Avi Sholkoff

Staff Writer

Mr. Gary Shapiro is Milken’s new ninth and tenth grade Talmud teacher for the Beit Midrash program and is also the tenth grade Chumash teacher.

Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Shapiro received his BA in Judaic Studies from the University of Minnesota.

Shapiro lived in Israel for 13 years teaching at an unaffiliated yeshiva called Pardes before moving to Chicago for a job in Jewish education. He attended the University of Chicago as a graduate student after living in Chicago for five years. He was involved in the Jewish community in Chicago, specializing in Jewish education, and worked to help improve programming in Jewish schools.

Shapiro is an avid tennis player and runner, and enjoys listening to The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Cat Stevens. His favorite movie is Groundhog Day.

As a new teacher at Milken, Shapiro enjoys how energetic the students are. He also loves Milken because there are countless different types of activities, and there is great spirit among the faculty, students and teachers.

Milken has proven to be a great place for Shapiro to discover his Jewish identity.

“Even after living and teaching in Israel, I still consider myself in the process of trying to develop my Jewish identity, still exploring, even after living in Israel,” he said.