Tehillim and Divrei Chizuk in Support of Israel

The words of David Hamelech, written thousands of years ago, are just as relevant today. This series on Tehillim, featuring presenters living in Israel, elucidates specific perakim of Tehillim with an understanding for our times.

Scroll down for additional programming. For Chizuk for our Times programming, visit ouwomen.org/chizuk.

NEW PRORGRAM: Bitachon for our Times, with Mrs. Yael Davidowitz, begins Monday, November 27. Register here.

• Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman
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  Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman

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  Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman is the founding director of the OU Women’s Initiative. She is a community leader with over three decades of teaching experience in New York, Alabama and Pennsylvania. She received a PhD in Educational Psychology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, MS in School Psychology from Queens College and MA in Jewish Education and a Certificate in Educational Technology from Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University.  She received a Teacher’s Certificate from Beth Jacob Seminary (BJJ).  She is the rebbetzin of the Lower Merion Synagogue as well as the co-chair of the Lower Merion Community Mikvah in Bala Cynwyd, PA.  She is a kallah teacher and mikvah attendant.  She and her husband, Rabbi Avraham Shmidman, live in Bala Cynwyd, PA and are the parents of four sons. 

• Mrs. Yael Gelernter
  Listen Here Ramat Beit Shemesh Perek 6 More about this speaker
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  Mrs. Yael Gelernter

  Yael Gelernter, a Queens native, has been in the field of Jewish education for almost 20 years. Although all aspects of Judaism are exciting, Tanach is her passion. She has taught in NCSY, SKA, Ulpanat Orot, Tiferet, MMY, and Tomer Devora. She currently lives in Ramat Bet Shemesh with her family and is thrilled to be part of the Counting Toward Sinai initiative.   

• Mrs. Sarah Malka Reichman
  Listen Here Ramat Beit Shemesh Perek 20 More about this speaker
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  Mrs. Sarah Malka Reichman

  Mrs. Sara Malka (Poupko) Reichman holds a BS in both educational psychology and Jewish studies from Queens College and a master’s degree in secondary education from Azrieli School of Jewish Education and Administration at Yeshiva University. She has also dedicated significant time to studying the great works of Jewish philosophy. Sara Malka has shared her passion for Torah and Jewish philosophy with her students in high school and seminary for decades, teaching at Hebrew Academy of Nassau County, Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls, Ateret Seminary Queens College, Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim and more. Sara Malka designed an honors beit midrash program and created original curricula enabling high school students to become independent learners. She has given lecture series on a variety of topics in Jewish thought and taharat hamishpacha in communities and forums throughout the NY Metropolitan area and in Israel. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Sara Malka taught Sefer Shmuel Aleph to over 5,000 women worldwide as part of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi Program and presented a shiur at the Siyum event.  She also presented a recording on tefillah as part of the Counting Toward Sinai Tefillah Series.  Ten years ago, she fulfilled a lifelong dream and moved to Israel where she and her husband are raising their family. She currently teaches at Midreshet Rachel/Shapell’s in Jerusalem. 

• Mrs. Dina Schoonmaker
  Listen Here Yerushalayim Perek 23 More about this speaker
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  Mrs. Dina Schoonmaker

  Mrs. Dina Schoonmaker holds a B.Ed in Tanach and English from Michlalah College, a master’s degree in Jewish history from Touro College. She has been a member of the Michlalah faculty for over 30 years and has an alumnae counseling hotline for Machal graduates. Mrs. Schoonmaker lectures internationally and gives vaadim for women, live and over zoom. At the OU, she has presented shiurim at Torah New York and the OU Women’s Initiative Weekend of Inspiration and Selichos Night Shiur and most recently has taught a class at the ALIT Summer Learning Program. Mrs. Schoonmaker resides in Yerushalayim with her husband, Rosh Yeshiva of Shapell’s/Yeshiva Darché Noam, and their children.

• Mrs. Sivan Rahav Meir
  Listen Here Yerushalayim Perek 70 More about this speaker
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  Mrs. Sivan Rahav Meir

  Sivan Rahav-Meir is a media personality and lecturer. Married to Yedidya and mother of five, she lives with her family in Jerusalem. She previously went on shlichut her family, serving as the World Mizrachi Shlicha to North America, where she lectured in various communities. She works for Israel TV news, writes a column for Yediot Aharonot newspaper, and hosts a weekly radio show on Galei Zahal (Army Radio). Her lectures on the weekly Torah portion are attended by hundreds and the live broadcast attracts thousands more listeners throughout the world. Sivan lectures in Israel and overseas about the media, Judaism, Zionism and new media. She was voted by Globes newspaper as most popular female media personality in Israel and by the Jerusalem Post as one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world.

• Rabbanit Shani Taragin
  Educational Director, Matan Eshkolot; Torah Educator, Noted Lecturer
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  Rabbanit Shani Taragin

  Rabbanit Shani Taragin received her B.A. and M.A. in Tanakh and Talmud from Bar-Ilan University and is a graduate of Nishmat’s Keren Ariel Program for certification as a halachic advisor (yoetzet halacha) in issues of family purity law. She is the educational director of Matan Eshkolot – Tanakh teachers’ education program and of the Morot l’Halacha program in Matan Renana.

  Rabbanit Shani serves on the advisory committee for the Mizrachi Olami Shalhevet program for shlichim and lectures throughout Israel and North America on topics of Tanakh, Jewish Education, and Jewish Law. She is a senior lecturer in Matan and is the curriculum coordinator for the Matan – Bnei Akiva program (MTVA). In addition, Rabbanit Shani is a Ra’mit Tanakh in Midreshet Lindenbaum and teaches at Migdal Oz, the Women’s Beit Medrash of Efrat and Gush Etzion and in Matan Ramat Shiloh.

  She has presented many shiurim at the OU Women’s Initiative, including, introductory shiurim to each sefer of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi Program, Weekend of Inspiration and Selichot Night Shiurim, ALIT Summer Learning Program courses in Israel and in the USA, and Rosh Chodesh shiurim.

  Together with her husband, Reuven, she serves as Rosh Beit Medrash for the Beit Medrash Program in Machaneh Moshava Pennsylvania during the summer and as Educational Director of Mizrachi Olami-RZA. Shani lives with her family in Alon Shvut, Gush Etzion-Israel.

• Mrs. Leah Feinberg
  Listen Here Ramat Beit Shemesh Perek 85 More about this speaker
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  Mrs. Leah Feinberg

  Mrs. Leah Feinberg is a master educator, who taught at Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls in Hewlett for 21 years, also serving as Tanach Department Chairperson and New Teacher Mentor. She was a popular maggedet shiur in the Woodmere community, where she taught a weekly Navi shiur for women. Since making aliyah in 2017, Leah has taught at Michlalah and the Emek Learning Center, and is a frequent lecturer at Kehillat HaElah in Ramat Beit Shemesh and at the OU Israel Center where she has lectured at Yemei Iyun, the ALIT Summer Learning Program both in person and on Zoom, and at a Beit Midrash series of classes. Leah taught Megillat Esther in the first cycle of Torat Imecha Nach Yomi and Sefer Shmuel Bet in the second cycle. 

• Ms. Rivka Ravitz
  Listen Here Telz Stone Perek 91 More about this speaker
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  Ms. Rivka Ravitz

  Former Chief of Staff to Reuven Rivlin, the 10th Israeli president, government administrator and advisor, researcher and author

   

  Ms. Rivka Ravitz served as Chief of Staff to the 10th President of the State of Israel, Mr. Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin. In 1999 she began working as Reuven Rivlin’s parliamentary assistant. She became head of his office and ran many of his campaigns, including successful campaigns for his election as Speaker of the Knesset in 2003 and 2009, and his election as President of the State of Israel in 2014. Ms. Ravitz studied business administration and computer science at the Open University of Israel where she received her MBA in Information Systems. She is working on a doctorate in public policy at the University of Haifa. Ms. Ravitz wrote a book about her Charedi childhood and the behind the scenes of the president’s office. She also lectures on these topics. 

  Ms. Ravitz is married to Yitzchak Ravitz, the mayor of Kiryat Yearim, where they live with their 12 children. During Mr. Rivlin’s July 2021 visit to the United States, President Biden’s awed reaction to learning of Ms. Ravitz’s family was reported in many news outlets.

   

• Ms. Rivi Frankel
  Listen Here Yerushalayim Perek 121 More about this speaker
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  Ms. Rivi Frankel

  Ms. Rivi Frankel is the Director of Programming of Matan’s Bellows Eshkolot Fellowship. She has a B.S in Management, and an M.ed in Jewish Education from the Hebrew University She is a licensed tour guide through the Ministry of Tourism. Rivi lives in Jerusalem and teaches in Midreshet Emunah v’Omanut and Matan, as well as guiding various educational groups throughout Israel.

• Mrs. Rivka Segal
  Teacher, Author
  Listen Here Yerushalayim Perek 130 More about this speaker
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  Mrs. Rivka Segal

  Mrs. Rivka Segal is a leader in adult Jewish education who has taught Torah to women and girls of all ages for more than thirty years. Before making aliyah from Baltimore, MD, taught in Bais Yaakov High School and Maalot Baltimore and was the director of the Rebbitzen Frieda K. Hirmes Women’s Institute of Torah. After moving to Israel in 2005, she founded the L’Ayla Women’s Initiative in Jerusalem. She is a sought-after speaker, known for her creativity and ability to excite and engage audiences of all ages. For the past fifteen years, she has made Tehillim come alive for thousands of people. She is currently in the process of completing a five-volume series entitled Living Tehillim. To date, three volumes have been published. To find out more about the “Living Tehillim” initiative or to contact Mrs. Segal, visit her website at www.livingtehillim.com. 

• Mrs. Shira Smiles
  Listen Here Ramat Beit Shemesh Perek 142 More about this speaker
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  Mrs. Shira Smiles

  Shira Smiles is a Mechanechet at Darchei Bina seminary, and teaches at the OU center in Jerusalem, as well as many other adult venues.

• Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman
  Listen Here Acheinu More about this speaker
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  Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman

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  Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman is the founding director of the OU Women’s Initiative. She is a community leader with over three decades of teaching experience in New York, Alabama and Pennsylvania. She received a PhD in Educational Psychology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, MS in School Psychology from Queens College and MA in Jewish Education and a Certificate in Educational Technology from Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University.  She received a Teacher’s Certificate from Beth Jacob Seminary (BJJ).  She is the rebbetzin of the Lower Merion Synagogue as well as the co-chair of the Lower Merion Community Mikvah in Bala Cynwyd, PA.  She is a kallah teacher and mikvah attendant.  She and her husband, Rabbi Avraham Shmidman, live in Bala Cynwyd, PA and are the parents of four sons.