In 1996 The National Authority for Yiddish Culture was founded to develop, nurture and enable the continuation of Yiddish culture. Five years ago, with the Authority mired in debt, then Minister of Culture and Sport, Limor Livnat appointed Dr. Sara Ziv, a respected educator, to chair the organization with the mission of putting the Authority back in order. Ziv studied Yiddish at Bar Ilan University before going on to do her doctorate, which dealt with Yiddish at the time of the early settlement of the Land of Israel. She also holds a second PhD in teacher training, and continues to head the International Channelat the MOFET Institute for Teacher Training, a nonprofit supported by the Ministry of Education. With the Authority’s books now balanced, Ziv says it is now going “full steam ahead in reaching for its goals and it has already made some impressive achievements.”