Daniel Tabak is pursuing his doctorate in Medieval Jewish History at Revel, but that trajectory wasn’t always clear, even to him. After graduating Yeshiva College with a BA in Economics in 2007, Daniel began taking courses toward an MA at Revel as a co-requisite of his RIETS semikha program. “By the end of my Master’s degree,” explains Daniel, “I was enamored with medieval Jewish history,” and he thus applied to a number of leading doctoral programs in this field.  He ultimately chose to enroll at Revel so that he could study under Professors Berger and Kanarfogel, who, as Daniel notes, “are world-renowned and very generous with their time and knowledge.” Read the rest of this entry »

When describing her current life situation Yael Goldfisher exclaims: “I love to both learn and teach!  Being able to pursue my passion as a career is extremely rewarding.”  Yael, who lives with her husband, David (see accompanying Revel student profile), and their four children in Teaneck, New Jersey, has been teaching Chumash at The Frisch School since 2004. In 2008 she became Director of Israel Guidance for Girls, and in 2010 she was appointed Chair of Frisch’s Chumash department.  Recently, Yael returned to Revel to study toward a Master’s degree in Bible. But this is actually her second time around, since Yael already earned an MA in medieval Jewish history at Revel in 2005. Read the rest of this entry »

Rabbi David Goldfischer, who received semicha (rabbinic ordination) from RIETS, began teaching Chumash and Talmud at the Frisch School in 2005. In 2010 became Director of Student Activities, and this year he also began to serve as Senior Grade Dean and Israel Guidance Counselor. At times, he has regretted not pursuing a graduate degree in Jewish studies. His wife, Yael, had earned her Master’s degree in medieval Jewish history at Revel (see accompanying Revel alum/student profile), and David often would read her graduate school text books with great interest. He also came to recognize how important it was to have a teacher to guide him in his quest for deeper knowledge of the scholarly topics of his interest. After seven years of teaching, David felt compelled to gain new perspectives by re-experiencing the other side of the teacher’s desk and expanding his intellectual horizons. Shortly after Yael returned to pursue her second Master’s degree at Revel, David followed suit. Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Aaron Koller earned his PhD in Bible from Revel in 2009 and is currently Assistant Professor of Bible at Yeshiva College and an associate faculty member at Revel. He is known among his students for his engaging personality and compelling teaching style. Dr. Koller would be happy to hear this, as he believes that a teacher’s value lies specifically in how he can bring scholarship to life. Indeed, he credits his own entrance into the field of Bible to the engaging teachers he experienced from his days as an undergraduate at Yeshiva College. He cites in particular Professor Hillel Novetsky (Revel MA in Bible 1992), whose classes he took over four sequential semesters, and which motivated him to focus on biblical studies. While still an undergrad, Dr. Koller took Prof. Barry Eichler’s Revel course on Parashat Mishpatim, and recalls “being blown away” by how much is known about the ancient legal context of the biblical civil laws in that Parasha. Read the rest of this entry »