Alex Blumin
Co-Chair of the National Association of Hebrew Teachers (NAHET) in North America
Alex is a Hebrew teacher at the Fuchs Mizrachi School and @Akiva high school in Cleveland.
Alex is involved with Education, since his youth years as a leader of the Masada Israeli Scouts branch in Jerusalem, and as an Education NCO in the I.D.F. During a career of over 20 years in Jewish education in North America, Alex taught Tanakh, Jewish History and Hebrew. He served as regional coordinator for NETA in Detroit, Michigan, and was the Hebrew and Jewish curriculum at the Milwaukee Jewish Day School in Wisconsin.
Throughout his career Alex attended many seminars and workshops specializing in teaching Hebrew, in which he met teachers and students of all ages, the gamut of Jewish affiliation and different types of educational institutions. He learned about the challenges regarding Hebrew teaching and Hebrew teachers’ status. Together with Dr. Simcha Leibowitzת the head of the WZO delegation to North America at the time, they initiated the idea of a National Hebrew Council in North America that strives to empower the Hebrew teachers in North America, spiritually, socially, academically and professionally.
Alex holds a BA in Hebrew Teaching and is currently a student in a master’s degree program at Middlebury College.
Email: ablumin.nahet@gmail.com
Cel: 440.781.2125
Dr. Esty Gross
Co-Chair of the National Association of Hebrew Teachers (NAHET) in North America
Dr. Esty Gross is the Education Director for Bishvil HaIvrit-CET – and a teaching professor at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, CA.
She has been involved in language instruction in various capacities for over 25 years, in which she taught and served as a Director of Hebrew for Stephen S. Wise Elementary School and Milken Schools in LA, taught new and veteran Hebrew teachers and wrote the Chaverim B’Ivirit students workbooks of Behrman House.
Dr. Gross earned her B.A. in English Linguistics and a teaching credential in teaching English-as-a-second-language from Bar Ilan University holds an M.A. in Management and Leadership in Education from Tel Aviv University, Coordinator and Master Teacher Certificate from the Hebrew College in Boston and a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California.
Email: Estyg@cet.ac.il
Cel: 818.836.9097
Miri Avraham
NAHET West Coast Coordinator
Miri Avraham is a Hebrew teacher, educational consultant, mentor teacher and specializes in Hebrew immersion and Second language acquisition.
Miri has been a teacher and a mentor for teachers for over 25 years in the Los Angeles area. She is one of the pioneers who in 2003 introduced the M’aala program, Hebrew in Hebrew to Los Angeles and the area and she has extensive experience in developing thematic units and authentic materials for learning and teaching Hebrew.
Miri holds a BA in Early Childhood, from National University and an MA in Jewish Education from the American Jewish University, and a Certificate in Israel studies in the Diaspora. And she is the recipient of The Liner Award for Excellence in Jewish Education, BJE LA of 2004.
Miri is the author of the book Hebrew Alive in Hebrew and English that was Recently published by Behrman House, New Jersey.
Contact info: mavraham.nahet@gmail.com
Cel: 310.613.6562
Einat Cohen-Nissan Glen
NAHET- South East Coordinator
Einat Cohen-Nissan Glen is a Hebrew teacher at the public school system in Florida, at the Ben Gamla Charter school. She is the Director and the founder of the Chalutzim Program – an afternoon program for Israeli students to learn Hebrew, Israeli culture and tradition, A Hebrew lecturer at college FIU in North Miami. Einat is also the Florida Representative for the Naale Elite Academy Program – Free High School in Israel and the Director of the Merkaz Ivrit at the OSRUI – summer camp in Wisconsin, where she was a Shlicha nearly 30 years ago.
Einat has thirty years teaching experience, both in Israel and the United State. In Israel, she worked for the Board of Education as a homeroom teacher for 4th-6th Grade, student council and the cultural and educational events coordinator. In the US, Einat taught Hebrew and Judaic for grades 5 -8 in the Jewish day school BZAEDS .
Einat holds a bachelor’s degree in Hebrew Literature and Education Management from Tel Aviv University, teaching certificate in Hebrew Literature from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a certificate in Production/Management from the College of Management in Tel Aviv,
Masters’ degree in Education Administration/Supervision of Education from Loyola University in Chicago, as part of a JELE (Jewish Education Leadership) program for Jewish communities leadership and she is a certified teacher by the Florida Board of Education in Hebrew Literature.
Contact info: ecohennissan.nahet@gmail.com
Cel: 562.236.0666
Etty Dolgin
NAHET coordinator – Midwest region
Etty Dolgin is a co-founder and presently the Director of Education of Moadon Kol Chadash and Gan Gani, a Hebrew immersion Jewish education program, Director of Hebrew learning in a Hebrew Immersion program at Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute and Israel programs and Co-chair of IAC Chicago Chapter (Israeli American Council)
Etti has an extended experience of many years in formal and informal Jewish education in which she carries central roles, and responsible for unique initiatives such as Merkaz Ivrit of OSRUI that she founded with Rabbi Yoceved Mintz.
Etty holds MA degree from the Spertus Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Studies (MAJPS), graduate of the Fellows program of the ICenter in Chicago and graduate of the Board Member Institute for Jewish Nonprofits by Kellogg School of Management.
Contact info: nahet@gmail.com
Cel: 312.804.5441
Shira Ravin
Shira serves as the Director of Hebrew Programming at the Areivim Philanthropic Group, helping develop transformational projects such as “Kayitz Kef,” a Hebrew At Camp program, on a national level; establishing a national cohort; developing its professional training,and overseeing program curriculum and development. She also collaborates with Middlebury College on different levels, helps to develop new programs for post M.A. graduates of Hebrew as a Second Language, and serves as an M.A. mentor to help prepare professionals in the field.
Shira took part in establishing the first Hebrew immersion public charter school, “Sela,” in Washington, DC. and she volunteers as NAHET council member and other initiatives. She volunteers for IAC (Israeli-American Council) to help Israeli-American new immigrants retain their heritage language, culture, and Jewish identity.
She obtained an M.A. in Language Arts-Hebrew Language Acquisition from Middlebury College, School of Languages, VT.
Contact info: Shiraravin@gmail.com
Cel:
Frieda Robins
NAHET Treasurer and co-founder
Frieda is an independent Hebrew language acquisition consultant, as well as an advisor at Hebrew At The Center. Her specialty is Early Childhood Hebrew and Jewish education and assessment.
Frieda was the Lead Educator of Ma’alah, Early Childhood Hebrew Immersion Network at the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary, also funded by The Covenant Foundation. Before joining JTS, she had taught at the New City Jewish Center for 16 years in the religious school, preschool and Hebrew for adults, taught at Rockland Community College and directed Early childhood programs at Camp Ramah in New England.
Frieda holds a Masters in Jewish Education from JTS and was a doctoral candidate in Jewish Education there. Her research interests include early childhood Hebrew language Proficiency education and evaluation and Jewish education. She has published studies on Hebrew language immersion and Judaic enrichment as a change agent. She concentrates on professional development for early childhood educators both in Hebrew education and in Judaic studies.
Contact info: frobins.nahet@gmail.com
Ronit Ron-Yerushalm
NAHET West Coast Coordinator
Ronit is the Director of Language and Global Studies at Kavod Charter School, a dual language public charter school in San Diego, California serving TK to 8th – grade students. This is her seventh year in this position. She is currently serving as a Committee Member in the World Language Framework Committee at the State of California and serves also as a board member of Foreign Language Council of San Diego.
During the years, Ronit taught Hebrew at the University of Minnesota, the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, the University of Toronto, York University, and Arizona State University. She also worked at the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition and taught Hebrew in various K12 schools and educational settings. Ronit was a member of the Advisory Committee for the World Language new standards and participated in the 2018 and 2019 CLTA’s California Language Leadership Initiative (CALLI) training. She holds ACTFL OPI Tester of Hebrew with Full Certification (2017-2021)
Ronit holds a BA degree in the Middle East History from Tel Aviv University and a master’s degree in Education from the University of Minnesota with a focus on teaching a second language and culture education. She is currently working on a doctorate in Modern Languages at Middlebury College.
Contact info: rronyeruhalmi.nahet@gmail.com
Phone: 480.287.2071
Ilana Shapira
Coordinator for the National Association of Hebrew Teachers – Canada
Ilana Shapira is the founder and CEO of IVRIKAL- an innovative online platform for learning Hebrew as an additional language, mentor for teachers of Hebrew in developing Hebrew teaching units based on the proficiency approach, applied linguistics and implementation of innovative teaching models and technology.
Ilana has over twenty years’ experience in Jewish education in teaching Hebrew as an additional language, and in Jewish education in North America. During these years Ilana established and was the head of the modern languages department at the Weber School in Atlanta Georgia, VP Hebrew at both campuses of the Jewish high school in Toronto ( with 1200 students), advisor at Hebrew at the center, Avant tester and took part in innovation education projects.
Ilana holds BA in Hebrew Literature and the Middle East History from Tel Aviv University and MA in Applied Linguistics from Georgia State University in Atlanta; In 1998 Ilana received the Hoffman Memorial Award for Excellence in Jewish Education awards for developing a conflict resolution curriculum from a Jewish point of view
Ilana is a candidate in the DML (Doctor of Modern Languages) program at Middlebury College in Vermont.
Contact info: ishapira.nahet@gmail.com
Phone: 604-970-1903