Ellie Bach Gellman

Ellie Bach Gellman was born in Minneapolis and grew up in a family that encouraged learning and asking questions. Ellie received her early foundation in Hebrew language and Judaica at the Minneapolis Talmud Torah and at the Beth El Synagogue where she began student teaching when she was 13 years old. Since she first taught t’filah to a group of ten-year-olds in the coat closet at Beth El, Ellie Gellman has devoted her energies to the day-to-day work of education – teaching children.

Mrs. Gellman received a bachelor’s degree in Hebrew studies and education from the University of Minnesota in 1977. She also spent a year at the Center for Jewish Education in the Diaspora at Hebrew University. As she gained experience in the classroom, Ellie found that she was drawn to students who had trouble learning or trouble fitting in. Intrigued by how to fit the richness of Jewish content to the learning styles of different types of children, Ellie decided to focus on Jewish special education. She received a master’s degree in special education from Columbia Teachers College in 1978.

After completing her degree, Ellie taught in a special education resource room at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in Chicago, and she spent summers as the director of the Tikvah Program for teenagers with special needs at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. From 1983 to 1985 Ellie worked for the Board of Jewish Education in Washington, D.C., as the administrator of the Shema V’Ezer program. During those years she also taught a weekly adult education class on prayer and the Siddur. On Shabbat mornings Ellie held unofficial but very popular story-telling sessions for preschoolers who found services too long. The stories that originated with restless children eventually became books about Jewish children living Jewish lives. Ellie is the author of six books published by KarBen Copies: Shai’s Shabbat Walk, It’s Chanukah, It’s Rosh Hashannah, Tamar’s Sukkah, Justin’s Hebrew Name, and Jeremy’s Dreidel.

In Calgary, Alberta, Ellie was the teacher of Grade One Jewish studies at Akiva Academy. She also served as the special education consultant for the school. In her work in the classroom she developed active learning materials that made it possible to integrate special needs students into the mainstream. Since 1992 Ellie has been at Netivot HaTorah Day School in Toronto, doing what she always finds her way back to: telling stories, making up lesson plans and learning games, and finding myriad ways to teach children.