ºÚÁÏÉç

 Anita Zucker Jewish Early Childhood Scholars

Stern College for Women, ºÚÁÏÉç All welcomed its first cohort of Anita Zucker Jewish Early Childhood Educators to campus in Fall 2023. The Anita Zucker Scholarship for Jewish Early Childhood Education is the brainchild of noted early childhood philanthropist and advocate, Anita Zucker. Zucker, a former classroom teacher herself and CEO of The InterTech Group Inc., a North Charleston-based global manufacturing conglomerate, recently gifted $5MM to YU to establish the Anita Zucker Program for Jewish Early Childhood Education. Her dedication to the field of education has resulted in initiatives across the country to professionalize and incentivize the field of early childhood education. The Anita Zucker Scholarship for Jewish Early Childhood Education makes it possible for undergraduate students who are interested in early childhood education to become professionals without financial hardship, and it will lead the way in transforming the status of Jewish early childhood education. 

This Spring 2026, we are thrilled to welcome our third group of seven exceptional young future Jewish early childhood educators to Stern College for Women. Through the SCW educator preparation program’s rigorous course work, high quality clinical experiences, and personalized mentoring, the Zucker scholars are poised to impact the field of Jewish early childhood education. Read below to learn a little more about their backgrounds and commitment to Jewish early childhood education.  

Aviv Amar 

Aviv Amar graduated as Co-Salutatorian of ºÚÁÏÉç All High School for Girls and then continued her studies at Beit Midrash for Women - Migdal Oz in Israel. She has worked in early childcare for eight years, including three years tutoring underserved youth as a volunteer and eight summers as a Morah in a nursery camp. Aviv is excited to be a part of ºÚÁÏÉç All’s MafTeach program, where she spends extended weekends at the Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh receiving mentorship from their early childhood department as well as leading chaburot and activities for the middle and high school. She was also an advisor on the Tikvah Summer Scholars Program this past summer where she served as a positive religious and general role model for a diverse group of students. Aviv has loved her fieldwork experiences through the Anita Zucker program and has gained tremendously from the Cooperating Teachers. Aviv hopes to use this opportunity as a member of the first cohort of Anita Zucker Scholars to gain the tools to teach, inspire, and motivate the next generation of Yeshiva students in their yiddishkeit early on, and to guide young children in the process of creating a meaningful, long lasting, and unwavering connection with Hashem that will carry them through as they grow and develop.  

Eshrat Botach    

Born and raised in Los Angeles as the youngest of seven, Eshrat Botach grew up in a religious Jewish household and attended an Orthodox day school. At thirteen, her family relocated to Las Vegas, where she transitioned to a more secular Jewish school. Her passion for early childhood education began early, rooted in the belief that instilling Jewish values from a young age is essential. Working at the Friendship Circle of Las Vegas deepened her dedication to this mission.

Now studying Early Childhood Jewish Education at ºÚÁÏÉç All’s Stern College for Women in Manhattan, Eshrat has spent the past year immersing herself in academic and extracurricular experiences. One of the most rewarding aspects of her fieldwork has been rediscovering her favorite childhood books through the eyes of young learners, further affirming her passion for teaching. Serving on the board of college clubs like CommYUnity has also allowed her to foster connections and engage meaningfully with her peers.

Beyond the classroom, Eshrat is deeply committed to Israel advocacy. As a former StandWithUs Intern, she gained valuable experience in educating and empowering others to support Israel. Recently, she had the privilege of volunteering in Israel, helping with farm produce, packing food and clothing for displaced families, and sorting through donations—an eye-opening experience that reinforced her dedication to service and community support. Looking ahead, she is eager to continue her studies as an Anita Zucker scholarship for Jewish Education awardee, embrace new opportunities in education, and make a lasting impact in her local and global communities.

Elianna Goldman 

Elianna Goldman is from Houston, Texas. After graduating from Torah Girls Academy, she spent a year at Midreshet Tehilla in Israel. She has always been passionate about education and volunteered throughout high school in a local Kiruv shul working on various programs including their Hebrew school and monthly children's outreach activities. 
Now in New York, Elianna is pursuing a bachelor's in early childhood education at Stern College. She has gained valuable experience through fieldwork placements, teaching in a community Hebrew school, and a Jewish Education Fellowship through Maimonides in Boston, MA. She is grateful for the Anita Zucker Early Childhood Scholarship, which has supported her professional growth and passion for Jewish early childhood education.

Sivan Kahlon 

Sivan Kahlon is a junior from Philadelphia, PA, with a diverse educational background spanning various Jewish day schools. She began her education at a Beis Yaakov elementary school and later attended the pluralistic Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in 2018.
Passionate about education and community involvement, Sivan has spent the past six summers working at Camp Gan Izzy, a Chabad summer day camp. She also serves as a volunteer program coordinator for children at her synagogue and works as a substitute teacher at the Sephardic Academy of Manhattan. Over the past two years, she has completed fieldwork at two different schools across New York City and is currently doing fieldwork in her third school, further deepening her love for Jewish early childhood education.

Last summer, Sivan interned at ELI NextGen, an educational startup in Tel Aviv dedicated to teaching young adults about Israel’s startup ecosystem. In this role, she researched Jewish day schools across the U.S. to identify institutions that would benefit from ELI NextGen’s programs. Having attended four different schools throughout her own education, Sivan understands firsthand the impact a great teacher can have on a student navigating a new academic environment. After experiencing teachers who helped spark her confidence in an academic setting where she once struggled, she became inspired to provide that same encouragement to her future students. She believes that a teacher’s influence lasts a lifetime and is committed to fostering a classroom environment that celebrates students’ strengths rather than focusing solely on their challenges.
 

Michelle Kirschner

Michelle Kirschner is from Woodmere, New York. She attended HAFTR High School and spent a gap year studying at Tiferet Seminary in Israel. Throughout her high school career, she gained valuable hands-on experience working and volunteering at Yachad, Friendship Circle, and Kulanu. In addition, she spent the last two summers at Camp HASC and gained tremendous knowledge and growth from that experience. During her time at HASC, she obtained first-hand experience with the type of children she hopes to work with in the future. She learned from a diverse environment and saw how these experiences can help her grow as an educator. She believes these experiences will allow her to amplify her teaching abilities as she pursues a career in Early Childhood Education.

The Anita Zucker Early Childhood Scholarship gives her the opportunity to gain first-hand experience toward starting her professional career. Through her coursework and fieldwork in the Anita Zucker Jewish Early Childhood Education program, she has gained valuable insights into child development and innovative teaching strategies. Whether through hands-on classroom experiences or engaging with early learners in meaningful ways, she finds these opportunities especially rewarding and instrumental in shaping her future as an educator.

Carly Sorscher

Carly Sorscher was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She attended Hillel Torah Day School, then Ida Crown Jewish Academy for high school, followed by a year in Israel at Tiferet Center. She is currently in her second year at ºÚÁÏÉç All. Throughout high school, she led the youth groups at her shul and spent the summers working at a local Jewish day camp. She served as the president of Yachad for Yachad Chicago during her senior year of high school. Carly was also highly involved in planning ICJA Takes The Stage and Ida Crown Girls Club, both of which were started by the school to encourage women’s self-growth and leadership skills. Both last summer and this upcoming summer, Carly will serve as the director of Camp Chai for Girls in Skokie, Illinois.

Through the early childhood program, Carly has done fieldwork every semester in addition to taking classes. Fieldwork presents Carly with the opportunity to be hands-on in the classroom and learn from different teachers and schools. Some of the most important aspects that Carly has learned from the fieldwork experiences are different teaching styles and methods, classroom management, and student engagement. All of these experiences have helped pave the way for her decision to major in Jewish Early Childhood Education and she is looking forward to beginning her journey of becoming an Early Childhood Jewish educator through the Anita Zucker Early Childhood Scholarship.  

Pearlie Ness

Pearlie Ness is a recent graduate from Bruriah High School in Hillside, New Jersey, class of 2023. After high school, Pearlie spent a year and a half studying at Tiferet Seminary, deepening her knowledge and personal growth. Pearlie has also gained valuable hands-on experience by working with children at Camp HASC over the past three summers. Through her time at the HASC, she was mentored by experienced staff members who shared their teaching methods and insights, sparking her passion for education. Pearlie’s experience helped her recognize the importance of understanding that each child learns differently, a lesson that shapes her approach to teaching. She is now pursuing a career in Early Childhood Education, with a particular interest in creating inclusive learning environments that cater to children with diverse needs within the Jewish education system.

Mikayla Lederman

Mikayla Lederman is from Newton, Massachusetts, where she grew up attending Maimonides School. She began at Maimo in Kindergarten and continued there through her high school graduation in 2023. Following high school, Mikayla attended seminary at Tiferet in Ramat Beit Shemesh. While growing up in Newton, Mikayla was an instrumental part of her shul's Shabbos youth groups, where she lead the community children in parsha games and activities. She was also active in NCSY and, after graduation, took on a leadership role in her local NCSY chapter to help inspire and educate the younger teens. Throughout high school, Mikayla was a board member for Boston Yachad. Last year Mikayla had an opportunity to volunteer at Maimonides as a teacher for students who receive extra academic support while in school. During this time, she discovered the importance of using different teaching techniques to meet the needs of students with different learning styles. Mikayla is excited to learn and grow as an educator and mentor through the Early Childhood Education program at Stern.

Hila Cohen

Hila Cohen is from Riverdale, NY, and attended SAR from nursery through twelfth grade. Throughout high school, she was actively involved in her shul’s youth programming, working with children across age groups. In her later high school years, Hila piloted a middle school parsha club for middle schoolers. After high school, Hila studied in Midreshet Lindenbaum, as a participant in the Matmidot Scholars program where she met with many Israeli leaders and scholars, and authored a paper examining the challenges and educational significance of translating Tanach. Hila has spent multiple summers on staff at Ramah Nyack, working with children of diverse needs. This past summer, Hila served as Assistant Division Head where she played a vital role in many administrative aspects of the camper experience, and as a Resident Advisor mentoring for younger staff members.

Hila is excited to explore a variety of different schools throughout her time at Stern and learn and grow from each school and experience. She is enjoying her coursework in the Early Childhood Education program and looks forward to continuing to grow as a Jewish early childhood educator. Hila is grateful for the Anita Zucker Scholarship and the opportunities it provides for professional development and leadership within the field.

Rachel Didia

Rachel Didia is a recent graduate of Yeshivah of Flatbush High School in Brooklyn, New York. Following high school, she spent a year studying at Midreshet Moriah, where she deepened her spiritual growth and focused on personal development. Rachel has extensive experience working with children at a day camp in Deal, New Jersey. There, she collaborated with experienced staff members who shared their knowledge of education and child development in a dynamic, hands-on environment. Through her time at camp, along with several years of babysitting, Rachel developed a strong passion for education and for bringing experiential learning into the classroom. She believes deeply in a teaching approach that recognizes each child’s unique learning style and values hands-on experiences to help every student succeed. Rachel is currently pursuing a career in Early Childhood Education, with the goal of contributing to a shift away from standardized test-based instruction and toward a more engaging, creative, and student-centered educational model.

Lexi Frank

Lexi Frank grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, and graduated from SAR High School, Class of 2023. After graduating, she spent a year in Israel studying at Midreshet Torat Chessed in Netanya. The seminary is connected to a children’s home, which gave her the unique opportunity to split her time between learning and volunteering. Each day, she spent half of the day studying and the other half working with the children at the home. This experience was incredibly meaningful and strengthened her passion for working with children and supporting their development. Lexi has always known that she wanted to work with children, though it took time for her to discover exactly how she wanted to pursue that passion.

Over the years, she has gained hands-on experience working with children in a variety of settings, including working with two-year-olds at JCC Day Camp, serving on staff at Camp HASC for 2 years, and working with fourth grade students at The Moriah School. These experiences deepened her commitment to education and confirmed her love for teaching. Lexi is currently pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education, where she hopes to continue developing the skills needed to create supportive, engaging learning environments that help young children grow, learn, and thrive.

Ruthie Israel

Ruthie Israel is a graduate of Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls and continued her Torah learning at Machon Ma’ayan, where she deepened her commitment to Jewish learning, leadership, and connection to Israel. Raised in a family of educators, she developed an early appreciation for the powerful role teachers play in shaping a child’s confidence and sense of belonging.

Throughout high school, Ruthie sought opportunities to lead and build inclusive communities. As vice president of her school’s Holiday Enhancement Committee, she planned programs that strengthened school spirit and communal celebration. She volunteered with Friendship Circle and participated in Sinai Lunch Buddies, fostering meaningful friendships with students with diverse abilities. At Shalva, she worked with young learners, strengthening motor, social, and early literacy skills through hands-on activities and creative play. As dance head and staff member at Camp Moshava, she led activities that built confidence, teamwork, and community among campers.

As an Anita Zucker Scholar, she looks forward to developing as a leader, engaging in meaningful service and educational initiatives, and gaining the mentorship and professional experiences that will prepare her to create joyful, inclusive classrooms rooted in Jewish values and a deep connection to Israel.

Alexandra Lederman

Alex Lederman was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts. She attended Maimonides School from kindergarten through her high school graduation, in 2024. After high school, Alex attended Seminary at Midreshet Moriah in Yerushalayim. Throughout high school Alex was very involved with youth programs in her community. She created a Shabbat program for children at the Sephardi Shul, where she ran games and taught the children Hebrew, Tefillos and Parsha. Alex is also involved with the Boston NCSY chapter, where she learns and helps inspire younger teens. In her free time, Alex teaches gymnastics to younger children at the gym where she trained from 6th through 12th grade. At Stern, Alex has loved her fieldwork placements and is learning so much from these experiences. She has gained a love for teaching and is so excited to continue to grow and learn as an educator through the Early Childhood Education Program at Stern. Alex is so grateful for the support through this opportunity.

Gale Mendelsohn

Gale Mendelsohn is from Los Angeles, California, she graduated from YULA before spending a year in Israel at Midreshet Amudim, where she deepened her commitment to Jewish learning and community engagement. While in high school, she worked for ETTA, an organization for adults with disabilities, and furthered her passion for the special needs community with her volunteer work at Keren Or in Israel, a school for children with visual impairments and other disabilities.

Gale has spent three summers at Camp HASC as both a counselor and academic assistant, where she worked with teens and young adults with diverse support needs, including mobility and communication differences. She plans to go back to Camp HASC in future summers.

Through her coursework and fieldwork placements, Gale has developed a deep understanding of child development, differentiated instruction, and classroom dynamics. She is committed to creating compassionate, engaging learning environments that empower young children to love learning. In the future, she hopes to work in a special education setting supporting children with disabilities, where she can provide individualized care and instruction that helps each child reach their fullest potential.

Liora Snitman

Liora Snitman is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended Caskey Torah Academy for elementary school, Kohelet Yeshiva for high School before spending a year in Israel at Shaalvim

for Women. Throughout high school, Liora gained hands on experience working in a Jewish day camp, fostering a love for teaching young children and learning how to engage students in meaningful ways. She continued to build her experience at Camp HASC, where she worked closely with children in a supportive and inclusive environment, further solidifying her passion for early childhood education.

Liora is pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education at Stern College. She is thrilled to be a member of the Anita Zucker Early Childhood program, which offers her the opportunity to gain valuable mentorship, fieldwork experience, and professional guidance as she prepares to become an educator. Through her classroom experiences and program involvement, Liora has already begun developing skills in lesson planning, classroom management, and fostering a nurturing and engaging learning environment.

Liora is committed to helping children build a meaningful connection to their Jewish identity from an early age. She is excited to grow as an educator and make a lasting impact on the lives of the children she teaches.

Aviva Weinstock

Aviva Weinstock grew up in Manhattan, New York and now lives in Atlantic Beach, NY. She went to Ramaz her whole life then spent an incredible year in Seminary in Yerushalayim. Aviva’s passion for education grew throughout high school. While working with children her whole life, in Shul groups and through babysitting, she feels a great connection to young children and how they learn and grow. She spent her past two summers as a mother's helper for a family with young children as well as one summer at Camp Simcha. These summers allowed her to truly grasp the beauty and importance of childhood and the influence one can have in their lives. She now spends Shabbat mornings teaching and creating a warm environment for Bat Mitzvah aged girls. Passionate about the arts, Aviva intends on infusing this in her future work with young children and helping them tap into their creativity and express themselves through arts and music. Aviva feels strongly that the classroom shapes a child’s life and influences how they view themselves and the world, and she aspires to be a warm educator who fosters confidence, a joy of learning, and lifelong skills in her students.

Allegra Houllou

Allegra Houllou is from Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Yeshivah of Flatbush in 2023. She is currently studying Early Childhood Jewish Education at ºÚÁÏÉç All’s Stern College for Women.

As one of ten children, Allegra has always been surrounded by younger kids, which helped spark her early interest in working with children. She has also worked in summer camps with two through four-year-olds, where she developed a love for helping young children learn, grow, and explore their curiosity.

Through the Anita Zucker Scholars program, Allegra has gained knowledge about the fundamental development of young children as well as valuable classroom experience through fieldwork placements. These experiences have strengthened her passion for early childhood education and her desire to create supportive and engaging learning environments for young students. Allegra looks forward to continuing to grow as an educator and hopes to inspire a love of learning and strong moral and Jewish values in the students she will teach.