Leadership and Staff

Avi Ben-Hur

Scholar-in-Residence

Avi Ben-Hur was trained as a Holocaust educator by Yad Vashem; from 1996-2000 he taught at Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies. Avi has led many seminars and missions in Europe and Israel with Classrooms Without Borders. As a scholar-in-residence, Avi has lectured, taught, and facilitated workshops in the US, Warsaw, Prague, Berlin, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Greece. Avi is an examiner for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism Licensing Boards and is the ongoing scholar-in-residence of Classrooms Without Borders. From 2003-2008, Avi was Director of the Archaeological Seminars School for Israeli Tour Guides, and in 2008, Avi participated in re-writing the curriculum of the National Guiding courses for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.

Dr. Zipora (Tsipy) Gur

Executive Director

Dr. Zipora (Tsipy) Gur is the Founder and Executive Director of Classrooms Without Borders (CWB), a non-profit educational organization in association with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. CWB connects teachers and learners through experiential, extended-term professional growth programs that result in lasting positive changes in the way teachers instruct students.

Dr. Gur has worked in the field of Jewish education for more than 35 years, creating cutting-edge programs in professional development and teacher training, supervising and mentoring teachers, teaching high school students, and developing new programs to stimulate students in the classroom. Dr. Gur developed several two-year professional development courses for teachers who lack knowledge in pedagogy and/or Judaic studies. She created a number of international study seminars to Spain, Poland, and Israel, utilizing countries as the textbook for Jewish learning. She developed partnerships with local universities to enable Jewish educators to pursue advanced degrees to enhance their professional development.

Among the honors and awards received by Dr. Gur are: Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Pittsburgh School of Education in 2019; W. LaMarr Kopp Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, presented by the Pennsylvania Council for International Education (PaCIE) in recognition of outstanding contributions commitment and leadership to international education; Doris and Leonard H. Rudolph Jewish Communal Professional Award in 2002, presented by the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh; Israel Bonds Honoree in 2001; and Shazar Award for Excellence in Jewish Education in 1993 on behalf of the Jewish Education Institute, presented by the President of Israel, Chaim Herzog.

Dr. Gur holds a Bachelor of Education degree from Haifa University, with a major in Hebrew Language and Literature and Sociology, as well as a Master of Education degree in Secondary Education and a Doctoral degree in Curriculum and Supervision, both from the University of Pittsburgh. She participated in Leadership Pittsburgh and received Leadership Certification from the Council of International Jewish Federations: Philosophy of Education Center at Harvard University. She holds a teaching certificate from the Israeli ministries of Culture and Education. She achieved the rank of Lieutenant in the Israel Defense Forces during her military service in 1969-1971.

She is married to Dr. David Gur. They have two adult children, Saar and Ilan.

Kate Lukaszewicz

Education Programs Director

Kate Lukaszewicz brings 20 years of education experience to Classrooms Without Borders. She is an expert in instructional and assessment design, teacher professional development, and facilitating civil discourse in classrooms. She is an alum of Literacy*AmeriCorps, where she taught GED skills at the Allegheny County Jail; an alum of Teach For America Baltimore City, where she taught for several years; and, most recently, Kate taught Civics at Sewickley Academy, where she was awarded the R.P. Simmons Family Chair for Excellence in Teaching and was a Sculley Sabbatical recipient. In 2019, Classrooms Without Borders awarded Kate’s lesson plan on October 27th first place in a contest for commemorative lesson plans. In 2021, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of America History recognized her as one of ten designers of innovative lesson plans based on the Gilder Lehrman Collection of primary sources. A perennial learner, Kate has earned graduate degrees in Government, Public History, and Curriculum and Instruction. She participated in five CWB study seminars and staffed two more, in addition to leading a three-part series on the work of Primo Levi. Above all, Kate brings faith that teachers are key to opening minds and hearts.

Jackie Goldblum

Seminars Manager

Jackie Goldblum is a leader in Holocaust education. She has joined CWB after 22 years of teaching elementary and middle school in Pittsburgh. This career path has led her to become a subject matter expert in the complexities of the Holocaust, genocide and current events, Israel’s national security and civil liberties, Jewish History, and Hebrew language studies. Jackie’s mission was to challenge her students to create a more equitable future, by honing essential life skills such as leadership and fostering empathy when making choices. 

Jackie is excited to begin her journey at CWB as the Seminars Manager, with significant experience in program coordination, building educational partnerships, and community outreach. Starting in 2007, she established an annual Holocaust Survivor Dinner, where survivors shared their testimonies in an intimate and safe environment with students. Jackie also spearheaded educational trips which included Higher Achievement Pittsburgh, an after school outreach program for at-risk youth. In an effort to bridge gaps between communities, she highlighted historical similarities between African American history and the Holocaust for the Higher Achievement scholars. This program allowed many of her students to become warriors for justice and advocates for those without a voice. 

Jackie’s awards and accomplishments include winning the International Educational K-12 Classroom Competition at the University of Pittsburgh for MLK Day curriculum planning, the Unsung Jewish Hero award for classroom teaching in 2016, and a two-time recipient for the PA Association for Student Council State Advisor of the Year. 

Jackie received her education at Beit Berl Teaching College in Israel, and Point Park University for elementary education. She continued to develop her studies at Yad Vashem International School for Holocaust Studies, the Facing History Organization, Teacher Leadership Fellowship at Brandeis University, as well as becoming an Alfred Lerner Fellow with the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous.