Rabbi Yossi Elefant

For 12 years, Rabbi Yossi Elefant has worked morning, day, and night to provide a well-rounded education for young Jewish scholars. At Yeshiva Ketana of Los Angeles, he works as the second grade rebbe and Judaic studies teacher in the mornings and serves as the middle school science teacher in the afternoons. Rabbi Elefant continues his work with college-aged students in the evenings, providing deeper instruction about their Jewish heritage.

Outside of the classroom, Rabbi Elefant is eager to assist his colleagues as the technology contact at Yeshiva Ketana. He takes the time to coach fellow teachers, sharing his classroom management strategies and pedagogical methods. Rabbi Elefant leads exciting and relevant hands-on science projects for students such as learning about photosynthesis, respiration, and fermentation via chocolate-making, and building and testing popsicle stick boats and bridges – sometimes strong enough to hold his own weight! Rabbi Elefant holds a bachelor’s in Judaic studies from Ohr Somayach Tanenbaum College, as well as a teacher’s certification from the Ministry of Education of Israel and a rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg in Jerusalem. He also completed the Ohr Lagolah Hertz Institute for International Teacher Training’s Leadership Training Program in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Elefant strives not only to make learning exciting for students, but also to encourage their character development through his Middos program and spark a love for their Jewish heritage: “The single lesson I hope to instill in my students is a deep love for the Jewish way of life, rooted in Torah,” he says. “I want them to see and feel that Hashem loves each of them unconditionally and is always present for us, regardless of who we are or what we have achieved.”