Rav Cytrin brings decades of experience to Midreshet Lev as a Rebbe and senior administrator at Lev HaTorah. In addition to Semicha, he is a licensed tour guide who delights in sharing his enthusiasm for Eretz Yisrael. Before making Aliyah, Rav Cytrin was Principal of Judaic Studies at Yavneh Academy in Dallas, Texas. Rav Cytrin has founded Or L’Doron, a non-profit organization promoting Torah leadership within the Ethiopian community in Israel.

Rav Cytrin received his Semicha from the Meretz Kollel, a BA from the Plan II Liberal Arts Program at the University of Texas (Austin), has an MA in Education from Columbia University and has served in the IDF.

Mrs. G, as she is more commonly known, hails originally from Kew Gardens Hills, NY. She brings her characteristic passion and simchas hachayim to the classroom while teaching her favorite subject, Tanach. Yael has taught SKA and was recruited to Toronto to serve on the administration of the high school, Ulpanat Orot where she was co-principal for 4 years. Mrs. G also has worked in various capacities at NCSY, NCSY Summer and the Maimonides Jewish Heritage Experience.

Mrs. G graduated with honors at Stern College while earning a degree in Psychology. She completed her Masters in Education from Azrieli and her Certification in Administration from Bar Ilan University.

Tamar is originally from Teaneck, NJ and attended Ma’ayanot for High School and Migdal Oz for seminary. Most recently, Tamar taught 12th grade AP Psychology at Kosloff Torah Academy (KTA) HS for Girls outside of Philadelphia. Tamar made aliyah with her husband and 4 boys this past summer to Ramat Beit Shemesh. She loves helping her students understand how psychological principles impact their everyday lives, relationships, and society at large— and especially how psychology impacts their personal and spiritual growth and Avodat Hashem. She has significant clinical experience working with older adolescent/college age students.

Tamar earned her M.A. and Psy.D. degrees from the Institute of Graduate Clinical Psychology at Widener University in 2016 and 2018, respectively, following her B.A. in Psychology from Barnard College and successful completion of the GPATS program at Stern College, Yeshiva University.

Mrs. Bonnie Odze has recently moved to Ramat Beit Shemesh from London where she served as Rebbetzin at South Hampstead United Synagogue and teacher in Hasmonean High School. Mrs. Odze currently teaches in several seminaries and is a passionate teacher who is dedicated to the personal growth of her students in every dimension. For the past 20 years, Mrs Odze had taught at various high schools in London including Immanuel college and Menorah High School. For many years she led and developed the Hasmonean Midrasha into a leading Torah learning centre in the British high school system.

Mrs. Odze holds a degree in Math and Computer Science and a Post Graduate Certificate of Education.

Rav Jonathan Schachter is known for his tremendous energy, in depth learning and his ability to forge strong, individual bonds with each of his students. Rav Schachter looks to infuse his talmidim with a love of Yahadut. Currently, Rav Schachter teaches gemara, halacha and machshava in Yeshivat Hesder Lev HaTorah. Before making Aliyah in 2022, he was a beloved Rabbi in Yeshivat Frisch for 20 years, and led the Bnai Yeshurun teen minyan in Teaneck for over 15 years. He has worked in Camp Morasha for the past 15 years and is currently the boys head counselor.

Rav Schachter received his Semicha from RIETS, a BA in Economics from Yeshiva University and an MS in Jewish Education from Azrieli Graduate School.

Dina Schoonmaker has been teaching in Michlalah Jerusalem College for over 30 years. She founded The Women’s Mussar Vaad, teaching topics of personal development in Ramat Bet Shemesh, Yerushalayim and remotely over zoom. She lectures in Israel, Europe and the United States.

Rav Michael Siev has served as a Ram in Yeshivat Lev HaTorah for the past eighteen years, where he teaches Gemara and Halacha. He also functions as Lev HaTorah’s posek and runs an active Halacha group chat for alumni of the yeshiva. Additionally, Rabbi Siev delivers a weekly shiur in halachic topics to the Ramat Shilo community in Ramat Beit Shemesh. He has also served as a senior editor of a wide range of Torah publications, including the Koren Steinsaltz Talmud series and the Sefaria Midrash Rabbah project.

Rav Siev received semicha from Yeshiva University, has an MS from Azrieli Graduate School and is an alumnus of the Yeshivat Har Etzion Kollel, where he studied for four years after completing his semicha.

Esther Wachstock is a dedicated teacher who has been in Jewish education for 17 years. Her particular passion is for teaching the books of Tanach that don’t get enough attention, specifically Ketuvim and Neviim Achronim, as well as showing how all of Tanach comes together. She currently teaches at both MMY and Tiferet. She is a founding member of the Ganei HaEleh community of Ramat Beit Shemesh with her husband and four children, having made aliyah 6 years ago from Teaneck, NJ. Before that she taught in Frisch, Yeshivat Heatid, SKA and Bruriah.

Esther studied at Michlalah Jerusalem College for Women, has a BA in History from Baruch College and an MA from The Azrieli School of Jewish Education.

Devori, for the past two decades, has taught and inspired students of all ages, through her warmth, sincerity and dedication to each student. Devori’s genuine care and understanding create a supportive and encouraging atmosphere where students thrive academically and personally.

Devori studied in Michlalah where she received a teachers certificate and has a B.A. in Judaic Studies/Psychology from Yeshiva University as well as an MS in Jewish Education from Azrieli Graduate School.

Alyssa fulfilled a lifelong dream when she and her family made Aliyah from Teaneck, NJ to Neve Shamir in the summer of 2022. After high school, Alyssa studied for a year in MMY, then graduated from Stern College Honors with a BA in Jewish Education and Elementary Education, where she was also a member of the Legacy Heritage Teachers Program. Alyssa earned her Masters from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration while teaching in Westchester Day School. She was then fortunate to participate in YU’s Gruss Kollel in Yerushalayim and pursue her love of learning Tanach at Matan’s Bellows Eshkolot Program, where she experienced Torat Eretz Yisrael come to life. While in Gruss, she also taught in Shaalvim for Women. Most recently, she was part of the Tanach faculty at Yeshivat Frisch. Since making Aliyah, Alyssa has been involved in building up Neve Shamir’s women’s Torah learning community, while also teaching in Tiferet. Aside from learning Torah, she’s always up for playing basketball or having a baseball catch! Alyssa looks forward to sharing her passion for Torah at Midreshet Lev!

Shira Schechter has a BA in Judaic Studies from Stern College, Master’s degrees in both Jewish Education and Bible from Yeshiva University, and is a graduate of Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program for Women in Advanced Talmudic Studies (GPATS). She taught Tanach in high school for eight years before making aliyah with her husband and children in 2013. Since making aliyah, Shira has been writing and editing Torah articles in her role as a content editor, as well as giving and organizing community shiurim. Shira lives in the Neve Shamir neighborhood of Ramat Beit Shemesh and is very excited to join the Midreshet Lev staff!

Adina Averick lives in Neve Shamir, Ramat Beit Shemesh, with her husband and son and currently works as a DevOps Engineer. Originally from Stamford, CT, Adina spent two years following high school in Israel, first at Nishmat and then in Sherut Leumi teaching in schools around the country about the Beit HaMikdash. She has a degree in Judaic Studies and computer science from Stern College and made aliyah upon graduation. Adina spent a year learning in Matan’s Eshkolot program as well as Mizrachi’s Lapidot program. She also taught night seder in MTVA for two years, running the night seder program in her second year. Adina is so excited to be joining the Midreshet Lev staff!