Ambassadors Program in Washington, D.C.

In the fall of 2007, the Washington, D.C. area welcomed Chever Ben Yosef and Elisha Goshen as its first Steinsaltz Ambassadors.  After a wonderfully successful year, September of 2008 brought recent Israeli army veterans Chagai Schlezinger and Noam Glazer to the community as its second set of Ambassadors.  Now in its third year, the program is going strong in D.C. with newly arrived Ambassadors Chananel Schtachelberg, Issar Tzachor and Aharon Deutsch.

                  Chananel                            Issar                                      Aharon

Chananel attended Rabbi Steinsaltz's Mekor Chaim High School as well as the hesder yeshiva in Tekoa.  Chananel has served as a counselor in an alternative high school, a teacher's assistant for special needs kids, a youth group advisor and a counselor at an organiztion that works with terror victims.  Issar also attended Mekor Chaim High School and Rabbi Steinsaltz's hesder yeshiva in Tekoa.  He has worked with secular high school students.  Aharon also attended hesder in Tekoa and is a professional guitar player.  All three have served in the Israeli army. 

Chananel, Issar and Aharon will lead Shabbat youth programs, special holiday programming, and study one-on-one with both adults and teens.  Their mandate is to work in the community with children and adults from diverse backgrounds and to share their own enthusiasm for learning, Jewish peoplehood and Israel.  In the day schools Chananel, Issar and Aharon are informal teachers who infuse the classes with spirit and excitement for Torah learning.  They are role models for the students, organize special events for important dates of the year, develop special Chugim, enhance the connection between Eretz Yisrael and the student body and help grow the programs that are run with the school and the local Jewish community.  The Ambassadors also relate to the parents of the students which, it is hoped, will develop into study sessions as well.

To see pictures from recent events, please visit our photo gallery.

To sign up to receive the D.C. Ambassadors monthly newsletter, please click here.

To donate, please click here.

Participating organizations:

Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School

Jewish Primary Day School

Hebrew Day School of Montgomery County

Ohev Sholom - National Synagogue

Ohr Kodesh Congregation

Adas Israel