Member Spotlight:
The Danovitch-Noles Family
Judith Danovitch and Nick Noles and their 5-year-old son David are new members to Keneseth Israel. In the short time they have been at KI, they have become active members. David loves going to Family Shabbat every first and third Saturday of the month. The Noles-Danovitch family can be seen at just about every family-centered event, such as our Chanukah Festival, Purim Carnival, and our Family Mitzvah Series.
Nick earned his BS in Psychology of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and his Ph.D. in Psychology at Yale University. Judith earned her AB in Psychology and Biology at Harvard University, and her Ph.D. in Psychology at Yale, which is where the two met. They were married in Connecticut.
Judith and Nick worked at Michigan State University before moving to Louisville in 2014. They are both professors in the department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at U of L where they teach undergraduate and graduate courses and run the Knowledge in Development (KID) Lab. The lab researches how children ages 3-12 think about concepts and information throughout their development. One of their recent studies took place at KIP. Research by Judith and Nick has recently been featured on the New York Times' Motherlode blog, and in an Education Week blog post on learning via the Internet.
Judith grew up in New York and Florida speaking English, Spanish, and Hebrew. Judith speaks Hebrew with David, and she has written articles for Kveller on how to teach kids Hebrew. Much of Judith’s family lives in Israel, and they try to go to Israel as frequently as possible.
Nick was born and raised in northwest Alabama, and their son David was born in Michigan. They live in the Belknap neighborhood in Louisville along with their mischievous cat Amy. When they are not doing research or teaching, Judith and Nick enjoy cooking, spending time with family, and traveling.
In their short time in Louisville, Nick and Judith have become quite active in the Jewish community. For example, they are both on the Jewish Community Center’s camp committee. Judith also spearheaded the JCC’s first Hebrew Storytime. The event was sponsored by Sifriyat Pijama B’America – the Hebrew PJ Library, which sends free, high-quality Hebrew children’s books to Hebrew speaking children across the United States each month. Judith said: “It was a great way to promote interaction between Hebrew speaking families in Louisville and to expose children who don’t speak Hebrew fluently to Hebrew words and Jewish concepts.” Judith is planning more events in the future, and intends to make them accessible to families who do not speak Hebrew at home but who would like to expose their children to modern Hebrew and Israeli culture.
One such initiative is opening up a new Jewish school in Louisville. Keneseth Israel Congregation has been leading the community in this effort for over a year, and Judith has become a major part of the committee work. Judith was educated at Jewish day schools, and her experience in child development and Hebrew language has enabled her to provide a valuable perspective to the efforts. Keneseth Israel plans to add a first grade to the existing preschool and Kindergarten at KI in 2016-2017, and will add one additional grade each year thereafter.
We welcome the Noles-Danovitch family to Keneseth Israel!