Esther was born and raised in Israel on a small kibbutz in the northern part of the country. After serving in the Israeli Air Force she moved to LA, where she completed a BA in Economics from UCLA. Later she continued her education by participating in the DeLeT (Day School Teachers for a New Generation) program of the HUC-JIR Rhea Hirsch School of Education.

Esther has been teaching Hebrew and Judaic studies at Pressman Academy Day School in Kindergarten for the past five years. This is her second year teaching kindergartners Hebrew at Hillel Hebrew Academy. Esther is truly passionate about her work. She takes pleasure in passing on Jewish traditions through creativity, stories, games, and songs. Esther also worked in previous years at Camp Ramah in Ojai as a Gan specialist with children going into 1st grade, Kindergarten and the lower grades. This is Esther’s fourth year as a member of the Jewish Learning Community Faculty.

Marcy Stieglitz was born in Boston Massachusetts and raised in Englewood New Jersey. During her teen years Marcy became an activist for SSSJ (The Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry) and spent her summers in Tel Yehuda, Young Judea’s High School Summer Camp. Marcy received a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Fairleigh Dickinson University along with a New Jersey teaching certificate for Preschool from William Paterson College. It was at this time she met and married her husband Paul. They moved to Los Angeles where together they raised three children, Jonathan, Melissa and Jennifer. In LA, Marcy received a Master’s in Jewish Education and a Bachelors of Hebrew Letters concurrently, from the American Jewish University. She then began working as a full-time educator at Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy Day School and was also offered the opportunity to become a JECEI Fellow (Jewish Early Childhood Education Initiative) through the Covenant Foundation, where she enhanced her educational skills while connecting with other expert mentors and educators in the field of Early Childhood Jewish Education.

In addition to teaching at Temple Beth Am for the past seven years, Marcy has worked as a Preschool Director at Torat Hayim Hebrew Academy and at The Bilowit Children’s Center in the Chabad of South Bay.

Marcy and Paul have been married for over thirty years. They are most proud of the accomplishments of their children. Jonathan, Melissa, and Jennifer.

Revital was born and raised In Israel and went to Bar Ilan high school in Natanya, where she grew up. Ater her military service, Revital went to both Hakibutzim and Levinski colleges in Israel.

Revital moved to the U.S. with her husband and two children, and I started teaching religious school in temple Beit El iin San Pedro and Ner Tamid in Rancho Palos Verds.

Revital also taught in The Kabala center in LA, as well as in Hillel Hebrew Academy, where she teaches currently. This is Revital’s first year as a member of the JLC faculty.

Laura earned her Bachelor’s degree in Theatre, and then began working as an Artist and Educator teaching all ages, toddlers through seniors, using performance, movement and visual arts, multiple learning modalities and experiential education to empower identity and expression among young students. Later, Laura went back to school to earn a professional culinary degree and become a Chef. Throughout her journey of exciting and eclectic careers and endeavors, Laura is grateful to have been working in Jewish Education for more than 15 years, using her creative skills and passion to engage and enhance the study and practice of Torah, Avodah and G’milut Chasadim.

Rachel Cohen grew up in a small village in Israel and started her teaching career when she was 19, teaching troops, while serving in the Israeli army. Her formal teaching education started in Tel Aviv, where she worked with children with special needs. Rachel immigrated to the United States in 2000 and continued to pursue her education in Childhood Development at West Los Angeles College. In 2007 she joined Pressman Academy ECC as a lead teacher. Pressman Academy has become a second home to Rachel and she enjoys her work very much. Rachel’s passion is teaching Ivrit (Hebrew) with dances, songs, play, and utilizing the all five senses. She loves teaching and enjoys the opportunity to learn from her students. Rachel is committed to making learning fun and meaningful for all of her students.

Dale, native of Los Angeles, began teaching accompaniment guitar at age 11 and continued through high school, teaching a single class of 106 students at Marquez Elementary School in Pacific Palisades. Dale co-directed Broadway shows in Hebrew for Los Angeles Hebrew High School, followed by ten years teaching English and Social Studies at NPI/UCLA (now the Semel Institute) Inpatient Hospital School. Dale comes to Beth Am after long careers at Sinai Temple and Milken Community Schools, teaching and leading pre-k through 12th grade Tefilla.

Dale works as a shaliach-tzibor-in-residence at Adat Shalom in West L.A., as well as Congregation B’nai Israel in Tustin, Temple Beth Emet in Anaheim, the Jewish Cooperative of Orange County, and Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach.

Dale is married to Tracy and their children include Beth Am’s recent rabbinic intern, now Rabbi Rebecca Schatz, as well as Sammy (27), Jacob (25) and Jonah Schatz (23).