x Mrs. Rivka Alter

Rivka Alter presently serves as a yoetzet halacha in Riverdale, New York and Teaneck, New Jersey. She is also a member of the Judaic studies faculty at Maayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls. Rivka is an experienced kallah teacher and serves as a mentor for Nishmat’s kallah teacher training program. She frequently teaches adults and teens locally, on Zoom, and for the OU Women’s Initiative. Rivka and her husband Daniel served as Rav and Rebbetzin in Denver, Colorado for fifteen years and currently reside in Bergenfield, New Jersey. 

x Mrs. Rachel Besser

Rachel Besser is the Nach Department Chair at the Frisch School in Paramus, NJ, where she also teaches Tanach and Jewish philosophy and is a member of the Israel Guidance Department. A graduate of Stern College for Women, Rachel received her master’s degree in English literature from Hunter College in New York City. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Rachel taught Sefer Yirmiyahu and Sefer Ezra as part of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi program.  She presented a Nach Yomi Siyum shiur, Rosh Chodesh shiur and served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence. Rachel lives in Clifton, NJ with her husband Donny and six children. 

x Mrs. Adina Blaustein

Adina Blaustein lives in Beachwood, Ohio, and is the Content Production Manager at Aleph Beta. She also serves Green Road Synagogue as the Yoetzet Halacha. She is an experienced educator of both students and adults. She has served as Tanach department chair at the Fuchs Mizrachi School and as the Director of Student Life at Fuchs Mizrachi and Ida Crown Jewish Academy. She holds a B.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in Bible from Yeshiva University, an M.A. in English Education from Brooklyn College, and was certified as a Yoetzet Halacha from Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center’s U.S. Yoatzot Halacha Fellows Program. In 2018, Adina won the Kohelet Prize for her innovative approach to Tanach education. Adina is currently writing a book about haftorot as part of the Sefaria Word-by-Word fellowship. 

x Mrs. Batyah Brander

x Mrs. Batyah Brander

x Ms. Elana Flaumenhaft

Ms. Elana Flaumenhaft is Associate Principal at Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls. She has been teaching Tanach for over two decades. Elana holds a master’s degree from Azrieli Graduate School of Education and Administration at Yeshiva University and received the 2005 Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. She delivers shiurim and lecture series and presents at Yemei Iyun throughout the Metro New York and New Jersey area. Elana enjoys learning with people of all ages and backgrounds.  At the OU Women’s Initiative, Elana has served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence and has presented shiurim as part of the Counting Toward Sinai Tefillah Series, the Rosh Chodesh Lunch ‘n Learn programs, and Torat Imecha Nach Yomi.  

x Mrs. Reena Fohrman

Reena Fohrman has taught Tanach for more than thirty years. She has inspired students at Bais Yaakov Baltimore, MMY Seminary in Jerusalem and, more recently, at Meira High School in Palo Alto, California. She’s also taught Tanach to women’s groups in Baltimore, New York and Israel, and at various holiday retreats in the tri-state area. Her love for Tanach was kindled at a young age by her father, who lovingly collected the original Gilyonot of Nechama Leibovitz, won the Chidon HaTanach Hatzeva’i, and would sing the whole of Shir HaShirim as he cleaned up after the Pesach Seder. Reena has kept the Chidon HaTanach tradition alive in her own family, learning with her children for untold hours on the couch as they prepared for participation in the National Chidon HaTanach. Reena holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts. and an M.A. in Education from John Carroll University. When she’s not in Israel, she lives in Woodmere, New York, with her husband and children. 

x Ms. Chani Gotlieb

Ms. Chani Gotlieb is a dynamic educator, currently teaching in two prestigious girls’ high schools in New York. In addition, she lectures around the world to diverse audiences that span the gamut of Orthodox Jewry. Born and educated in Israel, Chani successfully integrates the best of Israel’s yeshiva education with her high-level academic training. She holds a bachelor’s degree in science earned in Israel, and a master’s degree in Judaic studies earned in the USA. In her lectures, Chani analyzes contemporary issues through the lens of diverse Jewish thinkers. Her insights, gained by a rigorous approach to text, appeal to both intellectuals and laymen alike. As a historian, Chani’s lectures are enhanced by the first-hand impressions she has formed of the many Jewish sites that she has visited worldwide. She has developed and implemented a unique curriculum for Jewish genealogy research which has exposed her to hundreds of personal narratives of multi-generational Jewish families. This work, together with her interviewing of Holocaust survivors for the Spielberg Shoah Foundation, provides Chani with a reservoir of memoirs to draw from, helping her to bring history to life for her audiences. 

At the OU Women’s Initiative, Chani has served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence and presented a recording on tefillah as part of the Counting Toward Sinai Tefillah Series. 

 

x Mrs. Shira Hochheimer

Mrs. Shira Hochheimer is an educator and lecturer for women and girls in Baltimore Maryland.  She is passionate about empowering women to find more fulfillment in their lives by learning Torah. She is the Director of Data & Technology and the General Studies Department Chair in WITS – a seminary and college for Orthodox Jewish women. Shira is also the author of the book Eishes Chayil: Ancient Wisdom for Women of Today, now published in both English & French and writes a regular column about Eishes Chayil in the Mishpacha Magazine. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Shira taught Sifrei Yechezkel and Yirmiyahu and sefer Vayikra as part of the Torat Imecha program. She also taught a series, Tefillah Challenges: Focus on Ashrei, for its Yemei Ratzon Ideas and Inspiration program.

x Mrs. Michal Horowitz

Michal Horowitz delivers weekly shiurim in her community of the Five Towns, NY, while her Zoom shiurim reach audiences around the world. She has been a scholar in residence in schools and communities, nationally and internationally. In September 2023, Michal was a keynote speaker at Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis’ Pre-Yamim Noraim Conference, for the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. At the OU Women’s Initiative, she inaugurated the Torat Imecha Parsha program presenting weekly shiurim on Sefer Bereishit. Michal taught Yehoshua, Tehillim 36-41, and Divrei Hayamim II to over 5,000 women across the globe as part of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi cycle I. She taught Tehillim 1-41, and Mishlei for cycle II.  Michal presented Rosh Chodesh, Selichot Night and Nach Yomi Siyum shiurim and taught in-depth courses at the ALIT Virtual Summer Learning Programs of 2020, ’21, ’22, and ’23.  Michal’s weekly OU Parsha shiur can be found on the AllParsha App. She has thousands of audio and video shiurim online.  Her writings have been published in YU’s Torah-To-Go, HaMizrachi, the OU’s Jewish Action magazine, and most recently in “Reclaiming Dignity: A Guide to Tzniut”.  Her story can be found on all major streaming platforms on the “Rolling With the Punches” Podcast, Episode 14, Sounds of Silence. Michal lives in Woodmere, NY with her husband and family. 

x Mrs. Lynn Kraft

Mrs. Lynn Kraft serves as Tanach Department Chair, Israel Guidance Counselor, and Mechanechet at Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Skokie, IL. She was formerly the director of NILI: Chicago Institute of Women’s Learning, which offers shiurim and programs for girls and women of all ages in the Chicago community. She is a kallah teacher as well, teaching one-on-one classes and relaying women’s anonymous and confidential questions to rabbis through NILI’s Taharat Hamishpacha Hotline. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Lynn taught Sefer Melachim I to over 5,000 women worldwide as part of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi Program, presented Rosh Chodesh shiurim, served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence and presented a recording on tefillah as part of the Counting Toward Sinai Tefillah Series. Lynn previously taught at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School in NJ, Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim and Sha’alvim for Women in Yerushalayim, and Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls in NY. She earned her BA in Judaic studies and psychology from Stern College for Women and her MA in Bible from Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. She lives in Lincolnwood, IL with her husband, Rabbi Aaron Kraft, and their five children, Adira, Tani, Eli, Avi, and Akiva.

x Mrs. Racheli Luftglass

Mrs. Racheli Luftglass is the Principal of Judaic Studies at YULA Girls High School in Los Angeles, CA.  and a kallah teacher.  Before moving to the West Coast, she taught at The Frisch School in Paramus, NJ, in the Nach Department and in the Learning Center.  At the OU Women’s Initiative, Mrs. Luftglass has served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence, presented shiurim and taught “Yirmiyahu’s Canon for Calamity” – an interactive in-depth course at the ALIT Virtual Summer Learning Program. She also taught Sefer Nechemia to over 5,000 women worldwide for Torat Imecha Nach Yomi. Mrs. Luftglass began her career at The Moriah School in Englewood, NJ, where she taught both mainstream and enrichment Judaic Studies classes as well as secular studies in the school’s Gesher Yehuda Program. Mrs. Luftglass graduated from Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women with a B.A. in music and psychology and holds an M.A. from Columbia University’s Teachers College with a concentration in Education of the Gifted and of the Learning Disabled. She has also completed coursework at Columbia University towards a doctorate degree in neuropsychology. Mrs. Luftglass lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and five children. 

x Mrs. Liat Mayerfeld

Liat Mayerfeld is an international speaker. She has been brought to speak in seminars in Spain, Poland, Israel, Denmark and Australia. Liat is the co-director of Kii, an outreach organization engaging unaffiliated young professionals in NYC. Born in New York and raised in Israel, Liat spent over 2 years working for Israeli military intelligence. She holds a teaching qualification & degrees in Jewish studies and Special Needs Education from Michlala College, Jerusalem. Liat has worked and taught for Aish in England and New York City. While teaching and educating, she is completing her MA in Jewish education. Liat has an open-door policy, and together with her husband and their 8 children they have welcomed thousands to their Shabbat, festival and random weekday dinners! 

x Rebbetzin Peshi Neuburger

Rebbetzin Peshi Neuburger, a beloved mentor and experienced teacher, is a graduate of Stern College for Women and holds a B.A. in mathematics. Rebbetzin Neuburger brings a wealth of diversified experience to the classroom, including adult education at Lincoln Square Synagogue, where she taught kallah classes for twenty five years. At Manhattan High School for Girls, Rebbetzin Neuburger teaches Nosim B’Chumash to Grade Twelve. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Rebbetzin Neuburger presented shiurim for the Rosh Chodesh and Three Weeks Inspiration programs, presented to Mikvah Attendants as part of the Covid Support efforts and participated in the Women’s Initiative Educators Thinktank.  Rebbetzin Neuburger is the Rebbetzin of Congregation Beth Abraham in Bergenfield, NJ. 

 

x Dr. Deena Rabinovich

Deena Rabinovich chairs the Rebecca Ivry Department of Jewish Studies and the Legacy Heritage Jewish Educators Project at Stern College for Women. She directs the PEP Program at the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. She received her bachelors from Stern College for Women, her Masters from New York University, and her doctorate from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education. Prior to teaching at Stern College for Women, Deena taught at Central-Yeshiva University High School for Girls and at the North Shore Hebrew Academy.

x Professor Shoshana Schechter

Professor Shoshana Schechter is the Associate Dean of Torah Studies at Stern College for Women and the director of the Mechina program at the college. She is a graduate of Stern College for Women, with a B.S. in both Judaic Studies and English Literature and holds master’s degrees from Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies and Columbia University School of Journalism. Shoshana is a frequent lecturer on topics in Tanach and has been involved in Jewish outreach programs on four continents. At the OU Women’s Initiative, she taught an in-depth course at the ALIT summer Virtual Beit Midrash program, has presented a shiur for Rosh Chodesh, served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence and taught Sefer Bereshit for Torat Imecha Parsha. Shoshana lives in New Hempstead, NY with her husband, Yitzchak, and five children. 

 

x Mrs. Shira Schiowitz

Shira Schiowitz is a Tanach teacher at SAR High School where she also serves as Co-director of Professional Development. She previously taught Tanach and chaired the Tanach Department at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School in Teaneck, NJ.  Shira served as Assistant Dean at Lamdeinu of Teaneck during its first year, planning and implementing the opening of Lamdeinu, a full-time learning program initiative in Teaneck.  At the OU Women’s Initiative, Shira taught the first part of Yeshayahu to over 5,000 women worldwide as part of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi Program and an interactive in-depth course examining the relationships between the melachim and Nevi’im in Tanach at the ALIT Summer Learning Program. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Shira taught the first part of Sefer Yeshayahu to over 5000 women worldwide as part of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi Program and taught an in-depth course as part of the ALIT Summer Learning Program.  Shira is the rebbetzin of the Shaare Tefillah community in Teaneck, NJ where she and her husband have served for the past 16 years. She received her master’s degree in Bible from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University. 

x Dr. Esther Shkop

Dr. Esther Shkop is renowned for her dynamic and innovative approach to learning and teaching Tanach, which has fascinated and inspired audiences of varied ages and levels of erudition and Biblical literacy. She previously served as a Professor of Tanach and as Dean of the Blitstein Institute of Hebrew Theological College. A tenth-generation Yerushalmit, Dr. Shkop’s education was divided between Israel and the United States, and she is fluent in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish. She earned a B.A. in English Literature and Philosophy, a Master’s Degree in Biblical Literature, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis. Her eclectic background has broadened her horizons and enriched her classic study of Torah. Dr. Shkop has been active in various community service organizations, has won various awards for her public service and scholarship, including the Freedom Award of the Templeton Foundation. 

x 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. 

x Mrs. Jaclyn Sova

After graduating from SKA High School for Girls, Michlalah, and Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women, Jaclyn got her master’s in education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Education and Administration and is in the process of finishing the doctoral program there. While in New York, Jaclyn taught at SKA. When her family moved to Baltimore, MD she started teaching at Bnos Yisroel and Beth Tfiloh’s high schools while also lecturing throughout the community. She launched a program for high school girls called BGCubed, giving Bais Yaakov girls the opportunity to have meaningful Jewish experiences outside of school where they can grow socially, emotionally, and religiously.   

x Mrs. Esther Tokayer

Esther Tokayer is a passionate and creative educator who has impacted the lives of thousands of members of the Sephardic community in Brooklyn for over three decades. She is currently the founding Associate Principal of Barkai Yeshivah High School, which is set to open in September 2023.

She served as Associate Principal of Magen David Yeshivah High School for the last 22 years. She began her career at MDYHS as a History and Tanakh teacher before being appointed Assistant Principal. Her educational philosophy encourages students to be creative and engage with the world, and to develop leadership and communication skills to benefit themselves, the community and the greater society.  

She is the Rebbetzin of Kingsway Jewish Center in Brooklyn, NY and is married to Rabbi Etan Tokayer.  She is the proud mom of three children.

x Mrs. Tzivi Zuckerman

Tzivi Zuckerman holds a B.A. in history and an M.A. in Jewish history and has been in the field of Jewish education for almost 20 years. She has taught world history, Jewish history and Tanach at a variety of schools, including Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls, Michlalah Jerusalem College, Bais Yaakov of Baltimore and Columbus Torah Academy. Since moving to Columbus, Ohio, where her husband is the Assistant Rosh Kollel of the Columbus Community Kollel, Tzivi has taught a range of community classes on Taharas HaMishpacha, relationships, Jewish history and Jewish thought. In addition to teaching women in the community, Tzivi teaches High School Navi at CTA’s GHSP division. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Tzivi presented at the Haggadah Ideas and Inspiration Program and Rosh Chodesh Lunch N Learn, was a scholar in residence for Nach Yomi Nach Shabbat 2022 and 2023, and taught Melachim II for Torat Imecha Nach Yomi.