About US
Rabbi Yisrael Bennish
Raised in Oak Park, Michigan, Yisrael Bennish completed courses in advanced Talmudic studies at Rabbinical Colleges in New York and Maryland. Upon graduating in 2011 he received both Rabbinic Ordination as well as a BA in Judaic Studies from Rabbinical College of America, and in 2013 he furthered his academic achievements by earning an advanced Rabbinic degree at the Chabad Central Yeshiva in New York.
A passionate educator and Jewish outreach operator, Yisrael has dedicated much of his personal time assisting remote Jewish communities in cities as far as Tula Russia and rural villages in western Ukraine, as well as providing support for Jewish tourists in Northern Colombia. He spent six years conducting private visitations of Jewish families in states across the US including New Jersey, Michigan, Idaho, Maryland, Florida and Illinois, responding to their religious and pastoral needs. Yisrael’s open minded and non-judgmental approach sees him provide counseling and spiritual guidance to Jewish inmates in jails, as well as to University students, Jewish students enrolled in state schools, and younger boys in preparation for their Bar Mitzvahs. In addition to his love of learning and his passion for Jewish outreach, Yisrael has contributed significantly to Synagogue life by deputizing for congregational rabbis, delivering sermons, leining from the Torah and leading prayers during High Holiday services.
More recently, Yisrael completed a one year internship as Assistant Rabbi for an active Synagogue in Asheville, North Carolina. This role saw him engaged as the director of programs and development during which he enhanced the programs and curriculum and engaged directly with students by facilitating and teaching the popular JLI courses.
Shulamis Bennish
Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Shulamis Bennish attended high school in New York receiving her High School and Advanced Regents Diploma, and advanced her education at Beit Chana Seminary in Milan, Italy where she earned her teaching certification. Shulamis’ passion for teaching and youth engagement, coupled with her organizational skills, saw her coordinating interactive youth programs as the Program Director of Chabad of Asheville in North Carolina, and heading the unique “Pioneer program” for children in her role as Assistant Program Director of Camp Gan Israel in Ottawa, Canada. In 2011 Shulamis assumed the senior leadership role as Head Counselor of Cap Gan Israel in Maryland. Shulamis has over three years of teaching experience with children of various ages and was in 2012 appointed Assistant Pre School Director of Chabad of the Upper East Side. In 2011 Shulamis joined the Asheville community for one year during which time she assisted Chabad of Asheville in their communal and outreach work. Together with Yisrael, Shulamis completed a one year internship as youth and program director. As part of her internship she enriched the local Hebrew School with special programming, established the CTeen program aimed at engaging Jewish teenagers and invigorated numerous existing program. Currently, Shulamis is working part time as Administrative director at My Little Gan preschool in Hoboken.