Administration
Rabbi Mayer Neuberger
Rosh Hayeshiva
Rabbi Mayer Neuberger, a native of Baltimore, Md, studied in Mechina High School of NIRC, Yeshiva of Philadelphia, Yeshivas Mir (Jerusalem) and Beis Medrash Govoha (Lakewood), where he received semicha. Rabbi Neuberger came to Atlanta in 1997 to join the Atlanta Scholars Kollel and has served as Rosh Yeshiva of Ohr Yisrael since the yeshiva’s founding in 2001. He is married to Rivka Neuberger (nee Hopfer) who currently works as an anesthetist at Grady Hospital. They have four children.
Mr. David Jaffe
General Studies Principal
David Jaffe is originally from Atlanta. He has a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and minored in entrepreneurialism. He is a lifelong educator starting with peer-tutoring in middle school. Since 2009 David has been spending his summers developing and running camp counselor training programs, leading summer camp teams, and coaching young people. He has taught Sunday school for six years and Geometry for three years. In 2021 David joined the Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael team as the General Studies Principal. He lives with his wife and children in the Toco Hills community.
Rabbi Avrohom Tkatch
Menahel
Rabbi Avrohom Tkatch grew up in Overland Park, Kansas and attended the Yeshiva of South Bend, Yeshivas Mir (Jerusalem) and Beis Medrash Govoha (Lakewood), where he received semicha. Rabbi Tkatch joined the outreach Kollel in Bensalem, PA then moved to South Bend, IN in 2004 where he served as Menahel and 12th grade Rebbe for 11 years at the Yeshiva of South Bend. Rabbi Tkatch came to Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year.
Mrs. Sheryl Pitocchelli
Assistant Principal
This is currently under construction.
Judaic Studies
Rabbi Naftali Estreicher
Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Estreicher is the tenth grade Rebbe at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael. After eight years of learning at the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia and five years in Jerusalem’s Mir Yeshiva he returned to his hometown of Atlanta Georgia. Rabbi Estreicher was a founding member of the Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael Kollel in 2001. Rabbi Estreicher has also served as a rebbe at Camp Bonim for a number of years during the summer and completed the Ohr Legola outreach training program.
Rabbi Binyomin Alon
Rabbi Binyomin Alon is the 11th grade Rebbe at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael. After studying in Beis Medrash and Mesivtah of Baltimore, he spent several years learning in Yeshivas Kodshim (R' Tzvi Kaplan) in Israel. Following his years in Israel, he married Fraidy and joined Beis Medrash Gavoah in Lakewood. In 2014, Rabbi Alon came to Atlanta to become a founding member of Kollel Ner Hamizrach along with seven other families. While studying in the Kollel, Rabbi Neuberger formed an 8th grade extracurricular study group, which Rabbi Alon taught. It was this group of boys that would later form his 11th grade class when he joined the Yeshiva full time in 2017.
Rabbi Aharon Feldman
Rabbi Aharon Feldman was raised in Palo Alto CA. He attended Yeshivas Ner Yisrael in Baltimore, Yeshivas Mir in Yerushalayim and was a member of Kollel Netzach Yisroel (Rechnitz's kollel) in Los Angeles. Rabbi Feldman has published seforim on mesechtos Nida and Eiruvin. Most recently he taught at Mesivta Birkas Yitzchok and at the Yeshiva Gedola of Los Angeles. He and his wife, Shira, along with their five children moved to Atlanta before the 2021-2022 school year.
Rabbi Aryeh Adler
Rabbi Aryeh Adler grew up on the lower east side of Manhattan, and then Teaneck NJ. He studied at Yeshivas Kerem B’Yavneh, Yeshiva University where he graduated cum laude, and R’ Tzvi Kushelefsky in Eretz Yisrael. He received semicha from Rabbi Beryl Wein while he was sho’el u’meishiv in Yeshiva Shaarei Torah and studying under his uncle, Rabbi Yitzchak Adler, whose derech halimud he adopted. Rabbi Adler began his teaching career teaching an honor’s eighth grade class in Monsey, NY after which he taught in Moshe Aaron Yeshiva HS in Central NJ for 12 years. In addition, while in NJ, R Adler took his love of teaching and spreading devar Hashem to Rutgers University, teaching students on campus and in his home for several years. He gave weekly classes in the community and maintained ongoing relationships with his many students. Rabbi Adler came to Atlanta to join YOY in 2011 with aspirations to mold his talmidim into b’nei Torah and lamdanim.
Rabbi Daniel Gopin, LPC
Rabbi Daniel Gopin grew up in Teaneck, NJ. He attended Yeshivas Kerem B'Yavneh and Yeshivas Ner Yisrael in Baltimore. In 2012, he and his wife Tova moved to Atlanta to join the Atlanta Scholars Kollel. Rabbi Gopin began teaching at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael in 2015. He has a counseling practice that is focused on helping couples and families overcome various challenges.
Rabbi Chaim Yeshaya Freeman
Rabbi Freeman is an Atlanta native and attended Torah Day School. After completing his studies here he went to Mesivta of Long Beach, NY for High School, then in Yerushalayim under Rav Dovid Soloveitchik in Yeshivas Brisk. From there he went to the esteemed Beis Medrash Govoha in Lakewood where he studied for 5 years and received his semicha. Most recently, Rabbi Freeman was in kollel in Denver, Colorado for 5 years. Currently he is the Rav of Netzach Israel. In addition he teaches classes in Yeshivas Ohr Yisrael and Temima High School. His wife, Mira, is an early childhood educator and works alongside him. They are blessed with five children: Raizy 8, Yisroel Aharon 7, Yosef Shalom 5, and Meir Simcha 4, Tzivia Nechama 1.
General Studies
Mr. Chris Ellis
Mr. Christopher Ellis is a native of Atlanta. He attended Auburn University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics, concentrating on Actuarial Science. He discovered that teaching was a more rewarding and fun career than working in insurance. Mr. Ellis holds certification from the state of Georgia in all content areas of secondary mathematics. He has been with Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael since 2015, having taught all different levels of mathematics.
Dr. Richard Katz
Dr. Richard Katz is a trained linguist, specializing in language history and how grammatical features come about. He earned his Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Georgia in 2016 and moved from Athens to Atlanta so that his wife could pursue her career in accounting. He first came to Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael in the fall of 2018 where he teaches Language Arts and English to the 9th and 12th grade. In class, he works on strengthening students' skills in close reading and argumentative writing. Outside of class, he is writing a book about the history of grammatical structures like the perfect tense. He and his wife have a two year-old son.
Rabbi Jake Czuper
Rabbi Jake Czuper has had the opportunity to teach students in both formal and informal educational settings. With a B.A. in Psychology, a Master's degree in Education and Special Education, and Semicha from Beis Medrash L'Talmud (Lander College), Rabbi Jake is passionate about teaching Torah and sharing his knowledge of Positive Psychology and health to best impact his students. Rabbi Jake looks forward to teaching PE and Health classes at Y.O.Y. and getting to know the student body.
Mr. John H. Tarpley
Born in Atlanta and educated in the city of Atlanta Schools. Holds a Bacheors and a Master’s degree in History from Georgia State University, as well as a Juris Doctor degree from the Woodrow Wilson Law School. Taught in the Cobb County School system for thirteen hearsw, where he was also assistant principal of Walton and Lassiter High Schools. For the past twenty three years he has worked in private education as principal of Pinecrest Academy, in Cumming, Georgia. He is married to Pamela and they have two children, Katherine, a radiology student, and Hamilton, who lives and works in Berlin, Germany.
Mr. William Ellis
Mr. William Ellis attended both the University of Georgia and Georgia State University. He holds a BS Ed. in Secondary Social Science Education and a Masters in Educational Leadership and Supervision. He taught in the Gwinnet County school system for over 35 years; was department chair for eleven years; and served on the committee that developed the geography certification test used in the State of Georgia to certify teacher expertise in the subject of geography. Mr. Ellis began teaching at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael in the fall of 2009 and now teaches the full range of social sciences including AP US History and AP US Government.
Dr. Thomas Rounds
Dr. Thomas Rounds is physics and chemistry teacher here at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael. Dr. Rounds grew up in Maine and received his B.A. in chemistry from Bowdoin College and his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from MIT. He moved to Atlanta in 1991 and returned to teaching high school in 2003. In his spare time he enjoys playing golf and cooking. He has two grown
daughters and four grandchildren all of whom live in New England.
Ms. Maria Bennett
My name is Ms. Bennett. I appreciate being given the opportunity to teach at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael High School for the 2023-2024 school year. I am currently teaching English 10 Literature, English 11 Literature, Advanced Placement Language and Composition, and Journalism. I come to YOY with 24 years of educational experience, covering all realms and genres of ELA and Literature. I am inspired by words and written expression and hope to enhance this inspiration in each student I encounter. I believe in the concept of “Each One, Teach One” ….every student brings something to share in the learning process. With the implementation of the “Nurtured Heart Approach” philosophy into my teaching style, I look forward to our student’s growth, both in knowledge and character.