(Courtesy of BCHSJS) The Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies (BCHSJS) has named Jessica Spiegel to be its new principal, as the school begins planning for fall semester 2020.

She succeeds Fred Nagler, now principal emeritus, who has served as principal of Bergen County’s only weekly Jewish high school for two terms over 30 years.

Spiegel adds the position at BCHSJS to her responsibilities as director of the Northern New Jersey Jewish Academy (NNJJA), the consortium elementary religious school serving three area congregations (Temple Israel and JCC, the Reconstructionist Congregation of Beth Israel and Temple Beth Sholom). Both programs operate from Temple Israel’s building in Ridgewood.

“The proximity of the two programs last year gave Jessica a great vantage point for leveraging our synergies and strengths to build for the future,” said BCHSJS President of the Board Sy Blechman.

Prior to assuming her post at NNJJA, Spiegel held several supervisory positions at Jewish summer camps in New York and New Jersey, including the Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds, Kaplen JCC on the Palisades and New Country Day Camp.

Spiegel received a master’s degree in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a Bachelors of Arts in International Studies, Jewish Studies and Hebrew from the University of Wisconsin. She also has a certificate in global studies from the University of Pittsburgh Semester at Sea and from Young Judea’s year course at the University of Judaism in Israel.

A Bergen County native, Spiegel lives in Haworth with her husband and three children.