Management

Ami Steinberger

Founder and CEO

Ami came from a Hebrew-speaking Los Angeles upbringing to live in Israel, where he found many, many immigrants from English-speaking countries who, after having lived there for years, were frustrated that they could not communicate effectively in Hebrew.

Then in 2008, he decided to draw upon his hobby of learning foreign languages to create a program that would serve the needs of the English-speaking population wishing to learn to speak Hebrew.

Ami also publishes the blog Your Daily Dose of Hebrew to help English speakers build their Hebrew vocabulary, one dose at a time.

Ora Derovan

Director of Operations and Development

Ora made aliyah by herself at the age of 15. Picking up Hebrew was a struggle for this young idealist, but within a year she was earning respectable grades in her Israeli high school classes. Today she holds a Masters degree in Jewish studies, which she has been teaching for the last 15 years.

Ora lives in Jerusalem with her husband and four children.

Ora also loves languages and talking with people… and she’s waiting to have a conversation with you about how Ulpan La-Inyan can help you speak Hebrew with confidence.

Ariela Nisenholz

Tel Aviv Branch Director and Teacher

Ariela grew up in Israel, but lived for two years in the United States as a teenager. She returned in 2015 with her with her husband and five children from a long stay in Switzerland, where she served as director and teacher at the Jewish Day School in Basel. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in education, Ariela is very interested in helping anyone who wants to learn to speak Hebrew with confidence.

Yael Bloch

Coordinator of Group Classes

Yael made aliyah from Baltimore in 1999 as a single. After attending an initial ulpan as a new olah, her Hebrew continued to improve over the years by just living in Israel and engaging with native speakers. Yael hopes all new olim will be able to attain the level where they just understand Hebrew when it’s spoken to them without having to translate anything in their heads. Yael lives in Maale Adumim with her husband and children.

Yael looks forward to helping more olim acquire the Hebrew they need to make their aliyah successful.

Yardana Agler

Olim Course Coordinator

Yardana made Aliyah from Texas at the age of 19 after spending a year of seminary in Israel. She studied Education at Bar Ilan University and got married to Ohad (an Israeli). They now have three kids and are living in the southern Jerusalem suburb of Har Homa. Yardana is very excited to have joined the Ulpan La-Inyan family!

Aliza Adar

Administrator and Coordinator of Private Lessons

Aliza is an olah (immigrant) from New York, who has been living in Israel since 2009. Although she arrived here with limited language skills, she quickly integrated into society and conducts her daily life speaking Hebrew. Aliza lives with her husband and two children in Jerusalem. She looks forward to welcoming you at Ulpan La-Inyan and helping you take your first steps towards speaking Hebrew with confidence.

Becca Fox

Tel Aviv Course Coordinator

Becca made Aliyah from Connecticut after teaching English in Israel for a year. Before that, she studied psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She knew from the first time she visited Israel on birthright that she would someday return to live in Israel. After attending Ulpan La-Inyan herself, Becca is now the Tel Aviv Course Coordinator. She hopes that she can help other Olim have the same positive experience!

Rena Rapps

Operations Coordinator

Rena made Aliyah from New York after spending a gap year in Israel and doing Sherut Leumi (national service). She studied Social Sciences at Bar Ilan University first in Hebrew and then in English, because of her limited Hebrew skills. Now, working in Ulpan La-Inyan, Rena has taken Ulpan classes to better her Hebrew and be better equipped to help you in your journey to speaking Hebrew with confidence. Rena lives in Jerusalem with her husband and son and is very excited to be a part of the amazing Ulpan La-Inyan team!

Aaron Shuchatowitz

Director of Marketing

Aaron made Aliyah from Los Angeles and has been living in Israel since 2010. He studied Marketing and Business Administration at the Jerusalem College of Technology. He went on to work as the Marketing Director for Israelvideonetwork.com for 5+ years. Now, Aaron is committed to helping as many people as possible discover the fantastic services offered by Ulpan La-Inyan. Aaron now lives in Kochav Hashachar with his wife and child and is very excited to be a part of the the growing Ulpan La-Inyan team!

Irma Berlin

Courses Curriculum Developer and Teacher Trainings

Irma was born in Tbilisi, Georgia and made Aliyah to Israel when she was 7. She has a Humanities degree and a teacher’s certificate in teaching Hebrew as a second language. Irma now teaches many of our classes in Tel-Aviv. She loves to teach because of the connection she makes with her students and loves to help new Olim, as she too moved to a new country and had to learn a new language.

Eliana Brody

Director of Human Resources

When Eliana was born, her family had just made aliyah, living in an absorption center (מרכז קליטה). They later moved to Beit Shemesh, where she was raised.

Eliana completed her BA in graphic design at Ariel University while working for various Israeli corporations. She later decided to go back to school and earn a BA in Human Resources and Management at Bar Ilan University.

In addition to directing all things human resources at Ulpan La-Inyan, Eliana volunteers for Paamonim, helping families learn to manage their finances.