as a Sergeant/Instructor for the Education Unit. She is a Certified Personal Trainer.
A beloved math teacher for many years, Mrs. Reyce Krause is Director of our STEAM curriculum, coordinating the planning, development, and implementation of our constantly evolving, cutting-edge STEAM curriculum. Mrs. Krause teaches freshmen and sophomore STEAM courses at Ma’ayanot. She earned her B.S. in Mathematics from Ramapo College where she won the Wiley Prize for Excellence in Mathematics.
Ms. Samantha Kur, our English Chair, teaches English and Writing Seminar, as well as advising our Poetry Slam team and serving as Co-Director of Humanities Enrichment. Ms. Kur earned a B.A. in English and an M.A. in English Education from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. She came to Ma’ayanot with a variety of teaching experiences; she taught English, History and Drama in South Africa and England, as well as Tanakh, Talmud and English at schools in Massachusetts and New Jersey. Ms. Kur also studied as a Fellow at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies in Israel, and has a degree in graphic design.
Mrs. Chava Lerner, a graduate of Ma’ayanot’s Class of 2004, serves as Chair of the Talmud Department and teaches Talmud. Mrs. Lerner has a B.A. in Judaic Studies and Psychology from Stern College. She also holds an M.A. in Bible from Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University, and an M.A. in Biblical and Talmudic Interpretation from Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program for Women in Advanced Talmudic Studies (GPATS). Prior to joining the Ma'ayanot faculty, Mrs. Lerner worked at SAR Academy for two years, beginning as a Beit Midrash Fellow and then moving on to a position as a Judaic Studies teacher.
Mr. Michael Lowy is the Director of Information Technology at Ma’ayanot. Prior to joining Ma’ayanot's faculty, he was an IT Director and Manager at various corporations and organizations. Mr. Lowy’s responsibilities include managing the Technology Department’s mission of ensuring the smooth functioning and usage of the school's technological resources.
Mrs. Michele Major joins the Ma’ayanot faculty with extensive experience in educational technology. For the past 15 years, she has served in many capacities at Yeshivat Noam, most recently as an educational technologist, math teacher, technology teacher, and General Studies head teacher. Her role as an educational technologist includes training faculty to conduct assessment programs, leading professional development in the use of technology tools in both Judaic and General Studies, and overseeing the technology curriculum. She has also led instruction in creative applications, Google and Office suites, presentation tools and coding skills. Prior to teaching at Yeshivat Noam, Mrs. Major taught in Ramaz Lower School and worked as a technical recruiter at AC Lion International. She has a B.S. in Human Development from Binghamton University, an M.S. in Elementary Education from Hunter College and earned a certificate in Online and Blended Learning from Yeshiva University.
Ms. Leebie Mallin is Director of College Guidance. She is a member of the National Association of College Admission Counselors, the New Jersey Association of College Admission Counselors, and Counselor Advocacy for the Jewish University Experience. She previously worked as Director of Hillel at the College of Staten Island and subsequently as Executive Director of the Hillels of Westchester Foundation, a multi-campus Hillel serving 1300 Jewish students. This experience gave her an intimate understanding of campus life, which serves her well in her work as a college guidance counselor. Ms. Mallin holds a B.A. in Political Science from Stern College, an M.A. in Political Science from Columbia University, an M.A. in Jewish History from Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University, and certification in Talmud and Jewish Law from the Drisha Scholars Circle.