Rabbi Adam Chalom was raised as a Humanistic Jew at the Birmingham Temple in suburban Detroit, Michigan, the founding congregation of Humanistic Judaism. He earned a B.A. from Yale University in Judaic Studies, a Master’s Degree at the University of Michigan in Hebrew and Jewish Cultural Studies, Rabbinic ordination from the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, and his PhD at the University of Michigan in Near Eastern Studies.

Rabbi Chalom joined Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation in July 2004. Before then, he served for three years as co-Rabbi of the Birmingham Temple. Rabbi Chalom is also the Dean for North America for the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism. He has written adult and youth education curricula, taught leadership and rabbinic training seminars, and presented workshops and keynote addresses at several national conferences. For Rabbi Chalom, Humanistic Judaism is not only a professional pursuit but also a personal passion that he shares with his wife, A.J., who also grew up as a Humanistic Jew at the Birmingham Temple—they were even in the same youth group. They live in Highland Park with their two children.

Dawn Friedman (Youth Education Director) has been the school director since Kol Hadash’s founding in 2001. Dawn has been a member of several Humanistic Jewish congregations and taught Sunday School at the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Fairfield County, Connecticut, where she was also an assistant to the Education Director. Dawn and her husband Mark (see below) live in Deerfield with their daughter, who celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at Kol Hadash in 2008 and was confirmed in 2011.

Karen Whiteman (K/1st, Music), part of a three-generation family at Kol Hadash, has been affiliated with Humanistic Judaism since she was in second grade. Karen began her teaching career as the teacher’s aide for a fifth grade Sunday School class; after graduating from college, she taught fifth grade 17 Sunday School and later kindergarten, first grade, and music. Since the founding of Kol Hadash in 2001, Karen has been the Kindergarten/1st grade teacher and youth music director. Karen also sings in the Kol Hadash choir. Her son was confirmed in 2003; her daughter was confirmed in 2006 . Karen holds a B.S. in Education and Special Education and an M.A. in Special Education emphasizing early childhood. She has taught special education students from 2nd grade through 8th grade throughout the Chicago area and ran a very successful home day care center for children three months to eight years old for fifteen years. Karen is currently teaching middle school students with learning disabilities in Waukegan. A Deerfield resident, Karen is married to Rick Whiteman.

Irene Chase (2nd/3rd Grades) is excited to teach 2nd/3rd grade, after several years as a substitute teacher in our school. Irene has been a member of Kol Hadash since 2002 and has served on the Youth Education Committee (one year as co-chair) and the Steering Committee. She was raised as a secular Jew and graduated from the North Shore School of Jewish Studies Sunday School. Irene and her husband Jeremy live in Highland Park with their three children; her son celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at Kol Hadash, and her daughters celebrated the first B’not Mitzvah in Kol Hadash history. Irene also has a blue belt in karate!

Mark Friedman (4th/5th Grades) is a second-generation Humanistic Jew who completed a Humanistic Kindergarten-thru-Confirmation Sunday School education in his childhood. In the past, he has taught both Sunday School and adult education at various Humanistic congregations. In 2003 he joined the Kol Hadash Sunday School staff and created a new 4th-5th grade curriculum focusing on 19th-20th century Jewish immigration to America; in 2006 he created a new curriculum for that class, Heroes and Choices. In professional life, Mark has worked in the children's educational publishing industry for more than 15 years. Mark has been chair and vice-chair of the Kol Hadash 18 Steering Committee, a member of the Finance Committee, and editor of the Shofar newsletter. Mark and his wife Dawn, Youth Education Director, live in Deerfield with their daughter.

Louise Neidorf (6th) has been teaching a Humanistic Jewish curriculum for the past 25 years. At Kol Hadash, Louise has taught curricula she created for grades 4/5, 6, and 7/8. She also created and taught a comparative religion curriculum for 8th grade students at Congregation Solel in Highland Park. For ten years, Louise was a docent at the Terra Museum of American Art in Chicago. She completed the two-year Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, a program of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, including a study seminar in Israel. Louise lives in Evanston, and she is currently head of the Interlibrary Loan department at the Wilmette Public Library.

Leora Hatchwell (7th/8th) was born in Israel, grew up in Los Angeles, and returned to Israel to pursue a Bachelors degree in nutrition at Hebrew University. She also has a Masters degree in Food Science from the University of Illinois, and is currently pursuing a Masters degree from Spertus Institute. Leora worked as a flavor scientist for 28 years. For the past several years she has designed and made jewelry and painted silk ritual items, such as chuppahs. She is fascinated by Sephardic Jewish history. Leora has taught Sunday School at Kol Hadash since its founding in 2001. She has chaired the Kol Hadash Steering Committee and its By-Laws Committee. Leora and her husband Tom McCune live in Buffalo Grove; their daughter was confirmed in 2004.

David Hirsch (9th/10th, Confirmation) is a product of a Humanistic Sunday School; his Confirmation Class teacher was Rabbi Daniel Friedman, one of the founders of Humanistic Judaism and Rabbi Emeritus of Kol Hadash. David and his wife Glynis have two children. In addition to teaching Sunday School, David sings in the choir and has served as chair of the Steering Committee. David has been teaching in the English Department of Deerfield High School for more than twenty years. You have probably seen David shuttling his kids around—he’s the one with the Star Trek minivan!

Noah Pinko (Hebrew) was born in Israel. He grew up on Kibbutz Hanita near the Lebanese border and served as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces. A Naperville resident, Noah and his wife Kathy have two children. They all go to Sunday School together. Noah is a driving instructor for teens.