Introducing our new Director of ECRS, Mandy Herlich

We are so pleased to announce that Mandy Herlich will be joining Emanuel’s professional staff on July 1st as the Director of the Emanuel Congregation Religious School. You will be hearing from Mandy directly in July as she begins to seek feedback from parents, students and teachers and prepares for the new school year.

Here is a short bio for you to learn more about her:

For the past five years, Mandy Herlich has been serving as the Director of Lifelong Learning at Temple Beth-El in Northbrook, Illinois. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Mandy did her undergraduate work at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Jewish Studies. Degree in hand, she then moved to Jackson, Mississippi where she worked as an Education Fellow for the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. There she was responsible for connecting with communities all across the south and providing them with valuable resources. After completing her fellowship, Mandy taught 6th grade Judaic studies at The Davis Academy- a Reform day school in Atlanta, Georgia.

Next stop, Jerusalem! There Mandy completed her first year in the Education Program at Hebrew Union College. Mandy finished her academic training in New York where she received her Master’s Degree in Religious Education. After completing her graduate work, Mandy worked at the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education in Miami, managing the Diller Teen Fellows program. Diller is an innovative leadership program that fosters strong bonds between teens in the US and Israel.

Mandy also serves on the leadership of the Association of Reform Jewish Educators as the chair of the Communications team. She always looks forward to spending time over the summer in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, serving on faculty at our regional Union for Reform Judaism camp, Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute. Currently, Mandy lives in Deerfield with her husband Dustin and their chinchilla, Hamentaschen. In addition to her passion for Jewish education, Mandy loves spending her time reading books, doing crafts, drinking coffee, and playing mahjong.