YAMIM 2026:
VISIONS AND VALUES

Mollie has over 10 years of experience teaching in a variety of Jewish educational settings – from formal classroom teaching to nature education, from theatre education to collaborative philanthropy education. She enjoys being in the field as well as building programs and trainings to support others. Mollie holds a double Master’s in Midrash and Jewish Experiential Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, a BA in Religion from Bard College and is a graduate of M²’s Senior Educators Cohort. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and children.

Debbi Cooper is the VP of Partnerships at M². Previously Debbi served as the Director of Engagement for PJ Library and Associate Vice President, Community Outreach & Engagement of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago. She is the immediate past Chair of the Board for Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, a pluralistic Jewish Day School in Chicago. She is a graduate of M²’s Senior Educators Cohort and a current 18×18 fellow.

Debbi graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and has a Master’s in Public Administration/Non-profit management from George Mason University. Debbi lives in Chicago with her husband, Aaron, and their three children: Gabe, Judah, and Noah. She schleps her family on hikes and bikes, makes big dinners upon their return and can often be found hiding out with a good book.

Ilana Gleicher-Bloom is a seasoned Jewish educator with 20 years of experience fostering inclusive, pluralistic learning environments where every individual can access and engage with Torah.

She holds a B.A. in Judaic Studies (NEJS) and Literature from Brandeis University and was part of the inaugural cohort of the Melamdim Teacher Education Program at the Hartman Institute and Tel Aviv University. After completing her training, Ilana taught Talmud and Tanakh at the Heschel High School in New York and Rochelle Zell Jewish High School in the Chicago area.

In 2015, she developed an innovative model for congregational education, leading to the creation of Mensch Academy, the religious school of Mishkan Chicago. Her contributions to Jewish education were recognized in 2018 when she received the Pomegranate Prize from the Covenant Foundation, honoring emerging leaders in the field.

In 2021, Ilana moved to Jerusalem with her husband and three children, where she served as the Director of Experiential Education at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.

In her free time, Ilana enjoys reading as many books as possible, drinking coffee, and exploring the streets of Jerusalem with her family.

Clare Goldwater is a Jewish educator and leadership coach with expertise in professional and organizational development and experiential education. Working in close partnership with a wide range of organizations,  Clare oversees the development, dissemination of M²’s approach and ideas about experiential Jewish education, through consulting projects to Jewish organizations, publications, curricula materials, and more. Clare has a BA in English Literature from Oxford University, an MA in Jewish Education from Hebrew University, and a Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University. She also holds passports from those three countries and lives in Jerusalem with her family.

With two decades of experience in leadership roles affecting social change through high-end programming locally and globally, No’a serves as Chief Operating Officer at M².  Prior to joining M² No’a served as CEO of ROI Community, as Associate Director at Kolot, and as program officer at the Chais Family Foundation and the Rashi Foundation.  No’a holds a BA with honors in Psychology and an MBA, both from the Hebrew University. No’a lives in Jerusalem with her family and serves on the board of Beit Prat, an Israeli Midrasha. In her spare time No’a loves to read, cook, hike and travel.

Abby Mintz is a Senior Program Director at M², where she brings creative and ambitious visions to life with thoughtful attention to programmatic operations and facilitation. Since joining M² in 2021, she has drawn on her experience as a Jewish camp director, university instructor, and clinical therapist to help people grow and find meaning in their work and lives.

Abby earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Special Education and Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University, where she also completed her M.Ed. in Human Development Counseling. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a former yoga instructor, and most proudly a mom of 3 kiddos and 1 fur baby. She lives in Evanston, IL, and outside of work can be found reimagining home design or planning her next safari adventure.

With over 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector, Mike oversees all aspects of finance, governance, and administration at M². Previously in his private practice, Mike worked with over 30 different organisations on building and implementing financial infrastructure, budgeting, financial strategy and more. Mike also served as Head of Finance and Operations at MAOZ and prior to that served as the Director of Young Judaea’s post-college programs in Israel. A graduate of the MBA program specializing in sociaI leadership and nonprofit management from Ben-Gurion University, Mike made Aliyah from Glasgow in January 2000 and lives in Jerusalem with his family. You can find him playing soccer every Wednesday night come rain or shine!

Sara Sukol is the Graphic Design Manager at M², where she brings a passion for using design to elevate communication and support Jewish educational experiences.

Sara can be reached at sara@ieje.org.

Joanna is a Program Manager at M². Joanna holds a BS in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University. Prior to joining M², she worked at Evanston Township High School, where she facilitated a course that empowered students to use the design thinking framework to develop innovative solutions for community improvement. Joanna loves using her creativity to design engaging and meaningful program experiences and then produce organized action to bring these ideas to life.

Outside of work, you’ll find Joanna picking up a new book from her local public library, exploring farmer’s markets and new neighborhoods around Chicago, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, and spending time outdoors with friends.