“Meet The Team”
Rebbetzin Leah Kohn
Founder and Director
Rebbetzin Kohn is a 10th generation Yerushalmi, who has resided in the USA for 38 years, before which she taught and directed schools in Israel. She founded the JRC in 1983, one of the first outreach organizations, which caters exclusively to women. Thousands of women with various backgrounds have attended classes at the JRC and have been strongly impacted. Dedicated to responding to the evolving challenges facing our youth and realizing how prevalent the disconnect is among our high school graduates, Mrs. Kohn conceived of the HaKivun Program in 1998. Since then, she has been building systematic curricula in Jewish Philosophy and Tanach, developing creative methods of teaching and training educators in how to reach today’s students. Mrs. Kohn teaches, and lectures and trains teachers worldwide, and has had a profound influence on a countless number of people. She believes that every student can develop a deep appreciation of Torah, and a desire to connect to Hashem when approached and taught in a manner appropriate for her. Mrs. Kohn’s hope and goal are to bring HaKivun to every Jewish high school and inspire a passion for Yiddishkeit in every student.
Mrs. Miriam Stein
Teacher Advisor
Miriam Stein attended BYA High Scholl and BJJ Seminary. Having taught the HaKivun hashkafa curriculum as a 2-year course at TMM High School for over 10 years, Mrs. Stein is our resident expert on all questions related to teaching the curriculum. Teachers are free to contact her at any time. Mrs. Stein can personally attest to the deep impact the learning has on her students and the great appreciation and internalized love they develop for Judaism. She has nine children, and lives in Far Rockaway with her husband.
Ms. Esther Gottlieb
Adminstrator
Esther Gottlieb has been with the JRC/HaKivun since 1993. A graduate of Cardozo Law School, and an attorney by trade, she left the practice to pursue a more meaningful path and found it working with Mrs. Leah Kohn. Esther (as she prefers to be called) handles the day-to-day aspects, and has a wide range of responsibilities including organizing classes and special events, communicating with teachers and students, editing JRC and HaKivun material and handling finances. Her foremost responsibility is to help ensure that Rebbetzin Kohn’s desires and vision are turned into a reality, and that everything runs efficiently and professionally.