RABBI REUVEN YOUKHEHPAZ

Rabbi Reuven Youkhehpaz, fifth grade boys rebbe at Yeshiva Aharon Yaakov/Ohr Eliyahu for the past 16 years, possesses an energy and a positivity that know no limits. So much so, that he recently assumed additional roles beyond the classroom: supervising second grade, third grade, and the schoolwide Keriah program for both boys and girls. Rabbi Youkhehpaz infuses hands-on projects into his Gemara, Chumash, Mishnah, and Halacha lessons, works with parents to support students’ academic and personal growth, and meets with administrators to advance pedagogy and his own journey as a lifelong learner. 

Rabbi Youkhehpaz’s students engage in group discussions about Jewish texts, participate in a Sukkah project, and host a class play utilizing Gemara vocabulary. Originally inspired to teach because of his grandmother’s work in education and commitment to teaching him to read Hebrew, Rabbi Youkhehpaz now enjoys teaching his own students the same valuable skill using his cumulative Gemara vocabulary program and multilevel, schoolwide oral testing system. Beyond the classroom, he is a role model to students and colleagues alike. Highly visible in weekly staff meetings, Rabbi Youkhehpaz offers insights into effective instructional practices that improve the craft of others and enrich the educational environment of the school at large. Rabbi Youkhehpaz holds a bachelor’s in Talmudic law from the Rabbinical Seminary of America Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim. 

Rabbi Youkhehpaz’s compassion serves as a guiding force for students, colleagues and the community: “I hope my students will live by the principle of ‘Ve’ahavta L’Reacha Kamocha’—loving their fellow as themselves—and carry these values into every aspect of their lives, becoming individuals who inspire others through their character, actions, and commitment to Torah.”