New York—Rabbi Simon Basalely has been appointed the Edmond J. Safra Sgan Mashgiach for the Sephardic Community Program at Yeshiva University. Basalely, a graduate of the Israel Henry Beren Institute for Higher Talmudic Studies, also known as the Beren Kollel Elyon, will assume his new role at the start of the fall semester, providing guidance to the Sephardic students on the Wilf campus.

Rabbi Dr. Herbert C. Dobrinsky, YU VP for University Affairs, played a key role in securing the newly established position which was made possible with a grant from the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation.

“This is a realization of our dream to give more spiritual guidance on campus to our ever growing Sephardic student population at Yeshiva,” said Rabbi Moshe Tessone, director of YU’s Sephardic Community Program and a faculty member at the Isaac Breuer College of Hebraic Studies and the Philip and Sara Belz School of Jewish Music.

Basalely received his ordination from RIETS in 2010 after graduating Yeshiva College in 2005. He studied at the Mir Yeshiva and at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh in Israel and is also pursuing a master’s degree in Jewish education from YU’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration.

“I am very excited for the opportunity to use my personal experiences at Yeshiva University to help the Sephardic students on campus feel at home here,” said Basalely.

Basalely has served as a Shoel U’Meishiv at the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy/Yeshiva University High School for Boys and in YU’s Stone Beit Midrash Program. He has also held rabbinic internships at Yeshivat Noam in Paramus, NJ, and at the Young Israel of Hillcrest, NY, with a special focus on the Sephardic minyan within that congregation.

A native of the Persian Mashadi community of Great Neck, NY, Basalely currently lives in Washington Heights with his wife and three daughters.