CASJE Leadership: Staff & Affiliated Partners

 

The administrative home of CASJE is the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the George Washington University, which is responsible for executive management and financial oversight of CASJE. In addition to our Advisory Board, CASJE's work is guided by a group of administrators that oversee day-to-day operations, manage research fellows and projects, and more. Our affiliated faculty, staff, and organizational partners serve as fellowship mentors, researchers, and volunteers.

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CASJE Staff

Dr. Arielle Levites headshot

Dr. Arielle Levites, Managing Director

Dr. Arielle Levites is the Managing Director of CASJE. Her research focuses on contemporary American Jewish education. She has conducted a number of applied studies on behalf of American Jewish educational enterprises, with a focus on young adults and teens. Her work has been recognized with awards from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and the Network for Research in Jewish Education.

Dr. Levites has served as the Golda Och Postdoctoral Fellow at the Jewish Theological Seminary, a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, a visiting assistant professor at Hebrew College in the Shoolman Graduate School, and an affiliated scholar at Brandeis University’s Mandel Center. She holds a BA from Brown University in Religious Studies, a MSEd in Religious Education from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD from NYU in Education and Jewish Studies.


Dr. Bethamie Horowitz headshot

Dr. Bethamie Horowitz, Director of Professional Learning Communities

Dr. Bethamie Horowitz is CASJE's inaugural Director of Professional Learning Communities. Dr. Horowitz directs the CASJE Research Fellowship and new professional learning groups.

A socio-psychologist by training, Bethamie is an astute analyst of the American Jewish community, identity dynamics, and Jewish education. From 2007-2020 she was a faculty member and eventually co-director of the Ph.D. program in Education and Jewish Studies Program at New York University. She served as Research Director at UJA-Federation of New York in the 1990s, and as Chief Scientist at the Mandel Foundation Israel and its School for Educational Leadership from 2000-2007.


Naomi Gamoran headshot

Naomi Gamoran, Program Manager

Naomi oversees CASJE's operations and administration. Naomi is passionate about using evidence to improve Jewish education.

Prior to her work at CASJE, Naomi served as the DC Senior Program Director at Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps, where she developed the leadership skills of young Jewish adults and connected them to community-based organizations working for social justice. Naomi worked as a social studies teacher at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School, teaching world history, psychology, and sociology. Naomi holds a BA in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Maryland-Baltimore. Additionally, Naomi has been involved in formal and informal Jewish education at synagogue and camp settings.

 

 

GW Affiliated Faculty and Staff

Dr. Michael Feuer

The George Washington University

Dr. Maxine Freund

The George Washington University

Dr. Benjamin Jacobs

Co-Chair, Advisory Board | The George Washington University

Ilana Weltman

The George Washington University

 

Applied Research Fellowship

     Faculty Mentors

Dr. Adam Cohen

Fellowship Mentor and Shabbat Study Research Team Member

Arizona State University

Dr. Jessica Hammer

Fellowship Mentor

Carnegie Melon University

Dr. Yotam Shmargad

Fellowship Mentor

University of Arizona

     Research Fellows: Cohort 1 (2023-2025)

 

 

Contributing Scholars

Dr. Ariela Keysar

Research Digest

Trinity College-Hartford

Dr. David Marker

Research Digest

Marker Consulting, LLC

Dr. Michelle Shain

Research Digest

Jewish Nonprofit Planning and Research Institute

Laura Yares

Research Use Group

Michigan State University

 

Research Network

Dr. Lauren Applebaum

CASJE Small Grants Recipient

Hebrew Union College

Dr. Adina Bankier-Karp

CASJE Small Grants Recipient

Brandeis University

Dr. Adam Cohen

Fellowship Mentor and Shabbat Study Research Team Member

Arizona State University

Mindy Gold

CASJE Small Grants Recipient

EdtechMMG

Dr. David Graham

CASJE Small Grants Recipient

Institute for Jewish Policy Research

Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad

Shabbat Study Research Team Member

Brigham Young University

Julia Logan Labow

Shabbat Study Research Team Member

OneTable

Dr. Jordan Lawson

Shabbat Study Research Team Member

Brown University

Dr. Hollen Reischer

Shabbat Study Research Team Member

University of Buffalo

Dr. Kathy Schwartz

CASJE Small Grants Recipient

Jewish LearningWorks

Dr. Sivan Zakai

CASJE Small Grants Recipient

Hebrew Union College

 

Practice Partners

Here are some of the many programs CASJE has partnered with over the last few years. We would love to partner with you!