Children's School Staff & Teachers

Meet our staff for the 2025–26 school year!

• School Director
• Nitzanim (Preschool & Pre-K)
• Sunday School (Grades K–8)

School Director

Leigh O’Sullivan Flannery (she/her) brings a deep commitment to honoring the whole child and cultivating a joyful, inclusive Jewish learning environment to our Children's School. With a professional background in politics, activism, and education, Leigh is passionate about helping young people grow into thoughtful, connected members of the Jewish community and the wider world.

Leigh sees every child as a full human being deserving of respect, agency, and meaningful learning. She believes that Jewish tradition offers powerful tools—ritual, story, history, and values—for young people to explore identity, make ethical choices, and build bridges within and beyond our community. Under her leadership, the Hebrew School prioritizes curiosity, creativity, and connection, encouraging each student to find their own voice within Jewish life.

A lifelong Cantabridgian, Leigh had her own bat mitzvah at TBB and now feels grateful to be raising her four children in the same community—which has now witnessed three of them become b’nai mitzvah at TBB. She lives in Cambridge with her family (and a few animals!) and loves gardening, cooking, and exploring how Jewish values connect to food, sustainability, and caring for the earth.

Nitzanim (Preschool & Pre-K)

Shira Michaeli is so excited to be teaching Nitzanim this year!

With ten years of experience in Jewish youth education (mostly in synagogues) and a degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary, Shira is excited to bring songs and crafts to the TBB kiddos.

This year, we will be focusing on Jewish holidays. Can't wait to get started learning together!

Sunday School (Grades K–8)

Michelle Izadi (she/her) is excited to be returning for her sixth school year at Congregation B’nai Brith Children’s School.

During the week, you can find her at Yal-Day-New Day Care Center as their Infant/Toddler Coordinator & Operations Manager. She is also a mom of 2 wonderful boys, a 7-year old and a 10-year old, and has a black lab rescue dog.

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Samson Goldberg (he/his) has taught in a wide variety of settings, including Prozdor High School at JTS, the Genesis Precollege Program at Brandeis University, and at Reform and Orthodox religious schools in his hometown of Albany, New York. He has studied at the yeshiva at the Hadar Institute in New York City and Yeshivat Ma'ale Gilboa in northern Israel. Samson has a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Law, with minors in History and Religious Studies, from Binghamton University.

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Morgan Stilphen is excited to be working with your children this year! Morgan is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina and is currently pursuing her graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Merrimack College. Morgan has a strong passion for working with kids and helping them learn, grow, and feel supported. Before moving to Massachusetts, she worked as a camp counselor, which gave her lots of experience creating a fun, safe, and encouraging environment for children of all ages. She loves bringing creativity, energy, and joy into everything she does and focuses on making Sunday School a space where kids feel both inspired and cared for. When not studying or teaching, Morgan enjoy spending time outdoors, traveling, and connecting with family and friends.

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More teacher bios coming soon!