The late Drora Brisman • The mythical educator of the Haifaites

The late Drora Brisman - educator, music teacher at Leo Buck High School

I grew up in a home where classical music was not part of my parents' musical menu, and yet the sounds of Johann Sebastian Bach's Suite No. 2 for flute and orchestra play in my head and give me great pleasure, as well as other works by many other composers.

Teacher for life

I studied at Leo Buck Middle School between 1975 and 1978 and in grades XNUMX-XNUMX I had an unforgettable teacher, out of the ordinary, and even if I use more superlatives here, nothing will describe the strength of the education and study experience I had with Drora Brisman - Morti Chaim.

Drora was a completely different kind of educator, a music and literature teacher rare in her virtues and her love for the fields of knowledge she taught. It was enough to see the expression on her face when she talked to us about Shakespeare or when she played a piece of music for us in class as part of a guided listening lesson, to understand that this is her greatest love.

We also knew that she loved us very much... 40 girls and boys aged 14-13, who were grouped together in a "musical class" (the former scientific one). Drora was single with no children and she devoted herself to our education. She built a unique music program at Leo Buck that included lessons in music history, solfege, harmony, guided listening and choir. All of these were compulsory classes and a lot of investment was required of us within and between the classes. We were required to sing in the choir and the pieces that Drora taught us were always classical.

National choir conference

She made sure to lead us every year to a national choir conference. 120 students (3 musical classes, one in each age group x 40 students in each class) formed a powerful choir. When the series of choirs from other schools took the stage and marveled at the good and beautiful songs of the Land of Israel, it was the turn of Drora's choir and every year it left the hall and the judges quite stunned with a perfect performance of a classical piece for the choir.

And so the love for classical music was planted in us. We listened, analyzed, understood the theoretical framework behind the piece and sang while reading a full score. We received from her work skills and a deep understanding of works, but above all a true love for classical music that entered deep into the soul.

Drora used to invite the students of her class to a class evening in the afternoon at her house

We were always excited for this event. Drora was responsible for the content and we were responsible for the refreshments. At the center of the social gathering at Drora's house was a literary work, we read Shakespeare or Hebrew poetry together and had an open conversation about what we read. Can you imagine this picture of 8th grade teenagers gathering at the home of their class teacher for a class evening and reading a play together? Sounds like a fictional fantasy. Such was Drora and we, her students, connected and it was only years later that we realized what we had received from her.

A special meeting with Drora

I remember one very special meeting with her, when I was in eighth grade. Drora broke her leg and was at home recovering. I asked to visit her and arrived one afternoon equipped with a quality bonbonniere that my mother had provided and I sat down next to her at her house for a chat. Soon our conversation came to the question: "Danny, do you have any thoughts about what you would like to do when you grow up? And I, almost without hesitation, answered her: "I think I would like to be a teacher and educator - you are an inspiration to me." Drora blushed at the compliment but very quickly came to her senses and tried to dissuade me from thinking about engaging in education and teaching. The path of my professional life in the field of education began to take shape in my meeting with Drora.

She will remain in the hearts of her students

This month (January 2024) Drora passed away. She remained in the heart of her students, in whom she invested her whole being, and as one of them who also saw himself developing under her inspiration, I will testify to what Drora gave, I was created as a gift and a cultural treasure for life.

I loved her very much then, throughout the years when we were co-workers and then also as CEO of Leo Buck. May her memory be blessed and kept in our hearts.