Every once in a while I use this column to describe someone at AMIT who truly inspires me. Today, that person is Nedavya Naeh, principal at AMIT Florin Taman High School for Boys in Tzfat. Nedavya grew up on a moshav in the Golan; his mother was a Moroccan immigrant, and his father was a farmer. School was difficult for him ‒ with the benefit of hindsight, he now recognizes he was dyslexic. He spent a lot of time outdoors with cattle and crops. For his bar mitzvah, Nedavya said the brachot and his twin brother recited the full parashah.
Before entering the army, Nedavya studied in a mechina (pre-army learning) program. Surprisingly, the hum of the beit midrash and the conversational style of the Talmud, enabled him to learn. In the army, he became a captain. Although he had never received a bagrut diploma, upon his discharge, he got a job teaching 11th and 12th graders. One day, two students told him there was no point in their studying because they would never pass the bagrut. Nedavya made a deal with them. They would study together, be tutored together, and pass the exams together. And, yes, this teacher and his students received their bagrut diplomas together at graduation.
A year and a half ago, Nedavya celebrated the 30th anniversary of his bar mitzvah by reciting the first Aliyah in synagogue after learning the Torah portion with one of his sons. Nedavya has never been afraid to show his own vulnerability and that’s one part of what makes him a great educator.
Eight years ago, Nedavya took over as the principal for the AMIT boys high school in Tzfat. The school had two tracks ‒ a yeshiva with 100 boys and a 40% bagrut pass rate, and a general track with 40 students and a 0% bagrut pass rate. Today, that same school has 600 students, including 100 in special education, and an overall bagrut diploma rate over 90%. What did he do? In his first year he combined the two tracks into one yeshiva because “everyone has challenges and everyone deserves opportunities.” He doubled down on special education. He realized long ago from personal experience that education needs to be tailored to each child and he hires teachers with the same beliefs. He makes sure they receive ongoing training because when adults are growing, kids feel it and respond.
Now that he’s made the Tzfat high school successful, what is Nedavya’s next big dream? He hopes to open an AMIT leadership academy for at risk kids that have dropped out of conventional schools. The school would be open to all ‒ religious, secular, haredi ‒ and employ educators that can inspire, empower, and teach them to reach their full potential. I can’t wait to see it!
