Justin Cammy, Co-President
Justin joined the Board in 2003. He served as co-chair of our search committee for Head of School, vice-president in 2007-2008, and president from 2008-2010. Justin holds a PhD in Near Eastern Civilizations from Harvard University, and teaches modern Jewish literature and culture at Smith College where he is a member of the Programs in Jewish Studies, Comparative Literature, and Middle East Studies. In 2006, he was awarded Smith's Sherrerd Prize for Distinguished Teaching, and in 2009 he is serving as Mellon Senior Fellow on the Holocaust at UCLA. Justin is the parent of two current (and one future) LGA students.
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Julia Chevan, Co-President and Treasurer
Julia joined the Board in 2007 and also assumes the role of Chair, Strategic Affairs. She believes that Jewish day schools are educational environments that imbue students with a sense of identity, values, and a source of moral spirit. Julia works as a physical therapist with an academic appointment at Springfield College and is the mother of a 2009 alum and one current student.
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Karen Hirsch Kuhr, Vice President for Development
Karen has been on the Board since 2005 and has served as Board Secretary, and Co-chair and Treasurer of PTO. Karen's goals are to help ensure the academic and financial success of the school, in addition to building a strong sense of community among parents. Karen is the Director of Health Information at Cooley Dickinson Hospital and is the parent of two students at the school.
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Sara Weinberger, Secretary
Sara joined the Board in 2008. She is a professor of social work at Western New England College, and is grateful for the opportunity to give back to a school that provides strong Jewish values and instills a love of learning to all its students. Sara is the mother of a 2004 alum.
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Evalyn Glickman, Chair, Personnel Committee & Past President
Evie is a founder of LGA and served as Board President for the first five years. After receiving undergraduate and master's degrees in Education from Smith College, she spent many years teaching hearing impaired and hearing children. Eventually, she became Director of a mental health and social service organization for 27 years, retiring in June ‘08. She is passionate about LGA and believes that the future of Judaism rests upon the education of our children. Evie is also the grandparent of two current students and a 2008 alum.
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Beth Tabor Lev, Co-Chair Committee on Trustees
Beth became a Board member in 2008. She is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Northampton and a member of Congregation B'nai Israel, where she serves on the Bikkur Cholim Committee, visiting Jewish patients at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. She lives with her family in a co-housing community in Florence and is the parent of two LGA children, including one 2008 alum.
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Caryn Brause, Member at Large
Caryn joined the Board in 2009 and serves as LGA's representative to the LGA-CBI-BA "Collaborators Group". Caryn has been a practicing architect for over ten years and is currently launching her own practice. Concurrently, she is an instructor at the UMass Department of Architecture where she teaches several design studio courses. At LGA, Caryn has been touched by the sheer joy in community-building through ritual and impressed by the ability of the teachers to incorporate ethical underpinnings throughout the curriculum. Caryn is the mother of one current student and one preschooler and enjoys hiking Mt. Tom's trails with her family.
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BOARD MEMBERS
Justin David
Chair, Religious Advisory Committee
Justin is the rabbi of Congregation B’nai Israel and joined the LGA Board in 2002 as co-chair of the Religious Policy Committee. With over 15 years experience in Jewish education, Justin brings a passion for the LGA mission to his role as a board member. He is the father of one current student.
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Lou Davis
Come back to see Lou's bio.
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Catherine Epstein
Catherine joined the Board in 2008 after serving on the Development Committee and co-chairing spring fundraising events. She is Associate Professor of History at Amherst College where she teaches modern European history, including courses on Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. She received her Ph.D. from Harvard University, and has taught at Stanford University and Mount Holyoke College. She has also published two books, and is now finishing a biography of a Nazi perpetrator. Catherine is the parent of two current students, and one preschooler.
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John Grossman
Come back to see John's bio.
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Debbie Krivoy
Debbie joined the Board in 2009. She is the Director of Avoda Arts, a non-profit educational organization that uses film, photography, and the visual arts as powerful entry points into Jewish learning. She is a seasoned education and training professional with 20 years of experience in curriculum design, teacher-training, arts program management, and educational materials development. She is deeply committed to building creative, meaningful learning environments that can make a difference in the practice of teaching and the process of learning.
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Yechiael Lander
Rabbi Lander, one of the school's namesakes, has been a Board member since 1996. He has devoted himself to this "labor of love" as Vice President, Co-chair of the Capital Campaign, member of the Building Committee, and as negotiator with Congregation Bnai Israel for the lease of the land. He considers these activities a retirement blessing and privilege. A graduate of a Jewish day school in the 30s, he is a product of a pioneering Jewish family in Western Canada and has had a varied career as youth leader, kibbutznik, educator, administrator, chaplain, therapist, and rabbi. He is now Rabbi Emeritus of Smith College and Amherst College where he served for almost three decades. He was the first rabbi and now Rabbi Emeritus of the Jewish Community of Amherst. He is also President Emeritus of Commonwealth Opera and now, proud Rabbi to the Kindergarten at LGA!
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Michael Perlman
Mike has been a Board Member since 2003 and has served on the Nominating and Development Committees. Raised as a Conservative Jew in Philadelphia, Mike has a deep commitment to the continuity of the Jewish people, Jewish civilization, and the State of Israel. Mike and his wife Gail spend much of their time with their children and grandchildren who live locally and in Israel. He is the grandparent of one LGA student.
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Dan Plotkin
Dan is a founding member of the school and served on the Board for the first five years of the school's history. After some time, he returned to the Board as Treasurer where he has played a large part in establishing the financial structures of the school. Dan is a licensed psychotherapist working in private practice with Learning Solutions. He is also the parent of a 2005 alum and a current student.
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Naomi Shulman
Naomi joined the Board in 2009. Currently, she works as a freelance writer and editor but has held positions with majoy publishing houses including St. Martin's Press and Blackwell Publishers. Most recently she served as research chief at Disney's parenting magazine Wondertime. Having grown up Jewish in an area with very few Jews, Naomi feels strongly about being involved in building a vibrant Jewish community. Naomi is grateful that LGA is an option for her two children.
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Scott Siege
Scott became a member of the Board in 2009. He works as a General Pediatrician for Baystate and also as a mohel. Scott has enjoyed the opportunity to resume his Jewish education along with his children. having never had a formal Bar Mitzvah, Scott joined the Adult Bar Mitzvah program at his synagogue and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in 2007. He later was inspired to train as a mohel, earning his certification in 2008. Scott is the father of two transfer students to LGA.
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Andrew Sirulnik
Andrew joined the Board in 2008. He is enthusiastic about the school’s character and mission and takes great satisfaction in talking with prospective parents about the school’s motto, “Learning while learning to care”. Andrew is a local attorney and the parent of two current students.
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Anna Treston
Anna joined the board in 2008, bringing a passion for education and 40 years of experience training teachers for non-traditional classrooms. She has taught at Goddard, Smith, and Mt. Holyoke Colleges and served on the board of other private schools. Anna currently works as a therapist with clients in Holyoke and surrounding towns. Recently, Anna has spent some time reading stories in the LGA Gan class and looks forward to serving on the board of the school. Her many interests include haiku poetry, art, gardening, and spending time with her granddaughter. Anna also enjoys attending a local, reconstructive, meditative minyan.
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Benjamin Weiner
Come back to see Benjamin's bio.
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