Woodmere native scores teacher fellowship

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When rabbis graduate from Yeshiva University, they are offered placement in communities around the nation, and under its Institute for University-School Partnership, 20 fellows are dispersed among 16 schools, with full tuition and stipends provided, so that they could focus fully on teaching in their new homes.
Among the recipients is Daniel Loewenstein, 25, a native of Woodmere who left this week for Skokie, Illinois, to spend the next four years teaching English literature and Hebrew language in Skokie’s Fasman Yeshiva High School. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to get into teaching, a job for two years and a full scholarship, both very helpful resources,” Loewenstein said.
The two-year training fellowship provides training and support from YU’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, funded by the Legacy Heritage Fund Limited. Over three summers, teaching fellows will also earn a masters degree in education from Azrieli.
Three additional teachers in the program also hold sponsorships from the GiveBack Fellowship, a program that identifies dynamic graduates in assist with student activities, observing classroom teachers and providing support in other aspects of school programming.
They offer a supportive structure in which to grow as a new teacher and a transformative experience for the students who are inspired by these young, energetic educators,” said YU School Partnership director Dr. Scott Goldberg. “Schools asked us to get them teachers, and we’ve sent them much more.”
For Loewenstein, the inspiration to teach came from DRS high School and Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh, a hesder yeshiva outside Ashdod where Loewenstein spent his post-high school year. Giving back to his alma mater, he taught formal learning sessions at DRS while studying at YU. “My lectures have consistently focused on the experiential, human dimension of Judaism, often drawing upon contemporary music, books and movies to better develop and communicate my ideas,” Loewenstein said.
When he is not teaching, Loewenstein is picking up another degree as a semicha student at Hebrew Theological College, also located in Skokie.
The Legacy Heritage Teacher Training and GiveBack Fellowships are open to students from all colleges. Visit the YU School Partnership’s Web site at www.yu.edu/azrieli/schoolpartnership for more information or to apply.