From left to right: Avi Moshe Miller (Class 23), Avi Narrow-Tilonsky (Class 20), Eitan Bendavid (Class 20), Mark Goldfeder (Class 20), Noah Cheses (Class 21), Michael Cooper Emerson (Class 23). Not pictured: Shlomo Zuckier (Class 24).
“On Sunday March 23rd, I participated in Yeshiva University’s quadrennial rabbinic ordination celebration. The ceremony was filled with uplifting words of Torah that inspired us to take responsibility for the future of the Jewish community. One of the most memorable moments for me occurred as the new graduates — more than 230 — and our teachers were preparing for a group picture. About 15 minutes into the process, we broke out into spontaneous song about the beauty and power of Torah. Hearing the harmonizing voices of my peers and mentors, filled my tank with spiritual fuel.”
Noah Cheses (WGFA, Class 21) currently serves as an associate Rabbi at the Yale University Hillel where he and his wife co-direct the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus. He also teaches a reading course at the Yale Law School on “The Environment in Jewish Law.” Noah was ordained at Yeshiva University where he was a Schottenstein Scholar in Jewish Studies, a Dr. Norman Lamm Fellow in Jewish Thought, and a Wexner Graduate Fellow. In high school, Noah was on the Grounds Crew at Fenway Park where he spent his summers mowing the field for the Boston Red Sox. Noah is also an avid runner who ran on the cross country team in college and who has competed in the Boston, Miami, and Jerusalem marathons. He can be reached at ncheses@gmail.com.
“The chag hasemicha was a really amazing event. For me it was a reunion where I got to see many people that I had studied with just a few years ago and hear about all of the ways that they are now impacting the Jewish community around the world. Standing with 230 people that all have decided to become rabbis and influence the Jewish world was quite inspiring.”
Avi Narrow-Tilonsky (WGF, Class 20) directs an adult education program for parents of day school children, called the Kohelet Fellowships, through Yeshiva University. Avi received rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary in 2011. Simultaneously he completed a master’s degree in public administration at Baruch College. Avi can be reached at narrowti@yu.edu.
