Thanking her late father for inspiring her career, Nava Scheckman accepted the Adele and Gene Hoffman Award for Educator Excellence on Aug. 29 from the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning.

The reward, given for the first time after a hiatus of several years, recognizes the area teacher who is "the most excellent, either in day school or supplementary school or preschool," said Partnership executive director Robert Lichtman. The Partnership is the successor agency to the Jewish Education Association of MetroWest, which originated the award.

For more than 30 years, Scheckman has been a fixture in the classrooms of Reform and Conservative afternoon religious schools in the MetroWest area.

Currently, she divides her time among Temple Emanu-El of West Essex in Livingston, Congregation B'nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, and Temple Sinai in Summit. She also teaches classes at the Jewish Community Center of Central New Jersey in Scotch Plains.

Temple Emanu-El nominated her for the prize.

"Nava is right there with any student who needs help, and she works with teachers, too," said Barbara Bar-Nissim, director of education at Temple Emanu-El's religious school. "She has not had any recognition thus far because she is not a person who asks for it, but there were a lot of people who felt she deserves it."

Among them were members of a committee of two day school principals, two religious school directors, two early-childhood directors, two community members, and two Partnership staff members. They presented the $1,000 cash prize at a ceremony held Aug. 29 at the Aidekman Family Jewish Community Campus in Whippany.

As she prepared to receive the award, Scheckman told NJ Jewish News it was a tribute to the late Abraham Goldfien, a Polish national who made aliya to Haifa, where she was born.

"He said to me, 'If you're going to the Diaspora, please make sure you get involved in Jewish causes and Jewish education.' So I decided to follow his wish, and I've been doing it for more than 30 years."

Scheckman was chosen from among five nominees.

"Nava is very dedicated," said Suzanne Wainer, director of professional practice at the Partnership. "She does a million things with the kids in the Hebrew school. She does tutoring for the kids. She is really dedicated to Jewish education. She reaches out to all the kids."

Winning the award also qualifies the veteran instructor to receive a national prize, the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards for Educator Excellence.

In November Scheckman will travel to Nashville to appear on a panel with other Grinspoon-Steinhardt winners at United Jewish Communities' General Assembly. There, she will receive an additional $1,500 stipend.

"This award means the world to me," she said. "To do something I love and to see that the adults and the children I am teaching are having a great experience, that gives me nachas. This is really a dream come true."

Local stories posted courtesy of the New Jersey Jewish News