Our administration team.

Rabbi Yosef Bitton was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He holds rabbinical ordination from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and Dayanut ordination from Rabbi Obadia Yosef z"l.

He began his academic studies at Yeshiva University and earned his degree in Hebrew language, Bible, and Talmud at Bar-Ilan University. He completed his MA studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before entering the direct-track doctoral program. He also did graduate work at Ben-Gurion University and doctoral studies in the Graduate Department of Religion at Emory University.

For more than 35 years he has served as a community rabbi and educator in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and New York. He was Chief Rabbi of Uruguay, and served as Judaic Principal and Rabbi of Jewish schools in Argentina and Uruguay. Today he is the rabbi of Congregation Shaare Rachamim in Great Neck, Director of Judaic Studies of the UMJCA Talmud Torah Program, and Judaic Studies Principal of MESA.

His vision for teaching is “Intelligent Judaism”: giving students a Sephardic, Modern Orthodox, and Zionist lens to understand and navigate the modern world. He is currently designing a Torah curriculum he named “First Sources First.”

Rabbi Bitton is the author of several books, among them Awesome Creation, a study of the first three verses of Genesis (also published in Spanish and Portuguese), and Forgotten Giants, a two-volume collection of biographies of Sephardic Hakhamim. His upcoming book is Dinosaurs in the Bible. For over a decade he has written Halakha of the Day in English and Halaja in Spanish, daily emails on Torah and Jewish thought that reach tens of thousands of readers across the US and Latin America. www.halakhaoftheday.org

Rabbi Sabzevari has served as a rabbi at the United Mashadi Jewish Community of America (UMJCA) since 2012. As a student of Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Haim, he works to preserve the community’s minhagim and traditions and pass them on to the next generation. At MESA he leads the Keriah and Hebrew Literacy program, building students’ fluency in reading, writing and understanding Hebrew so they can open a siddur or Chumash with confidence. Across all Judaic Studies subjects, he mentors teachers and directs curriculum development.

Before entering Jewish education, he built a career as an actuary and earned the profession’s highest credentials (FSA, MAAA, CERA). He brings that discipline into the classroom with clear benchmarks, careful sequencing and close tracking of each student’s progress. He holds an M.S. in Jewish Education from Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School.

Sara Nasibi is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where every student can thrive. With more than five years of experience, Sara’s work is driven by a deep passion for advocating for students with diverse needs and ensuring they receive the quality education they deserve.

Sara collaborates closely with classroom teachers and administrators to put the best practices in place for each child’s unique needs, so that every student can reach their full potential. In the words of our students, Sara “helps support any child that needs a little extra push.”

Sara is always open to communication and looks forward to meeting every family.