New leadership at Silver Spring Learning Center and Leo Bernstein Jewish Academy of Fine Arts embodies the schools’ mission of providing a family-oriented environment, executive director Chaya Kranz said.
In continuing Rabbi Herzel Kranz’s legacy, Rabbi Eli Meir Zaks took the helm as the new headmaster of the Judaic department and Hebrew director of the two Silver Spring schools his grandfather founded: Silver Spring Learning Center, a preschool for children ages 2 to 5, and Leo Bernstein Jewish Academy of Fine Arts, for students in kindergarten through fourth grades.
This new role fulfills a longtime dream for both. Zaks recalled that his grandfather first floated the idea to him when Zaks was 7 years old.
“It’s a privilege to have this opportunity to provide to the children of our nation and I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude,” Zaks told Washington Jewish Week.
Zaks, who has served as the rabbi of SSLC for five years and head of the Chofetz Chaim Kollel of Silver Spring, now has additional responsibilities: He oversees the direction of the schools and oversees and teaches Judaics and davening (Jewish prayer).
Born in Jerusalem and raised between the United States and Israel, Zaks has directed various educational programs in Israel and speaks Hebrew.
“He was head of this father-son learning program with over 120 students in Modi’in Illit and he did that as a volunteer job,” said Kranz. “We thought he could bring a lot of the Israeli flair into our community and a lot of the Torah knowledge that he has because he was raised in Israel since he was a young boy in yeshiva, and we thought he could help build up the community, which he did.”
Kranz added that between 50 and 100 community members attend “Parshah, Pizza, and Prizes” a family learning program Zaks hosts on Saturday nights from the High Holidays to Purim.
Natali Gavrieli, the former Hebrew teacher at LBJA for the past decade, is now the school director of both SSLC and LBJA. Gavrieli entered this new role with 20 years of experience in education, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a master’s in bilingual education.
Hailing from Colombia and Haifa, Israel, Gavrieli is fluent in Spanish, Hebrew and English.
“It’s a pleasure working side by side with my colleague, Morah Natali,” Zaks said. “She’s an amazing woman and has a very deep understanding of child psychology and care for the children.”
“It’s been a wonderful challenge,” Gavrieli said of her first few months as the director. “I have an amazing, amazing staff that knows very well what to do, that is loving, that is open to growth. … I am positive that we will be able to keep on having the high standard of education and care that we have had until now.”
Kranz said she selected Gavrieli for the role of school director due to her 10 years of teaching experience with SSLC.
“She has a lot of the credentials we were looking for,” Kranz said, noting Gavrieli’s educational background. “She’s very personable and warm. We saw how she was as a teacher, and that’s why we wanted to offer her that position.”
In the mornings, Gavrieli said she greets students as they walk in the schools’ doors, as this familiarity is an important part of the school environment.
“We know every single child that comes here; we know about their lives, about their family,” Gavrieli said.
Zaks said his favorite aspect of the school is its tight-knit community.
It’s just a sense of family here. I’ll give you an example. When a child forgets something to eat, forgets a lunch, whatever it is, we are always here to provide them whatever they need. The children know that we’re always here. They approach us in the way they would approach their parents with the simple understanding that ‘You’re here for me and you’ll always take care of me.’”
In addition to academics, Zaks said the two schools emphasize Jewish learning, tradition and values. He reviews the parshah with students, prays with them daily, hosts holiday and Shabbat parties and provides Hebrew and Israeli experiences.
“We have a strictly Orthodox approach to Judaism, and we try to give that in the best, loving way possible,” Zaks said.
He added that if a student is not in the mood to learn, a teacher will sit down on the floor, getting on the child’s level “with a soft voice, approaching their emotional needs.”
“It’s something you don’t get to see in other places,” Zaks said. “Here, the children feel like they’re at home.”
Chaya Kranz said the promotion of both Zaks and Gavrieli has resulted in increased school registration and satisfied families within the school community, as both are committed to education.
“They recognize that children really are the future of the Jewish world and this is our next generation,” Chaya Kranz said.
She said she hopes to continue the positive growth and the formation of a cohesive community in which each child is valued.
“We’re just trying to continue Rabbi Kranz’s legacy,” Chaya Kranz said. “The slogan of the school is that it’s not an institution; it’s a family. Even as we grow, we still want to stick to that culture.”
