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Fig Tree

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Brooklyn, NY
917.523.4685
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Fig Tree

  • About
    • Our Story
    • Our People
    • Our Approach
  • Our Program
    • Core Fig Tree Classes (PreK - 5th)
    • Sixth Grade Year
    • B'Nai Mitzvah Year
    • Hebrew Course & Electives
    • Monthly Program for Young Teens
    • Logistics
    • Pricing
  • Classes
    • Class Schedule
    • Calendar
    • Locations
  • Community
    • Events and Gatherings
    • Resources
    • Jewish Families of Color
    • 2025-26 Parent Page
  • Register
    • Register for a Class
    • Learn More!
  • Work with us
Tamy Ben-Tor

Teacher Gallery_People

Teacher Gallery_People

Tamy Ben-Tor

Tamy Ben-Tor

Lead Teacher
Tamy (she/her) was born in Jerusalem and has been living in Brooklyn since 2004. She has a BA from the School of Visual Theatre in Jerusalem, where she studied Puppetry and Performance, and an MFA from Columbia University. She has been teaching Jewish Studies and Hebrew in various Brooklyn Hebrew Schools since 2011, and she effortlessly infuses a love for dramatic and fine arts into her instruction of students of all ages. Between 2013-2022 she built and led the 6th grade Holocaust studies curriculum at Kane Street Synagogue. During that time she co created and taught the Israeli Film Club curriculum to the "Bogrim" high school class. She has been teaching at Fig Tree since 2014, where she is currently a lead teacher for PreK-6th graders in Jewish culture, Jewish history and Hebrew language. She is a lead Hebrew teacher and Hebrew curriculum advisor at Fig Tree. Tamy is the founder and director of the independent study groups initiative ANUאנו, The History of Israel for Teens.

Shira Botzum

Shira Botzum

Lead Teacher
Shira (she/her) is a rabbi and Jewish educator based in Washington Heights. She received rabbinic ordination from Hadar in 2024 and holds a BA/MA in Talmud and Rabbinics from JTS and a BA from Columbia University. She spent this past year working in Jewish day school and Hillel settings and is currently a chaplaincy intern at NYP. Shira is passionate about expanding access to Jewish tradition, in all of its complexity and beauty, for Jews of all backgrounds. In her free time, you’ll find her cooking, reading sci-fi and fantasy, and playing with her dog. She is excited to be joining the Fig Tree team this year.

Mads Dickman

Mads Dickman

Assistant Teacher
Mads (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist, storyteller, music educator, and environmental advocate based in Brooklyn NY. They received their BA from Wesleyan University, where they spent four years in The Mazel Tones, a Jewish acapella group with the mission of spreading joy and community through Jewish music and bringing Jewish diasporic languages like Yiddish and Ladino to life in the form of song. Now, Mads is a songwriter, songleader, and piano teacher in Brooklyn and is passionate about teaching music to people of all ages. Mads has a background in working with elementary and middle school-aged students, and enjoys teaching afterschool cooking classes and music lessons. When they aren’t teaching at Fig Tree, you can find Mads hosting community shabbat dinners, performing with their musical improv troupe, or birdwatching in Prospect Park.

Nikkita Flavius

Nikkita Flavius

Lead Teacher
Nikkita (she/her), originally from the UK, is a singer-songwriter and interdisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn. She also holds a Diploma in Fine Arts, Textiles and Illustration from the Leeds College of Art, a BA (hons) in Politics and an MA in International Relations. Her academic focus explored the extent and significance of cultural exchange and longevity. She has volunteered many years as a youth leader in a theater and stage school summer program at Bradford Playhouse in the UK. Nikkita is dedicated to bringing her rich experiences as a Jew of color, and passion for the lesser known Jewish communities around the world through culinary history in particular. Each year she focuses on one aspect to deepen her own spiritual growth within Judaism. And she definitely hopes to be a cantor someday.

Debra Fricano

Debra Fricano

Lead Teacher
Debra Fricano (she/her) was born and raised in Queens.  For anyone curious about NYC public high schools, Debra was in the first graduating class of the High School of American Studies at Lehman College.  Debra pursued a BA in Sociology from Brandeis University and an MA in Experiential Jewish Education from Davidson School at JTS.  Throughout the past 20 years Debra has worked in youth groups, synagogue supplemental schools, Hillels, and Jewish sleepaway camps as a Jewish educator and songleader. Most recently Debra built community at a Reconstructionist synagogue, and is committed to values based education that is accessible and welcoming to all families.  As of September 2024 Debra is studying at the Academy for Jewish Religion pursuing both rabbinic and cantorial ordination.  Debra brings a passion for educating through creative play, bibliodrama, and song writing, and is excited to return to Fig Tree this year!

Arielle Goldman

Arielle Goldman

Lead Teacher
Arielle (she/her) is an actress, writer and filmmaker. As an actor, she has performed at multiple theaters including Lincoln Center, George Street Playhouse, New Jersey Repertory Company, Ensemble Studio Theater, Pregones PRTT, The Tank, Long Wharf Theater, Chautauqua Theater Company, among others. For television, her acting work can be seen in series on HBO, Cinemax, Amazon and independent productions. As a filmmaker, Arielle’s work focuses on intergenerational women and the inherited stories that shape ourselves and our relationship to the world.  She received her BFA from The University of Michigan, her MFA from NYU Tisch Grad Acting and is a proud alum of The Colbert Report internship program. Arielle is excited to join the Fig Tree community, bringing a spirit of play and exploration to the long beautiful history of Jewish storytelling. 

Naama Greenfield-Simpson

Naama Greenfield-Simpson

Lead Teacher
Naama (she/her) was born and raised in Israel and has lived in the U.S. for the past 20 years. Naama holds a BA in Costume Design from Empire State College and a Millinery Certificate from FIT, and has taught Hebrew and Judaic Studies at multiple programs for the last decade. As an Israeli mom and educator raising kids in the U.S., she values the importance of passing on the values and experiences around which she was raised as a child. Naama is passionate about teaching Hebrew, Israeli culture and Judaism, combining these aspects with art-making and self-expression.

Tali Kobrin

Tali Kobrin

Assistant Teacher
Tali Kobrin (she/her) is a junior at Barnard College who is excited to return to the Fig Tree family. Tali has a deep knowledge of experiential education with children across a broad age range, having spent her summers as a counselor and division head for elementary, middle and high schoolers at Jewish sleepaway camp and running a local camp for preschoolers. Tali was privileged to spend a gap year studying in Israel, where she honed her Hebrew language skills and knowledge of Torah and Judaism. As a passionate educator and student, Tali is looking forward to learning from all of her wonderful students at Fig Tree.

Lulu Levy

Lulu Levy

Assistant Teacher
Lulu (she/her) is so excited to be joining the Fig Tree community for her first year. She just moved back to NYC after graduating from Brown with a degree in Judaic Studies and English. During that time, she worked as a Hebrew tutor and 4th-grade Jewish Studies classroom teacher at a synagogue in Providence, Rhode Island. Lulu is originally from the Upper West Side, and spent the early part of her childhood split between there and her extended family’s home in Israel. When she is not teaching, she is doing stand-up comedy all around New York City!

Becky Portman

Becky Portman

Lead Teacher
Becky (she/her) is thrilled to be joining the Fig Tree family this year. She  is an experienced Jewish educator with a passion for Jewish storytelling and tradition. She is currently a pre-K teacher at the Brownstone School on the Upper West side. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Becky has also spent time teaching in Los Angeles and Jaffa. When she is not teaching Torah or the alphabet, she is pursuing her passion as a screenwriter and filmmaker.

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