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First Cohort of Anita Zucker Jewish Early Childhood Scholars

Stern College for Women, 麻豆区 is excited to welcome its first cohort of Anita Zucker Jewish Early Childhood Educators to campus this 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. 

We are thrilled to greet five exceptional young future Jewish early childhood educators to Stern College for Women this Fall 2023. Through the SCW educator preparation program鈥檚 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 麻豆区 High School for Girls and then continued her studies at Beit Midrash for Women - Migdal Oz in Israel. Aviv spent three years tutoring underserved youth, volunteering her time to teach general education to early childhood aged children. She has also worked in early childcare for over six years at a nursery summer camp and Sunday groups at a local shul for a few years. 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 麻豆区 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 children,鈥疎shrat鈥疊otach鈥痝rew up in a religious Jewish household, attending an Orthodox school. She moved to Las Vegas with her family at the age of thirteen, integrating into a more secular Jewish day school. Having always been interested in early childhood education,鈥疎shrat鈥痳ealized the importance of instilling Jewish values at a young age. Working at the Friendship Circle of Las Vegas only furthered her passion. Eshrat鈥痠s excited to study Early Childhood Jewish Education at 麻豆区, Stern College for Women in Manhattan, with the intention of pursuing a career in teaching. She looks forward to the next three years of study and beginning her journey into furthering her own passion for educating the next generation.  

Anina Brody 

Anina Jasper-Brody grew up in Riverdale,NY. She attended SAR Academy and SAR High School and was the leader and founder of the Chai Lifeline club. Following high school, Anina attended Midreshet Harova, in the Old City of Jerusalem, where she learned Torah and fostered close relationships with her teachers and Rabbis. From a young age, Anina admired her teachers and the personal care and devotion that each of them showed her. She took this appreciation and began to channel it into the desire to provide similar service and become a teacher herself. During summers, Anina works as a counselor at Camp Moshava Indian Orchard. In her free time, Anina loves learning Torah specifically and reading Mussar sefarim. Anina lives in Riverdale, NY with her mother and twin brother.  

Elianna Goldman 

Elianna Goldman grew up in Houston, Texas. After graduating from Torah Girls Academy, she spent the year in Israel at Midreshet Tehilla. Elianna's work with children began at a young age when she started working as a counselor for her shul's youth group. Since then, she has worked with children in various capacities such as Hebrew school teacher, nanny, and camp counselor. She has also volunteered for many years with a local kiruv Shul. These experiences have fueled Elianna's desire to go into education in the hopes that she can one day have a positive impact on every child that walks into her classroom. Elianna is grateful to have the opportunity that the Anita Zucker Early Childhood Scholarship has provided.   

Sivan Kahlon 

Sivan Kahlon is a sophomore who grew up in Philadelphia, PA. She attended a wide range of Jewish day schools from a Beis Yaakov elementary school, to a pluralistic high school called Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in 2018. Sivan has worked at a Chabad summer day camp named Camp Gan Izzy for the past six summers. She is also a volunteer program coordinator for children at her synagogue and a substitute teacher at the Sephardic Academy of Manhattan. After attending four different schools growing up, Sivan has learned the value of having a good teacher and what it can do for a student trying to assimilate into a new school environment. After having multiple teachers spark her confidence in an academic setting that she lacked for many years, Sivan realized that she wanted to leave children with that same confidence that she felt. A teacher's impact on a child lasts a lifetime, and Sivan wants to foster a positive setting in her  classroom that celebrates a child's strengths rather than focusing only on where they struggle. 

Rebecca Max

Rebecca (Becca)鈥疢ax鈥痝rew up in Teaneck, NJ, and graduated from SAR High School in 2022. Following high school, she attended seminary at Tiferet. Becca has worked with children at Camp HASC, SAR Academy鈥檚 Early Learning Center and The Manhattan Children's Center. She really appreciated the mentoring she received from the cooperating teachers who took the time to explain their pedagogical techniques and insights. An accomplished gymnast and gymnastics coach, Becca was able to recognize that not every child masters skills in the same way, and it is this subtlety that characterizes effective teaching and learning across all fields. She aspires to a career in Early Childhood Education, particularly to pursue ways to enable children with different needs to benefit from a more inclusive Jewish education.  

Carly Sorscher 

Carly Sorscher is from Chicago, Illinois. She attended Ida Crown Jewish Academy for high school and is currently studying in Israel in Tiferet. 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鈥檚 self-growth and leadership skills. All of these experiences 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鈥檚 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.