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Faculty

Mitzvah Secular Sunday School Faculty

All faculty hold a minimum of a Teacher Certificate from the State of Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Additionally, all faculty pass an independent, comprehensive background check before working with our students.

Deirdre O'Dwyer (she/her) Education Director, Teacher for Kitah Keff & Kitah Gan (Grades Pre-K & K)

I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA and recently relocated to WA. My family heritage is a blend of Jewish, Irish, and Japanese. Outside of the classroom, I love to go hiking with my family, cook, write, and paint.

I have been a teacher since 1995 and teaching Montessori for nine years. I was lucky enough to be a Montessori student myself, and absolutely love passing along the values, work and discovery of Montessori. I majored in Multicultural Literature at UC Santa  Cruz, as well as Neurology of Child Development in the Marian Wright Edelmen Institute at San Francisco State University.

My heart is on fire for social justice, and I have coached staff in best practices, equity, and multicultural classrooms. My success comes when my students come into the classroom excited to see what we are learning that day. I want students to feel inspired and safe in their classroom.

With over 20 years of experience working with children, I am enthusiastic about supporting the preservation and growth of our Jewish traditions, history, and culture in a non-theistic context.

Certifications: Montessori certified

Education: M.A. (Education) – San Francisco State University

Jeff Treistman (he/him) Teacher for Kitah Bet (Grades 4-5) & Kitah Gimel (Grades 6-7) Classes, B Mitzvah Program Mentor

I grew up in a secular Jewish family (both my parents were atheists, as was my paternal grandmother) in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, and moved to Seattle in 1976 when I was 22 years old. Although I had no formal Jewish education as a child, I have always been interested in Judaism, especially its history. I like to say that my temple was the Overbrook Delicatessen, to convey that we were cultural Jews with the ritual of eating smoked fish on Sunday morning, dabbling in Yiddish repartee with the staff, and dropping some shekels in the tzedakah box for Jewish defense.

I've been teaching at Mitzvah Secular for over a decade years, and am a graduate of the Leadership Program at the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism. This ordained me as a Madrikh (Hebrew) / Vegvayser (Yiddish) (translates to "Guide") to officiate youth B Mitzvahs.

Certifications: State of Washington Education Certificate – Residency Teacher (First Issue) with K-8 Education, School Library Media Endorsement, and Math Endorsements

Education: M.A. (Education) – Antioch University Seattle, B.A. (Music) – Antioch College, Graduate coursework in Philosophy and Comparative Literature – University of Washington

Sarah Furstenberg (she/her) Teacher for Kitah Gan & Kitah Aleph (Grades 1-3) Classes

A woman in the sun with wild, frizzy red hair, blue eyeglasses and silver hoop earrings, smiling warmly. She is wearing a white blouse with a small red dotted pattern.

I’m so pleased to be teaching at SJC's Mitzvah Secular Sunday School. During the week, I am a middle school special education teacher for Seattle Public Schools.

I grew up in Philadelphia and attended secular Wednesday and Sunday School at The Suburban Jewish School, where I wish I had been a better student at learning Yiddish.

My own children are Mitzvah Secular alumni from more than a decade ago. Being Jewish is a key piece of my identity, and the opportunity to teach here helps me feel connected to a cherished cultural community.


Certifications: State of Washington Education Certificate – Residency Teacher (First Issue) with Elementary Education, Teaching Certification – Western Washington University, English Language Learners, Special Education, English Language Arts, and Reading Endorsements

Education: M.A. (Education) - Seattle University, B.A. (Fine Arts) – George Washington University

Tue, 1 July 2025