Dan Oryan had a lot of goals growing up as a young Israeli boy living in Jerusalem. The second child of four siblings, he thought he might become a writer. After taking piano lessons, he wanted to become a pianist, but, he didn’t practice hard enough. Dan then developed a love for literature because his father read him books before going to sleep at night. Today, Dan tries to read a chapter or two of a book to his son, Roi, who is 12 years old.
During his high school years, Dan took gymnastics and was pretty good at it. But, not good enough to become a master gymnast. In his last year of school, Dan was invited to take part in a delegation going to the United States as a young ambassador. He was given the region of upstate N.Y. (Syracuse), and New Haven, Connecticut. He and another student traveled and shared about their life in Israel.
After high school, Dan served four years in the army, including an officer’s course. He had already learned Arabic in high school and became more proficient during his army service. Once he finished his training in the IDF, Dan went to Hebrew University and received a degree in Russian studies and other languages. He learned French, Italian, and German, and strengthened his Arabic while studying literature.
Dan’s interest in Russia began in his teen years when he volunteered to help new immigrants who had come to Israel on mass Aliyah from the former Soviet Union. Every week he would visit a Russian family. Today, Dan tries to encourage his children to volunteer in the same way.
By Carrie Hart, Mayim - Jerusalem Correspondent
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