"The Industry's Bluff Exposed: My Office Is the Kindergarten Clusters, and the Assistant Is Queen"

Amitai, how does a teacher of the Oral Torah become an education entrepreneur managing hundreds of employees? Where did it all begin?

It starts with my roots. I grew up in Moshav Ahiezer, in a family of rabbis, teachers and educators. One of my uncles is the rabbi of the Sdot Dan Regional Council, my uncle Mordechai (my mentor) runs a Talmud Torah school, and my late grandfather was a synagogue rabbi and community leader. The entire environment I grew up in was made up of educators. Serving the community — learning and teaching — came naturally from home. From there, it was clear that I would continue the tradition and pursue a bachelor's degree in teaching. I am a graduate of the Moreshet Yaakov hesder yeshiva, which I see as a unique incubator and training ground for Israel's managers and educators. The move into entrepreneurship grew out of a desire to take the educational values I champion and grew up with, and embed them in large systems. The values of giving and kindness — seeing every person and believing in everyone, finding the good and the potential for self-fulfilment in every educator on the ground. Working from the heart with educational teams, truly seeing them and the difficulties and challenges in every kindergarten group or classroom. A teacher, kindergarten teacher or assistant also needs an adult who believes in her, guides her and strengthens her.

From there, you went on an educational mission to Australia. The selection process is tough, especially with the language barrier. How did you get through it?

Are you asking how a Yemenite boy from Ahiezer suddenly ends up on the other side of the world? The selection process was indeed intensive, and English was a challenge too. Fortunately, the Melbourne community is very strong, close-knit and Zionist. What mattered to them was my Torah knowledge, my ability to express Torah ideas, the colour I bring to a lesson, and my ability to draw students in, captivate them and talk to them about Judaism from the heart.

Was there someone who believed in you when not everyone saw your potential?

They say that 'every child needs one adult who believes in them'. For me, that is not a cliché — it is my reality. When I went through the selection process, there was one rabbi who fought for me, believed in me and told me: 'They need your Torah knowledge and your energy.' He saw what not everyone saw. That is the approach I apply today at Kfir After-School Programmes. My teams need me to believe in them. When I believe in a team and genuinely back it, it can create an incredible educational environment for the children.

What was the defining moment for you during that mission?

The most moving moment was when a 24-year-old man suddenly walked into the study hall and said: 'Hello, I discovered yesterday that I'm Jewish. What does that mean?' And you simply start with him from the beginning... Modeh Ani, ritual handwashing, the three patriarchs, the four matriarchs. Who is Rashi? And Rabbi Akiva? To stand there and see someone discover his identity through you — that is a moment that shakes you. Benji and I are still good friends today. On October 7, he was the first person to call me.

What was the biggest management lesson you brought back from Australia to Kfir After-School Programmes in Israel?

I returned with a burning belief that things can and must be different. The significant turning point came at Yavneh in Melbourne, where I saw that educators could be treated completely differently, and realised that it starts with us, the managers. The way we treat our teams is passed on to parents and children. When an assistant is happy, the child is happy; when she is sad, the child is sad. So I came to put things right: with us, the assistant is queen. She is the mother and the heart of the after-school programme.

Of all the areas of education, you chose to enter the eye of the storm: after-school programmes. What don't we know about the system?

Something people don't know is the bluff — local authorities are being sold an illusion. An education department head signs with a company, and then the owner disappears into an air-conditioned office and sends coordinators into the field. I refuse to sit in an air-conditioned office. My office is the kindergarten clusters. Education is here and now, solving problems in real time. I am the chief of staff at the front, leading by example, not in an ivory tower. Thanks to my wife, Miri Levi, a lawyer with a master's degree who expertly manages the office, payroll, suppliers and insurance, I am free to be 100% in the field. On July 1, in the peak of the heat, I make rounds from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, moving from kindergarten to kindergarten and classroom to classroom to fix and fine-tune things in real time.

Finally, what advice would you give a parent choosing an after-school programme for their child?

Don't just look at the brochure. Look the team in the eyes. Matching a kindergarten teacher with an assistant is critical; if there is no chemistry and they are not a cohesive team, the children will feel it immediately and pay the price. Connecting and uniting the team is essential to the kindergarten's success and the children's happiness. If there is a manager who lives the day-to-day work and takes personal responsibility for every pairing and every smile, you can sleep soundly.