Mrs. Gila Barnett

3rd Grade Judaic Teacher
gbarnett@tdshouston.org

Morah Yaffa BarYam

Hebrew Language Teacher
ybaryam@tdshouston.org

Morah Yaffa has been teaching Hebrew and early childhood for over 30 years. She has been a teacher at Torah Day School since 1992, and taught Hebrew at Beth Israel's Religious School for 10 years, which she greatly enjoyed.

Yaffa completed her teaching certification from the Shine School of Education, a division of Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv, for early childhood education and Hebrew as a Second Language.

Yaffa and her husband Kobi enjoy traveling, especially to Israel to visit family, and spending time with their daughters and grandchildren in Houston.

She greatly values her friendships, and makes time to meet with friends regularly.

Mrs. Menuchi Cagen

2nd Grade Judaic Teacher
mcagen@tdshouston.org

Rabbi Shmuly Ceitlin

Middle School Boys Judaic Teacher / Pre Mesivta Program
sceitlin@tdshouston.org

Born in Toronto Canada, graduate of the Chabad Yeshiva system, moved to Houston in the end of 2020 as a Chabad emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Mrs. Mindy Ceitlin

Middle School Judaic Teacher / Tzivos Hashem Coordinator
mceitlin@tdshouston.org

Mrs. Eta Cotlar

Middle School Chassidus Teacher
ecotlar@tdshouston.org

Rabbi Shmuly Gniwisch

5th and 6th Grade Boys Teacher
sgniwisch@tdshouston.org

Mrs. Elisa Goldstein

1st Grade Judaic Teacher
egoldstein@tdshouston.org

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Elisa Goldstein received her Teaching Certification from Bnos Yisrael Seminary in Yerushalayim, Israel and graduated with a BA degree in Psychology.

Elisa has been a teacher in Torah Day School since she moved to Houston in 1998. She has taught various Judaic subjects to middle school and has been the Kita Aleph teacher for over 12 years.

She, together with her husband and family, are Chabad Shluchim to Houston and run the Chabad CHAI Learning Center of West Houston which serves the West Houston Jewish Community with Services, Adult Education, Hebrew School and Holiday Programs. Her involvement in the community includes the founding of Friendship Circle, directing the annual Friendship Walk and directing Camp Gan Israel for the past 11 summers.

Elisa is married to Rabbi Dovid Goldstein and has 5 children Sima, Avrami, Chaya, and Zalmi (all TDS Alumni), and Rozie, a student at TDS.

Ms. Esther Lax

Middle School Girls Judaic Teacher
elax@tdshouston.org

Rabbi Zally Lazarus

Middle School Judaic Teacher
zlazarus@tdshouston.org