Our Staff

Rabbi Eyal Rav-Noy

Eyal Rav-Noy is director of JLA where he has developed an array of classes on topics related to Judaism, specifically courses on the Bible, Biblical Criticism, and Biblical Archeology. He has lectured all over the U.S. on the intellectual shortcomings of these scholarly fields. A native of Israel who has studied at various rabbinical seminaries, and at age 24, he began teaching Torah classes as a hobby. Since then, Eyal has developed an array of classes on all topics related to Judaism and has lectured all over the U.S. He specializes in explaining Judaism to the uninitiated.

Eyal is the co-author of the book “Who Really Wrote the Bible? And Why it Should Be Taken Seriously Again,” and has developed cutting edge courses on this topic. Eyal is creator of CAP IT! Judaism, a new and cutting edge method of teaching Judaism. He has also taught hundreds of people how to read Hebrew, and together with his wife, Tzippy, has developed a new method of teaching Hebrew reading called CAP IT! Hebrew. When he is not working or spending time with his family, Eyal enjoys running marathons and playing guitar.

Tzippy Rav-Noy

Tzippy Rav-Noy is JLA’s Program Director. She has taught and held administrative positions in elementary schools in Los Angeles, New York and Israel, and has worked with kids of all ages for 15 years. Together with her husband Eyal, she created CAP IT! Hebrew, a new and unique method of teaching children and adults how to read Hebrew.

Lisa Ansell

Lisa received her B.A. in French and Near East Studies from UCLA; her M.A. in Middle East Studies from Harvard, was the Chair of the World Language Department for the past five years, and taught Hebrew, French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic. She is currently the Associate Director of the USC Casden Institute at the University of Southern California.

Mrs. Orit Nissan-Greenfield

Orit is a Hebrew native speaker, and has been teaching Modern Hebrew for over 15 years. Orit works within the student's immediate understanding towards a pragmatic use of the language, as opposed to organizing lessons mechanically determined by text books. Her “face to face” approach offers the student a unique and real learning experience.

Lida Esfandi

Lida is JLA’s assistant office manager. She received her B.A. in French from National University and her Paralegal Certificate from U.C.L.A. extension. She worked as a Legal Assistant for the most prominent lawyers in L.A. for over 30 years and currently is helping with the day to day operation of JLA.