Published: 25 June 2019
Last updated: 5 March 2024
MAYAN SANKER WAS ONE of the only Jews left in Mumbai, and now in Israel, she's often the first and only Indian person Israelis have ever met. But Sanker, who is a teacher and a dancer, waltzes into people's hearts with her Bollywood dance moves, wherever she goes — as the children of Petah Tikva can attest to.
Sanker, 20, came to Israel to teach English with the Masa Israel Teaching Fellows program (MITF); she loves the children's boisterous energy, despite being used to very disciplined Indian students, and says she adores everything about the country, including the bluntness and noisiness of her students and of Israelis in general.
"Israelis say what they think, I like that… sometimes I do encounter rudeness, however," says the young teacher.
"I often get asked, 'why did you come to teach here?' and I answer that these energies (of children) need to be channelled the right way."
FULL STORY A Bollywood love story in Petach Tikva (Ynet)
Photo: Mayan Sanker showing off her Bollywood moves (screen capture)
