ILANA WEINBERG

What do you enjoy doing with your time outside of work?
SoulCycle, spending time in Central Park, spending time with my husband and two cute kids.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Parenting through the pandemic.

What has been your most formative Jewish experience?
I spent a year in Israel as a volunteer on Project Otzma. It was during the second intifada and it gave me an appreciation for how hard life in Israel truly is. There were rocks thrown at buses I was on and bombs were going off all over that year. I mostly worked teaching English in various settings, but also worked in the waiting room of different children's departments at the hospital in Afula, just playing with kids as they waited for appointments or to be admitted for surgery.

What do you love most about teaching the age you teach?
The growth and development through first grade is exponential - students begin as young children and end as “big kids.” I also love seeing the pieces fall into place and students realizing that they can master a skill, especially reading.