As we come out of a year stricken with a plague and gather together this Pesach, we do so with a renewed sense of vibrancy. 

We thank this newsletter's contributors who shared their Passover thoughts and insights with us. We wish you and your family a Chag Kasher VeSameach!

Rabbi Dr. Raymond Harari (HS ‘72) our beloved JBHS Head of School, an alumni himself, a parent of alumni and now a grandparent of YOF students. 

Our school community often looks to him for chizzuk and guidance throughout the year. Today we share with you his annual Pesach message to our school community.

Rabbi Dr. Howard Apfel (HS ‘80) is a board certified pediatric cardiologist at Columbia University Medical Center. 

Rabbi Dr. Apfel has lectured on Jewish bioethics and Hilchot Shabbat for physicians at the Yeshiva University, Touro College and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. 

Click HERE for a shiur he gave on Hilchot Pesach for YUTorah online.

Rabbanit Michelle Cohen-Farber (HS ‘89)  is the voice behind the podcast Daf Yomi for Women. She is the founder of Hadran: Advanced Talmud Study for Women and was the driving force behind the first international siyum HaShas for women in Jerusalem in 2020. 

You can see the recording of her recent shiur at the Steinsaltz Center on Hilchot Pesach HERE.

Charlie Harary (ES ‘91, HS ‘95) is a motivational speaker, radio show host, and television personality.

He is known across the Jewish community for wide ranging commentary and dynamic presence. You can catch his weekly podcast, The Charlie Harary Show on the Blaze Radio Network. 

Charlie speaks worldwide on a variety of topics relating to Jewish life. He was kind enough to share a video specially made for the YOF alumni family. You can see it HERE.

Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman (HS ‘04) is the Assistant Rabbi of Kingsway Jewish Center in Marine Park, Brooklyn.

Additionally, he is a psychologist in private practice and writes a weekly column Psyched for Torah in the Jewish Press and is a contributor to the YUTorah Online library. 

Rachel Mohl Abrahams (HS ‘87) is the Senior Advisor for Education Grants & Programs at the Mayberg Foundation.

She previously worked at the AVI Chai Foundation and has more than two decades of experience in Jewish education, program management and evaluation. 

As a leader and innovator in Jewish education, we asked her to share her thoughts with us. You can see her message HERE.

Rabbi Dr. Richard Hidary (ES ‘89, HS ‘93) is a proud YOF alum, former staff member and a current parent.

He is an associate professor of Judaic studies at Yeshiva University, teaching classes in Bible, Second Temple Jewish history and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Talmud and Midrash, and Jewish ethics.