GAL COHEN

What brings you the most joy as a teacher?
When my students are deeply engaged in their art making, feeling empowered by it and not wanting to stop making it!

What has been your most formative Jewish experience?
Moving from Israel to New York and raising my children within the American Jewish community has been deeply formative. Living between cultures has made me think more intentionally about what Judaism means to me and what traditions and values I hope to pass on. It has shown me that Judaism is not only something we inherit, but something we actively create through community, learning, hospitality, and caring for one another.

Who or what inspired you to be a teacher?
Life, art, motherhood- all led me to teaching. My art practice and my teaching practice go hand in hand, nourishing each other in so many ways.

Tell us something interesting about your family’s Jewish roots.
My maternal grandparents were born in China. My paternal grandparents were born in North America. One generation above them (my great-grandparents) all fled pogroms in Russia. One generation below them (my parents) were all born in Israel. I find it very interesting, these journeys. Now I'm back in the US, after my grandparents made Aliyah in the 1950s.