Our staff brings together a range of religious and ethnic backgrounds, languages and experiences from five different continents, thus providing us with a model for international, multicultural educational community.
Director, International School
Dr. Muli Peleg is a professor of political science and international relations. His areas of expertise are analysis and management of intractable conflicts, strategies of negotiations, styles of leadership, as well as intercultural and interfaith dialogue. He has just returned to Israel after teaching and researching at Rutgers and Columbia Universities in the US. Dr. Peleg has extensive practical experience as a negotiator and peace-maker in addition to his academic career. He has worked with peace organizations such as the Peres Center for Peace, One Voice, the Counter Extremism Project and Realizing the Dream, and conducted dialogue and peacebuilding projects in the US, Africa, Europe, and Israel/Palestine. The author of several books and articles, Dr. Peleg’s recent book is called Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue for Peace (2019).
Jackie Levi-Atias, Deputy Director of International School, directs the Certificate Program for Jewish Day School Teachers. In addition, she directs School to School initiatives and promotes new partnerships. She has been at Oranim since 2005. Prior to that, Jackie coordinated the educational curriculum for the Mandel Leadership Institute’s Jerusalem Fellows program. She also served as the Ma’aleh Program Coordinator at Hebrew University’s Magid Institute for Continuing Education. Jackie has a B.A. and an M.P.A. from the University of Haifa.
Head of English Department at Oranim College
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Dr. Janina Kahn-Horwitz is a senior lecturer at Oranim College of Education where she is associate director of academic collaborations at Oranim International. She is chair of the Department of English Language and Literature. She teaches in the undergraduate English Language and Literature Department as well as the graduate M.Ed. Language Learning program. Her research interests include individual differences in language learning and English as a foreign language reading and spelling development. Dr. Khan-Horwitz has a B.A. from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Haifa. Dr. Khan-Horwitz has always been involved in education, both informal and formal. She sees educators as agents of change, making a significant impact on society through self-example and mentoring.
Manager of Educational Initiatives and Programs
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Hanny Fuks is a devoted and experienced educator and an entrepreneur who loves to find ways to improve education by combining community networking and professional development. She directs programs related to international projects and leads teams in educational settings.
Ms. Fuks believes that building relationships is the key to success. She creates and facilitates professional development seminars, courses, international academic telecollaborative projects, as well as coordinating and organizing twinning programs and international delegations such as the Boston-Haifa Connection and teaches in the English department at Oranim College. She created and managed the Digital Pedagogical Toolbox for the Masa Israel Teaching Fellows (MITF) program.
Before coming to Oranim, Ms. Fuks worked for the Ministry of Education for 20+ years as a professional English counselor and teacher for the Northern District. Ms. Fuks studied and taught in the United States and worked for the Jewish Agency as a group coordinator.
Ms. Fuks holds a B.A. and M.A. from Ben Gurion University of the Negev with excellency. She completed her thesis for her M. Ed. in Language Teaching from Oranim College while researching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading acquisition. Ms. Fuks is currently pursuing her Ph.D.
Kristina Kruzhkova
Manager, Department of Masa Programs
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Kristina Kruzhkova believes that motivation, striving for new knowledge, love for difficult tasks as well as kindness can make the world better and more interesting. Ms. Kruzhkova served as a Jewish educator in a variety of contexts in both Russia and Israel. In Russia, she coordinated and facilitated educational seminars for the Jewish Agency and ICHEIC (the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims) Humanitarian Fund.
In Belarus, Ms. Kruzhkova was an HR manager in an advertising company where she created systems necessary for the company to run effectively. At Oranim, Ms. Kruzhkova started as a project coordinator, developed two new language projects, and is currently serving as Program Director of Masa Programs. Masa Oranim programs such as “English for the Workplace,” “AMIR, TOEFL, IELTS (A.T.I.)”, and “M. TEACH” engage students from all over the world. These programs allow participants and organizers to destroy stereotypes, find non-standard solutions and build shared dialogue. Ms. Kruzhkova has an M.A. in Social Work from Tsiolkovsky Kaluga State University in Russia and an MBA in Human Resources & Organizational Management from the University of Haifa.
Director of Galilee Dreamers Project
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Dr. Rachel Ravid is a Lecturer, Associate Director of the Civil Action Unit (Dean’s Office at Oranim), and Advisor for Student Forum for Combating Racism at Oranim College. She has also held the position of Head of the Department of Special Education in Early Childhood. Dr. Ravid is the Program Director for the Galilee Dreamers Program at Oranim International and educates students using the techniques of dialogue, civil action, and social justice. Dr. Ravid has accompanied several Galilee Dreamer delegations to the United States and is managing the creation of the follow-up programming. She lectures, publishes, and writes on the topics of inclusion, multiculturalism, racism, and identity. Dr. Ravid received her B.A. in Education, Language, and English Literature and M.A. in Education in Life Course Development from Haifa University as well as her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Bath, England.
Manager of Jewish Peoplehood
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Lori Abramson, MAJE, Associate Director of Jewish Peoplehood, has worked at the Shdemot Department of Jewish Peoplehood since 2007, and is also a lecturer in Oranim’s English Department. She has published articles and presented at conferences on the subjects of Israel education and Jewish Peoplehood, and published Jewish educational curricula. Lori has a B.A. from the University of California at Davis and an M.A. in Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College. Before making aliyah, Lori was the Head of Yavneh Day School in California.
Ahava Steinbauer
Pedagogical Consultant
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Ahava Steinbauer has more than 30 years of teaching and educational leadership experience. Ms. Steinbauer shares her love of educating students to become strong, critical thinkers and passionate learners. Her pathway includes teaching English, history, and humanities from preschool to 12th grade in New York, California, and Chicago. She has administrative experience as K-12 Chair of Special Education and Assistant Director of Special Education.
Currently, Ms. Steinbauer coordinates English communication for the International School. She is also the Academic Coordinator and a lecturer for the Masa English Programs at Oranim. Ms. Steinbauer holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.Ed. in Reading and Learning Disabilities from DePaul University as well as advanced certifications in Building and District Leadership and a Professional Diploma in Educational Leadership from Manhattanville College.
Martina Ezias
Academic Collaborations Coordinator
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Martina Ezias worked as Human Resources Manager at the Israeli Ministry of Defense in New York City before joining the Oranim International School. She has extensive experience in human resources, marketing, and customer service. Ms. Ezias has a B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from Bar Ilan University.
Ora Rachel Dajan
Finance Coordinator
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Ora Rachel Dajan has expertise in the fields of finance relations and security. She has experience as a development assistant in the security field at Elbit System company and held the highest security clearance. She was also operations and billing manager in a plastics factory and worked as a teller at the Bank of Israel. Ms. Dajan has a B.A. in Economics & Management from Bar-Ilan University.
Rabbi Itamar Lapid
Coordinator & Pedagogical Consultant
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Rabbi Itamar Lapid is a leader of the Jewish Israeli renewal movement, a spiritual guide in the community of Shimshit, a sought-after lecturer in Jewish identity programming for young adults, and a cofounder of Midreshet Natur, a collaborative beit midrash with religious and secular participants. He is a co-founder and teacher in Madrassa/Midrasha, which pursues Arab–Jewish coexistence in the Galilee through education. Rabbi Lapid previously served as a senior faculty member at HaMidrasha, where he taught for 17 years.
Katya Prokofyeva
Masa Program Coordinator
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Katya Prokofyeva is a Masa Pre M.A. program alumni who coordinates programs for international students from around the world. She received her B.A. in Linguistics from Southern Federal University in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Ms. Prokofyeva’s primary responsibilities are program coordination, planning, and problem-solving. As a Program Coordinator, Ms. Prokofyeva shares her positive attitude, motivation, and love of learning with students. She is also pursuing her M.Teach Certification at Oranim College of Education.
Dr. Roberta Bell-Kligler
Founding Director (Emerita)
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Dr. Roberta Bell-Kligler is currently the Director Emerita of the International School at Oranim College, Ms. Bell-Kligler helped establish the International School and served as its director until her retirement in 2020. Working with Oranim’s deans and faculty members, she brought students, teachers, headmasters, families, and community leaders from around the world to Oranim for a range of custom-designed programs. Before coming to Oranim, Ms. Bell-Kligler established a translating and editing agency and also taught in public schools in Israel.
Interested in cultural diversity and promoting knowledge about and respect for the “other”, Ms. Bell-Kligler has published articles and made presentations at conferences on topics including identity, peoplehood, multiculturalism, and globalization. She taught courses at Oranim on those subjects and currently lectures and consults on those areas. During her career, Ms. Bell-Kligler has worked with students and faculty from North America, South Africa, Ethiopia, China, Germany, Russia, and South America.
Ms. Bell-Kligler grew up in the United States and did her academic work there, completing two BA’s (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) at Brandeis University and an MA at the University of California. Her doctorate is from the Jewish Theological Seminary. She currently lives with her growing family on beautiful, historic Moshav Zippori.
Link to CV
Prof. Emeritus David Mittelberg
Prof. David Mittelberg, Associate Professor for Sociology, currently serves as Research Fellow at the Oranim Research Authority. Prof. Mittelberg was a former Chair of the Department of Sociology at Oranim, served on the Faculty of Graduate Studies as well as Chair of the Steering Committee of the International School at Oranim. Professor Mittelberg has also served as an Adjunct Research Associate at the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilization, Monash University, and as a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Kibbutz Research at the University of Haifa, where he formerly served as its Director.
Professor Mittelberg is the author of five books, has numerous published articles on ethnicity, migration, gender, tourism, kibbutz education, Jewish Peoplehood education, and the sociology of Diaspora Jewry. He has also served as a visiting scholar at Harvard and Brandeis Universities. Professor Mittelberg received his B.A. (Hons) from Monash University, M.A. from the University of Haifa, and Ph.D. from Hebrew University.
Monique Hayes
Administrative Coordinator
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Monique Hayes served as Office Manager of the Social Services Department of the Kiryat Motzkin municipality prior to joining the staff at Oranim International School. She has extensive administrative experience in a range of fields, including human resources, home health care, and insurance. Ms. Hayes has a B.A. in Psychology from the Open University of Israel and a Technical Certificate in Administration from Nahariya School of Education.