Englewood–They’re young, dynamic and inspiring. “We are so excited to welcome Rabbi Yehuda and Dr. Michelle Sarna to the Kesher community,” said Jonathan Stein, chairperson of the Adult Education Committee at Kehilat Kesher, the Community Synagogue of Tenafly and Englewood. Rabbi Sarna is the recipient of numerous awards for his work and has been listed by the Jewish Week as one of “36-under-36 Changemakers.” He will be the scholar-in-residence at Kesher on January 9, 2015, and he and his family will be joining the shul as full members, too.

Teacher, innovator, University Chaplain for NYU and rabbi of the Bronfman Center on Washington Square, Sarna has made significant advances within NYU, creating new avenues for religious expression, leadership, integrity, mutual respect and open dialogue. He is a purveyor of Game Changing Conversations with college students. “They represent the vanguard of a new generation of Modern Orthodox leadership that is deeply engaged with the broader world, both religiously and culturally. And they are wonderful people to boot!” said Stein.

Beginning his tenure in a post-911 world, Sarna works tirelessly to build the Bronfman Center into one of the strongest Jewish institutions available to students. He also founded the Jewish Learning Fellowship, which offers intensive courses of study for NYU students without yeshiva backgrounds, He has worked to strengthen interfaith relationships on campus as well as establishing benchmarks of respect within and beyond Judaism.

Sarna is a co-founder Of Many (OM), a multi-faith leadership group, working with fellow co-founders Chelsea Clinton, Linda Mills, and Imam Kahlid Latif. OM was launched as a response to students at NYU searching for opportunities to take interfaith initiatives that demonstrate contemporary solutions for age-old conflicts.

By Elyse Hansford