Teachers

Amy Wilkerson

2nd Grade

Kelly Weinblatt

2nd Grade

Kelly has taught on and off at Bet Shalom for 10 years and is excited to be back for year 11! When she is not teaching at Bet Shalom, she works as the Director of Marketing Tech and Automation at Lifetouch. She has two children who are in 5th and 8th grade in the Bet Shalom Religious School. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, baking, and traveling.

Heidi Greenberg

3rd Grade & Hebrew Cohort

Heidi grew up in Crystal, Minnesota and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Child Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Throughout her life, she has dedicated a lot of her time teaching children. She has worked with toddlers in preschool, school age children in public school and just after college, she worked in the hospitals taking newborn baby portraits. Besides working as an infant teacher at Shalom Yeladim, she teaches third grade and is a Bar/Bar Mitzvah tutor in the Bet Shalom Religious School. She believes that some of the most important skills to have when working with children is patience, flexibility, and love. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, spending time with her family, and reading.

Julie Friedman

4th Grade & 3rd Grade Prayer

Julie Friedman has always been passionate about facilitating others in Jewish understanding and helping youth connect to their Jewish identity. From her years as a teen counselor at her synagogue’s day camp in Illinois to working as a youth advisor at Siegel JCC in Delaware, she feels like she is always drawn back to her roots in Judaism. While teaching middle school science in New Jersey, she spent her free time involved with her synagogue, leading Pray and Play (their monthly preschool Shabbat program) and teaching second grade religious school classes.

Julie is excited to begin her seventh year teaching religious school at Bet Shalom. Julie and her family relocated to Minnesota in 2018 and are excited to be part of such a welcoming community at Bet Shalom. When Julie is not teaching at religious school, you can find her teaching 6th grade physical science, cooking, enjoying music, enjoying the outdoors, and having fun with her family.

Lauren Kofsky

5th Grade and 4th Grade Prayer

Lauren is so excited to be teaching 5th Grade Core and 4th Grade Prayers again at Bet Shalom. She was a history major who spent nine years working alongside a psychologist doing equine therapy with children and teenagers. She was a program coordinator at an adult day center working with seniors with dementia up until the pandemic. Lauren and her family are longtime members of Bet Shalom. She enjoys reading, taking dance classes, spending time with her dog, Samara, and is thrilled to be a part of the amazing Bet Shalom Religious School community.

Gayle Kaplan

HTM and Hebrew Coordinator

Gayle is starting her 15th year teaching students at the Religious School. In the past, she taught Hebrew, Torah, Jewish history, and Israel to 4th, 5th and 6th grade students. With a current focus on Hebrew, she will be teaching decoding (reading) Hebrew to 5th grade students as well as conducting Hebrew reading assessments and tutoring for grades 6 and 7. Gayle completed the training for HTM - Hebrew Through Movement. She continues to teach Hebrew to adults. She has also worked as a substitute at the Heilicher Day School.

Gayle is originally from the Boston area, received her BA from Brown University and her MBA from Northwestern University. She worked as a market research professional for a variety of organizations before switching to teaching by instructing refugees and others in business skills at the Minnesota Resource Center.

Gayle and her family (husband, son and two dogs) have been members of Bet Shalom for 24 years. She participates in both the Torah and After the Torah study groups.

Emily Rosenberg-Dejewski

Youth Advisor and Inclusion Specialist

Emily graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities with a degree in Special Education Teaching. Emily grew up at Bet Shalom and enjoys many fond memories including her Bat Mitzvah, confirmation, and her first trip to Israel. This will be her second year teaching at Bet Shalom religious school. Emily has many years of experience working with students and looks forward to building a community within her classroom! During her free time, Emily enjoys cooking, baking, and crafting! Emily is excited to teach at Bet Shalom and be a contributing member of our loving and supportive community. Emily is currently teaching at Minnetonka Middle School West.

Madalyn Holm

6th Grade

Madalyn is so excited for her first year of teaching at Bet Shalom! Originally from Edina, she graduated from Iowa State University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Event Management. She now works as the Marketing Coordinator for MentorMate.

Madalyn has been a member at Bet Shalom since she started attending religious school as a kindergartener. She has fond memories of continuing on her religious education through her Bat Mitzvah, Confirmation and Post Confirmation. In addition, she was a madrich in a 2nd grade classroom for 5 years and was involved in the BeSty youth group. Madalyn also spent 4 months as a high school junior in Israel through the NFTY High School In Israel program.

In her spare time, she loves to travel, explore the Minneapolis restaurant scene and spend time with friends and family!

Dr. Scott Salita

7th Grade

Dr. Scott Salita is a highly accomplished chiropractor, educator, and consultant with extensive experience in chiropractic care, professional regulation, and teaching. He holds professional licenses in chiropractic, is a resident insurance producer, and is certified in acupuncture and independent examination. Over his career, Dr. Salita has been recognized for his exceptional skills and knowledge in the field of chiropractic medicine.

As the owner of CHIRORECORDS, Dr. Salita provides specialized consulting services, including chiropractic recordkeeping remediation, ethics and boundaries training, independent medical examinations, and expert testimony. His work has contributed to enhanced documentation standards and reduced fraud and abuse within the chiropractic profession.

Dr. Salita is a PACE Recognized Provider for Continuing Education Courses, ensuring that his contributions to the field are both educational and impactful. Dr. Salita’s role as a Professional Member Regulator appointed by the governor to the Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners (MBCE) highlights his commitment to public safety and ethical practice. He has played a pivotal role in developing and proctoring the NBCE Part IV Examination and has represented Minnesota as a voting delegate for the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB), advocating for fair regulation and the integrity of the chiropractic profession.

In addition to his chiropractic practice and consulting work, Dr. Salita has a rich background in education. He began teaching at the Madison Jewish Community Center designing curriculum for 8th-grade students relating Judaism in film and social issues to students. He continued to instruct anatomy and physiology at the Minneapolis School of Massage & Bodywork, where he successfully communicated complex medical concepts to students pursuing massage therapy certification.

Currently, Dr. Salita is expanding his educational outreach as a 7th-grade Hebrew school instructor at Bet Shalom in Minnetonka, MN. In this role, he integrates his expertise in education with a passion for fostering religious identity and cultural awareness among young students. His innovative curriculum uses contemporary media and social issues to connect traditional Jewish values with modern life, helping students explore and understand their heritage in a relatable and engaging manner.

Beyond his professional and teaching responsibilities, Dr. Salita is actively involved in community service and volunteer work. He has served as a clinic lead, head coach, and assistant coach for various youth travel and club baseball teams, contributing his leadership skills and fostering teamwork among young athletes. Dr. Salita’s dedication to education, healthcare, and community involvement underscores his commitment to making a positive impact both within and outside of his professional practice. He is married to his wife Ali (who converted at Bet Shalom) and has a 13-year-old son, Oscar and a 10-year-old daughter, Eva, along with a 2-year-old Great Dane named Ford.

James Barnett

8th Grade

Jim was born in Minneapolis and has lived and worked in the twin cities his entire life. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration and spent 43 years in a family business. Jim teaches our eighth grade Holocaust and Antisemitism class on Sunday mornings. He believes that our students are one of Bet Shalom's highest priorities. Jim lives in Minneapolis with his wife Ardis. He has a son Adam, daughter and son-in-law Ali and Mitch, and two precious grandchildren, Levi and Geoffrey.

Shmulik Havilio

9th Grade

Cooking Chug