Beth Shalom Congregation in Columbia recently hired Moshe Ben-Lev as its next education and youth director, according to a March 27 announcement.
Ben-Lev comes to the synagogue with over 30 years of experience as an educational director at shuls across the Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County areas. He also brings an interest in social-emotional learning.
“Where I’ve been trained in more recent years there is the concept of social-emotional learning and really honing skills of how to use dialogue between teachers and students in creating classrooms — where we build community, where we explore Jewish identity, where we look at different kinds of Judaism — and helping students answer the questions that they’re curious about,” Ben-Lev said.
The synagogue said that Ben-Lev will lead the religious school and youth programs.
Ben-Lev said his philosophy of youth Jewish education centers on making kids feel comfortable in the classroom and setting a positive example.
“It’s really important when kids come into this building that they feel this is a place that is theirs, that it is a place of awe and inspiration with the leadership, the clergy, with me. And [for them to know that] the educators, the teachers in the classroom, really care and really want to inspire, that it shouldn’t just be a place of learning but also a place of modeling what Judaism should look like,” Ben-Lev said.
Ben-Lev added that he was drawn to the job because he knew it was a place where Jewish learning was taken seriously. He had also heard good things from his longtime friend Louis Nagel, the congregation’s education director for eight years.
Ben-Lev is interested in adding inclusion programs, just like he did at previous stops. His passion for creating those programs comes from his own story of dealing with undiagnosed learning challenges as a school-aged child.
“I really had a hard time in school because of that and was never diagnosed. And I want to make sure that the kids that I work with have every opportunity to learn at their own pace and feel a part of the community,” Ben-Lev said.
He added that he was pleasantly surprised to learn that Beth Shalom already had an inclusion specialist on staff.
Ben-Lev said that he’ll work with the specialist to create a program that can assist students in the religious school with disabilities.
“My goal is never to turn away a student, regardless of their learning disability, because there’s always a place for them,” Ben-Lev said.
And while he just started in the role a few weeks ago, Ben-Lev has already made himself known to congregants and peers.
He said that, during his first Shabbat, he was given an aliyah and that he felt welcomed by the rabbi, cantor, staff and congregants.
He said that he’s still in the observing phase as he gets used to his new responsibilities and the structure at Beth Shalom, but he said he’s already working out how to get the most out of the five hours a week he gets with third through seventh grade students.
He spoke about what people should know about him and the way he’ll approach Jewish education.
“I want them to know that I’m very passionate about what I do. I take it very seriously. I also want them to know that I am a good listener. I never turn people away. My job is to make everybody here feel there’s a place for them and that they’re cared for and loved,” Ben-Lev said.
“I want them to know this is a joyful, high-energy place where we can explore what it means to be Jewish and then take it out of the building and carry on experimenting with it, trying it out, seeing what fits, coming back with questions. We have to guide as well as educate,” he added.
