MENTOR, LEARN, and INSPIRE

Our Mission is to foster a community that inspires a passion for Judaism, active participation in synagogue life, and continued immersion in Jewish rituals.

Our Core Values >>>

  • Relationships are the key to learning.

  • Synagogues are a prime community for people to actively participate in Jewish rituals.

  • A Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a rite of passage for a student and their family as an induction process into the community, not a graduation.

  • Jewish learning is open to everyone - people who are neurodivergent, those who have converted to Judaism, all races, sexual orientations, genders, and socioeconomic status.

IMAGINE IF …

The Bar or Bat Mitzvah was neither the beginning nor the end of the journey.

Upcoming Events

All events are held at Congregation Shearith Israel.

WORDS OF GRATITUDE

  • Your time, dedication, passion, and creativity have truly been such a blessing. We did not know what to expect out of B’not Mitzvah tutoring, but could never have imagined a process so personalized and meaningful. The girls have not only gained the skills to read and lead beautifully but found true joy in the process.

    Rabbi Ari and Emily Kaiman

  • Our entire family is so grateful to you, your dedication, your wisdom, your encouragement, and your playfulness. We feel so incredibly fortunate that we got to work with you, and you are truly a gift to the Jewish community.

  • You saw each of our kids for who they are - highlighting their strengths, supporting them, and working through their challenges. You taught them how to study, pushed them to work hard and to grow, and have been a precious part of our lives.

  • You did an amazing job helping our son prepare for his Bar Mitzvah. You are so generous with your time and are a wonderful resource for all things Jewish!

  • Thank you so much for teaching our son and our whole family this year! Chanting Torah and leading prayers are great life skills we'll carry with us forever. We'll always share your love of Judaism and love of learning!

  • There are no words to truly express how you have affected our lives and made them better. You encouraged us all to strive harder, reach higher, and leap into the unknown with laughter. What could could have been a chore became a pleasure. Thank you for making this such a beautiful and meaningful journey.

Erin K. Chernow, Ph.D.

Founder, Jewish Educator

Erin began her career unknowingly at the age of Bat Mitzvah when she started tutoring other students. Since 2009, she has created and facilitated various experiential, multi-generational Jewish education initiatives.  Most recently, Erin launched Chai Five, a peer leader model of Jewish Education. As an active congregant at Congregation Shearith Israel, she can be found chanting Torah, Haftarah, and leading all parts of the Shabbat morning service. 

Erin has a rich background in Jewish education and community building. She founded a Jewish supplemental learning group, enhancing both parents' and children's knowledge and enthusiasm for Jewish rituals and services while fostering positive Jewish identities. Additionally, Erin created and led the Journey to Adulthood (J2A) program for B’nei Mitzvah students and their parents, guiding families through a two-year series of monthly experiential seminars to explore the spiritual, creative, and transformative aspects of the B’nei Mitzvah experience. Furthermore, Erin developed and piloted the Jewish Kids Groups (JKG) Journey program, a precursor to the current JKG B’nei Mitzvah Program, focusing on Hebrew learning, Jewish values, community service, and building Jewish social networks.

She holds a Ph.D. in Education Counseling and Human Development from the University of Georgia, a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Florida, and Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Maryland. Erin has held administrative and teaching positions at Georgia Tech, University of Georgia, Emory University, and University of Florida. 

A native of New Orleans, Erin has lived in Atlanta since 1997 and is married with 2 sons.

We’d love to hear about your journey and help guide you on where to go next in your Jewish education.