The Aardvark Israel Gap Year and Semester Programs are exciting new programs developed and run by veteran Israel Programs staff with more than 150 years of combined experience in Jewish and Zionist educational endeavors. The Aardvark Israel team has collaborated successfully for many years, most for close to a decade, and together set the industry standard for long-term Israel programs. They are experts in the field and have proven success in working with today's youth.

A talented and inspiring group of Educators and Educational Consultants are an integral part of Aardvark Israel.  Representing a diverse group of individuals, from various streams of Judaism, backgrounds, and cultures, each brings to the students opportunities for personal and spiritual growth and for connecting more deeply with Israel and Zionism.

Staff

Keith Berman, Director of Aardvark Israel, served as the Director of the Young Judaea/FZY Year Course gap year program in Israel for the past 11 years. Through his leadership, vision, and creativity, the program underwent tremendous growth, both in enrollment and diversity of program offerings. Keith’s accomplishments also include founding and serving as the first Director of the Merkaz Hamagshimim (a popular Jerusalem center for English speaking young adults.) He was also a participant in Year Course in 1984-85 and is a graduate of the WUJS Arad program. A native of Florida, Keith made aliya to Israel in 1988 and served in the Nachal Infantry Unit of the Israeli army. He earned his B.A. from the University of Miami in psychology and Judaic Studies and studied towards his master’s degree in psychology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Keith has three children and lives in Tel Aviv.

Debbie Goldsmith, Assistant Director of Aardvark Israel, has worked in the field of Jewish and Zionist education for almost 20 years. Most recently she served as the Assistant Director of Young Judaea/FZY Year Course gap year program in Israel. She is a graduate of USY’s Nativ gap year in Israel. Debbie grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and completed her B.A. at Columbia University majoring in Religion and at the Jewish Theological Seminary majoring in Talmud. She also has an M.A. in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Prior to making aliya to Israel in 2001, Debbie was a Jewish Family Education coordinator, youth professional, and worked in several summer camps in the Midwest and Tri-State areas. She also has led Jewish educational tours to Ethiopia and Holland. Debbie lives in Yishuv Alon with her husband and their three children.

Simon Cohen has worked professionally in the field of Jewish and Zionist Education since 1999.  Having grown up in England as an active participant in the Federation of Zionist Youth (FZY), Simon served as the Movement’s National Director of Education prior to moving to Israel in 2000.  In addition to participating in Young Judaea/FZY’s Year Course in 1994-95, he dedicated a decade to working for the program as well as a senior staff member and most recently as the Director of the program’s Jerusalem Department.  Among his accomplishments is having founded and directed the Shevet Program which provides participants a structured venue for religious exploration and growth.  Simon is also an experienced guide for Jewish educational tours to Poland.  He earned his B.A. in Economics and Economic History from Manchester University and his M.A. in Jewish Education from the Hebrew University.  Simon lives in Tzur Hadassah with his wife and their daughter.

Leanne Milner has worked in the field of Jewish Education with college and gap year students for the last 10 years.  Born in South Africa, Leanne immigrated to Richmond, Virginia, at the age of 8.  She was active in Young Judaea and attended Young Judaea’s Year Course gap year program in Israel in 1997-98.  Leanne attended the University of Maryland at College Park and graduated with a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology and Genetics and a B.A. in Jewish Studies.   After college, she was a Jewish Campus Service Corps (JCSC) Fellow and then Program Director of Hillel at the University of South Florida.  She has staffed several Birthright Israel trips and for the past five years since making aliya to Israel, Leanne has been a member of the staff of Young Judaea’s Year Course program as a counselor, Assistant Department Director, and Specialty Track and Travel coordinator.  Leanne lives in Tel Aviv.

Zohar Ben Ari grew up in Kibbutz Kissufim and served as a medic and officer in the Israeli army.  She recently returned from three years of work in the United States as a shaliach (emissary) of the Jewish Agency in the New England region.  Prior to her shlichut, Zohar was an assistant department director, head of logistics, and tiyul consultant for the Young Judaea Year Course gap year program in Israel.  She also worked in the Summer Shlichim Department of the Jewish Agency for Israel.  She completed her B.A. from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in Spanish and Latin American Studies.  Zohar currently resides in Tel Aviv.

Aardvark Madrichim (Counselors)

Jeff Lubin grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts. He was an active member of Young Judaea attending Camp Young Judaea Sprout Lake and the Machon in Israel summer program.  While in high school he also attended Alexander Muss High School in Israel..   Jeff participated in Young Judaea's Year Course gap year program in Israel in 2004-05 and that was his final inspiration to make aliyah.  He moved to Israel in 2006 and lived on Kibbutz Sasa.  He was a member of Garin Tsabar and served in the Israeli army's Nachal infantry unit.  Jeff is also a musician who writes songs and plays the guitar.  He also loves being outdoors, playing sports and is an avid chess player.

Paula Garshowitz grew up in Toronto, Ontario, was educated at the Associated Hebrew Schools and Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto and was an active member of Canadian Young Judaea, having been both a camper and staff member for many years at Camp Kinneret-Biluim.  Paula came to Israel on Birthright as a participant in May 2005 and returned as a madricha twice thereafter.  After completing her B.A. at York University, Paula continued her studies in Israel and recently completed her Masters in Community Leadership and Philanthropy Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  In her spare time, Paula enjoys hiking, live music, and watching her Planet Earth dvds.  Having recently made aliyah, Paula is excited to join the Aardvark Israel team, and can't wait to meet you in Israel!

Goni Tsoref grew up in Kibbutz Ginosar, by the Sea of the Galilee.  She has extensive experience working with youth and young adults, having volunteered with youth at risk in the north of Israel and on her kibbutz with youth programming and after-school activities.  During her army service, Goni worked with soldiers from low socioeconomic backgrounds and with new immigrants to Israel who volunteered to serve in the army, many of whom were "chayalim bodedim" (lone soldiers - whose families do not live in Israel.)  For the past two years, Goni traveled throughout South America and the United States.  In her free time, she enjoys traveling and music.  Goni now lives in Tel Aviv and is looking forward to this amazing year!

Rotem Gabay was born in Jerusalem and grew up in Mevaseret Zion.  Prior to enlisting in the army, Rotem attended Mechinat Nachshon, an army preparatory program focusing on social leadership.  During her army service, she was a commander and worked with new immigrants, putting them through basic training and teaching her soldiers Hebrew and about Israel through programs, lessons, and field trips throughout the country.  She also served as an instructor for other commanders, providing them tools to more effectively work with new immigrant soldiers.  In high school, Rotem was sent by the Jewish Agency of Israel to Washington, D.C. with her band, in which she is the lead singer, where she performed for Jewish teenagers as part of an effort to bring Israelis and Americans together. In her free time, Rotem enjoys hiking, singing, acting and reading books.  She currently lives in Jerusalem and is excited to be working with Aardvark!

Rotem Regev grew up in Givatayim, near Tel Aviv, and spent three years there as a madrich (counselor) in the HaNoar V'Haoved youth movement, prior to completing a year of volunteer service for the movement in the Jerusalem area as well.  He has also worked in the Givatayim Youth Club.  His experience with young people lead him to spend a summer in the United States working in a JCC summer camp in Indiana.  During his army service, Rotem was in the Nachal as a commander and achieved the rank of Senior Sergeant.  Rotem recently returned from a six month trip traveling through South America and currently resides in Tel Aviv.

Aardvark Campus Rabbis

Aardvark Israel is proud to announce the addition of two dynamic and talented rabbis to the program staff.  Recognizing the importance of the spiritual growth of our Jewishly-diverse student population, each will serve as a Campus Rabbi - one in Tel Aviv and the other in Jerusalem - filling a similar role to that of a university "Hillel Rabbi," senior educator, and resource for students.  Fivel Yedidya Glasser will be the rabbi for Tel Aviv and Avraham Weitz will be the rabbi for Jerusalem.  Both Fivel and Avraham bring a wealth of eclectic experiences to the position and are committed to our vision of building a multi-demoninational community of respect and tolerance where each individual can grow within their own understanding and committment to Judaism.  We believe this is a huge step for our program and sets us on a great path.

Fivel Yedidya Glasser has been guiding and teaching Torah and Teva (nature) for 10 years in the wilds of Alaska, California, New York, Northern Israel and Jerusalem. Hailing from a small town in New York State with lots of trees and not too many Jews, he grew up as an active member of NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth.)  He completed his BA at Dartmouth College, a Masters of Theological Studies at Harvard University’s Divinity School, and served as the Jewish Chaplain and a Visiting Professor in Jewish Studies at Colgate University.  In 2001, he moved to Israel and has since studied in several yeshivot including Shappel's, Sulam Yaakov, Bat Ayin and Hamivtar.  He recently completed his smicha with Rav Shlomo Riskin and Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg.  An avid outdoorsman and ski instructor, Fivel led the pilot mountaineering program for Derech HaTeva in Alaska, ran the outdoors program and taught at Yeshivat Torat Chaim in Jerusalem, served as the Rosh Teva (Nature Director) and teacher at Camp Yavneh in New Hampshire, and was the Beit Midrash Coordinator and head of outdoor programs for the Brandeis Collegiate Institute (at the American Jewish University.) He is married to a wonderful Israeli woman, and they live in Efrat with their two sons and newborn daughter.

Avraham Weitz is an experienced educator and currently finishing an advanced degree in psychotherapy with a focus on family counseling.  Avraham grew up in New York and attended the New Jersey Y Camps’ Cedar Lake Camp.  He studied political science and history at Miami University in Ohio.  Before making aliya in 2004, he worked as an informal Jewish educator for the University Programs Department of United Jewish Communities.  Avraham studied at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem for two years before going on to serve in an infantry unit in the IDF.  He currently serves in a reserve unit in the Golani Brigade.  Avraham recently completed the smicha program at the Strauss Rabbinical Seminary -Yeshivat HaMivtar in Efrat, and received rabbinical ordination from Rav Shlomo Riskin and Rav Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg.  Avraham's teaching, animated by existential Jewish thought and psychology, seeks to go beyond an intellectual understanding towards a fuller experience.  Emphasizing the importance of personal authenticity – being true to one's self – his aim is a Judaism and Zionism that are alive and relevant.

Educators and Educational Consultants

Lindsay Citerman has worked in the field of formal and informal education, both Jewish and general, for the past ten years. Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Lindsay moved to Israel in 2005 after having earned her B.A. at Columbia University, majoring in Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures. Also prior to her aliya, she co-authored an integrated history-literature curriculum, worked for the Peace Corps Fellows at Teachers College (Columbia University), The Learning Collaborative, and the Nesiya Institute. In Israel, Lindsay has worked with the Ethiopian community in Ramle public schools, completed her master’s degree in Jewish Philosophy at Tel-Aviv University, completed the Melamdim teaching program at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and co-founded the non-profit organization Omanoot creating curriculum and running workshops for youth and adults to teach about modern Israel through art.

Neal Levy has 30 years of experience in a wide array of organizations that rely on successful partnerships between Israel and the Jewish world. He has served as Director of the Hadassah Youth Center, Young Judaea Israel Programs and Year Course; spokesperson and US West Coast Regional Director of the Jerusalem Foundation;  Director of Marketing and Fundraising at the Israel Tennis Centers; Director of International Relations at the Yitzhak Rabin Center;  Executive Director of the Israel Center of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco and Vice President, International Relations at the Beit Hatfutsot Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv. In addition, he directed the late Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek’s re-election campaign headquarters in 1988, and accompanied San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom on his first visit to Israel in 2008.  As a volunteer, Neal currently serves on the executive committee of the Board of Directors of the American Friends of the Yitzhak Rabin Center.  He holds an MBA degree in Non-Profit Management from American Jewish University where he researched the impact of inter-cultural differences on bi-cultural organizations, focusing on the Israeli/American Jewish communal experience.

Dr. Leigh (Rice) Bar-Yakov is a psychologist and educator specializing in attachment orientation from early childhood through adulthood. She is additionally involved in exploring the relationship between alternative and natural lifestyles, including sustainable concepts and veganism, with Torah observance.  She grew up in Florida, where she was an active member of Young Judaea.  Leigh was a participant of Young Judaea's Year Course gap year program in 1987-88. She made aliyah in 1988 and served in the Israeli Defense Forces.  She earned her BA from Bar-Ilan University in Psychology and English Literature.  She received her Doctoral degree in Psychology from the Miami Institute of Psychology in Florida. Leigh lives in Moshav Nes Harim with her husband Danny and their four children.

Rabbi Michael Feuer is an educator and environmentalist. He was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended Colorado College where he received a B.A. in Environmental Geology and Brandies University where he received an M.A. in Sustainable International Development. He learned Torah in a number of Jerusalem area institutions, including Yeshivat HaMivtar, the Mir Yeshiva and Sulam Yaakov. He received his semicha from Rav Don Channan in conjunction with completing the Israeli Rabbinate issur v'heter certification. Rav Mike has been active in Jewish education, formal and informal, for many years. In the U.S. he was a camper turned counselor at Ramah Canada, as well as a teacher at the Cleveland JCC's community camp. Since making aliyah in 2001, he has been Program Director of Torat Chaim post-high school yeshiva in addition to teaching history, Jewish thought and Bible in several post-high Jerusalem yeshivot and midrashot. He currently lives in Maaleh Adumim with his wife and four children.

Abraham Silver is a licensed tour guide and Jewish educator who has devoted the last 18 years to creating and implementing innovative informal Jewish and Israel education.  His experience includes working with Young Judaea, the United Jewish Communities, the United Israel Appeal of Canada, Melitz, Dorot Fellowship, Archeological Seminars, and other organizations.  He is currently the Educational Director of Israel Interactive, providing educators with inventive, attractive, DVD and Internet based instructional programs.  Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Abraham was deeply involved in Young Judaea and after completing his B.A. in History and Philosophy from S.U.N.Y. Binghamton, Abraham served as a madrich (counselor) on Young Judaea’s Year Course gap year program in Israel.  He then moved to Kibbutz Ketura where he spent many years as a date farmer.  In the army, Abraham served in the Nachal Paratrooper Corps and was in a front line combat unit as a reservist in the IDF until retirement in 2003, serving in Lebanon and during both Intifatas.  Abraham also completed an M.A. in Architecture from University of Pennsylvania and in addition to practicing architecture, he currently lectures on the architecture of Jerusalem at Hebrew University.   He is also the co-author of the book “Living the Dream: Israel at 50”.  Abraham and his wife live in Tel Aviv with their two daughters.

Karyn Weldon currently serves as the Director of ATZUM's Roberta Project for Survivors of Terror. Raised in Florida, Karyn was an active member of Young Judaea and attended Young Judaea’s Year Course gap year program in Israel in 1982-1983. She lives near Jerusalem with her husband and four children. Karyn holds a Master of Social Work degree and was formally on staff at the Israeli Ministry of Welfare as a child abuse special investigator, one of Israel's most difficult and demanding social work positions. Karyn is a highly regarded lecturer on the social welfare system in Israel.

Danny Admasu, a social activist and premier educator, is the CEO of the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews, the most important advocacy organization of the Ethiopian community in Israel. At age 8, Danny walked across the desert to Sudan to make aliya from Ethiopia to Israel as part of Operation Moses. Danny served in the Israeli Air Force and earned his B.A. in International Relations and Management at Israel’s Open University. He is also a trained a reporter for television and press. Danny was the founding executive director of the Ethiopian-Israeli Scouts – 'Tzofe Shva.' He also worked as a youth counselor and projects' coordinator for the 'Fidel' educational organization and at the Kannot Youth Village. In 1998, Danny served as a shaliach of the Jewish Agency to Canada, where he served as an Israel educator with youth. In 2008, Danny led a group of Young Judaea Year Course Israel gap year students on an educational trip to Ethiopia. Danny and his wife live in Nes Tsiona.

David London is the Executive Director of AACI, the Association of Americans & Canadians in Israel, Israel’s largest English speaking organization. David grew up in Florida and attend USY's Nativ gap year program in Israel in 1982-83. Prior to his Aliyah in 1991, David served as the Executive Director of Young Judaea’s Florida/Puerto Rico region. David has a degree in Business and Tourism from Florida International University and extensive course work in Judaic studies and history. David is active in his community and a noted lecturer on immigration and absorption issues facing new immigrants to Israel.

Jay Kohn is an accomplished Jewish educator, magazine editor, and internet specialist.  He is originally from the USA and was involved in the Young Judaea (Hashachar) Zionist movement and participated in Young Judaea's Year Course gap year program in Israel.  In 1983, Jay made aliya to Israel and lived on Kibbutz Ramat Yochanan while serving in the IDF Golani Brigade.  He holds a B.S. in Social Science Education with minors in History, Political Science, and Judaic Studies from the University of Central Florida and an M.A. in Middle East History from the Tel Aviv University.  He has served on the Orlando Federation's Community Relations Committee for Israel, was a member of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs Israel Task force, and served on the advisory board for the University of Central Florida’s Judaic study program.

Yael Patilon grew up in Tel Aviv and has always been interested in the visual side of things. She started her career working as an in-house studio designer at several major design and interactive companies including Mantis & Apregon. While studying in Shenkar College of Engineering & Design, she began working as a freelance graphic designer and currently runs her own design studio in Tel Aviv.  She produces all aspects of graphic design, including corporate identity, logos, DTP design and production, website design, presentations and design for video.  Yael is also the graphic designer of the beautiful Aardvark Israel webpage.  Her portfolio can be found online at http://yaelpatilon.blogspot.com/

Sara Lazarus is a teacher in the Israeli school system specializing in Tanach, Arts, Drama and Music. She was raised in Upstate New York and having been an active member of Young Judaea, she attended the Year Course gap year program in Israel in 2000-2001. Sara remained in Israel after her gap year and attended Midreshet HaRova, Hebrew University and David Yellin College of Education. She has a degree in education and an extensive background in theater which she utilizes in her teaching. Sara has performed in and stage-managed a number of plays and musicals in both the United States and Israel and is currently a member of "Kolot," the premier women's a cappella group in Jerusalem. Sara lives with her husband and daughter in the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Tal Uriel is a young, eclectic designer from Tel Aviv. He graduated the prestigious Shenker College of Engineering and Design with top honors and is currently a senior designer at Castro, the largest fashion brand in Israel. As a designer, he has traveled to both India and China to work with manufacturers and suppliers. Previous to his current position, he designed for Fox, Israel’s second largest fashion brand, and has interned for Donna Karen in New York. Tal has won awards from Strauss, Chaos, Onward Kashiyama (in Tokyo), and Bologna Leather Fair (in Italy).

Karen Goldberg is an accomplished artist and art therapist as well as teacher of Judaica. She is originally from Staten Island, New York and was active in the B'nai Akiva youth movement. Karen served as the National Education Director of B’nai Akiva North America and as the Education Director of Camp Moshav Indian Orchard. She received her B.A. in Judaic Studies and Fine Arts from Stern College and her M.A. in Art Therapy from NYU. She is known for her art therapy and given workshops in Jewish calligraphy. She works with PDD and special education children.