The leadership of the Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva (RPRY) in Edison will present the Educator Excellence Award to Tzippy Rapps at the school’s Annual Toby Mayer Scholarship Breakfast on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 9:30 a.m. at the school. The award recognizes Rapps for her remarkable 40 years of dedication to educating the children of RPRY.

Rapps started at the school as the resource room specialist and also assisted children with math studies. She has served as the reading teacher for students in K-2 grades and more recently, for students in the third-seventh grades. She cited, as one of her role models, Rabbi Kalman Rosenbaum, the head of school of RPRY who hired her. Rabbi Rosenbaum’s maxim for the students of RPRY was “No matter what you say or do to me, I’m a worthwhile person.”

Rapps’ adopted Rabbi Rosenbaum’s outlook throughout her career; that no matter what challenges a child faced, they were a person with great potential with innate strengths, interests and hopes. She stated that the treasures of her work are the time she spends with the students and the warm camaraderie with the administration, teachers and staff.

Rapps is grateful to the unstinting support she has received throughout her teaching career from her family: her parents Rabbi and Rebbetzin Bomzer, z”l) and Rabbi, z”l and Rebbetzin Rapps, her husband Rabbi Josh Rapps; their son Meshulam and his wife Talia of the Five Towns; their daughter Ricki and son-in-law Moshe Mindick of North Miami Beach; their daughter Deena of Lakewood; their son Dovid and his wife Elanit of Baltimore; and their daughter Shoshana of Manhattan.

Harry Glazer is the Middlesex Community editor of The Jewish Link. He can be reached at [email protected] and he welcomes readers’ feedback.