Profile of OTZMA Israel Teaching Corps 2009-2010 Participants

OTZMA is very excited to officially launch our NEW Israel Teaching Corps Program this fall! For our first year, (2009-2010) OTZMA's ITC program has 10 participants from 9 different communities across North America.

Please see below to learn more about this years group!

 

Andrew Susser (Monmouth County, NJ)
Andrew Susser, originally from Red Bank, NJ; graduated from Temple University with a double major in English and Religion. While living in Philadelphia, he volunteered with the campus chapter of Habitat-for-Humanity and a youth mentoring program affiliated with Congreso.

 

 

Barri Levens (Chicago, IL)
Barri recently graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in English, and a concentration in creative writing. She tutored other students in English literature and writing while in school, and was the manager of a local fair trade coffee shop. Hobbies include camping, hiking, kayaking, skiing, and other outdoor activities. Barri visited Israel in the summer of '08 with Birthright, and is very excited to return! 


 

Jacob Gluck (New York, NY)
Jacob was raised within the Hasidic Community in Borough Park, Brooklyn, attended the Bais Mayer High School in Canarsie, Brooklyn and then spent 2 years in the Yeshiva of Kokhav miyyaakov in Jerusalem, Israel. For the past several years his chief intellectual hobbies have been biblical philology and chess strategy. Jacob is looking forward to return to Israel and gain valuable experience in teaching through the Otzma ITC program.

 

Jeremy Marks (Phoenix, AZ)
Jeremy Marks is a recent graduate of Arizona State University with a degree in Political Science and a concentration in Jewish Studies. He worked many years as a summer camp counselor for his local JCC, taught at a Hebrew School and staffed a Birthright trip to Israel while regularly volunteering throughout the Phoenix community. He was active in Phoenix-area Chabad Houses and ASU Hillel while in school and continues to participate post-graduation.

 

Joel Lambert (Seattle, WA)
Joel is a 22 recent graduate of Loyola University of Chicago. While at Loyola, Joel majored in Philosophy and Political Science and minored in French and International Studies. His senior thesis was on the philosopher Goerg Hegel. After going to Israel with Birthright in 2007, he is very excited to return and try to learn the language this time around.

Kyna Mednick (St. Paul, MN)
Kyna Mednick comes from the heart of the U.S. and claims Midwestern Jewery. Raised in St. Paul MN, she has actively been involved in the reform movement through Shir Tivkah Congregation. She has been accepted into a Joint Masters program at HUC and expects to start in fall 2010. She is looking forward to spending the year before school with Otzma, continuing work in Jewish Education, gaining Hebrew knowledge and fulfilling the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam. Most of all, Kyna cant wait to maintain a healthy diet of falafel and hummus. Kyna can best be described as a starry night, bright and illuminous yet dark and mysterious.

 

Maytal Rand (Northern New Jersey)
Maytal is a recent graduate of Rutgers University with a B.S. in Public Health with a minor in Biological Sciences. She was very involved in campus Hillel activities regarding Alternate Spring Breaks with American Jewish World Services to El Salvador and Nicaragua. Maytal is a certified EMT-B and has been volunteering as such in her local communities for several years. She has been working at a Hebrew school in Central Jersey for two years as a Hebrew language, Bible, and Jewish Holiday after-schoolteacher. Maytal is very excited to get to know and work with the communities in Israel where she will be teaching.

 

Melissa Holcomb (Columbus, OH)
Melissa is a recent graduate from the Ohio State University where she majored in Speech and Hearing Sciences while minoring in Disability Studies and Human Development. She is an avid Buckeye fan who is proud to bleed scarlet and grey! While in school, Melissa volunteered with a nearby after-school program which worked to promote educational achievement and personal development. She traveled to Israel for the first time with Birthright in the winter of 2008 and is excited to be returning so soon!

 

Michelle Mor (Chicago, IL)
Michelle recently graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, where she majored in English and obtained secondary and middle school ed. teaching certification. While in college, Michelle taught Hebrew to fifth graders at an Evanston temple and worked as a peer tutor at the University’s Writing Place. Michelle has been to Israel many times, but she is very excited to be living there for a more substantial period of time and participating in the OTZMA program.

 

 

Mollie Cherson (Princeton/Mercer/Bucks and Philadelphia)
Mollie is a recent graduate from Ursinus College, in Collegeville, PA. She majored in Psychology and minored in Elementary Education, Secondary Education, and Spanish. Along with her studies, she swam for four years on the varsity team, worked as a Tourguide, Admissions Interviewer, and Writing Fellow. In her spare time, she enjoyed being with her friends and family. Mollie has travelled to Israel in 2006 on a Birthright trip and has been looking forward to visiting ever since. She is excited for all the wonderful adventures to come being an OTZMA ITC participant!!