STAFF

Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Seif is a scholar and community builder whose dream it has been to open an integrated yeshiva/midrasha program.

He studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion and received his ordination from Rav Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg. He received his BA from Columbia College, his MA in Religion and Education from Columbia’s Teacher’s College, and Israeli Teacher Certification from Herzog College.  He was a fellow at the Center for Jewish Law and Contemporary Civilization at the Cardozo School of Law, and he completed his PhD in Religious Studies at University of Pennsylvania. Rabbi Seif has extensive formal and informal educational experience teaching and leading programs for high school and college students. He served as a Senior Program Officer at the Tikvah Fund, a foundation devoted to Jewish excellence and promoting serious Jewish thought about the enduring questions of human life and the pressing challenges that confront the Jewish people.  After initiating a high school scholars program at the foundation, R’ Seif taught Tikvah Scholars classes at Kohelet Yeshiva High School, focusing on the intersection between Jewish law, thought and Western Humanities. He served as the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus educator at the University of Pennsylvania from 2002-2006.
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He, along with his wife Orit and their five sons currently live in Efrat.

Rabbi Aaron Bayer is an experienced and talented educator who has built exciting programs and strengthened Jewish day schools in the United States. Rabbi Bayer has a BA in Bible from Yeshiva College, an MA in educational administration from Columbia Teachers College and was ordained at RIETS/Yeshiva University. Rabbi Bayer was also Wexner Graduate Fellow. Rabbi Bayer served as the Judaic Studies Principal of the Seattle Hebrew Academy and was previously the Director of Student Life at the Fuchs Mizrachi School in Cleveland, OH, as well as a Judaic teacher at SAR Academy in New York.  Much of Rabbi Bayer’s youth was spent in Bnei Akiva and at Camp Moshava. As a professional, Rabbi Bayer has served in a variety of educational roles both at Camp Moshava IO and Camp Stone.  He was also the Director of Bnei Akiva of North America’s AMI/March of the Living program. Rabbi Bayer made Aliyah in 2014 with his wife, Micol, and their three children.

Rabbi Shaul Feldman is the Executive Director of Bnei Akiva of the US and Canada and just recently served as the campaign manager for the Religious Zionist Party in the World Zionist Congress elections. He received smicha from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and a law degree from Bar Ilan Law School.

Today, Rabbi Feldman is a highly admired Rav both in Israel and North America and mixes a keen mind with humor and a down to earth nature. After serving as a paratrooper in the IDF, he went on to teach in the Kerem B’Yavneh overseas program, Stern College and Torah Mi’Zion Kollel. In the past six years, Rabbi Feldman built a network of Bnei Akiva Shlichim (Israeli emissaries) sent to North America, consisting of 11 families and over 20 young shlichim. He also founded the new Moshava Ba’ir day camp network that serves close to 1,000 campers in several states. Most recently, he founded Yeshivat and Midreshet Torah v’Avodah.
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Rabbi Feldman is married to Libby and has 5 children.

Matan’s creation in 1988 pioneered women’s learning institutions in Israel and abroad through its high level Talmud Beit Midrash and Masters Tanakh Scholars programs, its international Bat Mitzvah program and many other learning initiatives. In her role as teacher of Bible, Gemara and Jewish law, Rabbanit Bina has introduced hundreds of women of all ages to the joy of advanced level Judaic studies.

Rabbanit Goldman Barash made aliyah from Philadelphia over 20 years ago after graduating from Stern College. She studied for three years in Matan’s Advanced Talmud Institute and finished a master’s degree in Talmud at Bar-Ilan University. She is a graduate of Nishmat’s Yoetzet Halacha program. Currently she is studying in Matan’s new Hilchata program, which is an advanced program in the area of Jewish law. Nechama lives in Gush Etzion with her husband and four daughters.

Rabbanit Michal Jacob is a Mashgicha at TVA, where she teaches tanach and halachah classes. Previously, she taught at the Weinbaum Yeshiva High School in South Florida and at The Frisch School in New Jersey. At Frisch, she also served as Grade Dean and Israel Advisor. Michal made aliyah in 2015 and lives with her family in Modiin.

Rabbanit Shani Taragin completed a B.A. and M.A. in Tanach and Talmud at Bar-Ilan University. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D in Tanach while serving as Ram for Tanach in Midreshet Lindenbaum. She also teaches collegiates and adults at MaTaN, Migdal Oz, Sha’alvim for Women, Lander’s College, and the Womens’ Beit Midrash in Efrat and Ramat Shilo. Shani is a graduate of Nishmat’s Keren Ariel Program for certification as a halachic advisor in issues of family purity law. She lectures and leads Tanach tours throughout Israel and serves on the local religious council dealing with issues of Jewish law and education. Shani and her husband Reuven live in Alon Shvut with their six children and serve as leaders of the Beit Midrash Program in Camp Moshava.

Dr. Tamara Spitz is a noted speaker, engaging audiences in English, Hebrew or Spanish. Most recently she was on shlichut to Montevideo, Uruguay, where she worked as the Jewish Studies Principal of one of the main Jewish schools in the country, and where her husband served as Chief Rabbi.
Dr. Spitz over 20 years’ experience teaching Judaic Studies in both formal and informal frameworks to all ages and backgrounds. She has taught in numerous women’s seminaries a range of Judaic topics from Talmud, Tanach, and Halacha. She was previously Assistant Director of the Midreshet Tzvia in Jerusalem. For the past 10 years, Dr. Spitz has been learning and teaching Daf Yomi to a group of women that meet daily in Alon Shvut. Dr. Spitz is a Professional Healthcare Practitioner with over 18 years experience in Women’s Health. She is also a dancer and choreographer, having preformed in and trained groups for multiple “women for women” dance shows in Israel.

Michelle Kaplansky is the Administrator of Israel Programs for Bnei Akiva of North America.
She was born and raised in Chicago and is a graduate of Bnei Akiva’s Hachshara program and Stern College. She currently splits her time between TVA, where she coordinates many of the program’s administrative and logistical needs, and Mach Hach BaAretz, where she’s been part of the administrative team for the past fifteen years. She made Aliyah with her family 20 years ago, lives in Chashmonaim, and is the proud mother of five and grandmother of three. ​

Dina Kessler, M.Sc. serves as our program’s guidance counselor. She received her masters in Clinical Sociology from the University of North Texas and works as a therapist at the Family Institute, a mental health clinic in Jerusalem. She has a B.A. from Stern College in Psychology and Judaic studies and focused on a career in education before turning to mental health. She pursued a Master’s degree in Tanach at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University and taught Judaic Studies at Jewish Day Schools in N.Y. and Cleveland where she also taught as part of the MaTan Bat Mitzvah Program. Since making aliya in 2007, she has worked as a Rakezet Chinuchi at Midresht Lindenbaum, as well as both teaching and serving as a counselor. She lives in Gush Etzion with her husband and five children.

Sarina Miller earned a B.A. in Jewish Studies and Biology at Yeshiva University, and an M.A. in Biology Education from Columbia University. Sarina worked as a program coordinator on various gap year programs in Israel, is a graduate of the Bellows Eshkolot Institute for Tanakh and Jewish Studies, at Matan. She is also the coordinator for Matan’s Summer Experience and Advanced Tanakh Summer Institute. She currently teaches Neviim Rishonim and runs the educational programming for TVA.

Abby was born and raised in Albany New York, and after high school, Abby made Aliyah and spent 2 years at Michlelet M’vaseret Yerushalayim (MMY).
Abby studied English literature at Bar-Ilan University and is a certified life coach.
For the past 10 years, Abby has been involved in a number of post high school seminaries. Her roles have included informal education, em-Bayit, and program coordinator.
Abby is married to Shaun and they have 4 children, Elisheva, Yehoshua, Chana, and Ami all of whom can’t wait to can’t wait to be your home away from home here in Israel!
Feel free to be in touch with Abby with any questions or concerns you might have, particularly regarding living arrangements.

Rav Leibtag is one of the pioneers of Torah education via the Internet. His weekly essays on Parshat Ha’shavua, read by literally thousands of subscribers world wide, introduce a vibrant analytical approach to thematic study of the Bible and reflect over twenty years of experience as a student and teacher at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel. He was the founder of the Yeshiva’s Virtual Bet Midrash and more recently founded the Tanach Study Center, which contains a full archive of his lectures in various formats. In addition to his educational responsibilities at Har Etzion, Rav Leibtag also lectures at Yeshivat Shaalvim, Yeshivat ha’Kotel, Midreshet Lindenbaum, and Orot College for Women. He has delivered lectures and teacher workshops extensively in Israel and the Diaspora.

Rabbi Alan Haber has been involved in Torah education for over twenty-five years.
He is one of the founders of Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim (MMY), where he served as Director for 16 years. Prior to that, he taught high school girls at Bat Torah Academy in Suffern, NY and was Assistant Regional Director of New Jersey NCSY. He is a licensed tour guide, and is also an editor of the new English-language Koren Talmud Bavli. He has lectured widely in Israel and around the world, and many of his shiurim and publications can be seen on his website:www.rabbihaber.net. Rabbi Haber is a graduate of Yeshivat Har Etzion and Yeshiva University. He lives in Alon Shvut, Gush Etzion with his wife and five children.

Rabbi Brofsky has taught gemara and halacha in Yeshivot and Midrashot in Israel for almost 20 years. He received his BA and MA from Yeshiva University, and his ordination from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel while studying and teaching in Yeshivat Har Etzion. He is also currently a senior faculty member at Midreshet Lindenbaum and writes a weekly halakha shiur for the Virtual Beit Midrash (VBM). Rabbi Brofsky is the author of Hilchot Tefilla: A Comprehensive Guide to the Laws of Daily Prayer, and the recently published Hilkhot Moadim: Understanding the Jewish Festivals. He lives in Alon Shevut with his wife, Mali, and four children.