The head of the new Amitim program, an initiative of AMIT and Bar-Ilan University, Halevi has been active in the field of education for over 22 years as a teacher, lead educator, and school administrator. He has authored two books on education and administration: “Being a Teacher: Chapters in Inspiring Education” and “Managerial Resilience: To Thrive in the Face of Management Challenges.” After serving as an emissary for the Jewish Agency for four years in the United States, Halevi returned to direct the middle school of the AMIT Eliraz Yeshiva and AMIT Setkar, a religious high school in Modi’in.

“I decided to pursue education because it is the most important profession in the world,” explains Halevi. “There is no other profession that allows you to be a real part of shaping society and shaping the generation in the deepest and truest sense of the word.” Halevi credits his interest in teaching to a teacher he had in high school, Dr. David Abuderham, whom he still calls a dear friend today, and who was one of his early employers when he began working as a history teacher after completing his studies.

Halevi is a graduate of the Mandel School for Educational Leadership, a joint venture of the Mandel Foundation and Israel’s Ministry of Education, and holds a doctorate in education administration.

“There is a saying that people won’t remember what you said, but will never forget how you made them feel,” Halevi shares. “The teachers I remember from my past are the ones who made me feel welcome and belonged, who cherished me, respected me, and saw me as an individual.” He remembers his third and fourth grade teacher, who showed her love for him by giving him roles to play. He remembers his seventh grade teacher, who accompanied him when his father passed away that year. These examples of kindness toward students have carried through into his work at AMIT and the training he hopes to pass on to his students.

With Amitim, Halevi’s goal is to enlighten future teachers about what the education field is really about. He has a deep-seated desire to change the training model and create teachers who have three central and important elements: humane (a mensch), professional (a pedagogue), and inspirational (a role model). “Any teacher who lacks one of these elements is a teacher who lacks a central component of his professional personality,” he says.

“It is impossible to teach today the way it was taught in my generation,” explains Halevi. “The children live in a different reality, with technology having changed their ability to focus, but it has also given them exceptional tools. They need teachers who understand their language and know how to direct and guide them to success.”

Halevi believes that to reach their students effectively, teachers must continually learn and innovate in their field. And they’ll have to: According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, there will be a 30 percent increase in the number of students in Israel in the coming years. This increase in students will require parallel growth in the number of quality teachers dedicating their careers to the youth of Israel.

According to Halevi, both AMIT and Amitim seek to be beacons of innovation: “The goal of the network is to design a model of a teacher from the foundation and also to have constant renewal to improve performance in the field and increase the range of teachers.”

Halevi follows his own advice and prioritizes hands-on experience in order to grow. Not only is he overseeing the program, but he also plans to teach a holistic and comprehensive course along with Amitim’s other director, Dr. Tamar Chen-Levi, to create opportunities for exceptional teachers to advance their careers within the academy.

There is a lot of work to be done, especially when you’re innovating a centuries-old profession. Halevi will never be satisfied with the status quo, and he finds himself surrounded by a group of exceptional professionals and educators who feel the same way. Thanks to their efforts, the future of our children is becoming increasingly promising.

Halevi lives with his wife, Shlomit, and their three daughters in Petach Tikvah.