'Miss Lisa' uses circus act to teach Judaism at Kellman Brown Academy

Lisa Appel (center) recently brought her circus act to Kellman Brown Academy. A former day school and public school teacher, "Miss Lisa" uses acrobatics, magic, and other circus arts to impart Jewish values. Learning about sharing and friendship—while twirling plates—were Kellman Brown second graders Lizzie Cohen (left) and Leihee Zaken. Children learning about Jewish values is something one would expect to find at Kellman Brown Academy. Learning about those values from someone doing magic and acrobatics is definitely out of the ordinary. But that is exactly what happened when Lisa Appel, who goes by the stage name of "Miss Lisa," brought her circus act to the Voorhees Jewish day school.

Yelling, "Wow!" as they giggled and cheered wildly, the Kellman Brown students applauded Miss Lisa as she balanced on a big purple ball and juggled plastic rings. She also stood on her head while talking about the importance of reading and showing respect for parents, teachers, and fellow students. In a brightly-colored costume adorned with Hebrew letters and a menorah on her hat, she radiated fun.

"I learned to be nice to my friends and my family and a little about reading," said Kellman Brown first grader Jenna Rosenthal. She said that she loved seeing "Miss Lisa," particularly the magic tricks. "Last year, I had a birthday party with a magician. I want to learn magic," said Jenna.

Equally excited was Jenna's fellow first grader Rebecca Isenberg. "Everything was fun. I liked balancing the feathers on my fingers," she said. Rebecca said that she learned about kindness and respect, adding proudly, "But I already know about that."

"I mix the magic of entertaining with the art of teaching," said Appel, a former teacher in both public schools and Jewish day schools. The 33-year-old Philadelphian, who had a seemingly endless supply of energy and the bubbly personality to match, said that she has always been entertaining people.

"I went to dancing school when I was four," she said during a break between performances at Kellman Brown. She said that one of her earliest memories is performing for her family at Passover seders.

Appel said that she would have loved to join the circus, but instead "ran away to the shul." As Miss Lisa, she has carved out a career combining teaching, Judaism, and entertaining. She has performed in Israel and throughout the Delaware Valley. She juggles, dances, and is an acrobat.

When she performs for students, she makes the event as enjoyable as she possibly can. Her goal is to reinforce the scholastic and Jewish skills the children acquire in the classroom. "Learning is fun. It's hands on."

"It's a blessing to be able to do this," said Appel. She said that her performances are not only for children. She frequently does events for adults. She also does more serious programs, including ones centered on teaching the Holocaust.

Gail Cohen, executive director at Kellman Brown, said that taking students out of the classroom to learn through song or acrobatics is important. "It's fun and provides a great learning experience." She said that there are many ways for children to learn.

The Kellman Brown program included students from a number of area schools. "It's an opportunity for children to learn together," said Cohen. She said that by offering a program such as "Miss Lisa" and her circus arts, Kellman Brown becomes recognized as a center for Jewish learning in the community. "It shows local students what Kellman Brown is." .