RELIGIOUS
SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS
Shelley Bleiweiss - 8th Grade Core- Holocaust Studies; Current Events & Social Action; Don't be a Bystander
A native of Houston, Texas, Shelley has been a member of CBI for over 20 years, and is a past president of the Men's Club. Shelly began teaching at CBI in 2006.
Shelly is a child of Holocaust survivors and Education Chair of The Generation After, a local group of children of Holocaust survivors. He participated in the 2002 March of the Living, and in 2004 was one of 25 international Jewish educators chosen to participate on a two week seminar at Yad Vashem on Teaching the Holocaust.
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Shelly works for the County of San Diego in the Special Education Mental Health Services division of Children's Mental Health. Shelly previously taught at the AJE High School of Jewish Studies, and also teaches a course on the Holocaust and Human Behavior for the Aleinu Committee of Beth Israel.
Helene Schlafman 858-535-1111
x3305 - 7th Grade- Israel;
9th Grade Core-Bible Discussion; Beginning & Advanced Madrichim
This year Helene is celebrating her 52th year in Jewish education, with
42 of these years at Congregation Beth Israel, where she is the Director
of Education Emeritus and a teacher in the Religious School
and High School. Helene teaches fifth and seventh grades and High School at our Religious
School.
Helene is a Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude graduate in Intellectual History
with minors in Hebrew, Bible and Education.
Helene is nationally known for her innovative programming.
The Religious School, under her direction, was featured in the Council for Initiatives
in Jewish Education's Lead Communities: Best Practices Project. Her ground-breaking
Madrichim program for teens is in its 35th year, and serves as a role model for
programs throughout the country. Helene has received many awards for her weekend
camp programming and the prestigious Telly Award for the rock music video that
she produced with Cara Freedman.
The highly successful Bill and Sid Rubin Preschool
and the former Beth Israel Day School were both developed under the
tutelage of Mrs. Schlafman. She also began Camp Beth Israel,
BIBS (Beth Israel Babies), and developed and produced the award winning children's
theater company, SHOW BIS, with Music Director, Cara Freedman.
One of the most rewarding aspects of her years at Beth Israel is that she remains
connected to so many of her students and now has the privilege of teaching Torah
to their children and to her own grandchildren. She is affectionately known as "Eemah."
Helene is currently serving as Vice President of the National Reform Day Schools
- PARDES. She is also a board member at Camp Mountain Chai.
Jessica Kretzer - 7th Grade- Jewish American History, 9th Grade Core- Intra/Inter Faith
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Jessica Kretzer, joined the Beth Israel teaching staff in 2006. She is originally from Houston, Texas where her family belonged to (and still belongs to) Congregation Beth Israel - Houston.
Jessica worked for five years as a madricha (teacher's aide) on Sunday mornings in her temple's religious school while a middle and high schooler. Jessica graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor's Degree in Deaf Education and also spent all four years of her college career teaching fifth grade religious school for Austin's Congregation Beth Israel.
Jessica relocated to San Diego for graduate school in 2004, and taught seventh grade religious school at San Diego's Congregation Emanu El for one year. She received her Master's Degree and teaching credentials in Deaf Education from San Diego State University this past May.
When not teaching at Beth Israel, Jessica is a teacher at Madison High School, developing functional life skills and community based instruction for students who are Deaf with multiple handicaps and special needs. She recently married Mark in May 2008.
Other Elective Teachers include: Michelle Berkowitz, Cantor Bernstein, and Jeremy Gimbel
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