Meet Our Staff

Dr. Jonathan Mirvis
International Director (Israel)

As International Director of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School Institute since 1991, Jonathan is the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's foremost academic specialist in adult education and the new field of social entrepreneurship. He lectures to graduate students and conducts research on these subjects at the Hebrew University’s School of Education and Melton Centre for Jewish Education, The School of Social Work’s Program in Non-Profit Management and The Business School’s MBA Program. He holds a doctorate in adult education from Surrey University in England, participated in the Jerusalem Fellows program and is a graduate of Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh in Israel. Jonathan was awarded a Kaye Innovation Prize by The Hebrew University in 2003 for his development of the social franchise model and in 2007 received a special recognition by the Rector of the university for excellence in teaching.

Judy Mars Kupchan
Director of the North American Division

Before becoming the Director of the North American Division in July 2009, Judy Kupchan served the Melton Mini-School in many capacities since 1994, most recently as Associate Director. She began her long tenure with Melton as the founding director of the BJE Chicago Mini-School , where she launched the Mini-School for Educators and co-authored the Teacher Enrichment Program curriculum with Betsy Katz. She remains on the faculty of the BJE Chicago school, where she has taught Rhythms and Ethics. Judy holds an MA in Jewish Education and Contemporary Jewish Studies from Brandeis University. She is an alumna of the Senior Educators Program of the Hebrew University, and Mandel Foundation’s Teacher Educator Institute. She has worked in teacher education since 1974 and is the founding director of the Center for Jewish Teacher Education in Chicago and the Teacher Center and Isaac Franck Jewish Public Library in Washington, D.C. Judy was a recipient of the Kohl International Teaching Award. Judy and her husband Marshall live in Skokie, IL, and have two grown children, Noam and Becky.

Educational Staff

	Haim Aronovitz Israel Seminars (Israel) Haim is responsible for the development of Israel Seminars. He holds an MA from the Hebrew University in Contemporary Jewry, with an emphasis on informal Jewish education. He helped develop and then directed the Israel Experience Staff Training Institute at Melitz. He has worked as a tour educator for the Israel Seminar and as a staff member of the Melton Centre’s Jewish Educators Training Institute, and also serves as educational coordinator of the Senior Educators Program.
	Annie Glickman Regional Director (North America) Annie holds a BA from University of Washington in Jewish Studies, Jackson School of International Studies. She received her MA from The Jewish Theological Seminary, Davidson School of Jewish Education. She is an alumna of the Melton Centre for Jewish Education's Senior Educators Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She was a member of faculty at Beit Rabban Day School, New York, and Camp Ramah Darom, Georgia. Since 2002, Annie was a member of faculty and served as Director of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, Dallas, Texas, at the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center. Under her leadership, the Melton School, which now offers a graduate program and an alumni association, has expanded to day schools and synagogues throughout the Dallas Metroplex.
	Sue Parker Gerson Regional Director (North America) and North American Liaison for Israel Seminars Sue has a MA in Jewish History from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and a BA from State University of New York, Binghamton NY. She has both a Principal's License and a Teacher's License. Since 2001 Sue has been employed by CAJE as director of the FMAMS in Denver, Colorado, which includes satellite campuses in Colorado Springs and Ft. Collins. She is also a member of faculty. Sue has Level II FMAMS Directors Certification. Since 2001 the number of graduates taking post-graduate Melton courses has quadrupled and Sue has been responsible for the establishment of the FMAMS Alumni Association in Denver. Previous to her Melton position Sue has had much work experience in Jewish education in a number of different positions in Denver, New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York. Sue is the co-author of the recently published book Teaching Jewish History (Behrman House, 2006).
	Rabbi Morey Schwartz Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development (Israel) As Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development, Morey supervises the content and the delivery of the Mini-School curriculum. He is responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the core curriculum of the Mini-School, as well as the production of the Rachel Wasserman Scholar's Curriculum, a specially designed series of courses for Mini-School graduates. In addition, his work focuses on ensuring the highest standards of adult education excellence through the development and implementation of in-service training and enrichment for Mini-School faculty worldwide. Morey is a former faculty member of the Overland Park, Kansas Mini-School (1995-2000). He is a graduate of Yeshiva University, with a Master's from the Bernard Revel Graduate School, and ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Morey has lived in Israel with his family since 2000. He's the author of Where's My Miracle?: Exploring Jewish Traditions for Dealing with Tragedy (Gefen Publishing, 2010).
	Rabbi Efrat Zarren-Zohar Regional Director (North America) Rabbi Efrat Zarren-Zohar did her undergraduate work in Political Science and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan, where she also worked as program director at the University of Michigan Hillel. She received her Master's degree in Hebrew Literature and ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. Efrat served as assistant rabbi at Temple Solel in Hollywood for one year and since then she has worked at the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education, where she presently is the Director of Adult Learning and Growth. Since 1997, Efrat has served as the Director of Miami Melton, during which time she has taught all 4 curricula, earned Level II Melton certification, and raised over $100,000 with the help of a team of the Miami Advisory Board.

Administrative Staff

	Rena Ashkenazi (Israel) Rena came on aliyah from South Africa in the early '80's. She is a graduate of the Hebrew University with a degree in International Relations. Rena is delighted to be a member of the FMAMS staff, an organization she has seen expand greatly since first working for the Melton Center 15 years ago.
	Irene Bennett Director of Operations (North America) Irene has a background in business organization, computers and office management. Before joining the North American office, Irene was the registrar for Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute. She is also the lead vocalist with the Tony Caselli Orchestra as well as an event planner.
	Alison Epstein Website Content Coordinator (Israel) Alison Epstein joined the FMAMS team as web-content coordinator in 2008. Alison holds a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri–Columbia. She worked many years as an editor and page designer at daily newspapers, including The Buffalo News, The Cincinnati Enquirer, USA TODAY, and The Springfield (Missouri) News–Leader. She later began freelancing as a graphic and web designer. She made aliyah in 2005 with her husband and two daughters. In their spare time, Alison and her husband tend to their beehives.
	Jody Hyman, JD Director of Development & Alumni Services (North America) Jody is the Director of Development & Alumni Services for the North American office of the FMAMS. She is responsible for maintaining and growing the FMAMS Alumni Network, and works with directors and the FMAMS staff to encourage alumni participation. Jody is also responsible for grant writing and other development efforts. As a recent Melton graduate and founder of the International Alumni Association, Jody has enthusiastically embraced her position with the FMAMS. She is an attorney and practiced labor and employment law for ten years before leaving the practice to raise her children. She assists her husband, Bruce, in the management of his medical practice, and is actively involved in fundraising for the local PTA and temple.
	Tamar Katz Administrator, International Office (Israel) Since 1995, Tamar has been responsible for the administration of the FMAMS Institute in Jerusalem. She holds a BA in Archeology from the Hebrew University and has participated in archeological digs in the Sinai Desert, United States and France. Tamar has also translated books for an Israeli publishing house.
	Betty Sobelman Director of Finance (North America) Betty served as the Financial Administrator of the Solomon Schechter Day Schools of Chicago for a period of 11 years. She served in leadership positions for ORT, Na'Amat and the Chicago Board of Jewish Education and developed and operated several successful private businesses before embarking on her career in the not-for-profit world.
	Morrine Sweer Executive Assistant (North America) Morrine brings a terrific background in all things related to our office, and shares a strong commitment to our mission of Jewish learning for adults.