26 | FEBRUARY 15 • 2024
are gentle on the body and
improve mental and physical
well being.
NATALIE
DUBOIS
Natalie DuBois is
a native Detroiter
and has been an
active member of
the Jewish community from
a young age, participating in
her temple youth group and
NFTY-MI, through
adulthood where she became
involved with the Young
Adult Division of Partners
Detroit (which is where she
met her husband!).
Natalie is a clinical
social worker, earning her
B.A. from Michigan State
University and a master’s
in social work from Wayne
State University.
Natalie has spent
her career as a Jewish
communal professional.
After receiving her MSW,
she worked in various family
and youth programming
positions at Jewish Family
Service. She also worked
at Gesher Human Services
(formally JVS) as the Jewish
Occupational Internship
Coordinator (JOIN), a
program of which Natalie is
also an alumna.
Currently, Natalie serves
as the director of Family
Support Services at Jewish
Family Service. Through her
role, she oversees a team of
social workers who assist
individuals and families
in meeting basic needs
with a goal of reaching
their maximum level of
self-sufficiency. Natalie is
passionate about facilitating
programs and special
projects at JFS that benefit
the community and families
in need.
Natalie and her husband,
Avi, reside in Oak Park
with their son. They enjoy
celebrating the Sabbath with
friends and family and at
Kehillat Etz Chayim. In her
spare time, Natalie enjoys
outings with her family,
reading, traveling, doing
DIY home projects and
gardening.
ILYSSA
OPPENHEIM
Ilyssa Oppenheim
is the Jewish
educator at The J
– Detroit and the
Sarah and Irving Pitt Early
Childhood Center. She
attended both Hillel Day
School (class of ’02) and
Frankel Jewish Academy
(JAMD at the time, class of
’06) where her love of
Judaism began.
As her bat mitzvah
approached, Ilyssa
volunteered at the Adat
Shalom Synagogue preschool
day camp, where she
continued for nine years
and fell in love with early
childhood education. Ilyssa
earned her bachelor’s in
education from Michigan
State University and her
Early Childhood Director
credential from the
McCormick Center for Early
Childhood Leadership at
National Louis University.
In 2018, Ilyssa was
nominated to be one of the
JCC Association’s Sheva
Center Leadership Institute
fellows. Through this
fellowship, she traveled to
Reggio Emilia, Italy, and
throughout the United
States to learn best practices
in Jewish early childhood
education.
Ilyssa has written
Chageinu: Our Celebrations!
A Resource for Early
Childhood Educators for
Teaching Jewish Holidays
and Traditions, which has
become a valuable resource
for the Pitt ECC’s educators.
Ilyssa spends her days
working with educators and
children, infusing Jewish
values and creating a love for
Judaism into the classrooms
in new and exciting ways.
When she is not teaching,
Ilyssa loves spending time
with her husband and
daughters checking out
Metro Detroit’s newest places
and playgrounds. Ilyssa
has also been collecting
keychains for most of her
life. Lately, she has enjoyed
going through the collection
and sharing the stories of
each one with her daughters.
ELIZABETH
EMMER
Elizabeth Emmer
is a first- and
second-grade
general studies
teacher at Hillel Day School.
Each day, Elizabeth builds
upon foundational skills with
her students for them to
grow academically, socially
and emotionally. She knows
that forming relationships
with each child is necessary
to help students reach their
full potential.
This year, Elizabeth and
her co-teacher welcomed
Israeli students who were
affected by the tragedy of
Oct. 7 into her classroom.
Elizabeth is also the K-4
math curriculum coordinator
at Hillel, where she supports
teachers implementing
the curriculum to meet
the needs of their students
and provides professional
development opportunities.
This is Elizabeth’s 10th year
as an educator at Hillel Day
School.
Elizabeth grew up in
Metro Detroit with her
family. She graduated from
the University of Michigan
School of Education with
a bachelor’s degree in
elementary education,
with a focus in elementary
mathematics. Elizabeth
received her master’s degree
in literacy from Grand Valley
State University.
Elizabeth lives in West
Bloomfield with her
husband, Michael, and their
daughter, Blake. They have
roots at both Temple Beth El
and Temple Israel.
In her free time, Elizabeth
enjoys spending time with
friends and family, cooking
or baking, skiing, being
outdoors and staying active.
RABBI SHMULI
WOLF
Rabbi Shmuli
Wolf is a
Brooklyn native
whose journey
through the rich tapestry of
Jewish life reflects a deep
commitment to community
and connection. From his
formative years at yeshivah
in Scranton, Penn., to
studying Torah in Israel,
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