Yosie Levine
Rabbi

Rabbi Yosie Levine joined The Jewish Center's rabbinic team in 2004. He earned a BA in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia College and was awarded the university's William F. Curtis award for outstanding oratory. A Wexner Graduate Fellow, Rabbi Levine received rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and was the winner of RIETS' writing prize. He holds an MA in Bible Studies from the Bernard Revel Graduate School and an MPA in Public Policy from NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School. Rabbi Levine served as Rabbinic Intern, Assistant Rabbi and Associate Rabbi at The Jewish Center where he received practical rabbinic training and mentoring from Rabbi Ari Berman. Before joining the center, he served as the educational director of the Lauder Foundation's Beit Midrash in Berlin, Germany and as the visiting scholar of Congregation Knesseth Israel in Birmingham, Alabama. Rabbi Levine's wife, Rachel, is a supervising psychologist at St. Lukes Hospital and serves as an adjunct professor at Queens College. She is in private practice in Manhattan. They are the proud parents of Akiva Yitzchak and Yehoshua Levi.

Ariel Rackovsky
Assistant Rabbi

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky graduated Yeshiva College in 2002 with a Bachelors degree in Biology. A native of Rochester, New York, he studied for two years in Yeshivat Kerem BeYavneh prior to attending Yeshiva College. In March 2006, he received his Rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary while serving as Rabbinic Intern at the Riverdale Jewish Center and on the Chaplaincy staff of the UJA/Zicklin Residence of the Metropolitan Jewish Hospice of New York. In the fall of 2006, he became Senior Rabbinic Intern at the RJC, and joined the Rabbinical staff of the Beth Din of America. Rabbi Rackovsky has participated in a number of Yeshiva University programs in cities across the US and Canada, and served as the director of the 2006 YU Atlanta Summer Kollel. Additionally, Rabbi Rackovsky is working toward a Masters in Counseling at Pace University.

Chaim David Berson
Cantor

Chaim David Berson was born and raised in Jerusalem to American parents who made aliya from the U.S.  Chaim  David received a Yeshiva education while  attending the Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute, where he developed his cantorial and voice skills under the tutelage of Cantor Naftali Herstik.

Daniel Fridman
Resident Scholar

Daniel Fridman returns to The JC this fall as the Resident Scholar. Daniel was raised in Teaneck, NJ. An alumnus of the Frisch School and Yeshivat Har Etzion, as well as a recipient of the Kukin Fellowship, Daniel graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University in 2007, with a degree in Biological Sciences. Daniel is pursuing his Rabbinical studies at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. This past year, in addition to serving as a Sanford Lurie scholar, he served as the William Fischman Rabbinic Intern.

David Stein
William Fischman Rabbinic Intern

 
Originally from Skokie, IL, David Stein joins The JC staff this year as the William Fischman Rabbinic Intern.  After studying at Yeshivat Har Etzion for two years, David went on to study Pre-Engineering, Physics and Political Science at Yeshiva University, graduating from The Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program at Yeshiva College. In addition to his continuing Rabbinic studies at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary this year, David will be working towards his Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University. David has also been extensively involved in Jewish education, as a program director at Camp Moshava of Wild Rose, WI, and most recently as the Youth Director of the Young Israel of East Brunswick, NJ. David’s wife, Talya, is working towards her Doctorate in clinical psychology at St. John’s University.

Aaron Strum
Executive Director

Aaron Strum joined The Jewish Center in September 2008. He holds a B.S. Degree in Management from Touro College. Aaron comes to The Jewish Center with over 12 years of experience as an Executive Director, having served in that capacity at Congregation B'nai Torah in Indianapolis and the Jewish Community Center of Paramus in Paramus, NJ. Aaron was born in Brooklyn and raised in Staten Island. Aaron is married to Lidia and has 5 children, including two sets of twins.

Shira Rose
Director of Programming and Communications

Dalia Gefen
Youth Director

Dalia Gefen returns to us for a fourth year with her creativity, dedication and enthusiasm for working with children. She has taught Hebrew school and Jewish day school students of all ages in both general and special education classrooms. Dalia is an adjunct lecturer of Research Methods, Developmental Psychology and Education to undergraduate and graduate students at Hunter College and Yeshiva University, Stern College for Women. A graduate of Barnard College with a BA in psychology, Dalia is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at the City University of New York.

Rivi Katz
Social Worker

Rivi Katz holds a BA in History from Barnard College, a JD from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and an MSW from Columbia University's School of Social Work. After completing her masters in Social Work, Rivi worked at Rockland Family Shelter where she coordinated services to Orthodox Jewish victims of domestic violence in Rockland County.  At Sharsheret and Gilda's Club Northern New Jersey, she counseled, facilitated support groups and developed programming for cancer patients and their families.  Rivi has worked with both children and adults, providing both individual and family therapy.   Rivi is also fluent in both French and Hebrew. Currently, she resides with her family in Teaneck, New Jersey.

Polina Berdich
Controller

Polina Berdich has been working as the Controller of The Jewish Center since August of 2005. Polina received her master’s degree from Odessa University and her bachelor’s degree from Touro College in New York. Born in Ukraine, Polina immigrated to America eleven years ago. She and her son, Boris, currently reside in Brooklyn.

Saba Lawrence
Administrative Assistant

Ariella Kaplan
Clergy Assistant