Nursery School Staff

Rivki began teaching preschool in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after studying in a girls’ teaching program in Jerusalem. She moved to New York in 2007 and resides in Brooklyn with her husband, Yossi, and their four wonderful children, Mendel, Henna, Dovid, and Ari. Rivki went to Touro College where she earned her B.A. in Liberal Arts (concentrating in psychology, early childhood, and special education) and later received an M.A. in special education. No stranger to the Brotherhood Synagogue Nursery School, Rivki has worked here since 2007. For her first three years, Rivki worked as the Director's assistant, after which she started teaching in the Yellow Room.

Annabelle was born and raised in New York City. She attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she received her B.A. in Sociology and certificate in Social Work.  Upon graduating, she spent time abroad working with children ages 4-17. Annabelle returned to New York in 2017 and has been teaching children ages 2-4 since. She earned her M.A. from Bank Street College of Education in Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention. Annabelle is thrilled to be back teaching at Brotherhood Nursery School.

Hayley has taught PreK-12 students of varied abilities in socio-economically diverse communities with the DOE where she designed and implemented a culturally inclusive humanities curricula. In public, private, and charter schools, she has gained a wide knowledge of effective pedagogy based on student centered learning, culminating in 20+ years’ experience as an artist and educator. Hayley is a NYCTF recipient, and completed her M.S. in Education at CUNY’s CCNY, and received a B.A. in Studio Art at Hunter College, with a minor in Creative Writing.

Mira was born and raised in New York City. She received her BA through an overseas program in Israel, studying art in Jerusalem while immersing herself in Israeli life and culture. After returning to NYC, she earned a graduate degree in Early Childhood Education. She has taught at several well-known institutions, including, Third Street Music School, the Educational Alliance, the JCC of Manhattan, and the 92nd Street Y Parenting Center. Mira is thrilled to be back at Brotherhood Synagogue Nursery School, where she previously taught and feels deeply connected to the community. In addition, she has taught Hebrew and Judaic Studies at the Brotherhood’s Hebrew School. Mira lives in the East Village with her husband, Eldad, and has two wonderful children, Alon and Maya.

Leah was born and raised in South Florida. After receiving her BA from the University of Florida, Leah relocated to New York and worked at an Upper East Side independent school as a 2’s and 3’s assistant teacher for five years. She has since completed graduate coursework in Special Education through Penn State University. Leah is so excited to be returning to the Brotherhood Synagogue Nursery School for her second year! She is thrilled to be reuniting with Jillian and welcoming Maddie to the Red Room team. Outside of her time at Brotherhood, Leah loves staying active with group fitness, hiking, and skiing.

Naoko was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan. After arriving in the United States in 1988 she established the Japanese parenting and nursery school program for Japanese-American children at the Educational Alliance. At the same time, she established her Creative Movement and Ballet at Peridance. Now she teaches at several venues including the 92nd Street Y, Park Avenue Synagogue, and Peridance. Naoko is also a master trainer and owner of Gyrotonic© on Broadway.