Michal (Mara) Fox Smart ’87 is a leader in the field of Jewish Education, serving as Director of Ayeka North America and a former Associate Principal of Bi-Cultural Day School in Stamford, CT. She is the Editor of Kaddish: Women’s Voices (Urim, 2013), winner of the 2013 National Jewish Book Award. This book explores the experiences of women from around the world who chose to recite the Kaddish prayer when mourning a loved one, a role traditionally undertaken only by men. Earlier, Michal pioneered Jewish outdoor and environmental education in this country. She is a founder of the TEVA Learning Center and co-author of Spirit in Nature: Teaching Judaism and Ecology on the Trail (Behrman House, 2000).
A Fulbright scholar in Jewish Thought, Michal Smart received her A.B. from Princeton University in Religion and an M.S. from Cornell as a Wexner graduate fellow. Michal lives in Stamford, CT and is the proud mother of five children.