Talya Wiseman

Talya is the Head of Jewish Life at Moriah College High School and the Director of IST. She is passionate about Jewish education and deepening students’ connection to Judaism and Jewish Peoplehood through meaningful experiences. 

Talya grew up in Perth and has worked at Jewish Schools in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

Rabbi Gad Krebs

Rabbi Krebs is the College Rabbi. Prior to his commencement at Moriah, he was a congregational Rabbi for over 16 years and is also a qualified psychotherapist and conflict mediator. Rabbi Krebs’ association with Moriah dates back to his involvement with the Experiential teams from 1998-2006. Since then, Rabbi Krebs has been involved in an impressive array of communal initiatives and projects, including regularly presenting workshops, on a variety of topics, to students and staff at the College. He is a passionate Zionist and has served in the IDF. He has 4 children, 2 of whom currently live in Israel. Rabbi Krebs is excited to share his love of the land, the people and our heritage with our community, both on IST as well as in the College in general.

Catherine  Kaissis

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Ben Potash

Ben Potash

Ben graduated from Moriah College in 2021 and spent his gap year in Israel on Bnei Akiva’s Limmud program. Since returning to Sydney, Ben has been an integral part of Moriah’s Experiential Department of Jewish Education (EDJE), where he designs and leads creative programming, school assemblies, and major events. He has also served as a Rosh on Counterpoint for several years, shaping meaningful experiences for students across all year groups.

Outside of Moriah, Ben is pursuing a Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication at Torrens University. Ben’s own IST experience was one of the highlights of his time at school, and he’s thrilled to return this year as a Madrich. He can’t wait to share this journey with the Year 10s, helping them connect deeply with Israel, Jewish identity, and each other.

Levi Hoffman

Levi graduated from Kesser Torah College in 2019 before spending a year learning at Yeshiva Gedolah of Australia and New Zealand. Since then, he has been deeply involved in the Jewish community, serving as a Counter Point leader for four consecutive years and as a valued member of Moriah’s Tefillah departments. Professionally, Levi is set to begin his career as a Graduate Structural Engineer at a leading multi-national firm in 2026, bringing the same passion, dedication, and leadership he shows in his communal roles.

One of Levi’s most cherished memories from KTC was participating in the Year 10 Israel Experience Tour (IET), an experience that profoundly shaped his connection to Judaism and Israel. He later returned as an IET Madrich in 2022, which further ignited his aspiration to lead on IST. Levi’s goal is to inspire students to take pride in their Jewish identity and discover their personal connection to Judaism while journeying together through Eretz Yisrael, our eternal homeland.

Timna Taub

Timna graduated from Moriah College in 2021 and went to Israel on Bnei Akiva’s MTA Program in 2022, where she studied at Midreshet Harova for a year. Following her year in Israel, Timna returned to Sydney to give back to the Jewish community. She has been a madricha and in leadership positions at Bnei Akiva for three years as well as being a Tefilla leader at Moriah and Madricha on Counterpoint. Timna is currently in her final year of studying a Bachelor of Design in Interior Architecture at UTS. Timna’s own IST experience was a highlight of her time at school, further developing her love for Israel and the Jewish people through this incredible experience. Timna cannot wait to be a part of IST, to share this incredible journey alongside the year 10s, making meaningful connections with each student while continuing to learn about our homeland

Nathan Compton

Ruby Patterson-Jordan

Tsila Salomon

Rafi Franklin

Rafi graduated from Kesser Torah College in 2020, and went on Bnei Akiva’s MTA gap year program in 2022, studying at Yeshivat Har Etzion, which deepened his love for Torah and Israel.
Rafi has been a madrich in Bnei Akiva for the past four years, serving as State Director in 2024 and taking on the role of Federal Gap Year Coordinator in 2025. He also worked in the Jewish Life Experiential Department at Masada College (2024–2025), creating programming and leading Pathways camps.

Currently, Rafi is studying Business & Creative Intelligence and Innovation at UTS, while continuing his commitment to informal Jewish education. After being a madrich on Counterpoint in 2023 and 2024, he’s now thrilled to join IST as a madrich for Year 10.
Rafi is passionate about giving back to the community that has given him so much and can’t wait to create an unforgettable experience on IST. He’s excited to meet everyone and make this trip truly amazing!

Irit Bennissan

Gavin Robinson

Gavin graduated in 2022 and spent his gap year in Israel, where he took part in a range of experiential programs including volunteering with Magen David Adom. He is now studying a Bachelor of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering at UTS.

Gavin has been involved in the Jewish community for many years. He has taken on leadership roles at Maroubra Synagogue and is currently Rosh Maroubra at Bnei Akiva. Through his leadership, Gavin aims to inspire the next generation with a love for tradition, Israel, Jewish values, and community.

One of Gavin’s favourite memories from Israel was his very first Friday night there, going to shul and hearing everyone praying together, the unity and warmth of it was truly heartwarming and made him feel deeply connected and feel at home. Gavin is excited to be part of IST this year and looks forward to creating the same sense of connection and sharing his passion for Israel with the Year 10 group!