Maxine (Max) is the Consultant for Early Childhood Education of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from Pacific Oaks College, and a Master of Arts degree in Jewish Education from HUC-JIR and is a graduate of the Wexner Heritage Foundation, an intense program of Jewish study. Max is also the 2001 recipient of the Samuel A. Goldsmith Award from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. Max is a professional storyteller and leads Tot Shabbat services and directs activities for young families at Anshe Emet Synagogue. Max is the author of Jewish Every Day: The Complete Handbook for Early Childhood Teachers (A.R.E. Publishers, 2000), a children’s book, The Shabbat Angels (UAHC Press, 2003) and What’s Jewish About Butterflies (A.R.E. Publishers 2004). Max and her husband, Jacob, have two daughters, both at CJDS: Ariana, in Second Grade, and Yael, in Kindergarten.