Odelia Epstein cares deeply about Jewish education. She not only sends her three kids to Berman Hebrew Academy and Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School, but works to refine and improve Jewish education.
Epstein is the senior director of knowledge, research and data at Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools. In addition to this full-time job, she is part of the first Walder Fellowship cohort of the Executive Ph.D. in Jewish studies at Gratz College in Pennsylvania, in which she is one of 15 Orthodox Jewish women from across the United States and Israel.
Epstein lives in Silver Spring and belongs to Kemp Mill Synagogue.
Tell me about your Jewish upbringing and background.
I grew up in Staten Island, New York, in a deeply Jewishly committed family where my father is a rabbi of a synagogue for over 40 years — he still is — and my mother is a Jewish communal leader. I went to Jewish day schools and Jewish camps.
What does an average day look like for you?
It’s interesting because I work full time and I’m now in a doctoral program, a Ph.D. in Jewish studies at Gratz College. So in the morning, after I get my kids off to school, I usually go for a walk and then start doing readings for school before work starts because I have a lot of coursework, then I’m in meetings. I’m helping school leaders and lay leaders use data to inform decision making in Jewish day schools and in Jewish institutions. And in the evenings, I’m doing work again for my doctoral program.
What are your responsibilities at Prizmah?
I oversee knowledge, research and data. We have a research portfolio that we use to advance the use and accessibility of research and data in the Jewish day school landscape. There’s three areas of work: data-driven decision making for school leaders — which is individualized assessments for schools, landscape data for the field and I also oversee all of my organization’s internal measurement and evaluation to interpret that we’re meeting our strategic plan goals.
You’re in the cohort studying for your Executive Ph.D. in Jewish studies. What led you to this program?
I’ve been interested in doing a Ph.D. program for many, many years, and it wasn’t the right time in my life, but now it is the right time and it’s the right program for me, so it kind of matched up. My kids are a little bit older now, and this is a mostly online program — it’s designed for working professionals — so it meets the best of both worlds.
Are there challenges with studying mostly online and out of state?
So far, it’s actually been really wonderful: I’m able to continue working full time and do the program. One of the things that’s interesting is that, because it’s online, we have to weekly post an essay and a video submission, then comment on everyone’s video submission. In that way, you really get to see what everybody has to say and what everyone’s opinions are, where[as] in a regular class, you wouldn’t necessarily hear what every individual is thinking and see the work they’re producing.
What do you like about the program?
This is a really unique kind of program. Because it’s an Executive Ph.D., it’s designed to train organizational leaders to be scholars, bridging the divide between academic scholarship and Jewish communal life. It’s not designed for someone to become a professor afterwards, but it’s designed for people who are working in the field to have new skills and tools.
Why is local Jewish education important to you?
[Jewish education is] rooted in a bigger vision of a thriving, vibrant Jewish community. I believe that Judaism is inherently meaningful. It offers some connection and a framework for living, and that belief drives everything that I’m doing, whether I’m analyzing data or shaping strategy. It’s all about helping Jewish day schools build a stronger, more knowledgeable and passionately engaged Jewish future.
I have two kids at Berman Hebrew Academy and one soon-to-be graduate of Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School. It means that I’m very much committed to what I’m doing. My work isn’t transactional; it’s rooted in believing in the bigger picture of Jewish education. Not only do I work all day trying to help schools, I also send my children to these schools because I deeply believe in what they’re trying to achieve.
