Rav Yaakov Shapira- Founder and Head of Midreshet Yeud: Rabbi Shapira is a graduate of the Har Etzion and Merkaz Harav Kook yeshivot. He holds an MA in Jewish history from Meit Morasha in Jerusalem and from Touro College. In 1994, Rabbi Shapira founded Midreseht Yeud, and he serves as Rosh Midrasha ever since.
Rav Hillel Van-Leeuwen- Head of Yeud Overseas Program: Born in Chicago and raised in Israel, Rav Van-Leeuwen is an insightful and vibrant educator, who believes in personal growth through discussion and thought. A former paratrooper in the I.D.F, he perceives problems as a challenge and an opportunity to grow, and is always open to new ideas. Rav Van-Leeuwen encourages his students to question everything, inspiring them to pursue the answers they need in order to be "Jews by choice". Rav Van-Leeuwen has recently returned to his home in Ofra, after a successful 3-year shlichut in Toronto, Canada, where he taught at the Community Hebrew Academy [CHAT] while being actively involved in several Jewish education projects and summer camps in North America.
Rav Van-Leeuwen and his wife have six children. [Rabbinical Ordination - Israel's Chief Rabbinate; B.Ed in Tanach and Oral Law; B.Ed in Educational Counseling- Herzog College, Alon Shvut; M.A. equiv. - Oral Law].
Rav David Abrahamovitz: Mashgiach Ruchani. Rav David is a native of Toronto, Canada. He spent two years studying at Yeshivat Shilo in Israel after high school and continued with his education at Yeshiva University in New York where he received his B.Sc.
R’ David worked for NCSY for a number of years as the Director of Informal Education and the Director of Outreach in Toronto. R’ David is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Jewish studies, majoring in Tanach. R’ David’s passion lies in the realm of halacha. He currently teaches a number of classes at Midreshet Yeud.
Ms. Lea Taragin - Head of Beit Midrash Track. Lea made Aliyah from Highland Park, New Jersey in 1993. Since then, she has been living in Ramot Aleph, Yerushalayim. Lea finished Ohr Torah Stone high school with honors. For her Sherut Leumi (national service) she worked with special-needs children in Kiryat Shmona. After that, Lea spent two years studying Torah at Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion. Currently, she is on the Dean's List of the Hebrew University and finished her BA with honors majoring Sociology and Anthropology combined with Jewish Philosophy and Folklore.
She has recently started her Masters Degree also in Sociology and Anthropology.
At Midreshet Yeud Lea is Head of the Beit Midrash Track and at Hebrew University she teaches a course for the BA program in Social Theories Studies.
Aliza Abrahamovitz: Dorm mother. Aliza Abrahamovitz, a native of Toronto, Canada, spent one year studying at Michlelet Orot’s overseas program. She returned to Toronto where she received a B.A. and a B.Ed from York University. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Jewish Studies at Lander College. Aliza has served as Midreshet Yeud’s Em Bayit since September 2005, and learns with many students one-on-one and in small groups. She lives at Midreshet Yeud with her husband, R’ Dovid, and two children, Moshe Chaim and Akiva.
Esther Hammer: Social worker and Educational guide. Esther Hammer has a BA in psychology from Yeshiva University and an MA in counseling from Montclair University. She made aliya in 2000 and lives in Chashmonaim. Prior to making aliya she worked as a guidance counselor at Frisch High School in New Jersey. She also spent 4 years during that time as a guidance counselor at Mays High School also in New Jersey. In Israel, Esther also worked for the Israeli education system in Bet Shemesh. Esther has spent the past 12 summers in Camp Moshava, where she works as a camp mother.
Rav Yaacov Don: Rav Don of Alon Shvut is a thought-provoking teacher and an inspiring mentor. A graduate of the Har-Etzion Yeshiva [Gush], Rav Don has been teaching in various programs, formal and informal- including programs with overseas students - since 1990. He also spent 4 successful years as a shaliach at CHAT - the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto. Upon returning to Israel he taught at Midreshet HaRova in the Old City of Jerusalem. He also served as principal of NOAM - a veteran elementary day school in Jerusalem. Rav Don received his smicha from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and earned an M.A. at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. At present, he teaches at the Ohr Torah High School in Efrat. Rav Don has 4 children.
Chana Deutsch: With years of Tanach study under the tutelage of world-renown teachers, and as a practicing Kallah teacher certified by the Israeli Rabbinate, Rabbanit Chana Deutsch brings a wealth of knowledge and a fresh perspective to Tanach and women’s issues. Chana’s educational approach is to make learning practical, always with a focus on how one can incorporate the lessons of the classroom into one’s daily life. Over the years, Chana has inspired Jews of all backgrounds to a new-found love of learning, and has helped many women find their place in Judaism and Jewish family life. Chana made aliyah to Israel from Toronto in 2000 and currently lives in the Old City of Jerusalem where she serves as a Temple Institute scholar, and opens her home to host inspirational Shabbat meals for hundreds of students and travelers each year.
Rav Eli Deutsch: For the past 10 years he has been working to educate and inspire Jews of all backgrounds to take a fresh look at their Jewish heritage from the perspectives of Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah. With a plethora of parallels and explanatory precision, Reb Eli succeeds in communicating abstract ideas in a clear and meaningful way to the well-read student and the newcomer alike. Reb Eli’s world-renowned lectures and writings have captured the minds and hearts of many, and have helped to open the door for those looking to integrate truth and spirituality into their lives in a down-to-earth manner. By dealing with the whys of Judaism in a sophisticated yet practical way, Reb Eli’s teachings are a breath of fresh air for anyone searching for happiness, love, fulfillment, wholeness, or themselves, as he breaks Jewish stereotypes and misconceptions along the way. Reb Eli made aliyah to Israel from New Jersey in 2001 and currently lives in the Old City of Jerusalem where he, along with his family, hosts hundreds of Jewish travelers and students for inspirational Shabbat meals each year. Books authored include Shabbos Insights of the Maharal (Targum), Looking Inward: Kabbalistic Self-Help (MW), and The Trees In The Forest: Jewish Living In The Context Of Kabbalah (National Light).
Rabbi Eli Ozarowski: Rav Eli Ozarowski teaches a number of halacha shiurim at Yeud. He has also taught at a number of other yeshivot & seminaries in Israel, including Shaarei Mevaseret, HaKotel, & Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim (MMY). Rav Ozarowski received his smicha from RIETS (Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary) and Masters in Jewish Education from the Azrieli Graduate School, & subsequently studied in Yeshiva University's Kollel Elyon. Rabbi Ozarowski has served as scholar in residence and guest lecturer in numerous communities in the U.S. as well as in Israel, often lecturing on contemporary halachic topics, such as medical & business ethics. He also served as Assistant Rabbi at the Fifth Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan. Rav Eli lives with his wife and four children in Yad Binyamin, where he also gives frequent shiurim.
Rav Pinchas Langer: Born in New Orleans and raised in Chicago, Rav Langer made aliya in 1973. He lives in Neve-Daniel, and is a proud father of 6 and new grandfather of one. Rav Langer received his Smicha from the Itri yeshiva in Jerusalem. Over the course of the years, Rav Langer has taught at OJ, Machon Gold, Midreshet Moriya, Netiv Aryeh, Orot and more. He served in the IDF with the artillery corps. Rav Langer also holds a B.A. [History and Literature] and an M.A. [Jewish Philosophy] from Touro College. Rav Langer teaches Jewish Philosophy and Jewish Law at Yeud.
Mrs. Ilana Sober: I graduated from Yale University in 1992. I spent four years at Nishmat, where I graduated as part of the first class of yoatzot halacha; I have a teudat hora'ah from Michlala and have also studied at Midreshet Lindenbaum and Neve Yerushalayim. I am an editor and writer for Nishmat's yoatzot halacha websites (
www.yoatzot.org). Before coming to Yeud, I spent eight years in Toronto, where I taught Torah privately and for Mekorot. I live in Yerushalayim with my two daughters.
Mrs. Ahuva Balofsky: Ahuva Balofsky grew up in Toronto, Canada. She attended Ulpanat Orot Girls' High School before obtaining her B.A. Hons. and B.Ed. at York University. She taught Tanach, Rabbinics and English at the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto. She made Aliyah in 2004 with her family and is currently completing a Master's degree in Tanach at Bar Ilan University.
Mrs. Sara Wolf: Has completed her masters in Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She has taught in both informal and formal educational settings for over ten years including: Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies, the Shalom Hartman Institute's High School in Jerusalem and Westchester Hebrew High School in Mamaroneck, N.Y. where she taught Hebrew Language and Jewish History. She is known for her great enthusiasm for teaching, and for her love for her students. A bogeret of Bnei Akiva’s Hachshara program, Sara is a graduate of Brandeis University, where she studied Political Science and Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. Sara and her husband made aliyah in 1994 to Beit Shemesh. She is a mother of four wonderful children.