Hebrew School Staff

Alicia DePaolo (Education Director)

Alicia DePaolo brings many talents to our community. She is a musician, composer, and Jewish educator who is passionate about making Jewish experiences meaningful and inclusive. She is also a specialist in Early Music and she directs MIRYAM, a chamber ensemble dedicated to Jewish music from the Renaissance and Baroque. She is relocating from Washington DC to begin her rabbinical studies at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. During her time in DC, she worked as a synagogue educator and prayer leader and started the DC/Northern Virginia chapter of Tzelem- a group for LGBTQ Jewish teens. Prior to moving to DC, she lived in Boston, where she received a Master’s of Jewish Education and Jewish Studies from Hebrew College. Alicia is also passionate about Jewish disability inclusion and celebrating neurodiversity. She is thrilled to join the BI community and looks forward to this new year of meaningful learning!

Laura Lee Blechner

Laura Lee Blechner has been a member of Beth Israel for over 20 years, while serving in many roles of leadership, including co-chair of the Religious Practices Committee for many years. As an avid Jewish learner, Laura Lee attends adult education classes, in addition to reading many Jewish books and blogs each year.  She has been teaching the Gan family education class with Reisa Mukamal for over 10 years and is very excited to see members of our earliest classes becoming B'nai MItzvah!  She teaches Biblical Hebrew to adults and tutors B’nai Mitzvah students. Her two kids attended Hebrew School and celebrated becoming B Mitzvah at Beth Israel.

Reisa Mukamal

Reisa Mukamal holds a master’s degree in education, has served as co-chair of the Education Committee, and her teaching career at Beth Israel grew out of her experience on that committee. She began with a stint teaching Hebrew to the Hay (5th) class, capitalizing on her semester abroad at Tel Aviv University. Together with her friend and colleague, Laura Lee, they both enjoy helping young families celebrate the Jewish holidays together with their kindergarten-age children. Meanwhile, Reisa's four sons attended Hebrew school and celebrated becoming B'nai Mitzvah at Beth Israel and, along the way, she began tutoring B'nai Mitzvah students, both an honor and a joy. Sometimes she even gets to teach their parents! She also teaches kindergarten at a private nursery school in Swarthmore and is a docent at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Rose Gotlieb

Rose Gotlieb was born in Toronto and moved to Massachusetts when they were five years old. As a lifelong camper and then Jewish Education Specialist at URJ Camp George, a Jewish summer camp based in Canada, Rose created and implemented fun and educational lessons about Jewish history, culture, and religion for campers of all ages. In 2017, they spent a semester abroad in Israel, living on a kibbutz outside of Jerusalem. Currently, Rose attends Swarthmore College and serves as a Board member of the Jewish Club on campus. They have a wonderful dog named Leo (after Leonard Cohen!), two goats, sixteen chickens, and some uncountable number of bees. In their free time, Rose likes to read, bake, and cross-country ski!

Me’ira

Me’ira is a longtime member of Congregation Beth Israel, a frequent service leader and passionate Jewish Educator. As well as being an experienced and certified Special Education and Mathematics teacher, Me’ira has worked with kids of all ages at the Beth Israel Hebrew School and beyond, fostering a love of learning. In addition to her work in the Hebrew School, she volunteers regularly as a tutor and teacher with at-risk urban youth. 

Aviva Weiser

Aviva Weiser is from Denver, Colorado and currently attends Swarthmore College. She attended a Jewish day school until 8th grade, went to Jewish summer camps, was active in BBYO, and was co-president of the Jewish Cultural Club at her high school.  She participated in a Jewish Study Tour to Israel. At Swarthmore, Aviva is co-president of Kehilah, the Jewish group on campus. She is also active in Newspaper and is a grader for Chemistry. She is an avid reader and a runner.