Rafi Banai is a fifth-generation Jerusalemite. He served in the IDF for seven years and spent most of that time as a commanding officer in charge of the unity for Hebrew Language and Jewish Studies for new immigrant recruits. Banai studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as well as at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York where he earned his BA and MA. Banai also received a teaching diploma from a college in Jerusalem. An expert in teaching Hebrew as a foreign language, Banai served as a Ministry of Education supervisor, taught Hebrew at Hunter Colege and at JTS. He also supervised the Jewish Agency's Ulpan program in the USA. Banai served as the director of the publication and curriculum division of the education department of the Jewish Agency and conducted hundreds of in-service teacher training programs in Israel and abroad as well as published numerous educational materials for teachers and students.