Great Neck’s Kulanu Religious School has named Connie Reichman as their new
director of Religious School and Teen Education.
Kulanu—a Hebrew word for “all of us”— is a center for Jewish learning for the children of both Temple Israel and Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, which is the oldest synagogue in Great Neck.
Both temple websites write they have 800 and over member families in attendance, making them the community’s largest Jewish congregations.
Reichman has been part of the Temple Israel community for more than 15 years and has taught in Temple Israel’s preschool, religious school and Waxman High School for the past 22 years. She has been an early childhood and Judaic Studies teacher.
Reichman said she has a ground plan for the religious school, including departmentalizing the older grades so students can benefit from several teachers, each teacher having an area of expertise and unique teaching style.
She also plans to introduce interactive SMART Boards to the school which will enable teachers to access online educational programs. The interactive programs will be teaching Judaic studies, Hebrew language, Jewish history, modern Israel, and Torah study that will better engage students.
“My aim is to instill a love of Judaism and a dedication to Israel. My greatest joy is when a student asks questions, engages me in discussion and makes connections to what they learned in previous years,” she said.
Reichman said she will continue to emphasize individualized Hebrew reading practice and will greatly expand holiday celebrations into schoolwide activities that foster a sense of spirit and community. She said she has plans to expand the Waxman High School programming.
Starting with a revamped, dedicated space for teens and programming involving hands-on activities including trips, cooking and other activities that will reinforce an academic curriculum based on Jewish values and Israel studies.
“I see myself as an educator whose mission is to prepare children to be active members and future leaders of the Jewish community,” she said.
Temple Israel President Rachel Geula lauded Reichman.
“I am absolutely thrilled about the start of our new school director,” Geula said. “Her passion and dedication are truly inspiring, and I can’t wait to see the amazing impact she’ll have on our students and the overall learning experience.”
Geula said Reichman’s innovative ideas and excellent plans are leading to an upcoming school year that holds “promise of being truly exceptional. The future of the Kulanu School looks brighter than ever, and I am genuinely excited to be a part of this journey.”
Reichman holds an M.A. in Social and Organizational Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She and her husband lived in Jerusalem in 1987, where she led a team of organizational psychologists at the Israeli police headquarters.
Her responsibilities included developing and executing training programs, developing a performance appraisal system for officers, overseeing consulting services provided by a team of psychologists and lecturing to senior officers at the police academy.
The Kulanu Religious School meets twice a week for children in grades 1 through 7 and features a teen program that meets once each week for grades 8 to 12.
Children in the school’s kindergarten program meet once a week, and another program, called Gesher, offers an opportunity for enrichment for 4-year-old children on Sunday mornings.
For information about the Kulanu Religious School and its programs, write Reichman at creichman@tign.org or call her at (516) 482-7800. Enrollment is open to all children in the community.
