Bi-Cultural Day School appoints new Director of Judaic Studies

After a national search that took most of the past school year, Bi-Cultural Day School is proud to announce the appointment of Michal Smart as Director of Judaic Studies.

Smart holds degrees in religion from both Princeton University and Cornell University and is a graduate of the Wexner Fellowship Program. A Fulbright Scholar in Jewish Thought, she also was a fellow in the Melton Senior Educators Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Smart has an extensive background as an educator and an administrator. She’s been at the forefront of Jewish outdoor and environmental education, serving as Executive Director of Camp Isabella Freedman and as Director of Education of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life. A founder of the TEVA Learning Center, an award-winning program that integrates Jewish education, community building and ecological sustainability, Smart is the co-author of Spirit in Nature: Teaching Judaism and Ecology on the Trail.

“We were looking for someone who has a strong educational background. We also wanted a dynamic person who could inspire and motivate, primarily students, but also somebody who could connect with staff and provide opportunities for growth, and support parents’ education,” said Head of School Jackie Herman, who led the search committee.

“She brings a great combination of that strong background and Orthodox Judaism, as well as a love of Torah and a love of Judaism. She’s an academic scholar who has the ability to make connections with children and adults,” added Herman. “She has a love for learning and gives that to others.”

Smart is no stranger to the community. Over this past year, she created and taught a highly regarded girl's Tefilla at BCDS. She heads the MATAN mother-daughter Bat Mitzvah program at Congregation Agudath Sholom since 2006, is a sought-after teacher at the UJF, and has served on the Jewish Education Shabbat Panel, and as a presenter at Young Israel of Stamford’s Family Beit Midrash program.

“Bi-Cultural Day School sits at the heart of the Stamford Jewish community and I feel privileged to be in a position to help it thrive,” said Smart. “BCDS combines the rich history and heritage of an established school with an innovative, forward-looking program. Its Judaic Studies program offers Hebraic skills and mastery of traditional texts while encouraging students to explore the contemporary relevance and personal meaning of these texts and traditions,” she said. “My goal is to strengthen both aspects of our program. Our students must have the language and textual skills to prepare them for high school and lifelong learning, whether at a Jewish high school, private secular school or public school. I want every BCDS graduate to feel that Judaism is an inseparable part of their personal identity and precious to them.”  

Smart, who lives in Stamford with her husband James and their five children, will begin her new duties August 1.

“Her knowledge and creativity will propel our Judaic Studies program to new heights,” said Herman. “Her dedication and enthusiasm for Jewish education provide us with an incredible resource.”