JNF NSW announces educator of the year

JNF NSW has named Janice Behrmann its Educator of the Year, recognising her decades of commitment to Jewish education and her work in strengthening young people’s connection to Israel.

The award was presented at JNF NSW’s recent annual general meeting, where three awards were given to community members whose work reflects JNF’s focus on education, leadership and commitment to Israel.

Behrmann, who has taught at Moriah College for 29 years after running her own preschool in South Africa, said she was stunned to receive the award.

“I was totally surprised. I absolutely couldn’t believe it. It really was a total surprise,” she said.

JNF NSW Education Coordinator Hilli Lam said Behrmann was “the kind of educator every community hopes to have”.

“Her warmth, positivity, and genuine love for teaching are felt by everyone around her,” Lam said.

Behrmann was part of the 2025-26 JNF Educators Tour to Israel, where she visited communities and projects connected to JNF’s work, including in the Arava. She said the tour changed her understanding of JNF’s work in Israel.

“To me, JNF was very good; they planted beautiful trees, which are very necessary. But the amount of work and the things they have done in Israel just blew my mind,” Behrmann said.

“They are unbelievable, and I just wanted to do anything I could with JNF.”

Lam said Behrmann approached the tour with curiosity, enthusiasm and a determination to bring what she learnt back to her students.

“Throughout the JNF Educators Tour to Israel, she approached every experience with curiosity, enthusiasm, and an incredible desire to learn, not for herself alone, but for her students,” Lam said.

Behrmann said the eight-day tour made a deep impression on her.

“Those eight days that I spent with JNF were, I could say, the best time of my life. It was absolutely unbelievable,” she said.

“I have been to Israel quite a few times, but always to family. I never really saw Israel. To really see Israel like we did on the JNF tour was fantastic.”

Behrmann told JWire she was amazed by the resilience of communities in the Arava, the innovation helping transform the desert and the impact of JNF’s work across Israel.

“Definitely the Arava, the desert, the vegetables that they grow. They should go in a book because they are so magnificent,” she said.

She said the work being done for communities from the Gaza envelope also stayed with her.

“The recuperation centres from the areas near Gaza were unbelievable. The gardens, the lectures and everything there really stayed with me,” she said.

Lam said what stood out was how quickly Behrmann turned those experiences into classroom learning.

“What impressed me most was how quickly she transformed those experiences into meaningful learning opportunities back in the classroom,” Lam said.

“Janice understands that education is about bringing ideas to life, and she has a remarkable ability to inspire young people to connect with Israel, their Jewish identity, and the world around them.”

Since returning to Australia, Behrmann has shared the experience with her young students at Moriah’s Dover Road campus through stories, discussions and lessons about the Arava and JNF’s work in strengthening communities and supporting Israel’s future.

“We were asked to do a project, which I did with my children at school,” Behrmann said.

“They are only four-year-olds, but they were so enthusiastic and loved the project on the Arava.”

“We did experiments to show desalination and drip irrigation. I thought they were too small, but they were so involved.”

She said the learning had continued beyond the project.

“We have planted seeds and we are always talking about Israel and what they have done there,” she said.

Behrmann said teaching remained central to her life.

“I love teaching and I can’t think of giving up,” she said.

“You can’t do it if you don’t love it. It’s something that you have to love.”

Lam said Behrmann’s influence had extended across generations of students.

“Her passion, energy, and dedication have impacted generations of students, and she is deeply deserving of this recognition,” Lam said.

“We are incredibly proud to honour her as JNF Educator of the Year.”

JNF NSW thanked Behrmann for her contribution to Jewish education, her commitment to Israel and the many students whose lives she has shaped.

Also honoured on the night were Isaac Abrahams, who received the Sylvia Smaller-Winnikow Award for outstanding service by a young volunteer, and Robert Emanuel, who was named 2025 Blue Box Collector of the Year for more than 30 years of service to JNF and Israel.