DEVRA C. AARONS
begins her fifth year teaching at Midrasha. She has a B.A. in Theatre (Directing) from Arizona State University and studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Currently she is the Director of Midrasha in Contra Costa, a 2007 Shofar Fellow and a member of the artistic ensemble at Traveling Jewish Theatre. In addition, she is working on becoming a licensed massage therapist and writing a play about her week covering the Columbine shooting for CNBC News.
RONI ALPERIN
is a playwright and director, a sabra and holds a B.A. from Tel Aviv University in Theatre Arts. He is studying in the M.A. program in Drama Therapy at California Institute of Integral Studeis
RABBI MENACHEM CREDITOR
is the rabbi at Congregation Netivot Shalom. He is currently a STAR:PEER fellow, is founder of ShefaNetwork: The Conservative Movement Dreaming from Within, co-founder of Keshet Rabbis: The Alliance of Gay-Friendly Conservative and Masorti Rabbis, and author of The Tisch, an electronic commentary on Jewish Spirituality.
ERICA CROWELL
begins her nineteenth year at Midrasha. She is a clinical social worker and has her M.S.W. from U.C. Berkeley and her M.A. in Sociology with a specialization in religion from U.C. Davis where she also received her B.A.
DAVID HENKIN
begins his twenty first year of teaching at Midrasha. He is a Professor of History at U.C. Berkeley. He received his Ph.D. in American History from U.C. Berkeley and B.A. from Yale University. He is a co-founder of the Mission Minyan.
NOEMI HOLLANDER,
a Midrasha alumna, is a graduate of Barnard College has tutored Bar and Bat Mitzvah students and works in the field of publishing.
SACHA J. KOPIN
begins her eleventh year teaching at Midrasha in Berkeley and her sixteenth in the Midrasha system. She has served as Director of Midrasha in Contra Costa and of Beth Chaim Religious School in Danville. She is a graduate of U.C.L.A. with a B.A. in Psychology, has done graduate work in Judaic Studies at Graduate Theological Union, is a former Ti-ke-a Fellow, was awarded the 2005 Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education, is a 2007 winner of the Helen Diller Family Award for Excellence in Jewish Education, an MTEI fellow, and was staff on the 2008 Shalhevet trip to Poland and Israel.
ANNA MARTIN,
a Midrasha alumna, holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Barnard College and a teaching credential from San Jose State University. She teaches 7th grade public school and staffed last summer’s Let’s Go Israel! trip.
GREG NEWMARK
begins his fourth year teaching at Midrasha. He has a B.A. from Yale in History and International Studies and an M.Sc. from the Technion in City and Regional Planning. He is a Ph.D. student at U.C. Berkeley in City and Regional Planning.
BUNNY PEARLMAN
begins her fourth year teaching at Midrasha. She has a B.F.A. from the University of Florida, an M.F.A. from the U.S.C. and has done postgraduate studies at Sonoma State University. She has studied in Israel with the World Union of Jewish Studies (WUJS) and has been an exhibiting artist, gallery owner and teacher of art and Jewish studies for more than forty years.
MUNI SCHWEIG
begins his eighth year at Midrasha. He has a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley in Comparative Literature, an M.A. from the Hebrew University in Jewish Civilization and has been a student in the Joint Doctoral Program in Jewish Studies of U.C. Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union.
DAY SCHILDKRET
has a B.A. in Judaic Studies and Political Science from Binghamton University and has studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Art Student League in New York. He is the Director of Tri – Valley / Tri – Cities Midrasha and has directed on Broadway, produced television and worked in politics.
ZVI SEPTIMUS
begins his fifth year at Midrasha. He has a B.A. in Near Eastern Studies from U.C. Berkeley. He is a Ph.D. student at U.C. Berkeley in Jewish Studies, focusing on the Aesthetics of the Babylonian Talmud.
DESMID LYON,
Midrasha’s Assistant Director, has a B.A. in Near Eastern Studies and an M.S.W., both from U.C. Berkeley. She begins her eleventh year at Midrasha and is the parent of four Midrasha graduates.
DIANE BERNBAUM
begins her twenty-eighth year as director of Midrasha. She graduated from Brandeis University majoring in Near East and Judaic Studies and in History and has a Master of Arts in Teaching from the Harvard University School of Education.
