Jerry Rotenberg's Journey to DJDS

Mr. Jerry Rotenberg is truly a Renaissance Man. His interests are more varied than anyone might imagine and he is truly a master of his chosen craft, educating and inspiring students. Jerry has worked at Denver Jewish Day School for 34 years and the way it all began might surprise you.

 Jerry was working at Beth Joseph Synagogue when RMHA moved into the Beth Joseph campus. He went to use the restroom, and while he was in the stall, the Herzl principal walked in and called out to him. “Jerry, would you be interested in teaching a bible class?” Jerry accepted, and so his career began, in a bathroom stall.

Prior to that, Jerry attended Colorado State University and Colorado University, where he studied business . During and after that time he drove a truck, worked at Beth Joseph synagogue,  sold jewelry at a jewelry store,  was the manager of a tobacco store, and worked at McDonald’s too.

Looking back, Jerry’s first memorable experience with the school was during an in-town Shabbaton. “I was so impressed with how the students organized this event, it just really floored me. I have never seen a group of Jewish kids do what they did. How they ran the whole program, ran the service, ran the dinner, it was an amazing night, and I just really got turned on to the school after that,” Jerry said. To this day, Jerry always makes an appearance at DJDS Shabbatons.

Since then, Jerry has been loving so many facets of our school. “This is it. I like what I do, I enjoy coming to work every day," Jerry said. He has been loving Color Wars, school trips, the unpredictability of our days, and most of all, the students. 

The students all unanimously love both learning from him and simply being around him. His unique way of teaching allows for students to both have fun and learn. “Jerry will really relate to you in any situation you are in,” said Sadie Kimel, a DJDS 7th grader. His classes are very enjoyable and most students seem to enjoy them. Bella Strear, a DJDS 8th grader said, “He’s chill but not in a way that we don’t learn in his class.”

Although many are worried about Jerry's retirement, it doesn’t seem to be in the near future. “I’ll be here until it’s not fun to [teach] anymore,” Jerry said. 

This year, Jerry’s classes include the Book of Samuel, Jewish History, two Hebrew classes, and the 6th Grade class, which is Judaism 101.

Aside from Torah study, Jerry’s interests include family, sports, and travel. He loves hanging out with his grandkids and also loves all the Denver sports, “I’m a Broncos fanatic, Nuggets fanatic, and Avalanche fanatic,” Jerry said. “I don’t much care for the Rockies, they suck.” He loves to travel with the DJDS kids and make memories with them during school trips.

Jerry also has a daughter teaching at DJDS, Mrs. Channah Schweid, and they both really enjoy working together. “I really enjoy working with people I like and [especially] my dad, who I like,” says Mrs. Schweid. “We talk about school a lot outside of school; he’s always enthusiastic about Judaism, Jewish education, and overall making the school a great place.”

Jerry is always enthusiastic about Jewish education, and he really enjoys teaching at DJDS, and his students really enjoy learning from him. Although he has worked in many different fields and has had many different jobs, this one is clearly his favorite. Not only is he a good teacher, but he is also a funny, compassionate, and enthusiastic person as a whole.