About Our Staff
Molly Bajgot, Director of Education
Molly Bajgot is the Director of B'Yachad Springfield. Most recently she served as the Director of Religious School & Youth Programs for Sinai Temple in Springfield, and previously as the Assistant Director of Jewish Life at Congregation B'nai Israel in Northampton. Prior to her work in Synagogue life, Molly served as the Western Mass Organizer for the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA), was a housemate at the Kavod Social Justice house in Boston, MA, and a JOIN for Justice Fellow in 2015. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College and has a degree in Sustainable Food and Farming from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Molly has a strong passion for song and ritual leadership, and she looks forward to sharing that with the B'Yachad community.
To contact Molly, email her at director@byachadspringfield.org
Our Rabbinical Leadership
Rabbi Amy S Wallk
Temple Beth El
Rabbi Amy S Wallk has been an active Jewish educator for more than 30 years. She has worked with adults and children, in both formal and experiential settings. Rabbi is considered to be a gifted teacher and a visionary educational leader. In addition to her ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, she has earned a Master's Degree in Jewish Education from the University of Judaism and a PhD in Education from Michigan State University.
Rabbi Jeremy Master
Sinai Temple
Rabbi Jeremy Master was born and raised on Long Island. He graduated with a BA in Religion and the College of Social Sciences from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. After college, he attended the Hebrew Union College and was ordained in 2004. He currently serves as the Rabbi of Sinai Temple since 2018.
Our Teachers
Debra Cohen,
Pre-K Teacher
Morah Cohen is well known to the preschoolers in Longmeadow, MA. She is beginning her 29th year teaching and has worked at Sinai Temple teaching 2nd grade for several years, along with Temple Beth El, providing child care for the High Holidays and the Tot Shabbat Program. Morah Cohen loves to teach, sing, dance, tell stories and do fun activities.
Helene Shapiro,
K-1st Grade Teacher
Morah Helene has been teaching at Sinai and Temple Beth El for a combined 15 years, however she's been a teacher since 1989! She loves her work and her students so much, and because of this she travels back and forth one hour from Connecticut each time she comes in! We're so glad to have Helene back.
Norma Garde
2-3rd Grade Teacher
Morah Norma has been teaching in the Springfield Jewish Community for over 20 years! Throughout that time, she has taught grades 1-4. Over the years, she has also worked with children of all ages having been involved in girl scouts. In addition to her work at Sinai, Norma currently works in retail and has a small home business creating various paper crafts. We're so glad to have Norma with us again.
Michelle Greston
4th Grade Teacher
Michelle has previously taught at Reform and Conservative Synagogues in NY & CT and at Sinai Temple & Temple Beth El. As an Occupational Therapist in the public schools, she works with children from Pre-K through 12th grade with various disabilities. Michelle has enjoyed getting to know students and families while tutoring Hebrew and helping both young and adult students prepare for their Bar & Bat-Mitzvahs. Michelle is delighted to be teaching at B'Yachad!
Phyllis Katz
5-6th Grade Teacher
Phyllis has taught Judaics in every grade from 3rd to 10th. An accomplished educator, she has her teaching license in history, and has won the Grinspoon Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. Prior to teaching, she was an attorney in Springfield and coached over 500 children grades K-12 in basketball. Phyllis and her husband live in East Longmeadow and have 2 cats and four children.
Levanah Lieber
7th Grade Teacher
Heather "Levanah" Lieber lives in East Longmeadow with her husband, David, and 4 daughters, ages 13, 11, 7 and 3. They have a small farm known as Levanah Farm, which raises chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats and sheep. Levanah is a naturalist and she loves sharing her passion for Tikkun Olam as it relates to the environment.
Our Garden Educator
Nina Levison
Garden Manager and Educator
Nina is a farmer and gardener who believes in the connection between Judaism and earth care. Nina has worked a wide range of jobs from growing food to processing trash, and has always found grounding in Jewish community.
Nina will work with our students in the new synagogue gardens to learn about the connection between Judaism and land care, Tikkun Olam, and to harvest Jewish cultural crops!
