Administration

Rabbi Shlomo Goldberg has served as Menahel of Yeshiva Aharon Yaakov Ohr Eliyahu since 1995. He received rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Austin College with a degree in Political Science. He previously served as Rabbi of the congregations, and head of the Jewish day schools, in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Venice, California.

Rabbi Goldberg lectures worldwide on education, leadership, personal growth, marriage enrichment and parenting. He is a facilitator for the "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" program, attended the Harvard University Summer Leadership Institute, completed a three-year Senior Leadership Fellowship in Torah Umesorah's Yesud Maalah program (for which he is now a senior lecturer), won the 2003 Distinguished Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation and the 2005 Outstanding Educator Award from Torah Umesorah.

He writes a weekly article on education and leadership; his writing has appeared in the Klal Perspectives Journal, Jewish Action, the Jewish Observer, Binah, Jewish Life and Hamodia. His book, Al Pi Darko: On His Path, was published by Feldheim in 2017 and is in its second printing.

Rabbi Mordechai Aharonoff is the Yesod Rebbe and Executive Director at Yeshiva Aharon Yaakov Ohr Eliyahu, and the rabbi of Kehillas Ohr Letzion. He has been teaching since 2004, bringing 22 years of experience to his work with students and the community.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Rabbi Aharonoff later made aliyah to Eretz Yisrael. He attended yeshiva ketana and yeshiva gedola at Otzros HaTorah in Bnei Brak and received semicha from Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg.

Our 8th grade Rebbi, Rabbi Jacknis joined the Yeshiva 17 years ago. From Monsey, New York, he attended Yeshiva Sha'ar Hatorah in Queens for high school and Bais Medrash, then learned in the Mir Yerushalayim as a talmid muvhak of Rav Yosef Elefant, shlit"a. He is a graduate of the Ner LeElef chinuch training program and Torah Umesorah's mashgiach training program, and runs Camp Yedid Nefesh, a boys' day camp for 5th–8th graders, each summer. Rabbi and Mrs. Jacknis live in Hancock Park with their six children, all alumni and students of YAYOE.

Coming Soon

Mrs. Schwarzmer has served as Limudei Kodesh Principal at YAYOE for over 30 years and is now principal of the Girls' Division. She holds a B.A. from Queens College in Political Science and Communications and an M.A. from Columbia University in International Affairs, and attended Teachers' Institute for Women, Machon Gold and Michlala College for Women. Before joining YAYOE she taught at YULA Girls.

A winner of the 1999 Distinguished Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation, she continues to teach Torah to all ages and treasures her relationships with teachers, students, their children — and their children's children. Rabbi and Mrs. Schwarzmer's children and grandchildren have attended YAYOE; their son, Rabbi Tuvia Schwarzmer, is the Yeshiva's Third Grade Rebbe.

Mrs. Hirsch has been in education for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelor's in Psychology from UCLA and a Master's in Special Education from California State University, Northridge. Her strengths are collaborative leadership and strategic planning, which she has applied to evaluating, updating and creating curriculum across every general studies content area, and through teacher mentoring she promotes rich, integrated, activity-based instruction for a diverse learning population. Mrs. Hirsch and her husband Haim have six children, present and former students of YAYOE.

Morah Mandel holds a B.S. in Biology from Touro College and a Master's in Early Childhood Special Education from Daemen College, and trained under some of New York City's premier early-childhood educators. In about 18 years in education she has taught preschool through high school and directed a Head Start preschool program. She is grateful to continue the legacy of excellence in early-childhood Torah education established at YAYOE.