MEET THE ZEI EDUCATORS

RABBI JOSHUA SPODEK

Rabbi Joshua Spodek is dedicated to strengthening the connection between the Jewish People, the Land of Israel and the next generation of Jewish leaders through meaningful Zionist education. As Director of the Zionist Education Initiative, the educational engine of Nefesh B’Nefesh, he partners with Jewish schools and educators across North America and Israel to inspire a deep and enduring commitment to Israel, Zionism, and Jewish identity.

A passionate educator and lifelong student, Rabbi Spodek has devoted his career to advancing Jewish education and cultivating vibrant learning communities. His leadership experience spans a variety of roles in Jewish day schools across North America, including serving as Head of School at YULA Girls High School in Los Angeles and as Head of Judaic Studies and Hebrew Language at the Scheck Hillel Community School in South Florida.

Rabbi Spodek received semicha while studying at Yeshivat Shaalvim and earned a master’s degree in School Supervision and Administration from Loyola University Chicago. He also holds professional certifications in Jewish Day School leadership and ASCD curriculum development.

Today, Rabbi Spodek lives in Israel with his wife, Tova, their four children, and their goldendoodle—bringing both professional expertise and personal passion to his work of fostering lifelong connections between North American Jewry and Israel.

Rabbi URI pilichowski

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Rabbi Uri Pilichowski grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. He studied in Mevaseret Zion for eight years, earning a Bachelor of Talmudic Law and Rabbinic Ordination. After receiving his ordination, Rabbi Pilichowski moved to Beverly Hills, CA to become the Assistant Rabbi of the famed Beth Jacob Congregation. After his time in California, Rabbi Pilichowski spent three years in Boca Raton, Florida where he was the Rosh Beit Midrash at Scheck Hillel Community School and one of the Rabbis at The Boca Raton Synagogue.

Rabbi Pilichowski is proud of his involvement with the Pro-Israel community in America. He created the first teen pro-Israel group in the country that taught students to advocate in Congress for a stronger US-Israel relationship. His students gained a national reputation that has even reached the White House.

Rabbi Pilichowski continues to teach his students from Israel via Zoom as the director of Israel Advocacy for Southern NCSY. In July 2014, in the midst of Operation Protective Edge, Rabbi Pilichowski and his family moved back to Israel. He is a columnist at the Jerusalem Post and Jewish National Syndicate. He is the senior educator at Nefesh B’Nefesh and numerous educational institutions.

Rabbi Pilichowski also enjoys writing and speaking. He has been a scholar in residence in synagogues across America, from Richmond, VA to Santa Barbara, CA. Rabbi Pilichowski is happily married to Aliza and has six wonderful children and lives in Mitzpe Yericho.

Torah & Jewish Thought

  • What Are the Borders of Eretz Yisrael?
  • What Is Kedushat Eretz Yisrael?’
  • What Generates the Sanctity of the Land?
  • Is There a Mitzvah to Live in Eretz Yisrael?
  • The Uniqueness of Eretz Yisrael
  • Is Zionism Consistent with the Torah?

Zionism & Jewish Identity

  • What Is Zionism?
  • When Did Zionism Begin?
  • What Are the Goals of Zionism?
  • Is Zionism an Aspect of Judaism?
  • Why Should Israel Exist?
  • Jewish Rights to the Land of Israel
  • The Erroneous Connection Between Israel and the Holocaust

Israel & the Middle East

  • The Geopolitics of the Modern Middle East

Danielle BARTA

Want to learn more? [email protected]

Danielle Barta is a seasoned educator with over 17 years of experience in both formal and informal Jewish and Israel education. She has crafted creative, engaging, and impactful educational programs for students and adults of all ages. With a strong track record of developing unique, fun, and experiential programming, Danielle is passionate about providing participants with diverse approaches to creating, deepening, and sustaining their love for Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael, and Medinat Yisrael. She believes that cultural advocacy is the most effective way to showcase Israel’s contributions to the world and highlight its ongoing potential.

Danielle works as a Global Jewish Education Content Creator at the National Library of Israel. Danielle Aliyah from Teaneck, NJ in 2011 and has a Bachelor’s degree in international relations and global policy from Rutgers University and a Master’s degree in Education from Hebrew University.

Israel, One Sip at a Time
Journey across Israel by tasting wines from its different regions while discovering the geography, landscapes, and climates that make each area unique. It’s a delicious way to explore Israel and see how every region tells its own story through its wine.

Understanding Israeli Duality Through the Art of Yaacov Agam
Discover the many layers of Israeli society through the life and art of Yaacov Agam. Explore the themes of duality that shape Israel’s identity between tradition and innovation, the individual and the collective, East and West, and the sacred and secular, as they appear throughout Israeli society and Agam’s own life. Then, put these ideas into practice by creating your own Yaacov Agam-inspired work of art that captures a duality of your own.

Hatikva: A Song of Hope and Complexity
Explore the story, meaning, and impact of Israel’s national anthem, Hatikva. Listen to multiple versions and interpretations of Hatikva while examining the hopes, challenges, and diverse perspectives it represents within Israeli society. Discover how a single melody can inspire connection, pride, debate, and reflection among different communities.

The Jewish Soul of Israeli Pop Music
Explore Israel’s soundtrack through the biblical verses woven into its most beloved pop songs. Listen to the music, unpack the meanings behind the lyrics, and discover the stories of the artists who bring these songs to life. Through these melodies and messages, uncover how ancient sources continue to inspire modern Israeli culture and how Jewish history, traditions, and values remain a meaningful part of Israeli identity.

Charlotte Korchak

Want to learn more? [email protected]

Charlotte Korchak is the Founder and Senior Educator of the Jerusalem Education Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming how Israel and the Middle East are taught around the world. An accomplished speaker specializing in Israeli history, communication, and antisemitism, she captivates audiences with a passionate style and an ability to break down complex topics into clear, accessible ideas.

Having grown up in both the United States and Israel during the Second Intifada, Charlotte brings firsthand experience of the conflict. She earned her BA in Middle Eastern History from the University of Southern California, where she also participated in the StandWithUs Emerson Fellowship. She began at StandWithUs in 2010, ultimately serving as International Senior Educator, engaging over 50,000 students annually across five continents.
Often described as a “walking encyclopedia,” Charlotte’s 15 years of experience leave audiences informed, empowered, and more confident in engaging with complex issues.

Charlotte has recently joined the ZEI team of educators and will represent ZEI on the ground in North America.

  1. Israel Education 101: Mastering the Fundamentals
  2. Understanding Israel, Zionism, and the Jewish Story
  3. Common Misconceptions About Israel and Zionism, Anti-Zionism and Modern Antisemitism
  4. Effective Communication and Civil Dialogue on Israel
  5. Words That Work: Communicating Across Differences
  6. Hamas, Gaza, and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
  7. October 7: Understanding the Events and Their Aftermath
  8. The Evolution of Hamas and Israel’s Response
  9. The History, Identity, and Future of Zionism

Ariella Fogelman

Want to learn more? [email protected]

Ariella is a Jerusalem-born tour guide with a passion for bringing history to life. Raised in the United States and later returning to Israel, her journey into guiding began on an archaeological dig in Beit Guvrin, where she spent four years excavating and helping visitors experience history firsthand. Today, Ariella leads Birthright groups, youth programs, and volunteer tours across Israel, creating engaging experiences for a wide range of audiences.

Her background as a Jewish history teacher and her deep love of archaeology shape a style that is both educational and immersive. In recent years, she has developed specialty tours for children in Jerusalem using interactive, play-based experiences, and expanded her reach through short-form historical videos on social media. Driven by a passion for Jewish history and biblical archaeology, Ariella brings energy, clarity, and heart to every tour.

Ariella has recently joined the team of ZEI Educators and will be giving classes and leading tours throughout Israel.
She lives in Jerusalem with her husband and two children.

Family & Children’s Tours

  1. Magic Passport Tour
  2. Kings & Coins – City of David Adventure
  3. Tower of David & Ramparts Walk
  4. Custom Family Tours
  5. Beyond the Walls – Family Edition

 

Adult Tours

  1. Secrets of the Jewish Quarter
  2. Temple Mount Exploration
  3. City of David & Pilgrimage Road
  4. Mahane Yehuda Market Tasting Tour
  5. Mahane Yehuda Nightlife Tour

 

Beyond Jerusalem
* The Dead Sea and Judean Desert
* Joining an active archaeological excavation at Tel Maresha (Beit Guvrin National Park)
* Crawling through the fascinating Bar Kokhba caves
* Biblical landscapes, nature hikes, wineries, and more

book a tour

Nachliel Selavan

Want to learn more? [email protected]

Nachliel Selavan (@themuseumguyisrael) is an educator, museum guide, and storyteller who leads museum tours across Israel. He grew up in the Old City of Jerusalem — an environment that sparked his lifelong passion for connecting Tanach and Jewish history to the Land of Israel.

His first museum tour took place in 2015 with middle school students, an experience that transformed his approach to education. Since then, he has developed what he calls “sTOURytelling”: connecting Tanach, history, art, archaeology, and Eretz Yisrael to create meaningful, interdisciplinary learning experiences. Since that first tour, he has guided hundreds of tours across nearly two dozen museums in the United States, Europe, and Israel.

Nachliel sees the present era as the most extraordinary time in Jewish history, while also feeling a deep personal connection to the early waves of modern Zionist immigration (1882–1947), especially the First Aliyot. His great-grandfather arrived during the Third Aliyah, helped drain swamps, and dedicated his life to Hebrew education and literature—an example of the challenges and achievements that shaped modern Israel.

Everything runs in English and Hebrew and adapts to age group (kids, teens, adults, families) unless noted.

Museum tours (Israel Museum / Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem)

  1. A Culture Clash — Hellenism vs. Judaism (Chanukah)
  2. Age of Empires — Assyria & Babylon; currently running at the Bible Lands Museum with a focus on the new exhibition “As Soon as the War is Over”
  3. Leaving Egypt in the 21st Century (Pesach)
    Festivals of Tishrei — Rosh Hashana through Simchat Torah
  4. The Four Kingdoms — Nebuchadnezzar’s dream & Daniel’s vision
  5. Avraham’s Journey — from the Ancient Near East to the Middle East
  6. What was Herzl’s Favorite Emoji? — Zionist art & archaeology
  7. A Winter’s Tale — exploring the winter holidays in the Jewish calendar
  8. The Third Side of the Coin — ancient coins & economics
  9. A Magical Night in the Museum — evening special
    Custom tour on any theme

Museum workshops for teams and educators, and VIP exclusive tours.

 

Lectures & classes (in person or on Zoom)

  1. In the Days of Achashverosh — the Persian Empire & Purim
  2. Into Darkness — the destruction of Jerusalem 10 TEvet and Chanukah)
  3. A Tour of Ancient Egypt (multi-part)
  4. Tisha B’Av: A Tour of Four Sites
  5. Meet the Persians / The Return to Zion (Purim series)
  6. Tu Bishvat in Mesopotamia

 

Hands-on workshops

  1. The Ancient Hebrew Alphabet — epigraphy workshop for families and kids (ages ~6–8 and up, with help from an older writer for the youngest)
  2. Make Your Own Seal — sculpt a personal seal in the ancient style (Fimo clay); new!
  3. Hieroglyphics Workshop for Kids
  4. The Power of the Place — Tanach map workshop for educators (presented in Israel, the US and Moscow)

 

Special programs

Biblical Brewing — beer, bread & the ancient world (adults). Includes tastings; arranged per group, ask me for details.