General Studies Faculty

English Department

  • Dr. Melissa Ser is the Academic Coordinator for TRY/USY High. She holds a BA in English from the Florida State University and both an MA and PhD in English Literature from the University of Rochester. Her specialties are Medieval Literature and History of the English Language, as well as textual scholarship and pedagogy. Melissa taught at the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology prior to making aliyah in 2004, and has also taught at Pelech High School. In addition to having taught at Ramah for the past six years, Melissa has been the head of the English department.
  • Pam Moritz started as a student teacher at the University of Michigan in 1987, and has not left the classroom since.  Pam got her MA in English from Case Western Reserve University, teaching undergrads while doing so, and continued teaching – middle and high school – for the following 20 years.  Pam has taught in Ohio, California, New York, and now Israel.  When Pam isn’t teaching English, she lectures to women and girls on positive body image and healthy eating without dieting.  She lives in Hashmonaim with her husband and five children.
  • Lilla Toal Mandsager, born in the U.S., is studying, tutoring and teaching in Jerusalem for the year. She earned her B.A. in English and her M. Ed. in Teaching from Stanford University. For the past seven years she has been teaching high school English at Summit Public Schools in Redwood City.  She holds a credential from the State of California and is involved with the Center for Teaching Quality and the Bay Area Writing Project. This is her first year at Ramah.
  • Rabbi Chaim Kornberg

Social Studies Department

  • Dr. Lisa Kainan holds a BA in Psychology (Haverford College), an MA in Educational Psychology (Columbia University), and a doctorate in Cognitive Psychology from Hebrew University.  She recently completed a teaching certificate in special education as well as a certificate in psycho-educational assessment from David Yellin Teachers College of Jerusalem. She was also trained as an SAT coach, and has been teaching standardized test prep for 20 years. She made aliyah in 1991 and is a longtime Ramah staffer, along with her family.
  • Micheal Humphries, born in the US, holds a BA and MA in Economics, both from the University of Texas at Austin.  He made aliya in 1987 and teaches Economics, Finance and Marketing at the Touro College Israel and the Jerusalem Institute of Technology.  He teaches Economics at Ramah.
  • Shawn Savage
  • Sydney Taksar teaches a unique mix of Science and Social Sciences, which reflects her diverse educational and professional background. From the University of California, she holds BAs in Legal Studies and Psychology (Cognitive Research); MA in Elementary & Secondary Teaching; and professional credentials. Prior to aliyah in 2011, she taught for the Division of Social Sciences at UC S.Cruz, as well as in secondary schools in her native Southern California. Her research work spans from marine biology to law. Passionate about her subject matter, she is pleased to be a member of this semester’s TRY staff.
  • Hannah Wortzman has been a Social Studies and History teacher for over ten years both in Canada and Israel.  She holds a B.A. with a Specialized Honours in Religious Studies and a B.Ed. in Education from York University in Toronto, Canada, as well as an M.A. in Jewish Civilization from the Hebrew University.  Hannah is also a doctoral student in the Department of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University.
  • Matt Abelson

Foreign Language Department

  • Dr. Liliane Stein was born in France and began her Academic studies in Paris, where she earned a MA in 1984. After living and studying in Montreal for 10 years, she received her doctorate in French Studies from Montreal University in 1996. She made aliyah that same year with her 3 children, and has been a part of the Ramah team since February 2001
  • Dr. Peter Wyetzner
  • Bracha Uziel-Calderon
  • Alessandra Misul  made aliyah from Florence, Italy in 1982 and completed a BA at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She later received a MA from Bar Ilan University. Alessandra teaches at the Dante Alighieri International School of Italian in Jerusalem and translates for the Israeli Institute of Hebrew Literature. She has been teaching Italian at Ramah since 2005.
  • Shalva Jin

Math Department

  • Michael Miller has taught math at TRY since he made Aliyah with his wife Grace in July of 2005.  He has been closely connected to Ramah (Poconos) since 1970.  Michael has taught math and history since 1966.  He has a BA in math and history, a masters degree and a BHL from Graetz College in Philadelphia.
  • Rose Wolfeld has taught high school mathematics for 35 years and is certified in the states of Pennsylvania and Texas.  She made aliyah from Philadelphia with her husband.
  • Dr. David Webb, originally from Brooklyn, NY, holds a BA in mathematics from the University of Minnesota and an MS and PhD in pure mathematics from Rutgers University. He has instructed undergraduate mathematics courses at Rutgers University and De Paul University. Since making aliyah, he has taught and tutored students from junior high school up to college level mathematics.
  • Nechama Wells made aliya in 2008 to Nachlaot, a central neighborhood of Yerushalayim.  She holds an Advanced Professional Teacher’s Certificate from the State of Maryland where she taught AP Statistics, Pre-Calculus and Geometry as well as mentoring other Geometry teachers and the AP Calculus teachers.  Her degrees are in Linguistics and in Computer Science, both from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
  • Yisrael Sabijan
  • Ilana Mann
  • Elisha Klein

Science Department

  • Jeremy Jordan Originally from the UK, Jeremy made Aliyah at the end of 2008 after living in Hong Kong, the Russian Far East and Bolivia. In Bolivia he helped set up an international school utilising the University of Cambridge high school curricula and international exam system. He also teaches AP & Honors Physics and Chemistry at NFTY-EIE.
  • Dr. Yeshayahu Yaakovi teaches AP Chemistry and Physical and Biological Sciences. Dr. Yaakovi holds an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in radiation chemistry and radiation biology from the University of Manchester, England, as well as a first degree in Pharmacy. Yeshayahu lectures both in Israel and abroad to pharmaceutical and other health care industry forums, and is an external lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
  • Yisrael Sabijan
  • Meira Yan, originally from Ottawa, Canada, made aliyah in August 2011. She earned a Bachelor or Science, specializing in Biology, a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education and a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University. Prior to making aliyah, Meira taught in Canada and in Bangalore, India.
  • Sydney Taksar teaches a unique mix of Science and Social Sciences, which reflects her diverse educational and professional background. From the University of California, she holds BAs in Legal Studies and Psychology (Cognitive Research); MA in Elementary & Secondary Teaching; and professional credentials. Prior to aliyah in 2011, she taught for the Division of Social Sciences at UC S.Cruz, as well as in secondary schools in her native Southern California. Her research work spans from marine biology to law. Passionate about her subject matter, she is pleased to be a member of this semester’s TRY staff.
  • Adi Shahar

Hebrew & Judaic Studies Department

  • Rinat Armon
  • Tehila Ezkoria
  • Yana Levy
  • Efrat Meyer
  • Rabbi Chaim Kornberg