About
About 
erzog College
Herzog College is the world’s leading Jewish teacher training college. Established in 1920, it is a center of excellence for teacher training and pedagogical innovation. Over 3,500 students are enrolled at Herzog’s four campuses in Israel, and many more participate in its global online courses and teacher-training seminars throughout the Jewish world.
Our graduates are impacting tens of thousands of school-children each year – as classroom teachers, department heads, school principals, and as policy makers in Israel’s Ministry of Education. Teachers in Jewish schools around the world turn to Herzog Global for innovative training and resources.
Herzog College offers:
- B.Ed. and M.Ed. degree programs in 16 Jewish and secular subject areas.
- Values-based higher education in Torah and contemporary pedagogy techniques.
- Web-based educational platforms designed by our digital pedagogy teams.
- Professional development seminars for teachers in Israel.
- Teacher education for Judaic Studies teachers around the world, in English, Spanish and Russian, through our Herzog Global department.
- Opportunities for academic research and publishing by our faculty members.
Herzog College was established according to the vision of Rabbi Eliezer Meir Lifshitz zt”l, a pioneer in religious teacher training in Israel, and in the spirit of the former Roshei Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, Rabbi Yehuda Amital zt”l and Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein zt”l. The President of Herzog College is Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Brandes.
The Friends of erzog Team
Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Brandes
President, Herzog College
Rabbi Dr. Brandes received Semikhah (ordination) from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and studied Talmud at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, writing his doctorate on the early rules of Talmudic interpretation. His many years in education include teaching at the Shuva women’s seminary in Ofra and the Himmelfarb High School in Jerusalem, where he became head of the Beit Midrash, serving as principal of the Himmelfarb High School, as head of Beit Morasha, the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies and Leadership in Jerusalem, and as one of the founders of Ma’ale School of Television, Film and the Arts.
Professor Brandes is the author of many books and articles on Talmud, Tanakh, Jewish law, education, and Jewish philosophy, mostly published in Hebrew. In his books and in many of his articles, he examines the connection between law and legend in the Talmud, exposing both the philosophical aspects of religious law and practical aspects of the Talmudic legends.
President of Herzog College since 2014, Rabbi Dr. Brandes was recently appointed Chair of Hemed, Israel’s State Religious Education Authority. He is also a member of the religious education board of the Amit Schools Network and chair of the national plenum of Israel’s Bnei Akiva youth movement.
Avydan Bader
Director of Strategic Development
Avydan Bader was Deputy Director of Resource Development and External Relations at Laniado Hospital in Netanya, he worked for four years as Director of Fundraising for the UIA – Keren HaYesod, and was their representative for Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. He has a BA degree in political science and communication from Ariel University, and spent a year working for Bnei Akiva in Madrid, Spain.
Avydan joined Herzog College in January 2023 and is committed to building strong relationships and contributing to the development of another important Israeli institution.
Lauren Green
Donor Relations Administrator
Prior to joining Herzog College Lauren worked as an account manager at the Joint Distribution Committee in the JDC’s Former Soviet Union (FSU) department, and as Donor Affairs Liaison in the International Relations Division of Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center. Lauren brings a unique perspective to her work at Herzog College, with her academic degrees in Psychology and Communication Sciences and Disorders, acquired from McGill University in Canada, before making Aliyah in 2000.
Gila Staum Seeman
English Development Coordinator
Gila has worked extensively in non-profit development, with stints at ALEH/ADI (empowering people with disabilities), Gesher (building a cohesive Israeli society based on dialogue and mutual respect), and in the JDC’s FSU Welfare Department. Gila’s experience in donor cultivation, grant management and oversight are now being brought to bear at Herzog College, where she works to develop partnerships, promote its educational resources and strengthen the teaching of Tanakh and Jewish values worldwide.
Chava Magder Cohen
Senior Resource Development Coordinator
Chava previously worked as Marketing and Recruitment Coordinator at the International School Department of The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and as Media Consultant at Gold PR – a public relations, social and digital media marketing agency. In addition to her background in communication, Chava’s own pedagogical teaching certification and work as shlicha (emissary) at World Bnei Akiva and the Jewish Agency, where she taught Jewish studies in primary school, serve her well in promoting Herzog College’s teacher training programs.
Supporters
Herzog supporters share a commitment to elevating the caliber of Jewish education in Jewish communities around the world and in Israel. We are grateful to the following select individuals and foundations for their generous support.
The Philip and Edith Leonian Foundation
Dr. and Mrs. Noach Prywes in memory of Menahem Prywes, z”l
The Irving Moskowitz Foundation
Meet some of erzog College’s Alumni
