LC: Tell me a little bit more about your life before you came to teach here.

HY: I came here to teach at Ramaz, before I was a Tanach and English teacher at a high school in Jerusalem, and I was also teaching at a seminary called TVA. I did that for six years so I had my fair share of speaking English before I came here.

LC: What drew you to come to teach at Ramaz?

HY: It started with me wanting to do Shlichut, a teaching shlichut. I wanted to challenge myself and expand my experience as a teacher.I talked to the WZO and they asked what do you want and they suggested Ramaz. A friend of mine taught here 8 years ago and when I told her they suggested it, she said it was great and that I should definitely go there. So I thought ‘OK if I was going anywhere, it should probably be New York, and what better place to be than Ramaz’?

LC: What made you decide to become a teacher?

HY: I think it’s one of those things where you don’t choose your profession, your profession chose you. I couldn’t do anything better than being a teacher. I tried for a short and hated it. I can’t sit in an office, or send emails all day. I need interactions with people, and people being excited about biblical texts and jewish thought, and there’s no better way to do that than being a teacher.

LC: Is there anything about this year you’re particularly excited or nervous for?

HY: Well, since I’ve only been here for a month, everything is still exciting. I’m really excited about how hands-on my students are, how much they want to engage and share their thoughts, which I find the best way to have a class, not just the teacher telling you everything. The students are probably the best part of my year so far.

LC: If you had a day where you didn’t have to teach and you could do anything you wanted to, what would you do?

HY: I want to see America. I want to see nature, but if I only had one day and couldn’t go too far, I would go to Broadway. I want to see all the musicals I can this year. I want to see Hamilton the most.

LC: Is there a fun fact about you that you want your students to know?

HY: I love chocolate, or what you guys would call dark chocolate. I can’t handle how sweet everything in America is, so I’m on the hunt for my favorite chocolate from Israel.