TI’s Religious School welcomes a pair of new leaders, Steve Kerbel and Dan Ring. They were hired during a summer search by a panel from the TI Youth and Education Committee and synagogue board.
Kerbel, a Rockville resident, has a resume full of strong Jewish education experiences, with a variety of skills and experiences in classroom and informal education and non-profit management at Jewish organizations. Most recently, he was director of education for seven years at B’nai Tzedek in Potomac, Md. Earlier, he was retreat director for Capital Camps, education director at Ohr Kodesh Congregation and a classroom educator at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School.
Kerbel’s commentary, “Teaching the New Generation,” appeared in the July 31 issue of Washington Jewish Week.
Kerbel completed his undergraduate studies at University of Maryland and earned a law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Ring, a young Jewish educator, will assist Kerbel.
For the past two years, he has been an education fellow with the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, Miss. In this role, he was a traveling Jewish educator and educational consultant, working with 12 religious schools and Jewish communities across a 13-state Southern region. He devised innovative curricular materials and lessons for early childhood through 12th grade.
Previously, Ring was a 5th grade Hebrew prayer teacher at Shaare Torah Religious School, He was a special-needs counselor for four years, supervised children with disabilities throughout summers.
He completed his student teaching at High Point High School in Beltsville, Md., and holds Maryland state certification. He earned his B.A. at University of Maryland.
Under the new education program, which has returned to TI after two years of a shared arrangement with another local shul, children in grades K-2 will attend school from 9-11:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Children will learn Hebrew, Jewish values and Judaic studies with special programs in Israeli dance, music and art. Rabbi Abramson and Cantor Helzner will participatied with the students about once a month.
Children in grades 3-7 will work with individualized instructors who will teach them Hebrew, Jewish values and Judaic studies. Each family will meet with Kerbel to customize a curriculum for each student. Progress will be evaluated during the year and adjusted as necessary.
