Beth Am Temple

Religious School

Beth Am Temple

60 E. Madison Avenue

PO Box 1200

Pearl River, NY 10965

info@bethamtemple.net

Please welcome & greet our returning & new Jewish educators:

Marian Kleinman, teacher, writer, and cantorial soloist, is delighted to lead our Beth Am Temple Religious School Faculty Team. This is her second year as the principal. Since the birth of her daughter Rosa, Marian has written curricula and taught online university courses for three colleges. An active volunteer at Congregation Agudas Achim in Livingston Manor, NY, her activities include leading music at services, starting several choirs and music groups, teaching Hebrew, tutoring b’nei mitzvah students, website creation/upkeep, and event planning. She and her husband Mark live in Liberty, NY, with their daughter Rosa, who’s entering second grade in the fall. They have a 3-year old mixed breed dog.

Brian Weil attended Beth Am Temple's Religious School and Hebrew High and he was confirmed right here at Beth Am in 1998. Brian graduated from Nanuet High School in 2000 and from Binghamton University in 2004, with a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering. This past spring, Brian earned an MBA from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. During the week, Brian is a Manager at Stryker Spine, leading the field support and supply chain planning team. Brian has been tutoring Hebrew since 1997 when he was working towards earning his Hebrew High “Mitzvah Hours.” Brian will be teaching Kindergarten & 2nd grade this year.

Ruth Pernick has taught every grade, except for 2nd, at Beth Am Temple over the past 20 years. She looks forward to teaching grades 5 and 6 this coming year. Ruth is married to Rabbi Daniel Pernick and is the mother of 4 wonderful kids: Sarah, 22, Ben, 21, Joshua, 20, and David, 17.

Karen Herskowitz lives in West Nyack, NY with her two children, Jacob and Sara, and her husband Michael. She's taught Sunday school at Beth Am Temple for 12 years, and in the Clarkstown School District for 20 years. She's looking forward to another wonderfully rewarding school year! She will be teaching 3rd grade & Ezrat HaAm.  

Paula Kaplan lives in River Vale, New Jersey with her family. She is a member of The Orangetown Jewish Center. She is involved with the OJC Religious School, where she occasionally teaches and leads their Junior Congregation service. Paula loves being Jewish and she looks forward to sharing her passion for Judaism with her students at Beth Am. This year Paula is teaching fourth and seventh grade Hebrew.    

Marita Falconer has been studying Jewish history & philosophy for the past 26 years. She is married, has three children & lives in Teaneck , NJ. When she's not teaching at BAT, Marita manages a student foreign exchange program and works as an administrator in an orthodox synagogue. At BAT, she has taught grades 4, 5, 6, & 7. Marita looks forward to teaching 4th and 6th grades this school year. In 5768 9May, 2008), Marita was selected as the Herb and Phyllis Schulman Rockland Jewish Educator of the Year! She was presented with the $1500 award on Sunday, June 8, and Beth Am Temple received a $500 award as well. As the 5768 Educator of the Year, Mrs. Falconer was nominated by the Federation (Center for Jewish Education of Rockland for the national Grinspoon/Steinhardt Award, which she subsequently received in June.

Orlee Krass lives in Haverstraw, NY with her husband, Matt and 5-month-old son, Micah. She is a certified special education teacher and has been teaching in the Bronx and Harlem for the past 6 years. Orlee is looking forward to teaching "KESHET" at Beth Am Temple.

Michael Herskowitz is a West Nyack, NY resident, husband of Karen Herskowitz, and father of Jacob and Sara. In addition to teaching Hebrew High School at Beth Am Temple, Michael is a Pearl River Middle School teacher and has volunteered as a coach in many youth athletic leagues.

Deborah Klock lives in Nanuet, NY with her son, Andrew, and daughter, Sarah (now away at college). She’s been very involved in working with and teaching children at Reuben Gittelman Hebrew Day School, at Ramah Day Camp, Nyack, and through Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. She is excited to start this year at BAT and is teaching Judaica for the 5th and 7th grades.