Rabbi Avi Pekier
Head of School
Rabbi Avi Pekier has joined Torah Day School after more than two decades working in elementary and high school. Coming from Milwaukee, Rabbi Pekier has more than a decade of teaching 6 – 8th grade, and has taught at all levels of high school at WITS Yeshiva.
Rabbi Pekier is a passionate believer in doing whatever it takes to help a student succeed, and has initiated many programs to help bring excitement to the school environment.
Rabbi Yehudah Abrams
Executive Director
Rabbi Yehudah Abrams has been involved in non-profit administration for over 20 years. For nearly two decades, he was the COO of DATA- The Dallas Kollel, overseeing the administrative team. His attention to detail, coupled with warmth and positive energy, are values that guide his daily activity. He, his wife, Esti, and their children have been living in Dallas for over 25 years.
Mr. Douglas Wortendyke
English Principal
Mr. Wortendyke holds a Master’s degree in Educational Administration and brings three decades of experience in formal education, complemented by over a decade of leadership in informal youth development. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to academic excellence, with a particular focus on differentiating instruction to effectively meet the diverse needs of both advanced and developing learners. Guided by the belief that every child can learn and succeed, Mr. Wortendyke is dedicated to fostering an environment where all students are supported, challenged, and empowered to reach their full potential.
Mrs. Chaya Feigenbaum
Assistant Principal K-4
Mrs. Feigenbaum has been teaching Kindergarten at TDSD since its inception in 2003. In addition to that role, she joined the administration from 2013-2020 as K-2 Judaic Studies Coordinator. She has extensive training in kriah (Hebrew reading) and was the kriah coordinator for K-4 girls in 2021. Prior to TDSD Mrs. Feigenbaum taught at Akiba for 10 years and Yavne for 1 year. Mrs. Feigenbaum has a B.A. in Judaic Studies from Touro, as well as a teacher’s certificate from Michlalah, Jerusalem College for Women.
Mrs. Devorah Miriam Pavlovskiy
Mechaneches 5th-8th Girls
Under construction
PreK
Tamar Geldman, Compliance, Facilities and Events Coordinator
Eliana Abrams, Lead teacher
Natalie Hoage, Assistant
Sara Naava Goldstein, Assistant
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Esti Horvitz, Girls General Studies
Dolly Solomon, Girls General Studies Assistant
Yochana Fried, Girls Judaic Studies
Tara Dubin, Girls Judaic Studies Assistant
Sara Naava Goldstein, Girls Judaic Studies Assistant
Esti Horvitz, Boys General Studies
Dolly Solomon, Boys General Studies Assistant
Grade 2
Yocheved Remer, Girls General Studies
Yehudis Dubrow, Girls General Studies Assistant
Jennifer Squires, Boys General Studies
Yocheved Remer, Boys General Studies Assistant
Grade 3
Regina Frydman, Girls General Studies
Lauren Nise, Girls General Studies Assistant
lnise@tdsd.org
Regina Frydman, Boys General Studies
Yehudis Dubrow, Boys General Studies Assistant
Grade 4
Grade 5
Departments
Math Department
Chelsea Howard choward@tdsd.org
Racheli Niman rniman@tdsd.org
Yosef Pavlovskiy ypavlovskiy@tdsd.org
Mordechai Shmueli mshmueli@tdsd.org
Resource and Support Staff
Jennifer Squires, Resource Coordinator
Maggie McDonald, Reading Specialist
Dina Kramer, Reading Specialist
Aliza Pekier, Kriah Coordinator
Aviva Bass, Kriah & Judaics Support
Esther Kuchinsky, Classroom Support
Sharona Lurie, Behavior Support
Specialties
Middle School Boys Judaic Studies:
6B – Rabbi Mordechai Shmueli
mshmueli@tdsd.org
7B – Rabbi Shraga Senft
ssenft@tdsd.org
8B – Rabbi AL Pekier
Administrative Support
The Board of Trustees is a group of parents and non-parents with a diverse range of experience and skill sets who volunteer in support of the school’s educational mission and administrative needs.
The Board’s primary areas of responsibility include:
- Oversight of the school’s financial assets and real property
- Hiring and setting/evaluating performance objectives of the Headmaster
- Approval of the school’s annual budget
- Approval of the tuition schedule
Current membership as of 2025-2026 includes:
- AY Mernick, President
- Dr. Toby Grossman, Vice President of Finance
- Rabbi Avi Honigsfeld, Vice President of Development
- Shachar Gargir, Treasurer
- Leibel Winegard, Secretary
- Dr. Salomon Banarer, Past President
- Dr. Shira Ackerman, Trustee
- Ari Ringelheim, Trustee
- Gabi Heimowitz, Trustee
- Oscar Rosenberg, Trustee
- Zak Klein, Trustee
To contact the Board, please email board@tdsd.org.