Celebrating our Yoatzot Halacha

On Sunday, November 12, 2023, join Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center’s (MGC) U.S. Yoatzot Halacha Fellows Program (YH/US) in celebrating the 26 outstanding women certified as Yoatzot Halacha (women advisors in Jewish law) between the years 2017-2023. We honor the scholarship, achievements and community service of Yoatzot Halacha who live in California, Canada, Czechia, England, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

With integrity and devotion, Yoatzot Halacha strengthen mitzvah observance and have won the backing of world-renowned Rabbanim. Rabbis respect Yoatzot Halacha for their Torah scholarship, yirat shamayim and dedication to halacha, as well as their skills, sensitivity, and knowledge of women’s health. Nishmat’s Yoatzot Halacha aim to give women agency over their religious lives, so that they can live with fidelity to halachic expectations from a position of dignity and deep commitment. They educate women about their bodies, health and wellbeing, and are a voice for empathy in a field that is the bedrock of the Jewish people: marriage and family.

In 2017, MGC answered the call of women and communities throughout the United States and beyond to consider a hybrid distance learning model for YH/US. This enabled qualified women living throughout the United States to participate and begin serving their communities. Immediately, we received inquiries from all over the U.S., Canada and Europe. Given the dramatic world events of 2020, our online pivot proved prescient, the healing before the wound (b. Megilah 13b), even for those living in the New York area.

To date, 38 YH have completed their studies at the MGC, and serve in paid and volunteer positions in the United States, Canada and Europe in over 50 institutions in 25 communities. Over time, Yoatzot Halacha have become a trusted halachic resource and assist tens of thousands of women annually, worldwide.

Our Graduates, Your Yoatzot Halacha
Classes of 2017-2023

Rivka Alter

Atara Kelman is a Judaics teacher at Ramaz Upper School in New York. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Atara studied for two years in the Beit Midrash in Migdal Oz before completing her undergraduate degree in Jewish Studies at Stern College. Atara joined the GPATS program, where she earned a Masters in Biblical and Talmudic Interpretation and taught Tanakh at Stern College as an adjunct professor. She recently completed training in Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center and U.S. Yoatzot Halacha Fellows Program. Her other interests include long hikes in the outdoors and practicing Hebrew calligraphy.

Sarit Anstandig

Sarit Anstandig teaches Judaic Studies at Ulpanat Orot and serves as a Yoetzet Halacha for the Toronto community. She and her husband serve as OU-JLIC directors for Toronto South. Previously, Sarit taught at Farber Hebrew Day School in Detroit, at the University of Michigan Hillel, and at Yeshivat Frisch in New Jersey.

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 and 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 a M.A. in Bible from Yeshiva University, a 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 haftarot as part of the Sefaria Word-by-Word fellowship.

Ruthie Braffman Shulman

Ruthie Braffman Shulman is the Community Scholar and Yoetzet Halacha of Young Israel of West Hartford, Connecticut. She has worked in community leadership and Torah education for more than 10 years, including institutions such as United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, Manhattan Jewish Experience, OU-JLIC University of Pennsylvania, OU-JLIC Drexel. She lives in Philadelphia Pennsylvania with her husband and 3 children.

Rachel Cohen

Rachel Cohen began a career in IT, and quickly pivoted to serve as an educator in Jewish communities in the diaspora. She has been an adult educator and program director for the last 15 years in Canada and Australia. She just moved to Chicago with her family and is excited about the new opportunities that await her in the greater Chicago community.

Ellin Cooper

Ellin Cooper is the Yoetzet Halacha for the Manhattan Yoetzet Initiative, a consortium of 12 synagogues and institutions throughout Manhattan. She is currently training in Nishmat’s MGC’s Fertility Counselor course. She holds a BA in Physics from Barnard College and is a graduate of GPATS at Yeshiva University. Ellin loves living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where she grew up and now resides with her husband Jeremy and son Ariel.

Hindy Feder

Hindy Feder lives in Lawrence, NY. She is a fellow at Nishmat’s Halachic Research Institute, currently writing for the upcoming second volume of Nishmat HaBayit, Hilchot Niddah Responsa and is currently training in Nishmat’s MGC’s Fertility Counselor course. She has been teaching Torah to girls and women in the Five Towns  since 2004. She teaches at Stern College for Women, and serves as Sho’elet U’meishiva in Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center U.S. Yoatzot Halacha Fellows Program.

Rifki Freundlich

Rifki Freundlich and her family live in Lawrence, NY where her husband is the rabbi at Congregation Beth Sholom. After many years of teaching kallot and being involved in girls’ and women’s education in Atlanta and Montreal, Rifki became a Yoetzet Halacha in 2019. She is mentor to new Yoatzot Halacha through Nishmat’s MGC, and in the past was mentor in Nishmat’s Kallah Teacher Certification Course. She is currently training in Nishmat’s MGC’s Fertility Counselor course and teaches Judaic Studies at Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls.

Shalvie Friedman

Shalvie Friedman grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa and received her BSc in Maths and Finance from the University of South Africa. Shalvie has taught in high schools in Johannesburg, as well as at many seminaries in Israel. Shalvie currently lives in London where is a senior educator for Aish UK, teaches in Hasmonean Girls High School and heads up Chelkeinu, an organization centered around Jewish Education for Women. She is currently training in Nishmat’s MGC’s Fertility Counselor course.

Dr. Hadassah Fromson

Dr. Hadassah Fromson grew up in Gibraltar and now lives in London, where she is the Rebbetzin of a shul in Golders Green and Yoetzet Halacha for Mill Hill East Jewish Community in London. She is a Counseling Psychologist who works with a variety of mental health issues. She currently focuses on sexual health and relationship issues in her practice and works for Chana, a charity that helps couples struggling with fertility issues. She is a mother of four and loves combining her different roles to best help others.

Shaina Gitler

Shaina Gitler, along with her husband Rabbi Moshe Gitler have dedicated their lives to spreading the light, warmth and love of Judaism around the world. Shaina received her bachelors in Jewish law from Stern College for women. She has had the privilege to do Shlichus in Israel, Hawaii, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, and New York City where she spearheaded many events and classes that enlightened and connected Jewish women to their mitzvos. As the first Chabad Yoetzet in America, Shaina is excited to inspire, empower, and educate women in the Chabad community and beyond in the mitzvah of Taharas Hamishpacha, helping them build a healthy and Godly home. Shaina and her husband live in Crown Heights, Brooklyn with their two children, Chaya and Yoavi.

Stacey Goldman

Stacey Goldman teaches Tanach at Kohelet Yeshiva High School in Lower Merion, PA. She also gives adult education classes all over the greater Philadelphia area including Aish Chaim, Lower Merion Synagogue, and Hillel at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Barnard College and the U.S.Yoatzot Halacha Program of Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center and currently serves as Yoetzet Halacha for the Greater Philadelphia community and the Young Israel/Aish in Las Vegas. She is currently training in Nishmat’s MGC’s Fertility Counselor course. She has published reflective essays and articles on chabad.org. You can find her audio classes on YUTorah.org.

Zahava Harari

Zahava Harari is a Rebbetzin in the Syrian Jewish community of Brooklyn, NY, where she serves as a Yoetzet Halacha. She is currently training in Nishmat’s MGC’s Fertility Counselor Course. Zahava works as a pediatric occupational therapist. She is married to Rabbi Avi Harari and is the proud mother of five wonderful children.

Atara Kelman

Rivka Alter presently serves as a Yoetzet Halacha in Riverdale and Teaneck. She is a member of the Judaic Studies Faculty at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls. Rivka is an experienced kallah teacher and serves as a mentor for Nishmat’s Kallah Teacher Certification Program. She is currently training in Nishmat’s MGC’s Fertility Counselor course.  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, NJ.

Ahuva Morris

Ahuva Morris joined the Yoetzet Halacha program after years dedicated to staying home and raising her children in Edison, NJ. She noticed a void in her community, both firsthand and through collecting others’ stories; she saw how much they needed a woman trained with current medical, emotional and halachic knowledge, and realized that she could fill that breach through dedicating herself to intensive studies in Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center. Ahuva is ready to help women in their observance of Taharat Hamishpacha on their own personal journeys. She hopes to be able to engage women and Rabbanim in her hometown of Lakewood, NJ. She looks forward to bridging her new skills and qualifications as a Yoetzet with her previous career as a lawyer, in order to advocate for women.

Shira Neuman

Shira Neuman lives in Columbus, Ohio where she, her husband Rabbi Ari Neuman, and their three children (Moshe, Esti, and Yoshi) serve to Jewish community through Congregation Torat Emet. She received her masters degree in Jewish Education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, worked as the OU-JLIC Campus Educator at the University of Maryland, and has taught multiple grade levels at Columbus Torah Academy (CTA). She currently teaches Girls’ Talmud and Jewish History to high school students in CTA, in addition to adult education in her shul and broader community. She is passionate about enriching Jewish families through appreciation and observance of Taharat Hamishpacha, and feels blessed to join the ranks of Nishmat Yoatzot Halacha.

Elise Peter-Apelbaum

Elise Peter-Apelbaum grew up in Paris, France, where she received a Masters degree in finance. In 2009, she took a break from her work and decided to spend 2 years in Israel, learning at Nishmat in the Tochnit Alisa. Since 2011, she and her husband Chief Rabbi David Peter, have been in charge of the Jewish Community of Prague, helping the community to flourish and its members to reconnect to their jewish roots and traditions. They raise 5 beautiful children aged 2 to 10.

Dr. Debra Rosenbaum

Dr. Debra Rosenbaum recently moved to Los Angeles, where she is pursuing a fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She learned in Migdal Oz after high school, and attended Barnard College for her undergraduate studies. She earned her M.D. at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and completed Pediatric residency at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland. As a Yoetzet, Debra looks forward to combining her medical and halakhic training in supporting and guiding women in her community. Together with her husband, Rabbi Gabe Falk, Debra is a proud parent to Meital, Elisha and Betzalel.

Atara Graubard Segal

Atara Graubard Segal lives in Modiin and teaches at Midreshet Torah v’Avodah. She studied in both the Keren Ariel Yoetzet Halacha program in Israel as well as at the Miriam Glaubach Center in the United States. She is currently training in Nishmat’s MGC’s Fertility Counselor course. She holds a Master’s degree in Bible from YU’s Bernard Revel Graduate School and has taught math and a variety of Torah subjects to teens and adults in New York, Houston and Los Angeles. She has served as the head lifeguard at Camp HASC and Moshava IO and loves hiking throughout Israel, always accompanied by her dog and sometimes by her husband and children.

Yaffa Setton

Yaffa Setton serves the Syrian-Sephardic communities of Brooklyn, NY and Deal, New Jersey as a Yoetzet Halacha and community educator. She currently serves as the Director of Programming and Student Learning for the Allegra Franco Women’s Division of The Midrash and is a Judaic Studies teacher at Yeshiva of Flatbush High School. She is currently training in Nishmat’s MGC’s Fertility Counselor course. Yaffa holds a master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology and is a certified lactation consultant. She is married to Rabbi Albert Setton and they have 5 children Rita, Sion, Belle, Margalit, and Elie.

Mahnaz Shmalo

Mahnaz Shmalo has been an adjunct professor at Lander College for Women since 2012, teaching courses in Law, Midrash, and Bible. Since 2018, she has also taught on the faculty at Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women. Professor Shmalo has been a bridal counselor for over two decades. As a graduate of Nishmat’s Yoetzet Halacha program, she is a resource to her students as well as members of her community, guiding them in the laws of Taharat Hamishpacha. Professor Shmalo is an active guest speaker on Tanach and the Jewish holidays. She lives in Passaic, New Jersey.

Dr. Hannah Spellman

Dr. Hannah Spellman, originally from Sharon, MA, completed the Yoetzet Halacha program in 2020, around the same time that she graduated medical school. She recently completed her residency in pediatrics at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, where she currently serves as pediatric chief resident. Hannah lives in Cleveland, OH, with her husband and toddler.

Devora Stechler Dawidowicz

Devora Stechler Dawidowicz is an educator at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School, where she teaches Gemara and Halacha. Prior to receiving certification as a Yoetzet Halacha, Devora graduated from Yeshiva University’s Stern College with degrees in Biology and Judaic Studies and completed a Masters from the Azrieli School of Jewish Education. Devora lives in Teaneck, NJ with her family.

Racheli Taubes

Racheli Taubes grew up in Brooklyn, New York, studied in Israel at Michlalah, and majored in Jewish Education with a minor in chemistry at Stern College. She holds a Master in Jewish Education from the Azrieli Graduate School and a Master in Bible from the Bernard Revel Graduate School. She has taught Judaic Studies at various middle and high school yeshiva days schools in NY, NJ, and PA, as well as at Stern College. She also previously served as the Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (OU-JLIC) educator at the University of Pennsylvania along with her husband Yaakov. She currently teaches Biology and Judaic Studies at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls and is the Rrebbetzin and Yoetzet Halacha at Mount Sinai Jewish Center in Washington Heights, New York.

Dr. Jordana Topp

Dr. Jordana Topp is the Los Angeles Community Yoetzet Halacha. She is the Rebbetzin of Beth Jacob Congregation in Beverly Hills, and a mobile dentist, treating patients with limited access to care. Jordana is a graduate of Stern College, Rutgers Dental School, and Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center U.S. Yoatzot Halacha Program, and studied at Michlalah and Nishmat seminaries in Jerusalem.

Zissy Turner

Zissy Turner is the Yoetzet Halacha of Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford, CT. She serves on the Judaic Studies faculty at S.A.R High School in Riverdale, NY, teaching Tanakh and Gemara, and acts as Sophomore Student Dean. Zissy has previously been Community Educator at Lincoln Square Synagogue, as well as Congregational Scholar at Kesher Israel Synagogue in Washington DC. She has taught in diverse communities across the United States and Europe, sharing her love for Torah and Mitzvot with Jews in all stages of life.

Celebrate our Graduates

Your gift to the Miriam Glaubach Center will allow Yoatzot Halacha to continue providing spiritual and scholarly leadership, strengthening modern Orthodox Judaism and enhancing the lives of observant women and their families.

Every day, Yoatzot Halacha contribute to the vibrancy and authenticity of Jewish life.