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Interested in joining our staff? Email president@nefeshyehudiacademy.com or board@nefeshyehudiacademy.com today!
Teachers and Staff
The students of Nefesh Yehudi Academy learn from a team of fun, enthusiastic, and experienced teachers!
K - Robyn Perlman (robyn.perlman@nefeshyehudiacademy.com) is a highly motivated, seasoned early childhood educator. She has been teaching at Nefesh Yehudi Academy since its creation in 2009. Prior to teaching at NYA, she spent six years at Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva (RPRY) in Edison. Every day, students see and feel Robyn’s deep love for Judaism, Torah and Israel. She views every child “as her own” and gives them the attention that they need to feel comfortable.
1st - Ricki Dayan (ricki.dayan@nefeshyehudiacademy.com) joined the NYA family in 2017 as a teacher of our Bogrim (5th-7th grade) and then in 2018 was moved to 3rd grade to introduce the Lehavin U'Lehaskil Chumash curriculum to our school, which is now the focus of 3rd grade at NYA. As the 1st grade teacher currently, she is in her natural habitat, nurturing young children through her native Hebrew language and art skills. Born in Yerushalayim, Morah Ricki came out of the womb with scissors and glue as a talented artist who fuses the learning of parshiot and chagim through various artistic techniques. She spent 20+ years at Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley in East Brunswick as the main Hebrew kindergarten teacher, a year at the Yeshiva at the Jersey Shore, and currently runs a special Hebrew language program at Shalom Torah in the mornings. As native Israeli, she brings her unique perspective and stories about her life growing up in Israel. The students still talk about the day Morah Ricki shared her experiences during the Yom Kippur War. She is beloved by her current and past students, and children look forward to having her.
2nd - Debbie Blatt (debbie.blatt@nefeshyehudiacademy.com) is our newest edition to the staff, joining us in 2021, though she is far from new to teaching! Morah Debbie was a lead teacher at the Chai Early Learning Center before sharing her expertise with our second grade students! She specializes in teaching chagim, parsha stories, and tefillot in an interactive and engaging way. She is also a WhatsApp master, sharing daily summaries with her class's families so everyone learns together!
Program Director & 3rd Grade Teacher - Elie Salomon (elie.salomon@nefeshyehudiacademy.com) has been involved with NYA since her eldest child joined the program in 2014. She has been active in curriculum development as a parent, Program Director, and as our beloved 3rd grade teacher. Prior to joining the Nefesh Yehudi family, Elie was a television producer for Martha Stewart, Jane Pauley, and MTV. Her classroom feels like "fun segments" on a TV show where students are actively learning while experiencing many modalities. Morah Elie is know for her love of the siddur and tefillah; she has made the "Kabbalat Siddur Ceremony" in 1st grade and "Amidah Fair" in 3rd grade staples of the NYA experience. The students also love her "Guess What's in the Box" game for various holidays. She is the parent of 4 students at NYA and treats every students as one of her own. She is friendly and open to all ideas; she has been the major developer of our Long Days programs. Elie holds a BA in Judaic Studies and Communications from the University of Pennsylvania.Carol Winter, who joined us in 2020, is back NYA as the assistant teacher for our largest class to date! She loved our first graders so much last year that she moved up with them to second grade! In addition to her invaluable role during class, she accompanies our students on the bus each afternoon from Hatikvah, ensuring their safe travel between schools. Carol is a creative and enthusiastic teacher with many years of teaching and supervisory experience. She has been the head pre-school Teacher at the JCC of North and South Brunswick Early Childhood Center for 20+ years, as well as a religious school teacher at Congregation B'nai Tikvah; there, she taught Hebrew reading, tefillah, "parsha hashavua," holidays, and Jewish concepts at ethics. Carol has also supervised and directed numerous summer camp programs for young children and teens. She was the after-school program supervisor at Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley. She is currently a substitute teacher at Hatikvah. In each of her teaching and supervisory positions, Carol always strives to foster a warm, nurturing, and fun atmosphere conducive to interactive learning. She is passionate about imparting her love for Judaism to young children and helping each child succeed in all areas. Carol has a BA in Elementary Education from CUNY Queens College.
3rd - Carol Winter, who joined us in 2020, is back NYA as the assistant teacher for our largest class to date! She loved our first graders so much last year that she moved up with them to second and then third grade! In addition to her invaluable role during class, she accompanies our students on the bus each afternoon from Hatikvah, ensuring their safe travel between schools. Carol is a creative and enthusiastic teacher with many years of teaching and supervisory experience. She has been the head pre-school Teacher at the JCC of North and South Brunswick Early Childhood Center for 20+ years, as well as a religious school teacher at Congregation B'nai Tikvah; there, she taught Hebrew reading, tefillah, "parsha hashavua," holidays, and Jewish concepts at ethics. Carol has also supervised and directed numerous summer camp programs for young children and teens. She was the after-school program supervisor at Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley. She is currently a substitute teacher at Hatikvah. In each of her teaching and supervisory positions, Carol always strives to foster a warm, nurturing, and fun atmosphere conducive to interactive learning. She is passionate about imparting her love for Judaism to young children and helping each child succeed in all areas. Carol has a BA in Elementary Education from CUNY Queens College.
4th & 5th - Gila Levin (gila.levin@nefeshyehudiacademy.com) joined the NYA family in 2019 as our 4th and 5th grade teacher. Before becoming part of our staff, Morah Gila spent more then 20 years at The Jewish Center of Princeton as a teacher, Bar Mitzvah coordinator, and Education Director at their religious school. She was born, raised, and educated in Israel, where she was also a biology teacher for twelve years in Haifa. She currently lives in Hillsborough with her husband Gadi; they have three children and seven grandchildren. Morah Gila has also started our NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL program about Jewish History! Click here and scroll down for more information!
Office Staff - Gail Burnett (gail.burnett@nefeshyehudiacademy.com)
K - Robyn Perlman (robyn.perlman@nefeshyehudiacademy.com) is a highly motivated, seasoned early childhood educator. She has been teaching at Nefesh Yehudi Academy since its creation in 2009. Prior to teaching at NYA, she spent six years at Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva (RPRY) in Edison. Every day, students see and feel Robyn’s deep love for Judaism, Torah and Israel. She views every child “as her own” and gives them the attention that they need to feel comfortable.
1st - Ricki Dayan (ricki.dayan@nefeshyehudiacademy.com) joined the NYA family in 2017 as a teacher of our Bogrim (5th-7th grade) and then in 2018 was moved to 3rd grade to introduce the Lehavin U'Lehaskil Chumash curriculum to our school, which is now the focus of 3rd grade at NYA. As the 1st grade teacher currently, she is in her natural habitat, nurturing young children through her native Hebrew language and art skills. Born in Yerushalayim, Morah Ricki came out of the womb with scissors and glue as a talented artist who fuses the learning of parshiot and chagim through various artistic techniques. She spent 20+ years at Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley in East Brunswick as the main Hebrew kindergarten teacher, a year at the Yeshiva at the Jersey Shore, and currently runs a special Hebrew language program at Shalom Torah in the mornings. As native Israeli, she brings her unique perspective and stories about her life growing up in Israel. The students still talk about the day Morah Ricki shared her experiences during the Yom Kippur War. She is beloved by her current and past students, and children look forward to having her.
2nd - Debbie Blatt (debbie.blatt@nefeshyehudiacademy.com) is our newest edition to the staff, joining us in 2021, though she is far from new to teaching! Morah Debbie was a lead teacher at the Chai Early Learning Center before sharing her expertise with our second grade students! She specializes in teaching chagim, parsha stories, and tefillot in an interactive and engaging way. She is also a WhatsApp master, sharing daily summaries with her class's families so everyone learns together!
Program Director & 3rd Grade Teacher - Elie Salomon (elie.salomon@nefeshyehudiacademy.com) has been involved with NYA since her eldest child joined the program in 2014. She has been active in curriculum development as a parent, Program Director, and as our beloved 3rd grade teacher. Prior to joining the Nefesh Yehudi family, Elie was a television producer for Martha Stewart, Jane Pauley, and MTV. Her classroom feels like "fun segments" on a TV show where students are actively learning while experiencing many modalities. Morah Elie is know for her love of the siddur and tefillah; she has made the "Kabbalat Siddur Ceremony" in 1st grade and "Amidah Fair" in 3rd grade staples of the NYA experience. The students also love her "Guess What's in the Box" game for various holidays. She is the parent of 4 students at NYA and treats every students as one of her own. She is friendly and open to all ideas; she has been the major developer of our Long Days programs. Elie holds a BA in Judaic Studies and Communications from the University of Pennsylvania.Carol Winter, who joined us in 2020, is back NYA as the assistant teacher for our largest class to date! She loved our first graders so much last year that she moved up with them to second grade! In addition to her invaluable role during class, she accompanies our students on the bus each afternoon from Hatikvah, ensuring their safe travel between schools. Carol is a creative and enthusiastic teacher with many years of teaching and supervisory experience. She has been the head pre-school Teacher at the JCC of North and South Brunswick Early Childhood Center for 20+ years, as well as a religious school teacher at Congregation B'nai Tikvah; there, she taught Hebrew reading, tefillah, "parsha hashavua," holidays, and Jewish concepts at ethics. Carol has also supervised and directed numerous summer camp programs for young children and teens. She was the after-school program supervisor at Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley. She is currently a substitute teacher at Hatikvah. In each of her teaching and supervisory positions, Carol always strives to foster a warm, nurturing, and fun atmosphere conducive to interactive learning. She is passionate about imparting her love for Judaism to young children and helping each child succeed in all areas. Carol has a BA in Elementary Education from CUNY Queens College.
3rd - Carol Winter, who joined us in 2020, is back NYA as the assistant teacher for our largest class to date! She loved our first graders so much last year that she moved up with them to second and then third grade! In addition to her invaluable role during class, she accompanies our students on the bus each afternoon from Hatikvah, ensuring their safe travel between schools. Carol is a creative and enthusiastic teacher with many years of teaching and supervisory experience. She has been the head pre-school Teacher at the JCC of North and South Brunswick Early Childhood Center for 20+ years, as well as a religious school teacher at Congregation B'nai Tikvah; there, she taught Hebrew reading, tefillah, "parsha hashavua," holidays, and Jewish concepts at ethics. Carol has also supervised and directed numerous summer camp programs for young children and teens. She was the after-school program supervisor at Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley. She is currently a substitute teacher at Hatikvah. In each of her teaching and supervisory positions, Carol always strives to foster a warm, nurturing, and fun atmosphere conducive to interactive learning. She is passionate about imparting her love for Judaism to young children and helping each child succeed in all areas. Carol has a BA in Elementary Education from CUNY Queens College.
4th & 5th - Gila Levin (gila.levin@nefeshyehudiacademy.com) joined the NYA family in 2019 as our 4th and 5th grade teacher. Before becoming part of our staff, Morah Gila spent more then 20 years at The Jewish Center of Princeton as a teacher, Bar Mitzvah coordinator, and Education Director at their religious school. She was born, raised, and educated in Israel, where she was also a biology teacher for twelve years in Haifa. She currently lives in Hillsborough with her husband Gadi; they have three children and seven grandchildren. Morah Gila has also started our NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL program about Jewish History! Click here and scroll down for more information!
Office Staff - Gail Burnett (gail.burnett@nefeshyehudiacademy.com)
Morah Ricki and Mrs. Winter
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Morah Elie
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Morah Gila
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