Classes
MASKIT offers Hebrew School programming for all ages. MASKIT instills a deep understanding of Jewish community, history, and identity through cultural and religious markers like holidays, calendar, ritual, Hebrew language, Eretz Yisrael, and t’fillah (prayer). Each year builds on the next in terms of Jewish literacy, Hebrew reading comprehension, and cultural awareness.
MASKIT meets on Tuesday and Shabbat.
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Using arts and crafts, music, singing, storytelling, and movement, Tot Shabbat engages tots with Shabbat-themed songs and prayers, and includes Hebrew, Torah, and Jewish culture through music, games, art, and more.
Schedule:
Shabbat: Meets alternating Shabbat mornings, 10:30-11:30. Parent or caregiver must stay with each child.
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Students learn Jewish concepts, language, and more from our collaborative teaching team.
TUESDAY:
Teachers focus their lessons on introducing children to the Hebrew alphabet with the goal of enabling them to read and write. Students learn about Jewish traditions, holiday and Shabbat rituals and prayers, the importance of Jewish practices, and ethical behavior such as giving tz’dakah and doing mitzvot.
As students get older, they continue their progress in Hebrew reading, writing and conversing in Hebrew, and will learn more advanced concepts in Jewish ethics, values and traditions. They will develop basic understanding of Jewish values, culture, and tfilot, and feel ready to start exploring their Jewish identity.
Schedule: Alternating Shabbat mornings, 10:30-11:30AM; Tuesdays 3:30-5:30.
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Our middle school program is an experiential path preparing students to engage in Jewish life on a deeper level and explore tradition, rituals, history, and text. Our focus includes history, art, culture, and language, through dynamic individual and community projects, discussion, and movement-based activities. Students works towards fluency in Hebrew reading and writing, become familiar with the structure and content of Tanach, and are exposed to the unique elements of Jewish heritage, including art, sports, food, geography, and philosophy.
Students are guided as they begin to engage in higher level questioning and experiential projects, preparing them for the Bar/Bat mitzvah journey as creative thinkers and eager learners, open to challenges, unafraid to ask questions, and excited to be part of the Jewish community.
mornings, 10:00-11:30AM; Tuesdays 3:30-5:30.
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Check back for the new 5784 (2023-2024) B’nei Mitzvah cohort details.
Faculty
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Amelia Bienstock is a New York native who has found her home in Astoria and is heavily involved in the local Jewish community. Amelia received her bachelor's degree from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and has a Master's Degree from NYU in Political Comedy (yes, really). Amelia has written for a variety of print and digital publications, most notably, Time Out New York, Barnes & Noble's Pop-Culture Blog, SparkLife, and a Jewish Swiss publication, Aufbau Magazine. Recently, Amelia has decided to return to her true passion of working with kids. She was the Operations Associate at Valence College Prep Middle School in Rego Park, Queens, spent several years as a Camp Counselor at Camp Wah-Nee, and has helped lead children's high-holiday services ever since she was bat-mitzvah at age 12.
When Amelia isn't singing nursery rhymes or writing articles she is an improv comedian, a runner, an avid podcast listener, a visual artist, and a passionate dog Mom. One might call her a "Jew of all trades."
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Bernie Is a multi instrumentalist and educator with a passion for Jewish music. He first discovered this passion attending the Yachad program at Congregation Beth Elohim where he later spent years working as an assistant teacher and administrative assistant.
Bernie’s musical passions also extend outside of his Jewish heritage. He attended Mason Gross School of the arts at Rutgers University majoring in Classical Bass Performance. He is currently an active member in multiple ensembles and has taken part in an orchestra tour of Eastern Europe
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Eitan reflects on his unique journey of self-discovery and growth:
“After three years of intense rabbinical studies post high school, I sought a different path. Living and working on a kibbutz in Northern Israel for a total of two years exposed me to a world of communal living and agricultural endeavors.
My journey then took me to the frontlines, where I proudly served in the IDF as a combat soldier for two years. The experiences and camaraderie during this time shaped my perspective on life.
Following my military service, I dedicated 1.5 years to working with a sculptor, honing my own artistic craft and expressing myself through sculpture.
For the past two and a half years, I’ve called East Harlem home while attending the City College of New York. Here, I’ve delved into the fascinating realms of biology and psychology, eager to combine my diverse experiences into a meaningful future in passing along Jewish heritage and culture.”
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Emma Ruskay-Kidd is an early childhood educator with a background in Jewish education and art. She currently works as an Assistant Teacher at Buckle My Shoe, a Reggio Emilia inspired preschool in the West Village. Emma was raised in New York City and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis, where she studied Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Children's Studies, and Art. She has extensive experience leading Jewish educational experiences, including as a song leader and children's service leader, at B'nai Amoona in St. Louis, MO. Emma is deeply committed to Ashreynu and MASKIT's approach, rooted in cultural and textual knowledge, fostering strong Jewish identities and active community engagement.
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Ayelet and Stephanie have a combined thirty years of teaching experience. They have both taken workshops with Hidden Sparks, an organization that trains teachers and school faculty on meeting the needs of all learners. Ayelet completed the Learning Lenses certificate, and Stephanie has received multiple certificates from workshops including Hebrew decoding, project based learning, and Talmud in a special education setting, amongst others. Stephanie and Ayelet have also attended sessions through the Jewish Education Project, and participated in specialized museum tours connecting Jewish text and history. Ayelet has also taken graduate level courses in art history and museum studies, as well as a number of courses towards a rabbinic ordination. Before MASKIT, Stephanie worked with the Room J Education Director at East Midwood Jewish Center to support and implement the Jewish supplemental school program.
Read a full bio on the founding team page.
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Learn about Rabbi Pearl with our founding team bios!