Beloved Miami Seaside instructor has ready 2 generations of kids for bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah

Shula Ben-David with Max Kirkpatrick at his Bar Mitzvah in 2004.

Michael James

It is an extremely difficult task to clean up a loved one’s home after they die. But when Alice Miller searched the belongings of her close friend Shula Ben-David, she found something to share.

Ben-David, who died on November 14 at the age of 83, was the director of the Bar / Bat Mitzvah Emerita at Temple Beth Sholom, a Reform Judaism synagogue on Chase Ave. 4144 in Miami Beach. She retired as a beloved teacher 10 years ago.

What Miller found was a booklet presented by a grateful student at her bat mitzvah.

“You are an incredible Morah [professor], someone I will always look up to as a wonderful role model and enthusiastic teacher, “said Eleni Andris in her 2013 letter. You made my bat mitzvah the best day of my life.”

Miller, who retired as Executive Director of Temple Beth Sholom in 2013, knew Shula Ben-David for 22 years. She helped by driving Ben-David to the temple, getting his hair done, shopping for groceries, and more.

“I called her every day to check on her. Shula was a wise, headstrong, loving woman. She really could call thousands of children her children even though she didn’t have any of her own, ”Miller said.

She said the letters she found from Eleni and also from Eleni’s grandmother Tamara Nixon best describe the influence this one woman had on so many lives.

“You taught me so much more than just reading the Torah, you taught me to be a good Jew, but more importantly a good person,” wrote Eleni, who is now 25 and works for NPR in Washington. DC

These feelings are borne out by many others now that Ben-David has died.

Described as “truly remarkable” and “an influence on so many lives,” Ben-David prepared two generations of Jewish children for their bar and bat mitzvahs.

Former student Max Kirkpatrick (30) studied with Ben-David for his bar mitzvah in 2004 and is now a software engineer in Google’s New York office. His brother Jesse, 28, also studied with her and is studying medicine at Harvard.

“Morah Shula taught me what it means to meet expectations,” he said.

“We had no choice but to do our best, which has helped many of us realize what we are capable of.

“When it came to managing a room full of hyperactive twelve year olds, she was straightforward. She once made an angry remark that still makes me laugh: “If I wanted clowns, I would have hired professionals.”

In 2006 Shula Ben-David dances with Robert Kirkpatrick in his son Jesse’s Bar Mitzvah. Shula was director of the Bar / Bat Mitzvah Emerita at Temple Beth Sholom until she retired in 2011. She died on November 14, 2021. Bernie Fisher

“Love of tradition”

It was 1964 when Rabbi Leon Kronish accepted Shula Ben-David, a young Israeli, into the teaching staff of Temple Beth Sholom.

Her biography contains a list of the legacy of a father who was a scholar of the Talmud, the Zohar, and the Kaballah.

“His wonderful and enlightened teaching nurtured her love of tradition. In return, Shulah was able to pass this beauty of Judaism on to our children.

“In Miami, she continued her education with three great men who were her teachers, mentors, and spiritual advisors: Ruchama Marshak Redberg, Dr. Shlomo Kodesh and Rabbi Leon Kronish. It is important to acknowledge their presence in their life because they have influenced them. “

Ben-David was involved in all levels of Jewish education from early childhood to adulthood when she was the director of the Hebrew School of Beth Sholom and as an adult teacher and future Hebrew teachers.

She especially loved teaching her bar and bat mitzvah students.

The directory describes them as “the key to a student’s sense of achievement and understanding of the Torah and pride in their heritage and tradition”.

In her words: “A Jew without Hebrew is like a body without a soul.”

In the discovered letters, Nixon, Eleni’s grandmother, added her own memories and gratitude. Her family members have been with Temple Beth Sholom since 1946.

“There is no one who deserves the title of ‘master teacher’ more than you, Shula,” wrote Nixon. “You don’t just teach in the classroom, you teach by example.”

She also added her memories of Ben-David from 40 years ago when she wrote, “I saw you teaching the Horah, your tiny feet dancing in buttoned-up high-heeled boots.”

Nixon and friends also learned from Ben-David, and she wrote: “When the five of us began our studies, neither of us could read, write, or speak Hebrew. In your gentle way you encouraged us to study one line at a time, all together.

“And how did you ever convince me to learn Hebrew again and to sing an aliyah for Elenis Bat Mitzvah?

“Not only did you improve the quality of my voice as I kept listening to the tape and copying your beautiful chants, but you also helped me understand the more subtle meaning of the Torah part, the meaning of the correct pronunciation of each word and the joy and honor of participating in this special family milestone, ”wrote Nixon.

“She demanded perfection”

A close friend of Miller said Ben-David loved calls from her former students.

“She demanded perfection and worked tirelessly with her students. They beamed in their bar and beat mitzvahs.

“It was the highlight of her day when someone called her and talked about the past. She knew everyone, and everyone knew her on the beach. “

Miller said Ben-David has been limping since 1977 after being hit by a car, but she still danced despite walking with a cane and later with a walker.

Mark Baranek, Director of Congregational Engagement at Temple Beth Sholom, worked with her for over 20 years and saw her dance many times.

“We traveled together to teaching conferences across the country and she had the energy of a teenager. She would dance and sing with them. Everyone knew Schula.

“She may have been short in stature, but she could have 40 children in a classroom and no sound would be heard. We’d all be a bit afraid to interrupt them if we had a question, ”said Baranek.

“Her commitment, her commitment to Jewish education, everything she did was incredible. And we were lucky enough to have them in the Temple Beth Sholom. “

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