Meet our Staff and Faculty:
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Kehillat Ashreinu Montessori (Boys and Girls, Grades 1-6)
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Boys Program (Middle School)
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Girls Program (Middle and High School)
Administration
Carin Gottlieb
Director of Education
Carin has a M. Ed. from Loyola University and certificates in Judaic Montessori education from both Rabbi Jonathan Rietti and Yeshivat Netivot.
Vice President, Ashreinu Board
Nancy has a B.A. from University of Virginia, an MBA from Wake Forest University, and two decades of experience consulting with clients on HR and compliance with NT Lakis
Kehillat Ashreinu Montessori
Debbie Babson
Lead, Montessori Elementary Directress
Mrs. Babson is an AMI certified Montessori Elementary guide with over 30 years of Montessori classroom experience. She graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in Sociology. In addition to her work directing the Montessori elementary classroom, she is a trusted mentor to the rest of the team and generously shares her expertise.
Rabbi Yehuda Witt
Montessori Judaics Guide
Rabbi Yehuda Witt has served as a Headteacher and Rebbe at Netivot where he received his Jewish Montessori training for the past three years. Previously Yehuda served as the Orthodox Rabbi at Boston University Hillel and was Co-director of the JLIC program at BU. Living in Israel, he was on the faculty of the Yeshivat Simchat Shlomo Simcha program. He studied for his semicha under Rav Riskin as well as participating in the Straus-Amiel Practical Rabbinics Program and the George Weinstein Institute for Semicha and Pedagogy. Yehuda has taught extensively throughout Israel and the US, been an educator for The Maccabiah, and is a sought-after private Gemara instructor. He was born in Jerusalem and is the 6th of 14 children in a Jewish outreach household and studied at top Torah learning institutions in Israel. He has experience outside the Torah world, working as a chef. Yehuda is passionate about sharing Judaism, both the traditional canon as well the richness of its cultural traditions such as Jewish food, storytelling, and music/ niggunim. Yehuda sings and plays guitar and is a skilled baal koreh and baal tefilla. We look forward to welcoming Rabbi Witt to the Washington area!
Rabbi Hirsh M. Chinn
Judaic Specialist
Rabbi Chinn has semicha from Mesivta Torah Vodaath, a Master's in Education from Long Island University, and a Master's in Social Work from Ohio State University, and has been teaching for over 40 years. His educational journey includes teaching ages from elementary school students to adults, traditional classroom to Montessori and formal to informal education. His life experiences as a rabbi, social worker and summer camp administrator colors and animate his lessons. He honors all questions and students know they can ask anything. His Chassidic background is felt in his love for storytelling and song. The children are not his student for a year or two but for life.
Shirly Levi
Ivrit Specialist
Morah Shirly teaches Ivrit and brings a beauty and joy to the learning for each chag. She loves learning with the Montessori students!
Emily Gould
Art
Emily Gould graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree, (BFA). Her areas of study were painting, ceramics, neon sculptures, and computer graphics. In 2003 she received a Joyce Grant from the Chicago Park District to paint murals in the early childhood room at The Lincoln Park Cultural Center in Chicago. The Chicago Sun Times described her work as, “Whimsical, playful, colorful.”
Ms. Gould has taught art from preschool thru adult. She taught art in Mexico for three years to 580 students, grades 1-6. She has taught child/teen/ and adult classes at The School of Art and Design at Montgomery College at the Silver Spring/Takoma Park campus. She currently teaches the Middle and High School Art class in person
and consults with the Elementary program. Visit our art program on Artsonia!
Boys Program
Rabbi Hirsh Chinn
Limudei Kodesh
Rabbi Chinn has semicha from Mesivta Torah Vodaath, a Master's in Education from Long Island University, and a Master's in Social Work from Ohio State University, and has been teaching for over 40 years. His educational journey includes teaching ages from elementary school students to adults, traditional classroom to Montessori and formal to informal education. His life experiences as a rabbi, social worker and summer camp administrator colors and animate his lessons. He honors all questions and students know they can ask anything. His Chassidic background is felt in his love for storytelling and song. The children are not his student for a year or two but for life.
This year he is piloting the afternoon Judaics supplemental program.
Rabbi Jonathan Stein
Limudei Kodesh
Rabbi Stein teaches limudei kodesh in the Boys' Program.
Sean Bien
History and English
Sean Bien teaches English and History in the Boys' Program.
Christine Parsons
Math
Christine is a certified Montessori Elementary teacher (both AMS and AMI). She teaches Math in the Boys' program.
Judith Kabillio
Science
Judith Kabillio has a B.A. in English from Boston University and has been teaching in homeschool co-ops for over 16 years. She teaches Science for the Boys' program.
Ashreinu School for Girls
Sean Bien
Mr. Bien teaches History and Global Studies in the Girls' program.
Rabbi Hirsh Chinn
Rabbi Chinn has semicha from Mesivta Torah Vodaath, a Master's in Education from Long Island University, and a Master's in Social Work from Ohio State University, and has been teaching for over 40 years. His educational journey includes teaching ages from elementary school students to adults, traditional classroom to Montessori and formal to informal education. His life experiences as a rabbi, social worker and summer camp administrator colors and animate his lessons. He honors all questions and students know they can ask anything. His Chassidic background is felt in his love for storytelling and song. The children are not his student for a year or two but for life.
This year, he will be teaching Chumash and Judaics in the girls' program.
Lesaine Carrington Diaz
Mrs. Diaz has a B.A. in psychology from Finlandia University and is completing the AMI Montessori Adolescent and Elementary orientation programs. This year, she will be a guide in the adolescent program, focusing on academic skill building and Humanities.
Ahuvah Feldman
Mrs. Feldman coordinates the gym modules, CPR/First Aid certification and other special events for the Girls' program.
Aleksey Gibson
Dr. Gibson is a graduate of the University of London and the University of Virginia where he received his Ph.D. in Slavic Languages & Literatures. For several years he served as project director for a non-profit but returned to the world of of education and has been a Humanities teacher at independent schools in the Washington area for over fifteen years.
Emily Gould
Emily Gould graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree, (BFA). Her areas of study were painting, ceramics, neon sculptures, and computer graphics. In 2003 she received a Joyce Grant from the Chicago Park District to paint murals in the early childhood room at The Lincoln Park Cultural Center in Chicago. The Chicago Sun Times described her work as, “Whimsical, playful, colorful.”
Ms. Gould has taught art from preschool thru adult. She taught art in Mexico for three years to 580 students, grades 1-6. She has taught child/teen/ and adult classes at The School of Art and Design at Montgomery College at the Silver Spring/Takoma Park campus. She currently teaches the Middle and High School Art class in person
and consults with the Elementary program. Visit our art program on Artsonia!
Penina Greenspan
Mrs. Greenspan joined the Judaics staff in 2020. This year she is focused on the Montessori Lower Elementary.
Tami Isaacs
Dr. Tami Isaacs has a Ph.D. in Chemistry and recently retired from teaching full time at Montgomery College. Dr. Isaacs oversees Chemistry and science in the Girls' program.
Jeanne Jones
Ms. Jones teaches the creative writing workshop for the Girls' program.
Judith Kabillio
Judith Kabillio has a B.A. in English from Boston University and has been teaching in homeschool co-ops for 16 years. She is the guide for Navi, Life Science and Gardening occupations for the Girls' program.
Rabbi Avrom Landesman
Rabbi Landesman has a law degree from Harvard University and smicha from Torah v'Daas. He teaches Halacha for the Girls' program.
Shirly Levi
Morah Shirly coordinates the Hebrew language (Ivrit) program for the Ashreinu Girls. In addition to the
Christine Parsons
Mrs. Parsons is a certified Montessori teacher (both AMS and AMI). She teaches Math in the Girls' program.