Eight new faces (so far) leading classes, counseling and special projects this year

If you can’t find Mr. David Barishman, new 10th-grade Jewish History teacher, teaching, helping students or reading nonfiction about the past, you might find him designing homes.   Designing imaginary buildings, from hotels to apartment buildings to island resorts, is one of Mr. Barishman’s hobbies. He uses a computer program called Chief Architect. “Just whatever comes to mind -- I just th...

Bringing a love of both science and Judaism to Shalhevet, Mrs. Bracha Rich has joined the Judiac Studies faculty and will teach a first-ever Jewish Bioethics class.  The class will be specifically for 12th-graders, and will have a strong emphasis on genetics. “I have always been in sciences and now I'm moving a little bit to bioethics which is just a different take on science, but I have l...

Noah Rothman graduated from Shalhevet in the class of 2016, and has spent the last five years living in Israel. This year, he’s back at Shalhevet -- this time as part of our education support team.  He’s also a Teacher’s Assistant for a 9th- and 11th-grade Gemara classes, taught by Rabbi Stein and Rabbi Tsaidi respectively. “It's weird to be on the other side,” Mr. Rothman says. “In many ways I still...

Mr. Sagi Refael, new teacher of 9th- and 10th-grade Hebrew language this year, comes to Shalhevet with 15 years of teaching experience -- in art history. He recently completed a Hebrew teaching program at Hebrew Union College near USC and has taught Hebrew for two years now. But his primary passion is contemporary art, especially from Israel and the United States, and he’s taught that since 2005....

Meirav Finn, an experienced artist and an L.A. native, has joined the Art and Performing Arts department as the third art teacher at Shalhevet, alongside Roen Salem and Samantha Garelick. She is teaching 9th-graders Visual Art and has a 10th-grade advisory group. Ms. Finn grew up and still lives in Beverlywood, like many of her students. She went to Yavneh Hebrew Academy for elementary school and ...

As a first-generation college graduate who had to navigate the application process on her own, new college counselor Ms. Priyanka Singh is eager to help students find suitable schools that “check their boxes.” It all started when she helped her younger sister, Prabha, with her college applications a few years ago. “I was so eager to help her, because I remembered navigating a lot of that on my ...

Chani Infield, a former Yachad director from New Jersey, has taken over as the SAC faculty advisor and head of the Chesed department, and will also teach ninth-grade Tanach Basics. Ms. Infield grew up in Bergenfield, N.J., and attended Frisch High School. She graduated from Touro College in New York City where she majored in psychology. She then worked as a preschool teacher at Manhattan Day School,...

Organizing some of Shalhevet’s special events this year is Ms. Jasmine Ezagui, the school’s new Project Manager, who has taken over Nachum Joel’s old office and will be helping with the Glouberman Basketball Tournament and other special events. Ms. Ezagui, who heard about Shalhevet from Mr. Joel because they are neighbors,  looks forward to doing behind-the-scenes work and making sure that eve...