Valeria Michanie

Valeria grew up in Cordoba, Argentina, and knew from an early age that she wanted to study Jewish education. Fluent in Spanish, English, and Hebrew, Valeria studied at the Shaii Agnon Institute in Argentina, and at the Seminar Ha Kibutzim, in Israel. She has a bachelor’s degree in education, and an executive master’s degree in Jewish education from Hebrew the Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). Prior to moving to the United States, Valeria was an educator in Israel and in Argentina. When she moved to Miami, Florida, she continued her journey as an educator. Valeria came to Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El with over 15 years of experience leading Jewish early childhood centers and religious schools. Since 2016, she has served as the director of Lifelong Learning at Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El.

Her love and passion for the coming generations of children and Jewish education inspired her to develop and implement creative and meaningful curricula. She has: 

· Written an innovative curriculum inspired by the project-based learning approach, utilizing UBD Design (Understanding by Design). 

· Developed and facilitated a variety of hands-on family education programs. Participated at URJ Camp Coleman as an educator during the summers. Designed and implemented teachers’ professional development for religious school instructors. 

· Developed creative workshops for adults, including walking-tours that combined Jewish content as well as social-community time.

· Created during the pandemic a unique program called Shul In that gave students the opportunity to do their online school onsite. This program gave parents the opportunity to return to work and students the opportunity to have a normal-social and safe environment in times where everyone has been isolated.

As a lifelong Jewish learner and professional Jewish educator, Valeria has instilled her love and knowledge of Judaism and Eretz Yisrael in the children and families of the communities she has served. She also has been leading Momentum trips to Israel representing her community, inspiring moms to bring more Jewishness to their homes while reconnecting them to their Jewish roots. 

Valeria believes that understanding our past, honoring the present and educating for the future generations strengthens our children’s Jewish identity and is the key to maintaining this chain that has been connecting us for thousands of years.

Outside of professional interests, she travels widely, reads, writes, participates in ongoing workshops, and enjoys living in Miami. She is married and has three amazing children (not so young, but still in her heart).