RABBI AVRAHAM YITZHOK JACOBS, Director & Co-Founder

Rabbi Jacobs is Co-Founder, Director and a Senior Lecturer at Machon Yaakov. Originally from Ocala, Florida, Rabbi Jacobs was until 2003 a senior managing director at JP Morgan, where he oversaw global stock research on telecommunications and provided strategic advice on some of the largest mergers in media/telecom history. Prior to that, he was a partner at Sanford Bernstein & Co., and was three times elected to the Institutional Investor All-American Analyst team. He acted as a frequent commentator on network television and in leading newspapers and magazines, and testified several times before the U.S. Congress. His credits include nominations for both the Pulitzer Prize for investigative journalism and the Emmy Award. More recently, Rabbi Jacobs co-authored a book with Rabbi Lynn titled Not A Partnership: Why We Keep Getting Marriage Wrong and How We Can Get It Right. Rabbi Jacobs holds an MS in Journalism from Columbia University (1985) and a BA in History from Northwestern University. Rabbi Jacobs and his family moved to Israel in 2003 to pursue full-time his interest in studying and teaching Jewish law, philosophy, and business ethics.

RABBI DR. YOSEF LYNN, Dean of Students

Rabbi Lynn is Dean of Students, Mashgiach (Spiritual Advisor), and a Senior Lecturer at Machon Yaakov. Originally from Palm Beach, Florida, he graduated as valedictorian from the University of Colorado at Boulder, College of Architecture, with Phi Beta Kappa honors. An avid athlete, he served as captain of the US National & World Duathlon team, as well as competing and finishing the Ironman Triathlon competition. He has a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, a Doctorate in Human and Organizational Psychology, and is a believer that true personal greatness results from understanding and building one’s strengths. He is also an executive coach, an author and the founder and director of Greatness Within Seminars, a successful approach to personal growth. Rabbi Lynn currently lives in Jerusalem with his family.

RABBI NOACH ORLOWEK, Senior Lecturer

Rabbi Orlowek is a world-renowned Jewish educator, lecturing on five continents, predominantly in the areas of parenting, teaching and interpersonal relationships. At Machon Yaakov, he lectures on relationships and character building, as well as advising students privately on a weekly basis. In addition to his work at Machon Yaakov, Rabbi Orlowek serves as mashgiach (Spiritual Advisor of Students) in Yeshivas Torah Ore in Jerusalem.In more than 30 years of working with parents and students alike, Rabbi Orlowek has developed an approach to parenting and life that has been successfully applied with the students that he teaches. He is the author of My Child, My Disciple, practical advice on discipline in the home; My Disciple, My Child, practical advice on discipline in the classroom; and Raising Roses Among the Thorns: Bringing up Spiritually Healthy Children in Today’s Society.

RABBI JONATHAN TAUB, Senior Lecturer

Rabbi Taub was born and raised in London, England. He studied economics at Cambridge University where he obtained a masters degree, and subsequently worked as a chartered accountant. He pursued his Torah studies in the Mir Yeshivah and in the Kollel of Yeshivas Merkaz HaTorah. Rabbi Taub has been teaching in yeshivot in Israel for over twenty-five years, and is currently lecturing in a number of yeshivas and women’s seminaries. Together with Rabbi Yisroel Shaw, he translated and annotated the popular Malbim Haggadah, and subsequently the Malbim Esther. Rabbi Taub has a deep appreciation for the Malbim’s style and close textual analysis, and tries to incorporate this into his teaching. Rabbi Taub is noted for his energy and excitement, aiming to reveal the “wow” in Torah. He is also an enthusiastic hiker, squash player, and enjoys writing humorous songs. He lives in Har Nof, Jerusalem with his wife and family.

RABBI IMMANUEL BERNSTEIN, Senior Lecturer

Rabbi Bernstein teaches the highest Talmud shiur for the second-year students at Machon Yaakov while also lecturing on Chumash (the written Torah) and Hashkafa (Jewish philosophy and outlook). Born and raised in London, Rabbi Bernstein came to Israel following high-school, where he studied for a number of years in Yeshivas Ateres Yisrael in Jerusalem, receiving Rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Chaim Walkin in 2001. Rabbi Bernstein is a distinguished author of both Hebrew and English books, publishing many works on Chumash, Talmud, and Tefillah (prayer). Additionally, Rabbi Bernstein offers weekly lectures that are open to the public on the weekly Torah portion, and other Talmudic topics. Rabbi Bernstein has taught Talmud in Yeshivat Ateres Yisrael, as well as lectured for a number of years at Michlala Jerusalem College for Women. He currently resides in Jerusalem with his family.

RABBI YISRAEL SHAW, Senior Lecturer

Rabbi Yisrael Shaw teaches a first-year Gemara class for students with a strong background in Hebrew and Judaic learning, with a focus on building reading and analytic skills towards the goal of attaining proficiency in Gemara learning and living. From 1997, Rabbi Shaw has served as editor-in-chief of Kollel Iyun Hadaf’s educational publications on Gemara. He has translated and edited dozens of Jewish books and publications. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Rabbi Shaw studied under eminent Torah scholars at Ner Israel (Baltimore), Merkaz HaTorah (Jerusalem), Midrash Shmuel (Jerusalem), and Yeshivat Ofakim. He attended university in Georgia and Maryland, and graduated with honors from S.U.N.Y. His wife is a senior lecturer at Darchei Binah Women’s College. Their children love to host Machon Yaakov students for Shabbos.

RABBI YOSEF JACOBS, Senior Lecturer

Rabbi Yosef teaches Talmud to second year students. He was born in the US, and moved to Israel with his family in 2003 as a teenager. He studied for many years under legendary Talmudist and teacher Rabbi Tzvi Kushelevsky, as well as at the Mir Yeshiva. His Talmud class focuses on helping students to attain clarity, depth and independence in tackling complex Talmudic texts. Rabbi Yosef lives in Jerusalem with his wife and children.

RABBI GIDON SHOSHAN, Lecturer

Rabbi Gidon Shoshan is a senior manager for the North American division of Olami, a foundation for Jewish education on campus. Rabbi Shoshan offers personal development workshops for first year and second year students at Machon Yaakov. He is a graduate of Yeshivat Hakotel, Mir Yeshiva, and the Yeshiva University Kollel, and holds Master’s degrees in Secondary Education and Developmental Psychology from YU and Harvard, where he was awarded the Leadership in Education Award in 2012. Originally from Chicago, Rabbi Shoshan has been active in Jewish education for many years, having served as Director of Outreach at the LINK Kollel in Los Angeles and as Mashgiach Ruchani at Shapell’s/Darche Noam in Jerusalem, where he continues to teach on a weekly basis.

RABBI SHLOMO EITAN, Lecturer: Hebrew Textual Skills

Rabbi Shlomo Eitan developed a love of the Hebrew language at an early age that has deepened throughout his life. During his twenty five plus years of teaching experience he has taught at Hebrew University, the Jerusalem College of Technology (Machon Lev), Aish HaTorah, Darchei Noam/Shappel’s, Mayanot and other institutions, as well as his own Ulpan Eitan, which he opened in 1990. He has developed a unique, fun, approach that has proven successful with adults who want to develop their Hebrew skills, overcome their fear of the language, or feel at home in Jewish sources. After graduating from Yeshiva University, Rav Eitan made aliyah in 1979, received smicha (rabbinical ordination) in Israel, and served in the I.D.F. He spent two and a half years working in Jewish education in Rio de Janeiro. In May of 2012 Rabbi Eitan launched his YouTube channel that goes by the name Hebrew For All. There he offers his approach and love of the Hebrew language to all. Rav Eitan and his wife live in Jerusalem with their children.

RABBI MOSHE GERSHT, Guest Lecturer

Rabbi Moshe Gersht was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. After singing a record deal and touring with his rock band for seven years, he left the Hollywood life behind to study at Machon Yaakov in 2007. This was followed by over a decade of dedicated Torah study in numerous Jerusalem Yeshivas, including the Mir. He has studied under and continues to learn from his mentors Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld, Rabbi Asher Arieli, and Rabbi Asher Weiss. Rabbi Gersht is also a global Torah teacher and the author of the books Succos Inspired and The Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller It’s All The Same To Me. Most recently Rabbi Gersht delivered a TEDx Talk on Unconditional Happiness. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and children.

RABBI HADAR MARGOLIN, Guest Lecturer

Rabbi Hadar Margolin was born in New York. He moved to Israel when he was 19 and has lived there for the last 40 years. He learned for 8 years under Rav Abba Berman. He taught for 10 years at Yeshiva Maarava, and has taught in girl's seminaries for over 20 years. He has written a number of books in Hebrew, as well as two in English published through ArtScroll. One of his biggest pleasures in life is davening Shabbos morning at Machon Yaakov!

RABBI REFOEL FELDMAN, Tutor & Afternoon Program director

Rabbi Refoel, who directs Machon Yaakov’s first-year program’s special projects group, and also acts as a night rebbe, was born in London, where he attended local London schools (His father was the famed Rabbi H.I. Feldman, who served as Rabbi at the Munk’s Kehilla in Golders Green, London). Rabbi Feldman studied in the Gateshead Yeshiva, and since 1984 has studied and taught at Jerusalem’s Mir Yeshiva. Rabbi Feldman got his start in the “Machon” world by organizing and directing Machon Shlomo’s special Friday Morning learning program in the 1990s. He joined the Machon Yaakov staff in 2017.

RABBI ELIEZER EMANUEL, Tutor

Rabbi Emanuel, a night rebbe at Machon Yaakov, was born in South Africa and spent the latter half of his youth in Israel. His approach is to combine South African sincerity with Israeli enthusiasm. He spends his days studying in Yeshivas Itri, where he has been a student for 19 years. Rabbi Emanuel has tutored the for STEP Program as well as for the Toldot Yeshurun network for Russian immigrants; he has also done pre-marital counseling with Irgun Lahav. The Emanuels love to have the students over for Shabbat and Rabbi Emanuel claims his wife makes the best cholent this side of the Limpopo River.

RABBI YOEL TATZ, Tutor

Rabbi Yoel Tatz grew up in Kaunas, Lithuania, moving to New York with his family at the age of 12. Following brief stints in the fields of medicine and finance while attending New York University, Rabbi Yoel found his true calling in studying and teaching Jewish philosophy. He attended Machon Yaakov from 2011 to 2013, later sharpening his Talmudic skills under the tutelage of Rav Dov Zemmel in Yeshivas Torah Ohr. Rabbi Yoel spends much of his time studying and teaching the writings of the Maharal of Prague and tutoring students in Talmud. He especially loves it when Machon Yaakov students challenge him to teach in Russian. He lives in Har Nof, Jerusalem, with his family.

RABBI MOSHE COHEN, Tutor

Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, Rabbi Cohen has been living in Israel since 1996. He studied in Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Baltimore) and Mesivta of Long Beach (New York), and spent nine years under the tutelage of Rabbi Tzvi Kushelevsky in Heichal HaTorah (Jerusalem). Rabbi Cohen specializes in learning Talmud with alacrity and clarity, and has delivered some 9,000 Talmud lectures over the last 20 years. He greatly enjoys working one-on-one with Machon Yaakov students every evening in any area of Torah which they choose to pursue. He and his family live in Har Nof, where the rule insisting that children climb on guests only after receiving permission is strictly enforced.

RABBI ELIYAHU TZVI KAHN, Administrator

Serving as the yeshiva administrator, Rabbi Kahn makes sure everything runs smoothly. Originally from Denver, Colorado, Rabbi Kahn came to Israel in 1998 after studying at the Lakewood Yeshiva in New Jersey. He then continued learning for an additional 8 years at the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem under the direction of Rabbi Nossen Tzvi Finkel, zt”l. Rabbi Kahn became a Gemara rebbe at Yeshivas Chedvas HaTorah and continues to teach Gemara privately. Rabbi Kahn has always enjoyed studying medicine and is currently a volunteer EMT for Magen David Adom and Hachovesh Har Nof – the neighborhood Hatzala. Having previously managed two family medical practices, Rabbi Kahn continues to share his knowledge by instructing courses in CPR, emergency response, and lifeguarding. Rabbi Kahn lives in Har Nof with his wife and three children. Their home is always open to guests – they can’t wait to have you for Shabbos.