About
Leadership
Administration
| Rachel Goldman, M.B.A., CPA Executive Director rgoldman@westchesterday.org Ext. 108 |
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| Rabbi Joshua Lookstein, M.A. Head of School jlookstein@westchesterday.org Ext. 102 |
Tamar Benjamin Director, Grades 2-5 tbenjamin@westchesterday.org Ext. 142 |
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| Meredith Rosenblatt Interim Director, Tots - 1st Grade mrosenblatt@westchesterday.org Ext.104 |
Amy Ament, M.A. Associate Head of School aament@westchesterday.org Ext. 144 |
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Rabbi Joshua Lookstein is the Head of School at Westchester Day School, a 300-student co-ed, Modern Orthodox, toddler-8th grade Jewish day school in Mamaroneck, New York. Prior to joining WDS, Rabbi Lookstein served as a Major Gifts Officer at UJA-Federation of New York, where he led the fundraising effort for the Day School Challenge Fund, a $150 million fund to incentivize endowment fundraising at NY-area day schools, and was the Coordinator for the King David Society, the organization’s major gifts event division. Prior to UJA-Federation, Rabbi Lookstein served as Executive Director of the S. Daniel Abraham Foundation based in Palm Beach, Florida. Rabbi Lookstein began his career in education at Yeshivat Ramaz and Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He received his BA in Philosophy at Yeshiva University, his MA in Medieval Jewish History at YU’s Bernard Revel Graduate School, and his rabbinic ordination at YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He is a member of the New York Board of Rabbis, the International Rabbinic Fellowship and the RCA and he is a board member of the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot. He lives in Scarsdale with his wife, Georgie, and their 3 children, Trudy, Oliver and Claire.
Mrs. Goldman has been the executive director of Westchester Day School since the late 1990s. Her responsibilities include partnering with the board of directors and the finance committee in developing the annual budget, to overseeing the school finances and grants, to buildings and grounds, to food services, security and maintenance. including security and dining services and the Westchester Summer Day Program. She is also the contact person for tuition assistance. Rachel has a master’s degree in business administration and is a Certified Public Accountant. She has also lectured at several national conferences on financial management at independent schools and has been a member of several Middle States Visiting Teams, constantly incorporating new ideas in the evolution of WDS.
Morah Meri has been a beloved Ganon and early elementary school educator at WDS for over 20 years and has earned the reputation of being a kind, responsive, creative, driven, and growth-minded teacher.
Morah Meri has a double Master’s degree in Early Childhood and Special Education from the Fordham University School of Education. She is certified in Early Childhood and Special Education through grade 12. During her tenure at WDS, she has taught Ganon, Kindergarten and 1st grade. Prior to coming to WDS, Morah Meri taught pre-K, kindergarten and 1st grade at the Rodeph Sholom School in Manhattan. She has been a teacher and Hebrew Curriculum Coordinator at the Congregation Kol Ami Hebrew School for 15 years. For 9 years she was the 3rd-5th grade girls Division Head at Camp Seneca Lake.
Ms. Benjamin is a master educator who has been teaching 3rd grade General Studies for eight years, most recently at the Maimonides School in Brookline, MA. This year, she has also taken on the additional role of 2nd grade General Studies teacher. She has been a member of the Faculty Leadership Team responsible for planning in-school staff professional development and coaching teachers in the Data-Wise Project, a Harvard School of Education program that supports educators in using collaborative data inquiry to drive continuous improvement of teaching and learning for all students. Prior to Maimonides, she taught 3rd grade at the Kehillah Schechter Academy in Norwood, MA.
Ms. Benjamin received an MA in Education in Integrated Elementary and Special Education from Wheelock College of Boston University, and a BA in Psychology from American University. She takes an innovative approach to education and is deeply committed to making an impact on the lives of students.
This is Mrs. Ament’s 3rd year at Westchester Day School. Mrs. Ament has been a professional at the Jewish New Teacher Project, a division of the New Teacher Center. Most recently, she served as Associate Director, where she oversaw the professional training and support of over 90 mentors and 130 new teachers in over 60 Jewish schools, including WDS. During her tenure at JNTP, she personally mentored over 20 teachers. During her two decades in the field of Jewish education, Amy served in various professional capacities at several educational institutions, including many years as a classroom teacher in the Boston, Los Angeles, and New York metropolitan areas. She was recently an instructor in the Education Department at Stern College for Women. She has co-authored a Chumash curriculum, published papers in a number of educational journals, and has been a sought after presenter at national Jewish education conferences. Amy holds a B.A. from Binghamton University in History and Judaic Studies, an M.S. in Administration and Supervision from Yeshiva University, and an M.A. from Brandeis University's Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Service. She lives in White Plains with her husband, Jonathon, and three children, Ezra, Joshua and Adina.
School Board
| President |
Aaron Lauchheimer |
| Chairman |
Adam Bensley |
| Executive Vice President |
Susan Wachsstock |
| Secretary |
Michelle Cohen |
| Treasurer |
Ben Bernstein |
Trustees - Term Expires 2022
*Executive Board Member
| Jack Bodner* | Michelle Bernstein Goldberg | Alex Kahn | Aaron Lauchheimer* |
| Michael Nachmani* | Barry Novick | Susan Wachsstock* |
*Executive Board Member
Trustees - Term Expires 2023
| Russie Berger* | Michelle Cohen* | Malka Helft | Sam Groner* |
| Robyn Shapiro | Haley Toledano | Joshua Trump | |
*Executive Board Member
Trustees - Term Expires 2024
| Adam Bensley* | Ben Bernstein | Jared Dinkes | Dani Gold |
| George Puro | Jonathan Rosenfeld | Yael Schulman |
*Executive Board Member
Honorary Trustees
| Lawrence Gorfinkle** | Don Motzkin** | Barbara Plotnick | Mortimer Propp** |
**Deceased
Associate Trustees
| Leah Ben David | Anate Brauer | Seth Cohen | Dan Gewanter |
| Jessica Katz | Dan Kosowsky | Matt Schatzkes | |
Who We Are
Westchester Day School is a Modern Orthodox, co-educational, dual-curriculum, toddler to 8th grade Jewish school that inspires and educates our students in their own way to value menschlichkeit, mitzvot, and lifelong learning.
