Jewish Placemaking Day of Learning

Beverly (they/them) is a driven builder of communal Jewish learning spaces. They believe that with support, people can build the communities they need. And being a builder of community isas inclusive as it gets. Makom Community invites kids and grownups into learning experiences that do just that. Beverly received a B.A. in Jewish Studies from the University of Maryland then received an M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania in Jewish Education. Beverly was a fellow at Yeshivat Hadar, received the Covenant Foundation Pomegranate Prize, was a Shalom Hartman Created Equal Fellow, and is a graduate of the Mandel Foundation Executive Leadership Program. After running congregational schools in Maryland and New Jersey, working at Barrack Hebrew Academy, and leading Makom Community, they have developed over 100 curricula for learners of all ages. Beverly is excited to introduce Makom’s pedagogy, Jewish Placemaking, to communities around the country and see how that supports each community in growing to live up to their values.

Terri is a passionate and strategic relationship builder who works in the intersection of Jewish education and development. Terri has spent her career strengthening the Jewish community in Philadelphia. Her background is in Jewish Education and she completed her Masters in Jewish Education from the Davidson School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary, with a concentration in Israel Education. Terri had been serving on the board of Makom Community for three years prior to joining the professional leadership team. Terri is inspired by Makom’s thoughtful pedagogy, quality of educators, and impact Makom has on its students, their families, and fellow educational leaders across the nation.

Rabba Yaffa Epstein is the Senior Scholar and Educator in Residence at the Jewish Education Project. Formerly, she served as the Director of the Wexner Heritage Program at the Wexner Foundation. Epstein has also served as the Director of Education, North America for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and was a member of the faculty. She has served on the faculties of Yeshivat Maharat and the Drisha Institute. Epstein has served as an Educator and Scholar in Residence for the Dorot Fellowship, Moishe House, Jewish Federation of North America, the Covenant Foundation, the Nahum Goldmann Fellowship, Repair the World, the Meorot Fellowship, and the KADIMA Fellowship. She has lectured at numerous Limmud events around the globe, has written curriculum for the Global Day of Jewish Learning and has created innovative educational programming for Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. She received Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshivat Maharat, earned an additional private Ordination from Rabbi Daniel Landes, holds a Law Degree from Bar-Ilan University, and studied at the Talmud Department at Hebrew University.

Rabba Epstein is passionate about making Jewish learning accessible and exciting, and creating learning environments that are welcoming, diverse, and inclusive to all who wish to participate. She has taught educators, rabbis and lay leaders from across the spectrum of Jewish denominations. Rabba Epstein is the winner of the prestigious Covenant Award.

Ivy is the Managing Director, Professional Learning and Growth at The Jewish Education Project. Her current work focuses on supporting Jewish educators towards adopting new models that lead to thriving and are responsive to today’s learners and families. Prior to The Jewish Education Project, Ivy worked at B’nai Jeshurun (BJ) in NYC for a decade, where she served as the Education Director, and also has experience in Jewish camping and as a consultant to synagogues. Ivy holds an MA in Jewish Education from the Davidson School at JTS, is an alum of the Leadership Institute, and is a Wexner Field Fellow. Ivy lives in Westchester with her husband and three children.