Rabbi Ben Keil Rabbi rabbi@yippjc.org (718) 824-0630
Rabbi Ben Keil currently learns and teaches at Yeshiva University. He grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, and attended Boston University, where he and his wife Dana met. Rabbi Keil spent two years teaching at the Breuer's Mesivta High School, a year running the youth department at Lincoln Square Synagogue, and two years as Executive Director of LSS before their family moved to Jerusalem to spend time learning. He learned at at the RIETS Israel Kollel for three years, and taught Gemara at Yeshivat Orayta in the evenings. Rabbi Keil and his wife Dana, and their children Meir (5) Ashira (3) and Livia (1) are excited to be a part of the Pelham Parkway community. In addition to his time at Yeshiva University, Rabbi Keil also holds private semicha from Rabbi Joseph Polak, the Av Beit Din of the Rabbinical Council of New England.
Yitz has been apart of the YIPP family since he was a youngster in Junior Cong, and was a star of the basketball team, the YIPP Pebbles. After his year of study in Israel at Keren B'Yavneh, Yitz came back to us after almost single handily running our Shul during his senior year of High School. Yitz is a graduate of Landers College for Men at Touro College, where he also received semicha from at the end of 2017. He is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) for the Jewish Board of Family and Social Services and is always lending a hand to help and making tireless efforts in the community.
Steve Glosser Head of Marketing and Public Relations [email protected] (718) 824-0630 ext. 10
Janice Krinitz Office Secretary [email protected] (718) 824-0630 x 11
Janice has been running and coordinating the shuls office for over a decade. Her pleasant conversations when one calls the shul office is what we like best, for all questions do get answered.
Cantor Yair Shahak has been with us since 2010 and has lead a dynamic partnership with Co-Cantor Ben Houben during the High Holidays. Yair has also devoted extensive study to Tanakh, Talmud, and numerous other works in the corpus of Judaic literature. At the age of 22, he was appointed a full-time Instructor of Hebrew at Yeshiva University, one of the youngest full-time faculty members in the history of the institution. After his first year of teaching he was nominated by the student body for the Lillian F. and William L. Silber Professor of the Year Award. Also a cantor, composer and classically trained violinist, Yair is conversationally fluent in a large number of Semitic and Indo-European languages, both ancient and modern. His poetry has been published in Hador: The Hebrew Annual of America and his first book on Hebrew grammar is slated to be published in early 2013. He holds a B.A. in Bible, Music, and Hebrew Language & Literature, an M.A. in Biblical and Semitic Studies & Languages, and cantorial ordination from Yeshiva University, as well as a Master of Music (M.Mu.)degree in Violin Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music, where he studied with Daniel Phillips and was the recipient of the Adele Lerner Prize in Chamber Music.
Cantor Izak Held Assistant Head Cantor cantoriz@yipp.info (718) 824-0630 x15
Cantor Held has served YIPPJC as its Executive Director from 2010 - 2015 and now comes back to us as a junior chazan for our High Holidays Season. Cantor Held received his Cantorial training from Cantors Harry Isenberg OB"M, Jack Antman OB"M & Rabbi Rodney Weiss. He was a visiting cantor in the Bronx, New York at the Young Israel of Pelham Parkway and the Williamsburg Jewish Center. He has also done chazzanis for Young Israel of Woodmere, Young Israel of Astor Gardens, Kehillat New Hempstead and Congregation Ohel Moshe Anshei Sefard. Izak is a strategist at inBaron and formerly worked as a consultant at Grant Thornton LLP. Izak earned his MBA in Accountancy from the Robert H. Ledbetter College of Business of Shorter University, a candidate for a Masters in Education (M.Ed.) at the American College, and he completed his B.B.A. undergraduate studies at Baruch College, where he also serves as an alumni advisor at the Baruch Hillel. He holds the Registered Financial Consultant (RFC) designation and is also an ambassador for Weebly, Lyft and The IJ Crew Association. Izak is also involved in many not for profit endeavors, he was a deputy coordinator for CHAVERIM of the 5 Towns and Far Rockaway and on the educational staff of Camps Mesorah and Dora Golding. He is currently the Co-President of Young Jewish Conservatives, a Matchmaker at the Bashert Agency and an Instructor at the Russian American Jewish Experience.
Jose "Freddy" Rivera Maintenance Manager [email protected] (718) 824-0630 x 1
Freddy as he is known has been apart of the Young Israel of Pelham Parkway Jewish Center Team since he was a young child. With many years of working in Jewish organizations, Freddy has all the stories from our inception.