Born in Jerusalem to a family of musicians, Dana began her musical studies at the age of eight with the flute, and gradually gravitated towards singing, playing piano, and songwriting. After graduating from high school at The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Dana received a scholarship to study in The Excellent Musician Program at The Center for Jazz Studies under The Israeli Conservatory, where she began her Academic education. She received a full scholarship to continue her Jazz studies at The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, where she received her BFA Degree in Jazz Performance Magna Cum Laude.

Dana’s goal is to make music enjoyable, helping her students to express themselves freely through an understanding of technique and musicality, while building confidence as they develop their instrument. Dana has an extensive experience teaching children and adults of all ages, levels, and musical backgrounds. Dana takes the time to explore the student’s interests to find ways to spark a deep desire to excel in music and life. Dana is devoted to Early Childhood Jewish education ( she loves kids!) and loves working closely with caregivers, babies and toddlers creating a joyful community around Jewish themes and rituals.

Sarahann is a warm, nurturing and experienced b'nai mitzvah tutor who has skillfully worked with young people and their families for over ten years and has held a variety of senior roles in Jewish education for the past 15 years in NYC and Philadelphia. In addition to b'nai mitzvah tutoring, Sarahann currently works as the Assistant Director of Membership and Ritual Coordinator for a large suburban Philadelphia congregation where she serves as the liaison between the rabbi and the congregation, working closely with b'nai mitzvah families. Sarahann has a BA in Elementary Education from University in Maryland and an MA in Counseling Psychology from Temple University.

Photo by Ellen Dubin Photography

Meira was born and raised in Tel Aviv in a bi-lingual, bi-cultural household. She studied Linguistics, French Literature, and Creative Writing in Tel Aviv, where she published children’s books and poetry. She moved to the United States in 2010 in order to “convert to writing in English, so that her readership might someday exceed 12 people.” For some 5 years her writing has been focused on musical theater and musical satire. Most of her pieces center around social justice topics. Meira has been teaching Hebrew and Judaic studies in various settings for some 10 years, and feels fortunate to have been with Beineinu from the beginning. When it comes to Jewish values, she sees herself as an educator in the school of Menschism, and sees it as her mission to weave social justice values into all exploration. When she is not teaching, Meira is a political and environmental activist, organizer, and writer.

Miya Rotstein was raised in Montreal, Quebec by Israeli parents. She is a graduate of McGill University with a degree in English and Cultural Studies. Prior to a life of Jewish education, Miya worked as a ceramicist, a glass blower and a cheese monger in New York City. Miya is a passionate educator and has developed Jewish curricula, taught conversational and Biblical Hebrew, Jewish studies, and Torah/ Haftorah trope and preparation for over twenty years. Miya also works at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in Manhattan where she leads the Adult Education program and is the Bnai Mitzvah Coordinator for their teen and adult members. As a granddaughter of Survivors, she is passionate about imbuing Tikun Olam, Social Justice, Jewish community and continuity to her students through a more holistic understanding of Jewish history and tradition.

Miya lives in Crown Heights Brooklyn. When not teaching in person or on Zoom, she obsessively reads about the history of languages and etymology of words, works in a local ceramics studio with stoneware and porcelain, and tries very hard to catch up to her backlog of New Yorker magazines and Sunday crosswords.

Yoav is a rabbinical student at the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem. In 2020, Yoav graduated from the Joint Program between Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary with a BA in English and Jewish Literature. Yoav is passionate about Jewish education and feels so lucky to have been a part of the Beineinu team since 2017.