The Jewish Education Project, an organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering educators to create transformative Jewish experiences, today announced the five recipients of the 2025 Robert M. Sherman Young Pioneers Award. Named for the former CEO Robert M. Sherman and launched in 2012, this award has recognized more than 60 exceptional Jewish educators from greater New York that advance and innovate Jewish education. Recipients work in day schools, camps, youth groups, supplementary schools, community centers, seminaries and in foundation settings.
“Jewish educators play such an integral part in their learners’ lives, especially amid the myriad challenges young Jews face today,” added David Bryfman, CEO of The Jewish Education Project. “They teach, provide support, and offer guidance. We celebrate these talented and committed award recipients and are grateful for all they do to positively influence our communities, families, and students.”
The award recipients will each receive a professional development stipend and be honored at The Jewish Education Project’s annual Spring Event on May 21. The 2025 Young Pioneers Award recipients are:
Amy Schilit Benarroch: Benarroch is the education director at Fig Tree, an independent Jewish afterschool program. With over a decade of experience in Jewish education, including roles in day schools and synagogues, Benarroch brings an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit to her work. At Fig Tree, she has helped build a flexible, family-centered model of Jewish education that lowers barriers to access across six neighborhoods throughout New York City. She has designed curricula that allows students from different ages to explore shared themes in developmentally appropriate ways, encouraging family learning at home. At the beginning of Benarroch’s Jewish educator journey, she participated in The Jewish Education Project’s Titchadesh Network and continues to be inspired by peer learning and collaborative growth through The Jewish Education Project.
Alyssa Berman: Alyssa Berman (Schwager), originally from Atlanta, is the director of Youth and Family Engagement at Beth El Synagogue Center in New Rochelle, N.Y. She holds a master’s degree in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary and a masters in Educational Psychology from University of Connecticut. Berman previously worked at Sutton Place Synagogue and Fort Tryon Jewish Center, taught religious school around the tristate area, and was a staff member at Camp Ramah Nyack and Camp Modin. Berman has regularly participated in professional development sessions and networks through The Jewish Education Project, including Innovators, Youth Roundtable and Leadership networks. Additionally, Berman has received three microgrants, focusing on mindfulness, racial justice and Jewish diversity through food.
Erica Cohen: As the director of teen engagement at Young Judaea for the past three years, Cohen has organized and inspired teens from across the US and Israel. Previously, Cohen was the director of the Center for Youth Philanthropy and Leadership at UJA-Federation of NY, engaging more than 500 teens to learn the power and impact of community service from the youngest ages. Cohen was a member of The Jewish Education Project’s Gen Now Fellowship Cohort 2 and is a regular fixture at annual conferences. In the months after Oct. 7, Erica organized the inaugural iTeen Summit, creating a space for teens to discuss Israel and Jewish identity during a time of uncertainty and heightened emotion.
Elisheva Hirsch: Hirsch is the theater specialist at Preschool of the Arts and a theatre teaching artist and actress based in New York City. A graduate of Yeshiva University, she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in educational theater at the City College of New York. At Preschool of the Arts, Hirsch integrates theater and Jewish education in classroom lessons, caregiver-child classes and pre-Shabbat and Jewish holiday celebrations. She credits Jonathan Shmidt Chapman’s professional development workshops with The Jewish Education Project as an important influence on her work. Hirsch looks forward to furthering her involvement with The Jewish Education Project as she continues to develop her teaching practice, using theatre to spark Jewish joy, pride and connection.
Caryn Keller: Keller teaches world history and AP U.S. Government and Politics at SAR High School in New York. Beyond the classroom, Keller is the director of the school’s Confidence Project, a program providing students with the tools and knowledge to speak about Judaism from a position of confidence and pride. Additionally, Keller co-leads the school’s ongoing partnerships with local charter and public schools, fostering relationships and connections between diverse groups of students. As a recipient of SAR’s Innovation Lab grant, Keller was also instrumental in developing the 10th grade’s history of antisemitism curriculum. Keller’s classes are known for dynamic discussions, challenging students to consider diverse perspectives and engage in respectful, constructive dialogue.
The Jewish Education Project’s Robert M. Sherman Young Pioneers Award recognizes five innovative educators age 40 and under in greater New York City (the five boroughs, Westchester County and Long Island) who demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to new ideas and the use of innovative approaches to inspire children and families in their community.
The Jewish Education Project’s Spring Event will feature a critical discussion about the future of Jewish and Israel education in a post-Oct. 7 world with Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Ph.D., of Park Avenue Synagogue, and Lisa Eisen, co-president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. To attend the 2025 Spring Event, register here.