Bella and Harry Wexner Kollel Elyon

RIETS Bella and Harry Wexner Kollel Elyon Fellows

Rabbi Aaron Brooks grew up in Denver, CO. Upon finishing High School at the Denver Academy of Torah he spent two years at Yeshivat Har Etzion. He then continued on to Yeshiva College where he earned a Bachelor's  degree in Economics. He continued his studies at RIETS, while he simultaneously earned a certificate from the RIETS/Ferkauf Joint Program in Mental Health Counseling. Aaron has spent five years studying under his Rebbi, Rabbi Michael Rosensweig. In his last year of Semikha he joined the North Shore Hebrew Academy High School Kollel program, where he taught students at North Shore Hebrew Academy in both formal and informal capacities. Aaron and his wife Tamar live in Washington Heights. 

Rabbi Brian Chernigoff is currently in his first year of the Wexner Kollel Elyon. He earned a New York State certificate from the RIETS/Ferkauf Joint Program in Mental Health Counseling and is currently pursuing a master's degree at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. He is originally from Queens, NY and serves as the Rabbinic Intern at Congregation Anshe Chesed of Linden, NJ.
 

Rabbi Michael Fagin is in his first year of the Wexner Kollel Elyon. Michael grew up in Woodmere, NY, and spent two years learning at Yeshivat Hakotel before attending Yeshiva University where he studied political science and was a member of the Masmidim Honors Program. He continued his studies in the RIETS semicha program. Michael has had the privilege of attending Rav Hershel Schachter’s shiur for 7 years, and has served as Rav Schachter’s Shiur assistant for the last 4 years. He lives in Washington Heights with his wife Chavi and their children, Elisheva and Mordechai.  

Rabbi Natan Finkelstein is excited to enter his first year in the Wexner Kollel Elyon. Born and raised in Memphis, TN, where his father has served as a local Rabbi, Natan attended Margolin Hebrew Academy until 12th grade when he studied in the Beis Medresh Katan program at YUHSB under Rabbi Tanchum Cohen. He then studied for two years at Yeshivat Har Etzion under Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein before attending Yeshiva University where he studied under Rabbi Michael Rosensweig for five years, receiving a BA in Philosophy, as well as Semicha from RIETS. He is also completing a Masters in Medieval Jewish History from the Bernard Revel Graduate School. He is very passionate about limud haTorah b'iyun and deriving hashkafa from the lomdus of the halacha.

Rabbi Zvi Kaminetzky currently serves as Rabbi of the Albert Einstein Synagogue at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is in his first year as a member of the Wexner Kollel Elyon. He studied for three years at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh before attending Yeshiva University where he majored in Political Science and was a member of the Masmidim Honors Program. He then spent three years in Israel, learning in the RIETS Gruss Kollel in Jerusalem and serving as a Vaad Rebbe at Yeshivat Torat Shraga. Rabbi Kaminetzky received semikha from RIETS and was previously a Rebbe at Yeshiva University High School for Boys (MTA), where he taught Chumash. Rabbi Kaminetzky lives in the Bronx, New York with his wife and two children. 
 

Rabbi Josh Kaufman is in his third year of the Wexner Kollel Elyon and is a 12th grade Gemara Rebbe at MTA. Previously, he was the Rabbinic Intern at Congregation Rinat Yisrael. Rabbi Kaufman grew up in Woodmere, NY. After attending DRS for High School, he spent two years learning at Yeshivat Har Etzion. Josh earned his BA in English Literature at Yeshiva University and completed semikha at RIETS. He currently lives in Washington Heights with his wife Mairav and children Chana and Yitzchak.

 

Rabbi Menachem Mermelstein studied at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh and Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim in Israel before earning a bachelor's degree in finance from Yeshiva University where he was a member of the Masmidim Honors Program under the mentorship of Rav Mayer Twersky. He continued his studies in the RIETS semikha program and spent three years learning in Rav Hershel Schachter’s kollel. He is currently in his second year as a member of the Wexner Kollel Elyon learning under the guidance of Rav Mordechai Willig and Rav Michael Rosensweig. Menachem lives in Washington Heights with his family.  

Rabbi Yoni Rabinovitch is the Rabbinic Intern at Mount Sinai Jewish Center in Washington Heights, a coordinator of the night seder program at Yeshiva College, and a public speaking teacher at RIETS. He was previously Rabbinic Intern at the Jewish Center in Manhattan.  

Rabbi Rabinovitch was born and raised in Denver, CO, received semikha from RIETS, and graduated with an MSW from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work. He has written for the RJJ Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society and lives in Washington Heights with his wife and children.

Rabbi Natan Siegel grew up in Silver Spring, MD, and spent two years learning in Yeshivat Hakotel before attending Yeshiva University, where he majored in mathematical economics and graduated as MYP valedictorian. He continued his studies at RIETS including two years at the Gruss Kollel in Yerushalayim and is currently in his second year in the Wexner Kollel Elyon.

For the past eight years he has studied under his rebbe, Rav Michael Rosensweig and now serves as his shiur assistant. Rabbi Siegel has taught in a variety of settings, including NCSY, Camp Mesorah, YU Israel and Yeshivat Hakotel. He currently serves as the Rabbi of Beis Knesses of Teaneck Apartments (BKTA) and lives in Teaneck, NJ, with his wife Gabi and their two children, Yisrael and Shaya.  

Rabbi Gabe Silverman grew up on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where he attended the Ramaz School from nursery through high school. He spent a year learning at Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh in Jerusalem’s old city before matriculating at Harvard for undergrad. His senior year - the “Covid year” - he went back to Eretz Yisroel and spent time learning in Yeshivas Tehilas Shlomo. After graduating college a semester early, he spent that time back in yeshiva, learning in Ner Israel Rabbinical College, in Baltimore. Gabe was excited to finally settle down when he came to RIETS 4 years ago for semicha, and he feels truly at home in the YU beis medrash. He feels a deep sense of hakaras hatov to the yeshiva and its incredible rebbeim, and is looking forward to continue his learning here as a member of the Kollel Elyon.