Faculty Biographies

Rabbi Joe Angel graduated with honors from the University of Washington with a BA in Jewish Studies and received rabbinic ordination at the Shehebar Sephardic Center in Jerusalem.He is currently pursuing a doctorate at New York University's Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, where his major interests includeSecond Temple history, Rabbinic literature, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Rabbi Avraham Benhamu attended Yeshivat Birat Moshe in Ma’ale Adumim, received a B.A. in accounting from Yeshiva University and was ordained to the rabbinate at Rabbi Isaac Elchonon Theological Seminary. He currently teaches at Yeshiva of Flatbush and is the Rabbi of Congregation Mikdash Eliyahu.

Ronnie Benun studied at the Yeshivot of Ner Israel and Lakewood, attended courses at Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University, and was trained in Bible scholarship by Rabbi Solomon D. Sassoon and Rabbi Moshe Shamah. While president of his childrenswear firm, he also developed a sophisticated computer-based Bible concordance and research program. He has been teaching Bible classes for over 30 years and is currently writing a commentary on Psalms.

Rabbi Nissim Elnecave studied at Yeshivat Porat Yosef, received rabbinic ordination from the Shehebar Sephardic Center, and earned a Bachelors of Theology Diploma from Florida Free Religious University. He previously served as Rabbi ofthe Sephardic Synagogue of Bal Harbour, FL. He is currently the assistant rabbi at Congregation Mikdash Eliyahu and is also cataloguing ancient and rare Ladino texts at Yeshiva University’s Mendel Gottesman Library.

Leo Esses earned a B.A. from CUNY and has taken courses at Yeshiva University’s Revel Graduate School for Judaic Studies. He been teaching in the community for over 20 years.

Victor Esses  began his musical studies learning Hazzanut with various cantors in the community. He then studied music theory and oud with world renown violinist and oudist Simon Shaheen. He studied voice development and western music theory and notation at The New School and Brooklyn College. He has taught various workshops on Arabic music theory including a 3 year program that took place in the SCC. He has performed in the 2001 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC, the Center for Jewish History in NY, and last month in the Museum of Natural History. He has recently completed working on a set of  five CDs entitled Bakashot of Shabat, Treasures from Syria.

Rabbi Dr. Henry Hasson studied at Beit Midrash le-Torah and received at BA in chemistry from  New York University. He earned an MD at the Albert Einstien College of Medicine of Yeshiva University where he is now a fellow of pediatric neurology. He has completed one cycle of Daf Yomi, received Semikha from Pirchei Shoshanim and gives classes at Ohel David and Shlomo of Manhattan Beach.

Rabbi Ricky Hidary is currently pursuing a PhD in rabbinic literature at New York University where he is also working as a teaching assistant. He has studied for two years at Yeshivat Har Etzion, holds a BA in computer science from Yeshiva University, a teachers degree from Herzog Teachers College, and received Semikha from Midrash Sefaradi and Rav Zalman Nehemia Goldberg.