Bringing a wealth of experience and excitement to the position, Rabbi Kivi and Chani Neuman have been appointed the new youth directors at Congregation Ahavas Achim in Highland Park, New Jersey.

Kivi and Chani served as the youth directors at the Young Israel of Holliswood in Jamaica, New York for the past four years. Previously they were the co-directors of the Vacation Village Day Camp for two summers and had worked as division heads and as counselors in summer camps.

Kivi has Smicha from RIETS Seminary of Yeshiva University and a master’s degree in taxation from St. John’s University. He currently works as a tax consultant at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited in New York.

Chani has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Touro College and worked for several years as a purchaser for a New York-based firm. She is now a stay-at-home mom with their 16-month-old son, Koby.

As youth directors at Congregation Ahavas Achim, Kivi and Chani will oversee a robust program that includes Shabbos and holiday youth groups for different ages, a teen minyan, innovative holiday programs, monthly weekend youth events and activities and leadership training for youth group leaders.

Taking the youth director position at Ahavas Achim is a proud homecoming for Kivi and Chani, as both grew up in the Highland Park/Edison community. Chani Pomper Neuman attended Yeshiva Shaarei Tzion in Piscataway and then Bruriah High School in Elizabeth, then attended Michlalah Seminary in Israel. Kivi attended Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva in Edison and then the Jewish Educational Center in Elizabeth, then attended Sha’alvim Yeshiva in Israel.

“We are delighted to welcome Rabbi Kivi and Chani as our new youth directors,” said Jeremy Renna, president of Congregation Ahavas Achim. “We were very impressed with their track record, their creativity and high energy in the interviewing process. They are the perfect fit for our active and growing youth program and I look forward to watching them take the program to higher levels of engagement and success. We are delighted to welcome them to Ahavas Achim.”

Kivi and Chani will formally start their work as youth directors at Congregation Ahavas Achim in August. They can be reached at [email protected].