Teachers
Yoni Kretzmer, Senior Teacher
Before moving to NYC in 2010, Yoni, a Jerusalem-born tenor saxophonist and composer, was an active member in the growing Tel Aviv nu-music scene leading various groups such as “New Dilemma” (chamber/free jazz string quintet) and “Far From Home” (free/folk quintet with two acoustic guitars). He has performed and curated many shows and festivals including October Jazz Fest, RedSea Jazz Festival and Tel Aviv Jazz Festival.
Yonatan Gutfeld, Musical Director
Yonatan Gutfeld grew up in Jerusalem, where he studied music composition. He was active in the Tel Aviv singer-songwriter scene and toured the country with his band after releasing his debut album. Since 2012, Yonatan has lived in NYC where he records his songs, writes music for theater productions and works as a music educator. In 2017 he released Time’s Tyranny, an album of new compositions to Shakespeare’s sonnets in Hebrew translation. In 2019 he released In Exile Even In His Own Room, a selection of songs set to lyrics by poet Ory Bernstein. In 2020 he released Acht U Shtaim, an album of original Hebrew children’s songs.
Dana Herz, Senior Teacher & Branch Manager
Born in Jerusalem to a family of musicians, Dana Herz began her musical studies at the age of eight with the flute, and gradually gravitated towards singing, playing piano, and songwriting. While her initial training was classical, she eventually found her creative home in different musical styles, primarily combining Jazz, R&B and folkloric styles of Middle Eastern music.
Dana studied at The High School for Music and Dance In Jerusalem , and 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 then returned to Opera studies temporarily at The Buchmann – Mehta School of Music, before receiving 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 is currently leading her own band and is in the midst of recording her debut album. She has performed in some of the most prestigious venues and festivals in Europe, Israel, and the US, such as WOMAD Festival UK, The Troubador London, Le Poisson Rouge NYC, Musig Im Pflegidach in Switzerland, The Hamilton in Washington DC, Harvard University, Yale University and the Sunset Sunside in Paris, and more..
In 2017, Dana worked as a backing vocalist and keyboardist with international singer Shakira, performing for her album release shows, as well as recording backing vocal tracks for Shakira’s El Dorado World Tour.
Eden Bareket
Eden was born in Buenos Aires and grew up in Israel. He attended a TALI elementary school, and the Democratic School in Hadera for middle and high school. He later studied jazz at the Israeli Conservatory of Music. Eden has been playing the saxophone since the age of 9, and music is the reason he moved to NYC in 2015. He has been living in Brooklyn ever since — playing music, teaching Hebrew and Jewish studies, and teaching saxophone — and mostly trying to find good places to eat.
Mor Cohen
Mor Cohen is an actress and a filmmaker. She was born and raised in Israel and works as a Jewish educator focusing on Hebrew teaching, Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutoring, Modern Judaism, Israeli Spirit, and Film-related topics. She has been working with students of all ages, all around the United States.
Ran Livneh
Ran is a musician and teacher, born and raised in Zichron Yaakov, Israel.
Since moving to Brooklyn in 2012 Ran has been teaching Hebrew, Judaism and music around the city and with the School for Creative Judaism.
Ran brings to his students an open minded and personal approach together with mindfulness, music, movement and art.
Ariel Nassau
Ariel recently moved to NYC and have been working as a Hebrew and Judaics teacher for congregations all over the city.
He was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. where he studied at a Jewish school from Kindergarten to high school. This is where he created a strong connection with Israel, Judaism, and the Hebrew language. After high school, he spent one year in Israel working and studying.
Ariel likes reading, watching documentaries, playing sports and listening to music.
Yotam Ben-Or
Yotam Ben-Or was born and raised in Nataf, a small village in the Jerusalem area, to a Belgian mother and Israeli father. He first started taking piano lessons around the age of 10 with his uncle who gave him a harmonica. Ben-Or was intrigued by the small and unique instrument which quickly became his main focus in life. In middle school Ben-Or was asked to choose a different instrument and he picked up the saxophone, but with the harmonica always in his back pocket. Around the age of 17 he went back to focusing on mastering the harmonica which has stayed his main instrument ever since alongside other instruments he's studying and using to compose such as piano, percussion instruments, and more. After graduating from the Academy for Music and Dance High School in Jerusalem he moved to Tel-Aviv to attend the collaborative program of the New School in NY and the TLV Music Conservatory. In 2014 at the age of 21 Ben-Or moved to NY after receiving a full scholarship to finish his BA at the New School for Jazz. Since moving to NYC, Ben-Or has performed with his group and as a sideman at prestigious venues and festivals in town such as: Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Bric JazzFest, Blue Note, and more. He also toured and performed at well-known venues and festivals in Europe and Mexico such as: Le Duc des Lombards, Festival Da Jazz St. Moritz, Tel-Aviv Piano Festival, and Polanco Jazz Festival to name a few.
Ben-Or has been teaching music privately and in groups since the age of 17. Due to his genuine connection and interest in the biblical text and history, sociology, and language in general, in 2022 Ben-Or joined the School for Creative Judaism as a teacher.
Tal Mashiach
Tal Mashiach is a Grammy nominated multi-instrumentalist, performer and composer based in Brooklyn, New York, combining his skills to create one of the most prominent and original voices in the world\Jazz music scene.
Born in Israel in 1993, Tal studied classical guitar from age 10 and began studying double bass at the age of 17. At the age of 18 Tal won First prize at the national guitar competition at the “Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance” and received annual scholarships from the “America - Israel Cultural Foundation” for classical & jazz studies.
Upon receiving a full scholarship to the prestigious university “The New School'' Mashiach moved to New York in 2015. He has performed and recorded with leading artists in the scene such as Anat Cohen, Avishai Cohen, Mulatu Astatke, Jeff Ballard, Nasheet Waits, Jason Lindner, Ravi Coltrane, Justin Brown, Shai Maestro, Omer Avital in a highly renowned venues such as Carnegie hall, Blue note NY, Newport Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center, Pit inn Tokyo, SFJAZZ , Umbria Jazz, Montreal jazz festival and others.
As a band leader Tal formed various projects to fulfill his diverse musical vision;
“TM Street Band”- a funky world music party band, which brings out Tal's inner child playfulness, fusing genres with no borders. TM Street Band has toured Europe and plays frequently in New York clubs.
“GTO Trio” a contemporary Jazz trio co-leaded with pianist Gadi Lehavi & drummer Ofri Nehemya. the Trio has toured in Japan, Europe played at the blue note NYC and headlined the international Jerusalem jazz festival.
Tal’s most recent project “Tiyul”- an intimate solo album featuring his original compositions on classical guitar and it is coming out on March 2022 on the boutique label “Anzic Records” (Anat Cohen, Avishai Cohen, Third World Love, Anat Cohen, “Now Vs Now” )