Meet Our Instructors
Ahuva Tal Hollander
Founder & Director
Ahuva Tal Hollander, Ha-Ulpan's founder and director, was born in Israel and educated in Israel and the United States. She has served as director of the ulpan at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan and has taught at the ulpan of the Jewish Agency for Israel in New York City and in Israel. She has also authored several texts for students of Hebrew and is the recipient of awards for excellence, Master Teacher, and her dedicated service as a Jewish educator.
INSTRUCTORS
Eran Barzilai
Instructor
Eran Barzilai grew up in Israel and received his BA in psychology from Bar-Ilan University, where he also completed a teaching certificate and teaching internship in special education. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology at the New School for Social Research. Eran is also a certified personal trainer and has been helping clients of all ages meet their fitness goals for the past eight years. In his free time, he likes to cook, run, and play soccer.
Miri Kamar
Instructor
Miri Kamar has been teaching in ulpans throughout Israel since 1986. She has taught Hebrew in Jerusalem and Haifa, and at Tel Aviv University, the Ministry of Education, and Masa Israel. She has also taught at ulpan programs in New York. She was one of the authors of Diburim Diburim, a conversational Hebrew textbook and teaching guide for advanced students. In addition to her teaching credentials, Miri holds a BA in education and geography from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Idit Krymolowski
Instructor
Idit is a musician and tutor who has been teaching languages for the past two decades. She has taught Hebrew in the Netherlands, Japan, and the United States to students of all ages and levels. Idit enjoys combining music and language in her lessons, bringing an artistic experience into the classroom.
Omer Leshem
Instructor
Omer grew up in Herzliya, served in the IDF as a musician, and graduated with a BFA from The New School for Jazz Music as valedictorian. An acclaimed saxophonist, he has performed in numerous jazz festivals, competitions, and venues all over the world. Omer has been teaching music for seven years and was trained as a Hebrew teacher. He is currently a doctoral student for clinical psychology at The New School for Social Research. On the weekends, he likes making hummus, biking around the city, and watching foreign movies.
Meira Marom
Instructor
Meira was born and raised in Tel Aviv in a bilingual household. She studied linguistics, French literature, and creative writing in Israel, where she also published children's books and poetry collections. Since moving to the United States in 2010, she has taught Hebrew at the JCC, Hebrew schools, and day schools, among others. When Meira is not teaching Hebrew, she writes musical theater and political satire focusing on social justice issues. She is also a political and environmental activist and organizer.
Yael Marx
Instructor
Yael Marx has been an educator for more than 30 years in both Israel and the United States. She holds a degree in literature and cinema from Tel Aviv University and a master's degree in literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. For several years, Yael has hosted a series of literary salons exploring original literature from Israel as well as world fiction translated into Hebrew.
Ganit Mayer
Instructor
Ganit grew up in Rehovot and earned a law and history degree from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After passing the Israeli Bar and working as an environmental lawyer, she decided to pursue her passion and focus on people's narratives and their use of language. She has taught Hebrew to adults at Middlebury College and in Israeli ulpanim. She is currently completing a master's degree in social psychology at Tel Aviv University. Ganit believes language is best learned hands-on, with great cultural exposure.
Chani Pinsberg
Instructor
Chani Pinsberg has extensive experience teaching Hebrew in different settings from young students to high school students and adults. She received her degree in Hebrew Grammar and Arabic from Tel Aviv University. Chani loves sharing her knowledge and love of the Hebrew language with her students.
Idit Shem Tov
Instructor
Idit Shem Tov, an Israeli native, has spent her entire career in Jewish and Israeli education. She started as a Hebrew teacher in Hong Kong and then taught history at Rothberg High School in Ramat Hasharon, Israel. At Rothberg, she held a number of education and management positions and served as vice principal for 14 years. Idit received a BA in Jewish history and a teaching certificate from Tel Aviv University, as well as an MA in Management of Educational Systems from the Kibbutzim College.
Noam Shmueli
Instructor
Originally from Haifa, Noam is a graduate of Tufts University, where he began teaching Hebrew. He is very excited to be teaching at Ha-Ulpan.
ASSOCIATES
Yonatan Gutfeld
Musician
Yonatan Gutfeld was born in Jerusalem and served in the IDF as a pianist and singer for the Israeli Air Force Band. He studied music composition at the Jerusalem Music Academy and Rimon School of Jazz and Rock, as well as Hebrew literature at Tel Aviv University. He now teaches Hebrew and music at the School for Creative Judaism. Yonatan released his first album of Hebrew songs in 2011.
Hagit Halperin
Guide
Hagit has been leading tours in Hebrew at museums around New York for our students since 2006. She holds a master's degree in Jewish Art and Visual Culture from JTS, as well as a bachelor's from Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and a teaching certificate from Midrashah Le'Amanut, an Israeli college for art education. She has taught art and Hebrew for many years, currently at Fordham University and JTS's Ivry Prozdor program.