Meet Mira Hasofer, Masada’s new principal
Mira Hasofer is the principal at Sydney’s Masada College taking up her role early last month shortly after lockdown.
Mira Hasofer
She served as Head of Carmel Elementary School in Hong Kong for the past decade, taking the school on a transformative journey of growth and development. As a Jewish International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, Carmel has consistently placed in the top five schools in Hong Kong for academic achievement, in a truly challenging and competitive environment.
Mira received a Bachelor of Education with Honours in Jewish Education from the University of Sydney, and taught at Mount Sinai College, Moriah College and Academy BJE, before relocating to Hong Kong where she taught both secular and Jewish Studies at Carmel School, while completing her Master of Education at the University of Hong Kong.
JW: When did you arrive home from Hong Kong?
MH: We arrived in Sydney in mid-June and went from our two-week hotel quarantine to lockdown! It has been a pleasure to return to Sydney and take up my role at Masada College. My return has been filled with so much good. I am surrounded by warmth and kindness. The care and concern shown by strangers and friends alike have helped make for an incredibly positive experience, even going from quarantine straight into lockdown.
JW: When did you start at Masada?
MH: I formally took up the role on 1 July (day 8 of lockdown). Prior to that, I was in close contact with the outgoing Principal, Mr. Martin Tait, who continues for the next few months as part of our transition, and also met many of our stakeholders via Zoom to get a head start.
JW: Has the move impacted on your family?
MH: My husband and I are blessed to have three children. Our eldest son is currently in Hong Kong in his final year of school at Carmel’s Elsa High School and my husband continues to work at an international law firm in Hong Kong. Our second son and our daughter are here in Sydney and have started the new term at Masada College online!
JW: Are you looking forward to a quieter environment following 20yrs of the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong?
MH: Quiet is not my thing. I feel very privileged to call three different places home – Sydney, Hong Kong and Israel. Each place is unique in its offerings, but all three places have a terrific vibe, an energy and their own appeal.
JW: Was the political situation in Hong Kong instrumental to your decision to return to Australia?
MH: When Masada College President, Darryl Dorfan reached out to me about Masada College, I was entering my 18th year in Hong Kong and feeling very blessed and privileged to live in such a diverse and international Jewish community. We had no plans to leave Hong Kong then, and as mentioned, my son and husband continue to live in our Hong Kong family home. The Jewish Community in Hong Kong continues to thrive since its establishment in the late 1800s and has a bright future.
When Darryl contacted me and shared more about the School, I was captivated. Masada had so much in common with my educational philosophy and values. I could sense the College’s alignment with the things that matter the most to me – pride and love for Jewish education and Hebrew, care for the individual and Chesed – kindness, in an environment where the pursuit of excellence is the assumed starting point.
JW:Is eLearning a new experience for you?
MH: I did not at all expect any need to use the skills acquired during 18 months of pandemic restrictions which kept school campuses in Hong Kong mostly closed for the majority of my last 12 months there. As it happened, I arrived with 40 weeks of eLearning experience. I was privileged to be able to quickly call on this experience and apply it to the situation in Sydney, starting from my first day at Masada College.
Our number one priority this term was to ensure that we could launch into and maintain a seamless eLearning program. We drew on my many months of eLearning experience in Hong Kong and were able to apply a full synchronous learning model for K-12.
JW: Have you had communications with staff and students face to face?
MH: While I would have much preferred to meet people face to face, I have been touched by how welcoming the community has been in our online exchanges. Parents have reached out to me and to my family; colleagues have welcomed me over Zoom and who would have believed, important relationships are being built even remotely!
JW: Do you have any exciting plans for the school’s future which you can share with us?
MH: I believe that Masada College is poised to step into its greatness as a leading Jewish Day School, drawing on its strong heritage. The College is proud of the fact that its students and graduates stand out as ‘menches’ and this culture of goodness and appropriate behaviour resonates with families who very much want this for their children. We would like to help them make this happen. Our goal is to dedicate our minds to inquiry, our hearts to compassion and our lives to contributing to every field of human endeavour.
Our focus is on leading the way and delivering excellence each and every day, to draw on our values and heritage, and to allow our past to help shape our future.
Mazaltov Mira on your appointment. My late husband, Morrie Finberg, would have been very proud of your achievements.
Thank you very much Maxine. I often think of Mr Finberg z”l – a role model, a powerhouse, an incredible educator and a man of warmth and kindness. May his memory be blessed.
Shana Tova.