My background in Jewish Studies is broad based, having studied at some of the finest higher institutions of Jewish Studies in Israel, including a BA in Jewish History and Jewish Philosophy from the University of Tel Aviv and higher post graduate Rabbinic -Yeshiva studies. My command of Hebrew and English is equal I am qualified to teach Torah( six variants), Haftarah, High Holiday, and Megilat Esther tropes.

For the past two decades, I served as a lead Jewish educator and Tefila (Prayer) Coordinator in several Jewish day schools in the Los Angeles area. In addition, I have served as a principal of a Jewish religious school where I developed many innovative Adult and Family Education programs, some nationally recognized. As an administrator, I have strongly advocated for the introduction and active integration of the Jewish Internet into the classroom.

Over the years, I have tutored hundreds of Bar/Bat Mitzvah students in both trope preparation, and meaningful speeches related to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah candidate’s Torah portion. I have been called upon countless time to lend Jewish spiritual guidance during this period of great angst for both students and families. Notably, I continue to officiate at a number of independent Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremonies as a Chazan (Cantor).

Above all, fostering a warm, nurturing and professional relationship with my students has been the "scarlet thread" which has woven together the many different pieces of my professional Jewish mosaic.

TESTIMONIALS

"Yitzhak is great with children. My daughter was very comfortable with him and when he moved away they stayed in touch regularly. He sent emails of recordings so she could learn melodies and was altogether very available and helpful. We flew him out to lead the cantorial part of the service which couldn’t have gone better. I do not hesitate for a second to hire him. If you’re lucky, he’ll bake you a challah!"

— Dr. Glenn Fischel

"Yitzhak Koren is an extraordinary educator. He has the rare ability to connect with kids at their own levels, while his work with them manages to inspire them to rise to a higher one. Yitzhak's substantial knowledge of Torah and Judaism allows him to bring depth to the experience of studying for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. He is very much in touch with the true meanings of this rite of passage, the significance of which can sometimes be lost in the spectacle of the event. We had a fantastic (and fun) experience working with Yitzhak in preparation for my son's Bar Mitzvah, and I highly recommend him as a teacher."

— Dr. Chava Pollack

"As a six-year term President of a Southern California Conservative Synagogue, I had considerable professional interaction with Mr. Koren as the School Director.  His impressive educational experience, creative teaching methods, his sage wisdom, a sense of humor, a dedicated work ethic and his caring manner, were a perfect fit.  Yitzhak was very successful and beloved by all the parents and students for many years.  He grew the school size exponentially with his talents and educational skills.  As the school grew he came to me with an idea of creating a school library computer lab…the only school in all of Los Angeles with that methodology at that time.  It was his plan to integrate Judaic learning via the internet’s vast amount of Jewish information.  All his students, as did their parents, reacted positively with the computer component of their curriculum.  He does exceedingly well in using computers as a teaching tool. "

— Tzvi Yaakov
San Gabriel Valley, Calif