Talmud Torah of Minneapolis

Faculty Bios

Mary Baumgarten (mbaumgarten@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Mary Baumgarten has been teaching at the Talmud Torah for over 30 years. She has taught all subjects and grade levels, including adult education. For the past ten years she served as the education director at Beth El Synagogue. In addition, she taught at MJDS for three years. This year, Mary teaches Gimel classes, Hey and Vav classes. Mary was the recipient of the Vivian Mann Educator of the Year Award and the Grinspoon-Steinhardt National Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. One of Mary's passions is her connection with Eretz Y'srael. Mary is very proud of her two children, Zachary and Shanna, both graduates of Talmud Torah's Bet Hamidrash.

Nathelie Benjamin (nbenjamin@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Nathelie Benjamin has been a teacher for almost a decade and worked in Israel as a second language teacher for many years teaching at all levels from elementary to adults. In Israel she has also developed educational programs for children and other instructors (Berlitz Kids). She has continued to teach in the US as a teacher for the MJDS (4th, 5th 6th grade curriculum), Talmud Torah CIS programs for college in the schools and also Aish Minnesota as a conversational Hebrew instructor for adults. Nathelie has a BA in second language acquisition, English literature and also a DEP developer of educational programs which she acquired from the University of Haifa and Oranim College.

Tim Broms (tbroms@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Tim has spent the last 30 years teaching, training and educating people of all ages. A successful entrepreneur Tim has been in the restaurant business; founded a property management company, a construction company and most recently a software development company. Now he is entering the world of Jewish education! Always a smile on his face, “fun” is his middle name. Cooking, travel and storytelling are his passions.

Susie Chalom, Executive Director and Teacher (schalom@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Susie Chalom was Education Director of Adath Jeshurun Synagogue for 27 years before taking over the position of Executive Director in June 2006.. She has taught ages preschool to adults and classes in Hebrew language, theology, Jewish texts and Spirituality in Beit Midrash. Her teaching has enriched many other programs in the Twin Cities area over the years. She taught the Florence Melton Adult Mini School, Melton for Graduates, Jewish Tapestry series at JCC St Paul and at synagogues. She is very proud of her two children –Allon and Orlee who are alumni of Talmud Torah Beit Midrash.

Rabbi Avraham Ettedgui, Director of the Foundation and Teacher (aettedgui@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Rabbi Avraham Ettedgui has been associated with the Talmud Torah for over 40 years. He taught for twelve years before becoming the Executive Director of the Talmud Torah, a position he held for twenty four years. Since 1999, he has been the Director of the Talmud Torah Foundation and a member of the faculty. He graduated from Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland, Ohio and holds a Masters in Education Administration from the University of St. Thomas, Saint Paul, MN.

Yaffa Epstein (yepstein@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Yaffa Epstein holds a Law Degree from Bar Ilan University and has been a member of the Israeli Bar since 2003. She is a former student of the Kollel at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, and was a member of the Advanced Talmud Institute at Matan. She teaches Rabbinics, Prayer and Comparative law courses at Pardes, and she is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Talmud from Bar Ilan University.

Danny Ettedgui (daettedgui@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Daniel Ettedgui has worked with Jewish children and teenagers (ages 8-18) at the Minneapolis Talmud Torah for over 20 years. He earned his B.S. from the College of Education at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Campus. He has studied Hebrew at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and presently he is a graduate student at Gratz College of Philadelphia. Daniel has also served as Department Head of Talmud Torah's Bet Midrash and was Saturday morning Program Director at Sharei Chesed Synagogue.

Tamara Kaiyalethe (tkaiyalethe@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Tamy Kaiyalethe holds a Master in Education & Religious Studies from the University of Minnesota. She was the Librarian in charge of the Hebrew collection of the Middle East Library at the University of Minnesota from 1969 to 1987. She developed curriculum and taught Hebrew and Judaic studies at Temple Israel for 13 years, and has taught Hebrew and Bible at the Talmud Torah for the past seven years.

Missy Cohen Lavintman (mlavintman@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Missy Cohen Lavintman, a Talmud Torah Bet HaMidrash graduate and a teacher at Talmud Torah for the last 29 years, has a MA in Education, a BS in Hebrew Education with a minor in Creative Drama. She also holds a Minnesota teacher's license. She teaches Hebrew and Jewish studies at the Talmud Torah, both in the elementary and high school departments. She has raised her baby, the Mekhina Program, nearly from its inception. She has taught Hebrew in educational institutions throughout Minnesota, including Carleton College, the Minneapolis Jewish Day School, the University of Minnesota and others. In 2004, Missy was the recipient of the Vivian Mann Educator of the Year Award and the Grinspoon-Steinhardt National Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. She is married to Joel, also a Bet HaMidrash graduate, and is the mother of five children (so far, three of them are Bet HaMidrash graduates).

Dr. Yaakov Levi (ylevi@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Dr. Yaakov Levi is the director of the CIS and other college based classes at TT. He has served as the Director of Jewish Community Education Services. Dr. Levi taught Biblical Studies and Hebrew Language at the University of Haifa, and the University of Heidelberg in Germany. For 13 years he served as Director of the Academy of the Hebrew Language in Haifa, coining Modern Hebrew terminology. He received his Ph.D. in Semitic and Biblical Studies from the University of Heidelberg in 1983. Dr. Levi is the author of many books and articles in the fields of Hebrew language, Bible, Jewish customs and Jewish education. It will be his 10th year at Talmud Torah. He has been on the faculty for over 10 years.

Steve Mintz
Steve Mintz (a. k. a. Count Curricula ah, ah, ah…) has spent his lifetime learning and teaching… in and out of the classroom. For more than 25 years as a school teacher, camp director, downhill ski coach, and now, as a teacher at TT Beit Midrash, Steve’s passion for Israeli dancing and for informal education will excite and inspire you.

Bonita Noyman (bnoyman@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Bonita Noyman graduated with a certified teaching certificate at the University of Haifa in Israel. She has a B.A. in Sociology and Psychology from the St. Cloud State University of Minnesota. She lived in Israel for 8 years where she taught Elementary – High school students. She taught Judaica and Hebrew in the Mekhina, Alef and Bet program at the Minneapolis Talmud Torah. She has been part of the Talmud Torah faculty and administrative staff for over 23 years.

Rabbi Berel Simpser, founding Executive Director of a new educational program - AISH Minnesota, has worked in Jewish education for almost two decades. R' Berel, who has a Masters in both Communal Leadership and Talmudic Law, has taught a wide variety of inter-denominational classes – ranging from Basic Judaism, Hebrew language, Kabbalah, to ten years at the Florence Melton Adult Mini School. He has also developed educational programs for teachers, parents and students.

Barbara Taragan (btaragan@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Barbara Taragan is a Talmud Torah Bet Hamidrash graduate. Barbara received a BA and teaching degree in Education and Child Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Barbara made aliyah and received another BA and teaching degree from the Ben Gurion University in English Literature. In 1991, Barbara returned to Minnesota and received her MA from Gratz College in Jewish Studies. Barbara has been teaching Hebrew at the Minneapolis Jewish Day School and Hebrew and Shoah at the Minneapolis Talmud Torah.Barbara has three children- Maayan, Afek and Yamit.

Nechamit Yaari (nyaari@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Since 1974, Nechamit Yaari has educated students at the Minneapolis Talmud Torah. A native Israeli, Nechamit got her certification as an Elementary Teacher in Tel Aviv from the Lavinsky Teachers Seminar. She went on to study Jewish History and Biblical Studies at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem and received a Bachelors of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She also served in the Israeli army for 2 years, teaching soldiers Hebrew. During her tenure at Talmud Torah, Nechamit has taught all classes, from Mekhina through Bet Midrash, and also teaches at the Day School. Nechamit was the recipient of the Vivian Mann Educator of the Year Award and the Grinspoon-Steinhardt National Award for Excellence in Jewish Education last year.
Nechamit has three daughters, Karinne, Dannit and Ronit who are all TT Beit Midrah graduates.

Yefet Zadaka (yzadaka@talmudtorahmpls.org)
Yefet Zadaka has been teaching at the Talmud Torah and the Minneapolis Jewish Day School for the past twenty years. He has taught pre-school to adult education classes for over twenty-five years in both Israel and Minneapolis. He truly enjoys teaching children, youth and adults. An accomplished musician, he plays the accordion and the cello, bringing music, Israeli dance, Jewish History and culture into the lives of the students at Talmud Torah.