AVODAT HAKODESH NIGHT

AVODAT HAKODESH NIGHT Dinner with the deans of Azrieli, CJF, Revel, RIETS, Wurzweiler and the Masters of Arts in Biblical and Talmudic Interpretation TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY, WILF CAMPUS 6:00-9:30 PM With generous funding from 1

FROM THE ORGANIZERS On behalf of the Yeshiva University Al Pi Darko Society for Future Jewish Educators and with great hakarat hatov to The Center for the Jewish Future, we welcome you to the annual Avodat Hakodesh evening. The Al Pi Darko Society was created because Jewish education is critical to the future of the Jewish people. It is a vehicle that ensures the passing of the Torah to the next generation. Here at Yeshiva University, undergraduate students have progressed from the child and adolescent school years to an institution of higher Torah and secular learning. After graduating, many YU students will assume leadership roles in the Jewish community, functioning as counselors, teachers, tutors, and principals. Some envision for themselves a lifestyle dedicated to educating the next generation in the Jewish tradition. The Al Pi Darko Society was founded to create a forum that would explore core ideas and vital contemporary issues in Jewish education and assist future educators to gain practical skills in their chosen vocation. We plan to accomplish this mission with carefully fashioned panels, workshops, and lectures addressing various topics in the realm of Jewish education throughout the year. Tonight, our unique organization presents a forum that will demonstrate our exact mission, and we hope it will have a profound impact on our audience intellectually and educationally as we address various topics in the realm of Jewish Education and communal work. Sincerely, Ilan Davidovics, Sarah Rosenbaum, and Zahava Rothschild Presidents, Al Pi Darko Society for Future Jewish Educators Al Pi Darko Board Members Isaac Attia Daniel Danesh Ilan Davidovics Josh Fink Alyssa Greenberg Ora Laufer Daniella Lejtman Rebecca Schenker Jenna Spector Sarah Rosenbaum Zahava Rothschild Thank You With deep appreciation to our guest speakers who have generously donated their time and wisdom in the field of Jewish education and communal work to create a meaningful and inspirational evening. May Hashem bless you in all your endeavors Dear Students, Bruchim ha ba im to our fourth annual Avodat Hakodesh Night. We are very excited to present to you an array of opportunities to professionalize your passion in the fields of Jewish education and communal work. This year our lectures have been organized into four categories: 1. Clergy 2. Frontal Education 3. Experiential Education 4. Institutional Work We are grateful to our guest speakers who have volunteered their time to share some wisdom and insights into their work and hopefully inspire you in your career choices. The book of Shemot offers us various models of leadership within Am Israel - prophet and teacher (Moshe), priest (Aharon), prophetess (Miriam) and consultant (Yitro). Each has a unique role in the formation of Am Israel and the integral stages of nurturing a haphazard group of slaves to a nation of free people. Each personality brought a uniqueness to their job that has been recorded in the Torah and expanded upon in the midrashic works of Chazal. We are fortunate to be living in times where our schools and institutions offer a plethora of opportunities to be involved in gratifying, challenging and important work. We hope this evening will inspire you to see yourselves as the future leaders of Am Israel and to build upon a glorious continuum of people who have devoted their lives to our nation and serving Hashem in this world. Wishing you hatzlacha in your exploration, Rabbi Kenneth Brander The David Mitzner Dean, Yeshiva University s Center for the Jewish Future 2

PROGRAM SCHEDULE 6:00 Registration Furst 501 6:15 Opening Remarks Furst 501 6:30-7:15 Session One CLERGY: What Qualities are Communities Looking for in Rabbis/Female Educators? Room 205 With Rabbi Yosef Adler and Mrs. Virginia Bayer Hirt FRONTAL EDUCATION: Panel: The Diverse Stages of Teaching & Learning Room 501 Featuring: Mrs. Divsha Tolinsky, Rabbi Shlomo Hyman, Rabbi Dr. Aaron Ross, Mrs. Rivka Kahan EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION: Panel: The Power of Immersive Experiences Room 213 Featuring: Rabbi Yehuda Rothner, Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, Ms. Aliza Abrams INSTITUTIONAL: Inclusion in the Jewish Community (YACHAD) Room 207 With Dr. Jeff Lichtman 7:15-7:45 Dinner with the Deans Furst 501 CLERGY: Small vs. Large Community Room 205 with Rabbi Ebbin and Rabbi Goldin FRONTAL EDUCATION: Panel: The Diverse Stages of Teaching & Learning Room 501 Featuring: Mrs. Divsha Tolinsky, Rabbi Shlomo Hyman, Rabbi Dr. Aaron Ross, Mrs. Rivka Kahan EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION: Principles and Practices of Outreach Room 213 with Rav Moshe Tzvi Weinberg INSTITUTIONAL: Developing Infrastructure - Fundraising, Boards, Branding Room 207 With Mr. Daniel T. Forman 8:35-9:15 Session Three CLERGY: Pastoral Counseling in Clergy Training Room 205 with Rabbi Marc Penner EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION: Impacting the Formation of Jewish Identity - The Role and Goal of Experiential Jewish Education Room 213 with Mr. Shuki Taylor INSTITUTIONAL: What s Next? The Next Generation of Community Leaders Room 207 Featuring Rabbi Jeremy Stern and Ms. Hindy Poupko Galena 9:20 9:30 PM Closing Remarks 3

GUEST SPEAKERS at The Big Apple Circus for fifteen years from the time of its founding in 1977. She serves on the Commission for Identity and Renewal at UJA Federation and is a Board member of the Jewish Funders Network. She has been actively involved in The Abraham Joshua Heschel School since its founding in 1983 and has served in a myriad of capacities including its president. She is also one of the founders of SAFE - Securing America s Future Energy which works to reduce America s dependence on oil. Ms. Aliza Abrams Aliza Abrams is the Assistant Director of the Department of Service Learning and Experiential Education at Yeshiva University s Center for the Jewish Future. Aliza holds a BA in Judaic Studies from Stern College for Women and a Masters in Social Work from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Aliza s career at the CJF began as the Presidential Fellow in the Department of Community Initiatives at the CJF in 2005, prior to that Aliza served as the Assistant Program Director for Rayim Yachad and also taught Hebrew School at Temple Beth Israel. Through her work at the CJF Aliza has worked with thousands of college students, led over 15 different missions around the world and has sent over 3,000 students on Torah Tours, a program that sends hundreds of students to communities around the world for Jewish holidays. Rabbi Ira Ebbin Rabbi Ira Ebbin currently serves as the Rabbi of Congregation Ohav Sholom in Merrick, Long Island, a shul with 320 member families from very diverse backgrounds. Rabbi Ebbin joined this congregation in July of 2010 after serving for three years at the Beth Zion Congregation in Montreal Quebec. Prior to that, he was the Rabbi at the Young Israel of Stamford, CT from 2002-2007. Rabbi Ebbin has also served on the Judaic Studies Faculty at Westchester Day School. Rabbi Ebbin received his rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University in 2001. Since then he has completed his Masters Degree in Public Administration, for non-profit organizations, at Baruch College in NY. Rabbi Yosef Adler Rabbi Yosef Adler has been the Morah d Atra of Teaneck s Congregation Rinat Yisrael since 1979. He is also the Rosh HaYeshiva of Torah Academy of Bergen County since 1990 where he teaches the honors Gemara shiur for the ninth and tenth grades. A gifted educator and respected posek, Rabbi Adler strives to pass along to our congregation the wisdom and values of his mentor, the Rav, Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik zt l. His overall goal, as he has often stated, is to produce a generation of B nai Torah who recognize their responsibilities to G-d, their fellow man, and Medinat Yisrael. During a recent mini Sabbatical in Israel, he wrote a commentary on the Haggadah based on the teaching of the Rav, zt l. Rabbi Adler previously served as associate principal at Hillel Yeshiva High School in Deal. He taught Talmud and American History at Frisch, and was also coordinator of the Advanced Talmud Department at Ramaz. He received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University and his master s degree at its Bernard Revel Graduate School. He is a member and former president of the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County. Mr. Marc Fein Marc Fein graduated cum laude from Yeshiva University in 2007. Since then he served as a Presidential Fellow and Communications Associate for the Office of the President at Yeshiva University. He now leads the Upstate NY Region of NCSY and coordinates volunteer services for National NCSY. Marc participated in the first cohort of Yeshiva University s Certificate Program in Experiential Jewish Education. Mr. Daniel T. Forman Since 1995, Dan Forman, vice president for Institutional Advancement at Yeshiva University, has been responsible for the capital and annual campaigns for Yeshiva and its 16 undergraduate and graduate schools. Prior to Yeshiva, Mr. Forman was executive director of the UJA-Federation Capital Campaign and its principal gifts from 1983 to 1995. He was responsible for planning and implementing UJA-Federation s historic $1.2 billion Capital Campaign and managing the $80 million principal gifts portion of its $135 million annual campaign. Mr. Forman has been an adjunct professor on strategic planning and fundraising at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, Executive Institute for Not-for-Profit Management; the New School of Social Research; Wurzweiler School of Mrs. Virginia Bayer Hirt Virginia Bayer Hirt is the current president of The Jewish Center and has served as an Officer for the last five years and co-chair of the Strategic Planning / Implementation Committee prior to that. Her interests include: energy independence, democracy and security in the Middle East, Jewish education and synagogue life. Virginia worked in commercial banking and has worked as a volunteer in the not for profit world often with start-up organizations. She worked on events and fundraising 4

GUEST SPEAKERS Social Work; Marymount College; UJA-Federation s Weiner Center and Muehlstein Institute for Jewish Professional Leadership. Mr. Forman has been a field instructor and supervisor at Yeshiva, Boston University, Fordham University, Brandeis University and Lesley College. for 25 years at the Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey. He has also worked in the Youth Department of Congregation Ahavas Torah in Englewood,NJ for the last 23 years, where he is presently the Youth Rabbi. Mrs Rivka Kahan Mrs. Rivka Kahan, is the Principal at Ma ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck, Nj. Mrs. Kahan has been active in shaping all aspects of academic and religious life at Ma ayanot since she joined the faculty in 2002. Before becoming principal, Mrs. Kahan served as Tanakh Chair, Director of Israel Guidance, Director of Professional Development, and Assistant Principal. She also wrote Ma ayanot s halakha curriculum and taught Tanakh, Talmud, Halakha, and Jewish Philosophy. Mrs. Kahan embodies a passion for education and a deep commitment to Ma ayanot s unique educational vision of helping students develop the skills and confidence they need to be active, creative, critical thinkers in all areas of learning and life. She holds an M.A. in Bible from Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University, and Certification in Talmud and Jewish Law from the Drisha Scholars Circle. She studied at Nishmat in Jerusalem and has a B.A. from Barnard College. Rabbi Yaakov Glasser Rabbi Yaakov Glasser serves as Director of Education for International NCSY, Regional Director of New Jersey NCSY and rabbi of the Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton. He holds semicha from Yeshiva University, as well as a Masters in Jewish Education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. Rabbi Glasser is also a member of Yeshiva University s Kollel LeHoraah. He is renowned for combining humor, scholarship and an upbeat message into his teaching. Rabbi Shmuel Goldin Rabbi Shmuel Goldin has served as spiritual leader of Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood, New Jersey, since 1984. He is an instructor of Bible and Philosophy at the Isaac Breuer College and the James Striar School of Yeshiva University; the founding director of and lecturer at The Eve Flechner Torah Institute-an institute of Torah study located in the Bergen County community; and has served on the faculty of numerous other institutes. Rabbi Goldin is a past President of Rabbinic Alumni of Yeshiva University, past President of the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County and former Chairman of its Kashruth Committee; former Rabbinic advisor to the Jewish Youth Encounter Program; a member of the Board of Directors of the Sinai Learning Disabilities Program of New Jersey. He is a member of the U.J.A. Rabbinic Cabinet; member of the Rabbinic Cabinet of Israel Bonds; and charter member of the Rabbinic Alumni Cabinet of Yeshiva University. Rabbi Goldin now serves as the President of the Rabbincal Council of America. Rabbi Goldin recently published three books Unlocking the Torah Text: Bereishit, Unlocking the Torah Text: Shemot and Unlocking the Torah Text: Vayikra, a study of the weekly Parsha based on his numerous years of lecturing in school and synagogue settings. Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman is the national director of Yachad/ National Jewish Council for Disabilities, dean of IVDU School, director of the New Jersey Association of Jewish Day Schools and assistant professor at Brooklyn College. He received his undergraduate and rabbinical training from Yeshiva University, where he also completed his doctorate. His areas of expertise include individual and group counseling, social skills training, and teacher training and facilitating inclusion. Jeff served as a psychologist and principal of the SINAI High School in Teaneck; director of the Department of Youth Services at Yeshiva University; and director of the Torah High School Network. Jeff is a member of the New Jersey Department of Education Advisory Commission and is the former president of the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy. Rabbi David Nachbar Rabbi David Nachbar graduated from Yeshiva College with a bachelor s degree in Jewish Studies. He received his semikha from RIETS, and continued his studies as part of the post semikha fellowship program, the Harry and Bella Wexner Kollel Elyon of Yeshiva University. In addition, Rabbi Nachbar Rabbi Shlomo Hyman Rabbi Hyman graduated Yeshiva College with a BA in Finance and received Semicha from RIETS. He also has a Masters from the Azrieli Graduate Schhol of Education and Administration in Jewish Elementary School Education. He has been a Rebbe 5

GUEST SPEAKERS has earned his master s degree in Medieval Jewish History from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. Rabbi Nachbar currently serves as a maggid shiur for the Master s Program in Midrashic and Talmudic Interpretation and as a Rebbe at TABC. Rabbi Yehuda Rothner Yehuda Rothner is currently the Director of Camp Stone. He received his BA from Case Western Reserve University with concentrations in classics, art history, and anthropology. He received his Masters in Education with concentrations in history and social studies from John Carroll University. He is a sofer stam, and has studied in Yeshivat Har Etzion for eight years. He has held a variety of teaching positions in both the Cleveland public school system and in various Jewish elementary and secondary schools. He has held a number of Administrative positions, most recently Middle School Principal at Fuchs Mizrachi School in Cleveland. He currently resides in Alon Shvut with his wife Adina and their six children. Rabbi Marc Penner Rabbi Marc Penner is the rabbi of the Young Israel of Holliswood in Eastern Queens, NY. In addition, Rabbi Penner serves as the director of professional education for the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University. He has been with Yeshiva since 2001 in his role as a mentor to rabbinical students. He both steers the young men toward careers in avodas hakodesh and supervises their professional training. Rabbi Penner is also founder and president of the Ateret Seminary for Women, a collegiate Torah studies program for young women based at Queens College and operating on several other campuses in the metropolitan area. Rabbi Penner received his semicha from RIETS in 1994 and his BA from Yeshiva College in 1991. The parent of a child with special needs, he speaks across the country on issues of children with disabilities. Ms. Hindy Poupko Galena In September 2008, Hindy was appointed as Director of Israel and International Affairs at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. She also serves as Executive Director of the Council of Young Jewish Presidents, the umbrella for 25 young professional organizations. Previously, Hindy was a Senior Associate at Brand Sphere, a political consulting firm, where she worked on print and radio advertising for the Hillary Clinton for President Campaign. Prior to that, she served as a communications intern for Hon. Corey Booker, Mayor of Newark, NJ. Hindy has master s degree in Public Policy and Israel Studies from New York University and is a Wexner Graduate Fellow Alum. She earned her B.A. at Stern College for Women (Yeshiva University) and was subsequently chosen as a Yeshiva University Presidential Fellow. Hindy was named first on the most recent list of the Jewish Daily Forward s Forward 50, as she and her husband Seth, created an online community of 14,000 people who followed their struggle to help their daughter Ayelet z l fight a rare bone marrow disease. The impact of Ayelet s journey has been lasting. Bone marrow donor drives held on her behalf have found potentially life-saving matches for 52 people, according to the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation. And in Montreal, where Poupko Galena s father is a prominent rabbi, a Sefer Torah was recently commissioned in Ayelet s name. 6 Rabbi Dr. Aaron Ross Rabbi Dr. Aaron Ross serves as the Assistant Principal in the Middle School at Yavneh Academy in Paramus, NJ. In his tenure at Yavneh, he has taught classes in Gemara, Mishna, Chumash, Halacha, and Tefilla, and served for five years as the coordinator of the Middle School Judaic Studies curriculum. He has been a driving force in helping teachers to expand their use of alternative forms of assessment, and he works closely with the faculty to help them integrate technology into their lessons and assignments. Rabbi Dr. Ross holds an Ed.D. from Yeshiva University s Azrieli Graduate School, semicha from Yeshiva University, an M.A. in Rabbinic Literature from NYU, and a B.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Suzy Schwartz Suzy Schwartz joined Yeshiva University in 2010 as Assistant Dean, Center for the Jewish Future. Armed with strategic and management skills from the world of corporate advertising, Suzy most recently served as SVP, Senior Account Director at BBDO, a leading worldwide advertising agency. In her role as Assistant Dean at the CJF, Suzy helps manage the strategic vision as well as the day to day activities and personnel of the very active and vibrant Center while serving as its liaison to the greater University. Suzy (nee Greenman), is happily married to William and they are blessed with 4 children; Racheli, Sammy, Yoni and Tamar. They live in Teaneck, NJ where Suzy is a community activist playing leadership roles in many local institutions. An alumnus of Stern College, Suzy has an MBA in marketing/advertising from Baruch College. Rabbi Jeremy Stern Rabbi Jeremy Stern serves as the Executive Director of the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA), a nonprofit

GUEST SPEAKERS organization which advocates against the abuse of the get ( Jewish divorce) process. Rabbi Stern received a B.A., a Master s in Jewish Education, and rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University, and is completing a Master s in Public Administration at Baruch College, specializing in Nonprofit Administration. With ORA, Rabbi Stern has been instrumental in resolving over 100 contentious Jewish divorce cases and in leading community-wide initiatives to assist women who are victims of get-refusal. Rabbi Stern lectures frequently on issues of domestic abuse, the interplay between the Jewish and American legal systems, and the role of the Jewish community in preventing and counteracting getrefusal. Mrs. Divsha Tollinsky Mrs. Divsha Tollinsky has been the Early Childhood Director at Moriah since 2011. Divsha earned a BS in Biology from Yeshiva University and two Masters Degrees from the Bank Street School of Education, one Masters in Early Childhood Special Education and a second in Leadership for Educational Change. Prior to joining Moriah, Divsha served as both the Science Coordinator and Director of After-School Programming at the Ramaz Lower School. She also served as a mentor for her colleagues at Ramaz. Divsha has participated on several professional development initiatives including Hidden Sparks, a mentor training program and also the Educational Leadership Advancement Initiative through Bar Ilan University and the Lookstein Center. Additionally, she spent two weeks in Israel at the Weizman Institute developing science curriculum for elementary school children. Divsha and her husband, Martin, live in Teaneck with their four children. Mr. Shuki Taylor Shuki is the director of Jewish Service Learning and Experiential Education Programs, and previously served as the CJF s Israel liaison. In his roles at YU he founded the Certificate Program in Experiential Jewish Education, the YU Innovators Circle, the Counterpoint Israel Initiatives, and the Midrashiya: an advanced leadership-training program for women. He has overseen the explosive growth of YU Service Learning Missions benefiting underprivileged communities world-wide. Previously, Shuki worked at the Koby Mandell Foundation where he founded and directed innovative and experiential therapy programs for Israel teens affected by terror. Shuki currently resides in New York his wife Natalie and their three children. They will be returning home to Israel in August 2013. Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Weinberg Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Weinberg, mashgiach ruchani of Yeshiva University s SBMP (Irving I Stone Beit Midrash Program) was born and raised in Philadelphia. Rabbi Weinberg currently lives in Bergenfield, NJ with his wife and three daughters. He presents weekly shiurim in parsht hashavua and Chassisdut, which are a highlight for him. Over the past two summers he has headed a post-israel learning program for young women returning from seminary. The shiurim Rabbi Weinberg gives are always filled with a wide-range of Torah sources ranging from the words of our sages to the writings of the great Chassidic masters and Mussar giants. 7

8