GUIDING GROWTH

Discover Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael

Welcome to Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael!

Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael was founded six years ago through the foresight of dreamers. The dream? A yeshiva that would give boys superior skills in both Limudei Kodesh (Judaic studies) and General studies. A place where they would imbibe a passion for our living Jewish heritage, the world, themselves, and most importantly, their relationship with Hashem (G-d). A yeshiva where they would connect with their rebbeim (Judaics teachers) and look to them as guides and role models. An environment that would stress Derech Eretz and Middos (good character) as the core of all learning.

Today, that dream, that mission, is a reality.

What’s in a name? Ohr Yisrael, a light for the Jewish nation. Models of Torah and Jewish values. Rav Yisrael Salanter, the founder of the Mussar movement. A movement focused on the refinement of character traits. These are the two primary visions for our yeshiva.

Every student at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael has a unique combination of strengths and talents. Our goal is to guide each boy to reach HIS personal best and to equip him with the tools he needs to succeed as a Jewish man in today’s world.

I invite you to join on this journey and thank you for giving YOY the opportunity to partner in the chinuch (education) of your son.

– Rabbi Uri Feldman

OUR MISSION

To develop boys into young men who are committed to a life led by Torah values. To provide students with excellence in Limudei Kodesh and in secular studies so they will have the requisite skills to be admitted to yeshivas and/or colleges of their choice. Students will learn in an environment that will inspire them to be passionate and sincere about learning and about Yiddishkeit. Derech Eretz and middos are at the core of all learning.

Leadership, Faculty & Staff

Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael

Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael, Boston, MA

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our address:

325 Reservoir Rd.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Phone:

(781) 499-2332

Rabbi Uriel Feldman

Menahel

Rabbi Feldman’s job description runs 24/7/365. A native of a Philadelphia suburb, he has lived in Boston since 2008 with his wife and six children. Rabbi Feldman holds a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education and Administration from YU Azrieli Graduate School. He learned in the Philadelphia Yeshiva, R’ Dovid Soloveitchik’s yeshiva in Jerusalem, Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood and in the Kollel of Greater Boston. Having grown up in a family of educators, he has been involved in adolescent education for over a decade.

When not at the Yeshiva, you can find Rabbi Feldman spending time with his family, learning with his sons, or with a Chavrusa at the Kollel.

Goal in education: Give the boys the skills and enthusiasm to continue learning throughout their lives. With the right mix of care, relationship, and knowledge, every boy can find success.
Best way to connect with students: Open-ended questions
Favorite quote: לא הביישן למד. ולא הקפדן מלמד The bashful person cannot learn, and the impatient person cannot teach (Avos 2:6)
Role model in education Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky, my Rosh Yeshiva

Rabbi Michoel Shepard

Dean of Academics

A graduate of the University of Rochester with a BA in history, Rabbi Shepard is a lifetime learner.  He continued with post-graduate education following his masters’ degree, including a Principal’s Certificate from Teachers’ Institute in NYC. He is a seasoned educator and will be bringing a wealth of academic experience to YOY. Rabbi Shepard has spent the last three decades in Jewish educational administration, including 15 years as General Studies Principal at Torah Academy for Girls High School (TAG) in Far Rockaway, NY. His addition to the team will support our pursuit of academic excellence. 

Rabbi Yaakov Berzansky

Rebbi

Rabbi Berzansky grew up in South Fallsburg, NY and went to yeshiva high school in Toronto, Canada. He then spent close to two years learning in Israel. After moving back to the States, Rabbi Berzansky spent five years in Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood before moving to Boston in 2013 to join the Kollel. He currently lives in Brighton with his wife and children. With a passion for education, Rabbi Berzansky was involved in teaching and running educational programs for adolescents and junior-high boys before joining the staff of Ohr Yisrael. 

Goal in education: To make Gemara enjoyable and to help each boy reach his potential
Best way to connect with students: Outside the classroom setting

Rabbi Ari Gelernter

Rebbi

A graduate of Yeshiva University Sy Syms School of Business, Rabbi Gelernter received semicha (rabbinic ordination) from Yeshivas Ner Yisroel of Baltimore. After living in Israel for six years, he moved to Boston with his family in 2014 to join the staff of Ohr Yisrael. In addition to educating the boys with the analytical skills and fluency needed to learn Gemara, Rabbi Gelernter focuses on developing in-depth Chumash skills. Rabbi Gelernter also leads the YOY Beis Din debate team and serves as a guidance counselor, meeting with the students one-on-one. When not at the yeshiva, Rabbi Gelernter can be found learning and spending time with his wife and their five children. 

Goal in education: The students should enjoy their learning
Best way to connect with students: Build a relationship. Showing you care about what they care about

Rabbi Yakov Luria

11th grade Rebbi

A rebbi for 7 years, Rabbi Luria brings excitement and clarity to each of his lessons. A native of NJ, Rabbi Luria spent fours learning at Yeshiva Beis BInyanim of Stamford, CT. He continued on to Yeshivas Brisk in Israel before returning to America, where he spent two years in Beth Medrash Govhoa of Lakewood. Rabbi Luria moved to Boston with his family in 2010 to join the Kollel of Greater Boston. He was a rebbi in the Mesivta of Boston before joining YOY. 

Goal in education: To develop a love for Yiddishkeit (Judaism) and for learning.
Best way to connect with students:  Out of the classroom, kumzitzing, and around our Shabbos table.

Rabbi Dovid Bielory

Rebbi

Rabbi Bielory earned his semicha (rabbinical ordination) at Ner Yisroel of Baltimore and a  Masters in counseling and education at Johns Hopkins University. Originally from Lakewood, NJ, Rabbi Bielory lives in Providence, RI with his wife and children.

Rabbi Shloimy Halpern

11th grade Rebbi

Rabbi Halpern brings 13 years of educational experience to Ohr Yisrael. In addition to teaching at YOY, Rabbi Halpern is also the rabbi of Khal Tiferes Yosef in Brighton, which he founded in 2016.  Rabbi Halpern attended Yeshiva Torah Temima in Brooklyn, Yeshiva Gedola of Springfield, NJ, Yeshivas Brisk in Jerusalem and Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood. He moved to Boston to join the Kollel in 2004 and currently lives in Brighton, MA with his family.

Goal in education: To connect with the students and develop a joy in learning and Yiddishkeit
Role model in education:  Rabbi Uri Feldman. While in the Kollel of Greater Boston, we ran youth programs together. His dedication to every student, and the Jewish people in general, inspired me to come work with him at YOY.

Rabbi Moshe Wallin

Rebbi

Rabbi Wallin grew up in Lakewood NJ and attended the Long Beach Yeshiva for eight years beginning in 9th grade. He continued his studies for a year in Israel before returning to Lakewood to study at Bais Medrash Govoha. Rabbi and Mrs. Wallin moved to Boston in 2018 to join the Kollel of Greater Boston. Rabbi Wallin taught part-time at the Boston Mesivta where he developed a passion for teaching. He now shares his excitement for learning with his students at YOY. 

Best way to connect with students:  “If you teach material in a clear and exciting way, it’s possible to reach everyone!”

Dr. David Berlove

AP History and the Sciences

With a Ph.D. in Neurobiology and an M.Sc. in biology, Dr. Berlove attended a high school very similar to YOY and so appreciates the advantages a dual education offers. Originally from Rochester, NY, Dr. Berlove lives in Newton with his family. Having children the same age as his students has helped him better understand his students. 

Goal in education: Give students a love of knowledge that sets them up for life-long learning.
Best way to connect with students: Try as much as possible to draw them into discussion

Mr. Richard Brancato

English and History

Mr. Brancato has been a teacher for 15 years. With an MA in English, a BA in Psychology, and a Massachusetts Educator’s License in English and History, Mr. Brancato brings his wealth of experience into the 9th and 10th grade English and history curricula. 

Goal in education: I like to focus on the positive.  I like to celebrate and foster students’ strengths while helping them identify goals for further improvement.
Best way to connect with students: Talk with them.  Find out what they like, what their interests are.
Role model in education: I have had the good fortune of working alongside many fine educators over the years.  I am inspired by the excellent teaching all around me!
Favorite quote: “Then, in spite of everything, I still believe people are good at heart.”   -Anne Frank

Mr. Yaakov Goldberger

Civics

Mr. Goldberger has an abiding interest in law and government. He previously interned with the Maryland Attorney General, with a concentration in legal services.

Mr. Goldberger holds both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Talmudic Law from Ner Israel Rabbinical College, and currently pursues his J.D. from Harvard Law School, expected in ’23.

Out of the classroom: Mr. Goldberger enjoys the great outdoors and loves to canoe, hike, and fish.

Best way to connect with students: “I enjoy learning through teaching, and engaging with interested students.”

Mr. Judah Levine

Algebra

Mr. Levine received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now the NYU Tandon School of Engineering). After completing a long career as a technology project manager for Nuance Communications, Mr. Levine taught math for the adult high school program at the Jewish Vocational Service. He also taught math for JGateways at the Maimonides School.

Mr. Levine enjoys helping students maximize their potential and is now teaching Pre-Algebra (8th grade), Algebra 1 (9th grade) and Algebra 2 (10th/11th grade). He is a native of Brooklyn, NY and graduated from the Yeshivah of Flatbush. For the last 25 years, Mr. Levine has lived with his wife in Newton where he raised his family.

Out of the classroom: You can find him delivering food to food banks, playing the piano, and swimming at the JCC.

Mr. Avner Tsapira

Mathematics

Mr. Tsapira received a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from Touro College. He taught at the Mirrer Yeshiva High School for three years and received a master’s degree in mathematics education from the Hunter College of the City University of New York. Mr. Tsapira taught various mathematics classes at Touro College for a few years before relocating to Boston. He then taught mathematics at Newbury College for several years before joining YOY.  

Goal in education: To help my students develop confidence and problem-solving skills
Out of the classroom: You can find me reading, cooking, taking walks, and spending time with my son

Mr. Philip Vara

English Literature and Business Studies

Mr. Vara, MBA, has studied business, education, and literature at several internationally recognized universities, such as Tampere University in Finland, the University of Exeter, U.K., and the Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A native of Brooklyn, Mr. Vara lives in Cambridge with his wife and their four adorable but very spoiled cats.

Out of the classroom: You can find me at the Boston Athenaeum Library
Goal in education: To make a positive impact by providing the necessary learning tools so that students can continue the learning process on their own
Best way to connect with students: Utilize material the student can identify with and ‘scaffold’, building upon what the student already knows
Role model in education: John Dewey
Favorite quote: “Those who are doing are those who are learning.” – John Dewey.
“. . . writing into the dark [unknown].” – Philip Pullman.

Dr. Peter Chaim Weinstein

Physics

Dr. Weinstein has a PhD in computer science, and spent most of his career building data integration and decision support systems for the US military and health systems. He is now teaching physics, computer programming, and calculus at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael. 

Role model in education: John Dewey. We learn best by doing! Thus, for example, physics class focuses on doing experiments, gathering and analyzing data in the context of equations that state our expectations with precision.

Out of the classroom: Dr. Weinstein loves to canoe, hike, and in general to spend time in nature.

Best way to connect with students: Connection happens in moments of shared presence, when teachers and students express their hearts and minds, and listen to each other on both of these levels.

Mr. Yitz Kashnow 

Director of Operations

Mr. Kashnow brings over 20 years of operations management experience to Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael. He attended New England Hebrew Academy in Brookline, Yeshiva Achei Temimim Lubavitch in Worcester, Yeshiva Reishit Yerushalayim and Touro College in New York. 

When not at the Yeshiva, you can find him coaching youth sports, playing softball or volunteering. Mr. Kashnow resides with his wife and their three sons.

Mrs. Sari Kohn

Office Manager

Mrs. Rachel Faibish

Director of Communications

Mrs. Rachel Faibish, herself a graduate of Boston area Jewish day schools, brings over a decade of day school marketing experience to YOY. She attended Lander College for Women (B.S. Graphic Design) and Emerson College (Media Arts Graduate School).

Mr. David Tabachnik

College Counselor

With twenty years in college admissions at BU and Brandeis and seventeen years as Director of College Counseling at Gann Academy, Mr. Tabachnik brings a wealth of experience to YOY. Born in New Bedford, Mr. Tabachnik has lived in Boston for the last 50 years, the last 30 in West Roxbury. He is married and has two sons – Nathaniel, who is an editor at Penguin-Random House in New York City, and Sam, a reporter for the Denver Post.

Best way to connect with students: On the basketball court
Out of school you can find me: biking, hiking or reading
Role model in education: My fifth and sixth-grade teacher who let us explore, make mistakes and create our own education.
Best part of my job: I love working with adolescents because they are idealistic and excited about their future.