Yehudit Feinstein, Founder & Coordinator, Revson Fellow

Having lived in New York since 2000 pursuing her career as an artist, Yehudit has always sought out ways to create community and nourish her ties to Israel and the culture she so deeply loves. Born and raised in Israel, Yehudit holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from The School of Visual Arts in NYC and a Masters Degree in Psychoanalysis from The Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis. She has participated in many art exhibitions and her works are represented in private collections in New York and Israel. Yehudit has extensive experience as an educator, has taught in Israeli high schools and served as an Educational Officer in the Israel Defense Forces. She merged her love of teaching and mastery as an artist while working at BIMA, a Jewish arts summer program at The Berkshire Institute for Music and Art, at Williams College, Gan Shalom and at various Jewish and art programs throughout Manhattan. Yehudit joined the CBE teaching staff in 2002 where she is now a Charles H. Revson Fellow. She founded Israelis in Brooklyn in the Spring of 2010. She lives in Prospect Heights with husband Tal and her twin boys Uri and Itay. Samples of her art can be found at www.yehuditfeinstein.com

Shiran Arberman: Assistant to director, Dual Language track teacher 

Shiran Arberman was born and spent her young adult life in Israel.  Shiran has served in the Israeli army as the supervisor of a medical center.  Additionally she has worked as a counselor for the Jewish Agency working with Reform Zionist youth movement (RSY Netzer).  She moved to the US nine years ago after completing a degree in Industrial Design at Hadassah College in Jerusalem.  Prior to her working at Israelis in Brooklyn, Shiran has experience teaching Hebrew at CBE Yachad program and at Park Slope Jewish Center Hebrew School.  While teaching, Shiran brings her passion for Israel and Hebrew Language to the classroom in a meaningful way.  When not at work, she enjoys caring for her two sons Emmett and Dean.   

Shelly Yosha: Dual Language class ages 4-5

Shelly was born in Los Angeles to Israeli parents and moved to Israel at age seven. She attended the prestigious Thelma Yellin School for the performing arts in Israel, and continued her musical education at the New School University in New York, where she earned her B.F.A. She will be receiving her M.F.A in Creative Writing also at the New School in May 2013.

Shelly is a musician as well as an active educator, having taught at the JCC in Manhattan, the 92nd St. Y, and currently at both Temple Israel and Beit Elohim. Shelly is also committed to pursuing social justice through education and through her work with non profit organizations including the American Jewish Society for Service, Givat Haviva Educational Foundation, The Parent’s Circle – Families Forum and Project Common Bond.

You can listen to her music online at:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/before-the-last-light-is-blown/id428383277
http://shellyyosha.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Shelly-Yosha/191530684200048

Evelina Yagudeav: Keshet ages 5-6

Evelina Yagudeav was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 1979. She immigrated to Israel in 1990 where she lived for the next fourteen years. Following two years of Visual Communication studies in Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, she continued her studies in New York with a focus on psychology at Brooklyn College.
Currently, she is working toward her masters degree in Art Therapy at Pratt Institute Brooklyn, NY. In her training as an Art Therapist, Evelina worked with children, teens and families in various settings such as Columbia University Head Start, Hetric Martin Institute, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. She co-lead Parent-Child Psychoeducational prevention programs, focusing on improving communication between parents and children. Working with teens at Hetric martin Institute, she assisted in the co-leadership of the Expressive Arts Program for LGBTQ adolescents and young adults.
In her role of an Art Therapist as well as a teacher, Evelina is interested in exploring the common area between pedagogy and that of therapy while incorporating the usage of expressive arts. She currently lives in Brooklyn and is working on her thesis on the topic of creativity development.

Michal Samama: Keshet ages 5-6 and Keshet Tot

Michal grew up in Kibbutz Beit-Nir and holds a Bachelors of Education with a specialization in dance and choreography from Seminar Ha-Kibbutzim College. She studied theatre, writing and performance art at the Interdisciplinary Art Program Search Engine School. Michal has been teaching choreography, creative movement and drama for the past ten years in a variety of institutions and schools and served as the Head of the Dance School at the Conservatory for Dance and Music in Or Yehuda. Her choreography work was presented in many Israeli venues including Suzanne Dellal Center, Tmuna Theater and Tzavta Theater. Hide and Seek, a play she wrote and preformed in was presented in the Haifa Fringe Festival. Since moving to New York City in 2010 she presented her work at The Joyce Soho, 92nd Street Y, Site Fest – Art in Bushwick, Judson Church and more. She is lives in NYC with her husband Yuval.

Tom Pnini: Keshet ages 6-7 and Keshet Tot

Tom was born in Jerusalem and has been living in New York since 2008. He holds a Bachelors of Education with a specialization in Art Education from HaMidrasha School of Art at Beit Berel College and a Masters of Fine Arts in from Parsons The New School for Design. Tom has been teaching Art and Photography for the past 10 years in a variety of institutions like Ironi Alef High School, Thelma Yalin High School for the Arts, Ha Matmid and Sadna’ot Ha Omanim.Tom served as the head of the photography course in the Israeli Air Force and has displayed his art around the world. He is currently working on an exhibition at the Herzelia Museum. He is lives in Williamsburg with his wife Sonya.