Living in Spain for five years after college, Heather Brody realized she was missing something important: Jewish community.
“I didn’t know any Jewish people or have any Jewish community,” the Washington resident said. “And I was like, ‘That’s fine, I don’t need that.’ But after a year, I realized, ‘This is actually really important to me.’”
Brody then moved into Moishe House Madrid, got involved in the Jewish community and met Jewish people from “all over the world.” She added that people in the community began approaching her for information and viewing her as a leader.
“Coming back home, that [love for community] was just something I brought with me, knowing this is important to me,” Brody said. “So I just really wanted to explore what was out there and find places where I feel like I connect with people and with the learning.”
She knew that her Jewish communal engagement would differ from what it looked like as she grew up in Rockville. As a child, Brody and her family attended B’nai Israel Congregation.
After her bat mitzvah, Brody’s mom gave her the option of continuing with Hebrew school or getting involved with BBYO, a Jewish teen movement. The choice was simple for her.
“I did not like Hebrew school at the time, so I joined BBYO, and I’m really glad I did because I then made a lot more Jewish friends and that was the first time I started to see myself as a leader,” Brody said. “BBYO showed me that I can be a leader.”
Brody then got involved in Hillel at University of Delaware. More recently, she participates in gatherings through the Den Collective, New Synagogue Project and Adas Israel Congregation.
She also connected more deeply to herself and her Jewish identity through a summer program with the Brandeis Campus Institute.
“That definitely really inspired me to want to be someone who’s facilitating more of these Jewish experiences and help other people find all these cool ways to connect with Judaism that I have been able to find,” Brody said.
Brody is now an instructional assistant at Sulam at Berman Hebrew Academy. Sulam is an inclusive program that aims to provide educational, social and emotional support for students with disabilities at some Maryland Jewish day schools.
“This is my first time working in a Jewish day school and I’m finding that I really love it,” Brody said.
She works with four students in kindergarten and first grade, supporting them in various ways throughout the school day.
“It might be redirecting their attention to the learning or to the work that they’re doing,” Brody said. “Sometimes, it might be social support, helping them figure out how to interact with the other kids, or what kinds of things might be more appropriate to say. I help if they’re having some really tough emotions or meltdowns. I am there with them and help them through it.”
Another aspect of her job is ensuring that her students “know they have an adult they can trust and feel loved and supported.” She also communicates regularly with the students’ parents.
“My priorities [are] definitely making sure my students are able to learn alongside their peers, and I think especially with Sulam, not only helping them learn, but helping them get a Jewish education and feel part of this Jewish community,” Brody said. “You can see day to day, they truly are part of the Berman community, so it’s nice to see.”
But her work goes beyond the four students Brody is assigned to support.
“My priority is supporting my students, but I also definitely feel like a part of my job is helping the other students in the class understand that there might be people who are different than us in our classes or community or wherever it may be, but that’s not a bad thing,” Brody said. “That’s a good thing.”
Brody didn’t always see herself pursuing the field of Jewish education. She worked at Bender JCC’s Lessans Camp JCC for six summers as a camp counselor, and returned to the JCC as an associate preschool teacher in 2019.
“I knew I really liked working with kids,” she said.
In college, she studied public policy and women and gender studies with a concentration in domestic violence prevention and services. Brody supplemented her education with internships with the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse and Jewish Women International.
Wanting a break from the academic environment after graduating, Brody moved to Spain to teach English. Although she may have “stumbled upon” her position at Berman Hebrew Academy, Brody is grateful for the opportunity.
“I really like seeing my culture and values reflected in the learning at school and watching these students get a Jewish education and celebrating the holidays,” she said.
Disability inclusion in schools remains top of mind for Brody.
“We need to support each other and learn from each other and accept each other’s differences,” she said.
