Teaneck native Rabbi Asher Yablok was appointed head of school by the Torah Academy of Bergen County’s executive board and search committee. “After a five-month process involving the consideration of over 30 serious inquiries, dozens of screening ‘phone’ interviews, initial interviews and full panel interviews, this appointment reflects the exceptional positive feedback we received following Rabbi Yablok’s visit last week, including [Rosh HaYeshiva] Rabbi Yosef Adler, our faculty, students and parents,” said the school in a release. The release noted that Rabbi Yablok is “a dedicated talmid chacham and educational visionary worthy of leading our school and teaching our children.”
Yablok is currently principal of Judaic Studies at the Atlanta Jewish Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Rabbi Yablok attended MTA and Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh and received his B.A. in Jewish History from Yeshiva College. Rabbi Yablok received semicha from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary in 2005, where he was a member of the Katz Kollel. Subsequently, he was a fellow in Kollel Zichron Ephraim. He received a M.A. (in Secondary Education and Administration) from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education. He is a member of the RCA Beit Din for Geirut and also serves as a mohel for the Atlanta community. With his wife Shira (Zeffren) Yablok, they have six children; Shira, originally from St. Louis, works as a speech language pathologist. Rabbi Yablok is a son of Rabbi Benjamin and Aviva Yablok, Teaneck residents and members of the Congregation Beth Aaron community, who have long been involved in the educational leadership of Manhattan Day School.
“Having had the chance to walk up and down the TABC halls over the course of my visit, what struck me is that, in addition to an impressive and challenging academic curriculum, there is a tremendous sense of warmth and passion in the building,” Rabbi Yablok told The Jewish Link. “There is a high level of involvement, energy and strength in the teacher/student interactions. Coming from ‘out of town,’ this is something we pride ourselves on. We don’t assume that it can be duplicated in the ‘big city,’ but it is here at TABC. It really struck me as a place that I want to be a part of. I have a lot of close connections here and I am excited to join Rabbi Adler,” he said.
“I told the students that they are some of the very best future leaders of our Jewish community, and I do feel lucky and excited to be part of their Jewish education and to help create a space for them to excel in every aspect of their lives,” Rabbi Yablok added.
Over the past year, in thinking about the long-term vision and future of TABC, with its growing enrollment and vibrant student body, the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, along with Rosh HaYeshiva Rabbi Adler, decided that a crucial next step toward the future of TABC is to expand its senior management team by creating a new position; that of head of school.
Rabbi Adler is now able to further concentrate his energies as Rosh HaYeshiva, and will continue to give shiurim, direct the hashkafa of the yeshiva, serve as halachic posek, mentor the outstanding faculty of rabbanim and interact with students in a more informal environment. Rabbi Adler, who met extensively with Rabbi Yablok during his visit, will be working very closely with him during the transition and beyond. Rabbi Yablok is scheduled to join TABC in June 2016.
By Elizabeth Kratz
