The Israel Learning Ladder: Westchester

Sivan Zakai, PhD, is the Sara S. Lee Associate Professor of Jewish Education at HUC-JIR/Los Angeles. Her books include My Second Favorite Country: How American Jewish Children Think About Israel (winner of a 2022 National Jewish Book Award) and Teaching Israel: Studies of Pedagogy from the Field. 
 

Mikhael Kesher is a curator of educational experiences and resources, whose professional passion is supporting Jewish educators and learners in building informed, constructive, and committed relationships with am yisrael (the Jewish people) and medinat yisrael (the Jewish state). As a British-born Israeli-by-choice and new American, he cares deeply about strengthening each Jew’s connection to global Jewry. Before joining The Jewish Education Project as Director, Israel Education, Mikhael worked at Harvard Hillel, MIT Hillel, and Hebrew College. He holds Master’s degrees in Philosophy (University of Cambridge), Near Eastern & Judaic Studies (Brandeis University), and Jewish professional leadership (Brandeis University). At home, Mikhael is an avid reader, ḥevruta enthusiast, and devoted abba to two young children.