Board of Directors

Mr. Alan Zekelman, Atlas Tubes, Inc.

Alan Zekelman, of Bloomfield Hills, is president of various companies founded by his late father, Harry Zekelman, including Atlas Tube, Inc., a leading Canadian manufacturer of steel construction and industrial tubing. A native of Windsor, he holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto and a Master of Science in Applied Economics from the University of Rochester. Zekelman and his family have long been involved in charitable activities; among the groups they have supported are the United Jewish Appeal of Windsor, the Holocaust Memorial Center, and the Canadian Friends of Yeshiva University.

Ms. Chaya Barber

Chaya Barber is a dedicated activist to the cause of bettering education, working to make every effort to ensure the schools in communities like Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where she grew up, offer the same cutting-edge education, opening a world of opportunities to students, as top schools the world over. Chaya has had hands-on experience teaching in Jewish day-schools, and tutoring young students of diverse backgrounds. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Touro College. With her exposure to the worlds of finance, economics, Jewish business leaders and entrepreneurs, she acts as an ambassador for the cause of education.

Mr. Gerald Eisenberg C.P.A.

Gerald Eisenberg brings a vast amount of experience in the financial service industry. He is a specialist in many related fields, including financial planning, tax consulting, accounting, and real estate, holding memberships in the professional associations for each of his areas of expertise. He visited Washington D.C. to represent the insurance industry to Congress. Gerald sits on the board of, among others, the Creative Art Space for Kids Foundation and the Menachem Education Foundation.

Rabbi Chaim Drizin

Rabbi Chaim Drizin, our parent-school liaison, is a respected New York City businessman. He sits on the boards of several non-profits in the area, and has been involved with the Beth Rivkah Schools Committee. Rabbi Drizin is an occasional writer for Chabad.org.

Mr. Yosef Frimerman

Mr. Yosef Frimerman is a respected entrepreneur in the kosher food industry. One of this many successful ventures had made traditional hand-mad Shmurah Matzah available in over 45 states across the U.S.

Mr. Frimerman dedicates a significant amount of time to the greater Jewish community. He acts as treasurer of the Tzivos Hashem Jewish Children's International organization, has a seat on the board of the Jewish Children's Museum in Brooklyn, and is chairman of Bat Mitzvah Clubs International, a group for young teenage girls. He is also involved locally, and has been on the committee of the Beth Rivkah School system and local Kashruth organizations.

Rabbi Zalman Shneur

Rabbi Zalman Shneur, Executive Director and Founder of the Menachem Education Foundation, received his M.A. in Jewish Studies from the Central Lubavitch Yeshiva. He was chosen to head the International Chabad Tsunami Relief effort in Thailand in 2005. Rabbi Shneur interned as Rabbi in five communities in Eastern Europe before settling in Brooklyn in 2006. In addition to his duties at the Foundation, he regularly contributes to Talmudic journals and teaches Psalms at a local high school for girls.

Mr. Nossan (Norman) Friedman

Executive Committee

Nathaniel Deutch

Nathaniel Deutsch is a professor of literature and history at the University of California in Santa Cruz, where he also acts as co-director of the Center for Jewish Studies. In his previous post as professor in Swarthmore College, he co-founded the Bet Medrash Center for the Study of Classical Jewish Texts and was Chair of the Humanities Division.

Dr. Charlotte K. Frank

Dr. Charlotte K. Frank is the Senior Vice President of Research and Development in McGraw-Hill's Education department, guiding educational initiatives in hers and other departments. Before joining the company, Dr. Frank spent nine years as Executive Director of the Division of Curriculum and Instruction for the New York City Board of Education where she was also a teacher and supervisor. Dr. Frank, who hold multiple degrees in education, is the recipient of over 60 awards for her achievements in education, and a prolific author and lecturer on this critical topic.

Rabbi Yosef Simpson

Rabbi Yosef Simpson is the principal of the United Lubavitch Yeshiva in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, a position he has held for 16 years. He also acts as vice chairman of the Association of Yeshiva Principals. Rabbi Simpson graduated with honors from the Central Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim in Brooklyn, New York.

Mr. Norman Atkins

Norman Atkins is the Co-Founder and President of Relay Graduate School of Education (formerly known as Teacher U), a ground-breaking institution of higher education designed specifically to train and develop urban public school teachers.  Since 2008, under Atkins' leadership, Teacher U and Relay Graduate School of Education have trained more than 600 charter and district public school teachers in New York City.  Atkins is the Founder, Board Chair, and former CEO of Uncommon Schools, a nonprofit charter management organization recognized for starting and operating among the highest performing urban schools in the nation.  In 1997, he co-founded and co-led North Star Academy Charter School of Newark.  From 1989 to 1994, he was the co-executive director of the Robin Hood Foundation in New York City.  As a journalist, he has written about education, poverty, politics, culture, and social issues for The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Parenting, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and the Boston Globe.  Atkins earned a B.A. in History from Brown University and an M.A. in Educational Administration from Columbia University Teachers College.