Dear Berman Community,
In our ongoing commitment to bring highly qualified staff to our team who are passionate about meeting the unique needs of our students, we are excited to announce two new hires to our Berman team. Rabbi Tzvi Hametz will join our team as our new Director of STEM Education and Innovation and Director of Education Technology and Ms. Malkie Hametz will be joining our Upper School leadership team as our new Dean of Students.
Rabbi Hametz will continue to enhance our STEM program offerings and develop a cohesive curriculum for our Preschool-12th grade students, creating opportunities for innovation and hands-on learning. In addition, he will train and work with Berman educators on how to integrate technology into their classrooms to best facilitate and enhance learning.
Rabbi Hametz joins us from Gindi Maimonides Academy where he has served as the Director of Creativity and Innovation for the last 7 years. At Gindi Maimonides Academy, he helped create the Innovation Lab and developed a curriculum so that students can utilize the tools available inside the lab, and explore learning in a more hands-on fashion.
Rabbi Hametz is also a Professor of Innovation and Technology at American Jewish University’s Graduate School of Education, as well as a LEGO Master Educator, working with the LEGO group to train teachers all over the country about the power of playful learning.
Rabbi Hametz received his undergraduate degree from Yeshiva University in neuroscience, where he also attended RIETS and received semicha. He received his Master’s in Education and Teaching from American Jewish University, as well as a Master’s in Educational Technology from MIT.
Ms. Malkie Hametz will join as our new Upper School Dean of Students. In this role, and in partnership with the Upper School leadership team, Ms. Hametz will ensure that every student receives individualized attention to maximize student learning and best support individual growth. As Dean of Students, she will play a pivotal and personal role in every Berman student’s journey.
Ms. Hametz joins us from Shalhevet High School where she served as the Mashgicha Ruchanit, Director of Chesed, and a member of the Judaic Studies faculty. In her roles at Shalhevet, Ms. Hametz works directly with students both in and out the classroom, designing engaging lessons, providing opportunities to deepen connections with the broader community, and supporting the academic and social-emotional growth of the students.
Prior to Shalhevet, Ms. Hametz taught in middle school and ran student programming at Gindi Maimonides Academy. At Gindi, she helped develop and implement an advisory program designed to support the social-emotional growth of students. Additionally, the student activities and programming enhanced the school culture and community through experiential education. Ms. Hametz has also served as the co-director of Next Step: Israel Internship, where she led 55 students on an internship leadership summer program traveling through Israel.
Ms. Hametz graduated with a Master’s degree in Education from American Jewish University, holds a BA in English Communications and Public Relations from Stern College for Women, and an Associates Degree in Judaic Studies.
Ms. Hametz will be joining our Berman community with her husband, Rabbi Tzvi Hametz, who will be joining our leadership team as our new Director of STEM Education and Innovation and Director of Education Technology, and their two children, Izzy and Mimi. Please join us in welcoming their family to our community.
Tzvi and Malkie will be joining our Berman community this summer with their two children, Izzy and Mimi. Please join us in welcoming their family to our community.
