Meet Our Team

Rebecca Milder is a rabbi and veteran Jewish educator with a Masters degree in educational administration. Her extensive leadership experience spans across formal and informal Jewish education throughout the religious spectrum. Rabbi Rebecca’s professional work has focused on innovative approaches to Jewish learning and community-building. She has revitalized religious schools, reimagined family education programs, and created new educational tracks at camp. In addition, she worked for four years at a central agency for Jewish education, building collaboration among Jewish day schools. She is honored to be building this Jewish Enrichment Center with the children and families of Hyde Park, and our outstanding professional team.

Sara grew up in Memphis and earned a Masters degree in Child Studies from Vanderbilt University. Before working at the Enrichment Center, she designed family programming for the Country Music Hall of Fame and was as a research assistant for the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations of Early Learning at Vanderbilt. In her spare time, Sara likes to try new recipes, spend time with friends, and explore Chicago.

Spenser works primarily in the office taking care of the back-end side of our operation at the Jewish Enrichment Center. Spenser comes to us from the sunny and warm state of Arizona where he graduated the University of Arizona in Tucson with degrees in English and Judaic Studies. Thereafter he worked at a sports marketing firm in Scottsdale. During his spare time, he loves to spend time finding new places in the city, going to the beach with his golden retriever, and going to see live music.

Aliza has an MA in Jewish Education from The Jewish Theological Seminary, a BA in Jewish History, and has studied at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Aliza has taught children in pre-k though 12th grade in day schools, synagogues and camps. Aliza has worked as a resident advisor and a student life professional at a Jewish pluralistic boarding school, and has served as Jewish Programming Director at a JCC overnight camp. Aliza enjoys spending time in nature, baking challah and singing.

Molly was born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey. In May of 2017 she graduated from UMass Amherst with degrees in Anthropology and Judaic Studies. The following March she moved to Chicago and has been working at the Jewish Enrichment Center ever since! In her spare time she enjoys biking around the city, swimming in any body of water she can find, and playing with her three guinea pigs!

Emily grew up in Washington, DC. She did her undergraduate work at Smith College, and just completed an MA focusing on Hebrew Bible at the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. Besides exploring Jewish texts at work and at play, she loves backpacking, craft projects, and bluegrass music.

Freddi grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and bounced around New York and North Carolina before moving to Chicago last year. She has a bachelor's degree in Special Education from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and is in the process of earning her master's degree in Urban Education from the University of Chicago. She has previously taught children with learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral difficulties at the elementary and middle grades levels. Freddi is excited to join the Jewish Enrichment Center team this year. She is most looking forward to learning new ways to experience Judaism and expanding her Jewish community. In her free time, Freddi enjoys yoga, meditation, reading, and writing.

Elisa (Morah Elisheva) Aranoff is excited to join the Jewish Enrichment Center team this year! This past summer she was Apachi Hyde Park Site Director. Prior to that she worked at Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School as After-School Program Director, Substitute Teacher Coordinator, and as a Hebrew teacher in the preschool and Kitah Alef (first grade). Elisa holds a Bachelor’s degree from Barnard College of Columbia University (where she sang and toured with the Jewish a cappella group Pizmon) and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from National-Louis University. She spent her junior year of undergrad at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is fluent in Hebrew. She is a graduate of Music Together instructor training, which she used to co-found a children's Jewish music program called Zemer Emet. She spent two summers at Ramah Day Camp, one as Rosh Rikud (Israeli dance leader). She taught at Gan Shalom (Temple Sholom's early childhood program) and Akiba's preschool, which are both Reggio programs. She and her family are members of Congregation Rodfei Zedek.