NYHS is undergoing a significant transition in its Judaics department, with five key faculty members leaving at the end of this school year. Among those departing are Head of School Rabbi Yehudah Gabay, Judaics Principal Rabbi Naftali Rothstein, Director of Programming Rabbi Tzuri Hason and Judaic teachers Mrs. Hannah Hason and Mrs. Tali Rothstein.
Rabbi Dr. Ben Aaronson has been appointed as the new head of school. The current head of school Rabbi Gabby has now officially announced the full roster of new Judaic staff members for the 2025–26 school year.
Rabbi Yonatan Himelstein will be taking on the new role of rosh beit midrash (head of the Beit Midrash) and director of Judaic education. Joining him is Mrs. Eliana Himelstein, who will serve as a Judaic educator and mechanechet, and Rabbi Justin Eichel will assume the position of mashgiach ruchani, programming coordinator and Judaic studies educator.
Mrs. Shimona Davidoff already has a presence at the school and will be expanding her teaching role in Judaic studies.
“We [the school board] are very sad to see the dedicated Judaic staff go,” said NYHS board president Rachel Rosenfeld. “And we are also excited for all the new teachers and staff.”
Since 2020, when Rabbi Josh Meisel left, no full-time rabbi or Judaic faculty members have departed until this year.
The Rothsteins moved to Seattle in 2019 to work at NYHS. As Judaics principal, Rabbi Rothstein supervises all Judaic staff and classes, teaches multiple Judaic courses and serves as the gap year adviser for seniors. Mrs. Rothstein introduced the University of Washington Hebrew class to NYHS.
The Hasons arrived in 2022 for a two-year shlichut (education mission) but extended their stay for a third year. Now, they are preparing to return to Israel. Rabbi Hason, who serves as the director of programming, modern Middle East teacher, Talmud teacher and a Torat Chaim teacher, said he was drawn to NYHS because he could combine teaching, organizing activities and working in administration.
“Besides for the actual role of the job, [my wife and I] felt that we were needed here,” Rabbi Hason said. “When we were interviewing, the only full-time Judaic staff member was Rabbi Rothstein. Seattle was the place we thought needed us the most.”
Rabbi Hason said he has witnessed the school grow and stabilize during his time in Seattle.
“I saw the school growing with the level of Judaic teaching improving, with more activities and programming. Different students were coming and going, but in the last three years, we’ve gained more stability. We could finally have continuity after COVID disrupted everything,” Hason said.
Rabbi Hason brought back school Shabbatons, athletic Shabbatons, trips to Israel, color war and many programs that had been paused due to COVID or had never taken place at NYHS.
“These experiences really connect people to Judaism and each other,” Hason said. “Our trips give students experiences they’d never had before. On one school trip, I remember a student saying he’d never felt anything like it in his life, experiencing community, singing and dancing in a way he never had done at home.”
Mrs. Hason serves as the Tanach, Jewish history and tefilat nashim (women’s prayer) teacher.
“The most important thing for me at school is interacting with students and seeing their growth,” Mrs. Hason said. She hopes the new teachers are strong: “Not just people with Torah knowledge, but people with the art of teaching.”
Gabay arrived in 2023 and is leaving Seattle and moving to Houston, Texas. Gabay announced at a school assembly in March that, due to his wife’s recent cancer diagnosis, his family will be moving away.
Gabay’s main goals coming to NYHS were to grow the school population and ensure financial stability. When Gabay started, there were 42 students; now there are 65, a 55 percent increase. He attributed that success rate to Beth Jacoby, the director of admissions. Additionally, Gabay is proud of NYHS completing its Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) certification. This means that the school is approved to accept students from all over the world, including Israel and Vancouver, and help them get student visas.
“NYHS just got certified during this school year; we have not used this certification yet, but I hope the next head of school will,” Gabay said.
Aaronson, a Seattle native and NYHS alumnus currently residing in Israel, will take over as head of school. He is currently teaching at Yeshivat Migdal HaTorah in Modi’in, Israel, and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Aaronson also has experience working at Seattle Hebrew Academy as a Judaics teacher and is the director of the APEX Summer Camp hosted by the University of Washington Autism Center.
The decision to hire him came as a surprise to many. According to multiple sources, teachers, administrators and community members, except for Rabbi Gabay, were unaware of Aaronson’s hiring until just hours before the announcement was made to students and the broader community.
According to Rosenfeld, Aaronson was initially considered for the head of school position at NYHS two and a half years ago, but he had just moved to Israel with his family and was not interested at the time. However, this year, Aaronson was the main candidate for the head of school, and the opportunity for his hiring happened quickly.
“He’s always been on our radar because of his strong ties to Seattle and his reputation as an incredible professional. When the opportunity arose again, we started conversations with him because he was already known to us,” said Rosenfeld.
Two years ago, the head of school search involved extensive surveys and community input, but this year’s process was more abrupt, according to Rosenfeld.
“It all happened very quickly,” Rosenfeld said.
