Rooted in service: Yikara Levari’s two-decade path to leading Hillel Academy
'I try to embrace where kids are and then help them grow further. That's what Hillel Academy did for me, and that's what I try to do'
It’s not quite a Horatio Alger tale, but Yikara Levari’s rise to becoming Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh’s principal is worth retelling. Announced weeks ago as the Jewish day school’s newest educational leader, Levari’s institutional service began 20 years ago as a part-time supervisor for morning prayers.
Levari and her husband had just moved to Pittsburgh for his internal medicine residency. Then pregnant with her first child, Levari said she thought about attending the University of Pittsburgh for a master’s in social work but decided the timing wasn’t right.
She’d previously considered the profession. Before getting married, and spending three years teaching in Israel, Levari was accepted to Columbia University’s School of Social Work. But with a baby on the way, and a new life ahead of her in Pittsburgh, Levari decided to pause again.
Her plan changed on a Shabbat morning at Shaare Torah Congregation when she was asked about subbing at Hillel Academy.
She agreed, only to discover the position was for physical education. “I was eight months pregnant, and I’m not a gym teacher, so I said, ‘No, but I really love teaching.’”
During her time in Israel, Levari regularly taught at seminaries. On trips to the U.S., she routinely lectured at synagogues and partnered with individuals of all ages and abilities to study Jewish texts.
Levari eventually asked to deliver a model lesson at Hillel Academy. School administrators welcomed her interest. Shortly thereafter, she entered a ninth grade girls’ classroom.
“I remember that it was great. I loved it. I loved prepping for it,” she said.
Levari delivered her model lesson in May 2005. The school year was virtually over. She was told no guaranteed positions existed for the fall. Levari delivered her baby in June. Her husband began his residency.
“Things were busy and I didn’t think anything had worked out at Hillel Academy, but I got a call when the school year started asking if I would come in and supervise davening in the morning,”she recalled.
Levari agreed, arranged childcare with her mother-in-law and began supervising morning prayers for middle school students. After the physics teacher quit a few weeks later and a Jewish studies teacher with a science background became the physics teacher, there was an opening for a 7th grade Jewish studies instructor. Administrators asked Levari to take the role. She acquiesced. Months later, a 10th grade teacher went on maternity leave, which created another vacancy. Administrators asked Levari to fill the gap. She agreed again.
For the next couple of years, she taught two or three classes in the middle school and high school, and “loved it,” she said.
Levari’s family grew, as did her connection to the school. Through various endeavors, she found new ways of contributing to students’ growth. When the student activities coordinator moved, Levari quickly adopted the role.
“I laugh, and my high school friends laugh about that, because I was never the one who liked games and programs,” she said.
Whether it was planning Chanukah parties, Rosh Chodesh activities, weekend retreats or the biennial high school production, Levari continued connecting with young learners and bolstering student affairs.
An educational consultant working with the school at the time convinced her to reimagine her position. She wasn’t simply planning activities, she remembered him saying; she had become the dean of students.
Even without the title, Levari held the role for years. Growth continued. When the principal of the girls high school went on maternity leave, several individuals covered her duties. Levari managed logistics.
“It was this puzzle, from start to finish, where everything has to work in sync,” she said.
Levari oversaw scheduling and continued serving as a liaison between students, parents and the school.
With the encouragement of local educational leaders, Levari began a master’s in educational administration at Duquesne University.
“I loved it,” she said. “I loved going back to school and learning.”
Levari completed her degree in 2012. After Rabbi Avrumi Sacks, Hillel Academy’s then-principal, left, her role increased again when she became assistant principal to the girls high school and middle school. Beyond overseeing the entire school’s schedule, she was routinely asked by Hillel Academy’s new principal Rabbi Sam Weinberg and CEO Dan Kraut to weigh-in on school-wide decisions.
“I felt like they always included me, they respected me, but didn’t take advantage of me,” she said. “I loved working with them.”
When Weinberg announced his retirement last spring, Levari was asked to become interim principal.
“I didn’t know what I was saying yes to. I didn’t know what it meant. But I just did it. And every step of the way, Danny [Kraut] has helped me, and people have supported me,” she said.
Weeks ago, the interim title was dropped and Levari was announced as the school’s new principal and educational director.
“Mrs. Levari’s more than 20 years of service to Hillel Academy as a teacher, administrator and parent, together with her outstanding leadership over the past nine months as Interim Principal and Educational Director, have shown us that she embodies all the qualities we sought for this role,” Kraut wrote in an email. “She has demonstrated clear educational vision across all divisions, a deep commitment to Torah and Orthodox values and the ability to build a warm, inclusive culture that reflects the diversity of our community.”
Levari, 43, is well aware of her role. Fewer than 22% of Orthodox Jewish day schools “have women as their senior leader,” according to Prizmah, a network of North American Jewish day schools and yeshivas.
While her journey offers a model for aspiring leaders, Levari hopes people understand she was chosen and has received support from the school’s executive board, “because they saw what I was doing and saw that I’m the best person for the job.”
Though her title has changed, her commitments remain the same, she said. Before accepting the role of principal, she told colleagues she will remain consistent, flexible and communicative, while promoting a love of children and the school’s values.
These traits have served her throughout her two-decade tenure at Hillel Academy and will be the means for collective growth, she said.
“One of my goals is to help kids on the path that they’re on,” she said. “I don’t try to push any one agenda. I don’t try to push any one plan. I try to embrace where kids are and then help them grow further. That’s what Hillel Academy did for me, and that’s what I try to do.”
Aware of the cliché, Levari credited her own teachers, “who opened their houses, opened their hearts, opened their everything to me,” with demonstrating an educational paradigm.
Now 20 years past that model lesson, Levari noted she never imagined a part-time davening supervisor position would lead to principal. She said she’s proud of her professional journey, and what it says not only about her but this community.
“If you’re committed to something and you love what you’re doing — even if it’s the smallest of jobs — you can be successful,” she said. “That’s what got me where I am.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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