Our People

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.

Dr. Ruderman has been involved in the administration of TDSD since the school’s opening in 2003, serving as Academic Dean until 2017 when she became its Principal. She earned her doctoral degree from the University of Chicago’s interdisciplinary Committee on Social Thought, specializing in English literature. Dr. Ruderman also has a master’s degree in Education from the University of North Texas, specializing in gifted and talented instruction and in student assessment. She holds a B.A. Magna Cum Laude in history from Carleton College. Dr. Ruderman has published a book on the novels of Jane Austen, and a contribution to an anthology on literature and politics. Previous to TDSD, she taught at Colgate University, Cornell University, Yavneh Academy and Akiba Academy and has worked as a curriculum consultant.

Rabbi Deon Nathan joined the professional staff of TDSD in 2017 after serving for 3 years as a member of its Board of Trustees. A Dallas native, Rabbi Nathan brings a unique, community-focused perspective to the school.  In addition to being a certified Mohel, Sofer STAM, Shochet, and Mashgiach Kashrus, Rabbi Nathan has an MBA in International Business from Bar Ilan University and previous experience in private banking and Israeli startups.

Becky Udman has been the Preschool Director at TDSD since 2006, and previously taught Pre-Kindergarten classes at Torah Day School. After her first teaching positions in New York and Baltimore, Mrs. Udman taught for 12 years in the preschool program at Akiba Academy in Dallas before joining TDSD. As a certified “Love and Logic” instructor, she teaches classes and presents workshops to teachers and parents around the country on the subject of discipline and parenting. Mrs. Udman completed a seminary program at Bnos Torah in Jerusalem and studied at Stern College in New York.

Rabbi Yisroel Katz, a native of New York, has a very engaging personality and tremendous warmth and passion for Yiddishkeit. With a Shabbos table always full of many guests, he and his wife Nechama have been a great source of inspiration for many Jews throughout the Dallas Jewish community. As Director of Development, Rabbi Katz helps ensure that all Jewish children in Dallas can be afforded the opportunity to a top-rate Jewish education.