The Jewish Family Experience is a comprehensive and dynamic family-oriented Hebrew School dedicated to engaging, educating, and inspiring Jews across the North Chicago Suburbs regardless of their affiliation or background.
Our Programs
About JFE
The Jewish Family Experience is a comprehensive and dynamic family-oriented Hebrew School dedicated to engaging, educating, and inspiring Jews across the North Chicago Suburbs regardless of their affiliation or background.
Starting its 10th year in Fall 2021
Classes meet once a week on a Sundays from 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM at the Jewett Park Community Center in Deerfield.
Our program includes both Hebrew reading and language instruction, as well as Jewish Studies classes, where we explore the Jewish holidays, Mitzvot, Jewish values, stories and lessons from the Torah and more. Our teachers are passionate educators who work hard to create a warm, exciting, and fun learning environment for our students where the material comes alive through experiential hands-on activities, games-based learning, drama, music, arts and crafts, interactive discussions and more!
OUR SERVICES
Programs
Hebrew School
For students entering K-7th grade
Parent Learning Opportunities
Description here
Family Holiday Workshops
Families come together to learn and create something special for each holiday.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Clubs
Meet Our Staff
Mashi Polstein
Director
Mashi is a passionate educator whose use of drama and contemporary expressive technique has inspired students the world over. Under the auspices of NCSY Canada, Mashi founded and directed Toronto’s Torah High: For the Arts, a groundbreaking initiative that combines traditional Jewish learning with a progressive arts-based education. While studying theater and psychology at York University, Mashi began developing a drama-infused curriculum that would eventually be used as a medium to
teach an accredited Jewish Ethics and Values Course. After getting married and moving to Israel, she continued to teach drama at Emunah V’omanut, an arts-based seminary in Jerusalem.
Mashi advocates for the use of arts in the classroom to create exciting, dynamic, and impactful lessons. She aspires to help students develop and nurture their creative sides and to use their gifts to impact the world for the better. Mashi, along with her husband Yehuda, are inspired and enthusiastic educators who have been involved in Jewish education and communal work for the past 15 years. In 2015 the Polstein's were awarded the Evan Goldberg-Mailing Innovation in Education in recognition of their efforts.
In 2017 Mashi Polstein was recognized as one of the 36 under 36 by the JUF of Chicago for her work at JFE.
Email at mashi@jewishfamilyexp.org
Alise Gold
Educational Director and Bnei Mitzvah Coordinator
Alise received her BA in Judaic Studies from Stern College and her Masters Degree in Jewish Education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. She taught elementary and middle school in New Jersey for three years before moving to Chicago. Alise taught middle school at Akiba Schechter Jewish Day School in Hyde Park for 8 years and is currently in her fifth year with JFE.
Email: alise@jewishfamilyexp.org
