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BJEP Leadership Team

BJEP Leadership Team

Micah Heilbron, Education Director

Micah (she/her) is a senior at Brandeis University, where she studies Near Eastern & Judaic Studies and Education Studies. Growing up in Austin, the very special Jewish community in Texas raised her. Her time in NFTY, BBYO, at URJ Greene Family Camp, and in Sunday school drove her to devote herself and her studies to Jewish education. Micah is currently writing her senior honors thesis exploring how Steiner/Waldorf educational philosophy can be applied to Jewish and Bible education (she is a huge Bible nerd). She is excited to apply both this research and her recent experience studying Scandinavian education abroad in Copenhagen to BJEP. She also has professional connections to Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Graduate Program, Lemberg Children’s Center, Hadassah Brandeis-Institute, PJ Library, and Brandeis Hillel and is eager to be a liaison to her own campus. In her free time, Micah loves to crochet, read, and practice yoga.

For questions about the BJEP program, get in touch with Micah for a chat: director@bjep.com.

Heather Renetzky, BJEP Program Advisor (current:  2022-present), Education Director (2021- 2022)

Heather Renetzky (she/her) is in her final year of rabbinical school at Hebrew College. Heather served as BJEP’s Education Director during 2021-2022 when the BJEP program welcomed families back to the Brandeis campus after our virtual school year. She has since served as Program Advisor to help guide the BJEP Education Director and support BJEP’s strategic initiatives. During her time in rabbinical school, Heather’s roles have included Student Rabbi at Temple Shir Tikva in Wayland, Rabbinic Apprentice for the Center for Small Town Jewish Life in Maine, and Education Director at Ramah Galim in Northern California. Prior to rabbinical school, Heather was the Program Coordinator for J-Pride, which brings together the Jewish LGBTQ community in the Twin Cities. Heather is grateful to have spent two summers training as a chaplain, working with oncology and ICU patients at Mercy Hospital in MN, and with residents living with dementia at Hebrew Senior Life in MA. Heather is a firm believer in the healing power of deep listening, the ocean, and homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Meet Heather at minute 3 talk about Zoom learning during Covid times, and laughing, in this Hebrew College Meet the Rabbinic and Cantorial students video.

Naomi Zipursky, Rabbi-in-Residence

Naomi Zipursky (she/her) is in her second year of rabbinical school at Hebrew College. Naomi grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and attended Emory University in Atlanta, GA, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Linguistics. After graduating in 2017, she relocated to San Francisco to work at San Francisco Hillel, where she spent 4.5 years engaging undergraduate and graduate students across the city. One of Naomi’s favorite programs she facilitated was an annual Beyonceder, combining the holiday of Passover with a celebration of Queen Bey. Outside of Hillel, Naomi spent summers learning in the Pardes beit midrash, dancing barefoot at BCI – Brandeis Collegiate Institute, and speaking only Hebrew for 7 weeks at Middlebury College’s Summer Language School. In addition to all things Jewish life (of course), her passions include rewatching movies, creating “vibey” Spotify playlists, and greeting every dog and cat she encounters out in the world (ask her to see pictures of her favorite furry friends). Naomi is thrilled to be joining the BJEP community and looks forward to supporting our teens in seeing themselves in Judaism, taking ownership of their traditions, and laying a foundation that will guide them throughout their Jewish futures.