Dr. Elliot Prager Head of School, The Moriah School
As Principal, I have worked closely with Rabbi Yoni Fein over the past three years. Rabbi Fein is one of the most creative and talented educators whom I have ever met. His extraordinary talents in the classroom and extraordinary integration of technology into teaching of Judaic & Secular studies have brought us to appoint him as Middle School Coordinator for our BOLD (Blended Learning & Technology) grant, now in its second year of implementation. He is not only prompt, efficient, and thorough in everything he does, but remarkably original and ingenious in his development of curricula.
Rabbi Fein has developed many of his own unique approaches to employing technology in the classroom as well as making full use of the rich assortment of digital content and applications which are now available to educators. From study guides to gamification, Rabbi Fein's classes are models of stimulating methods in teaching. He has mastered the use of the flipped classroom and blended learning and is widely sought by his colleagues and staff as a mentor whom they turn for their own professional development and pedagogic enrichment.
Rabbi Fein is a true team player and is highly respected by his colleagues who look to him for advice and support in the application of technology to the classroom. Yoni, as he is known, could (and should!) write the book on an educator's guide to time management. In the past two years he has juggled multiple responsibilities in and outside the school with the highest degree of effectiveness and timeliness. Few educators whom I know (of any age) can match Rabbi Fein's creativity, resourcefulness, and talents.
It is my great privilege to give Rabbi Fein my highest recommendations for the ISTE Outstanding Educator Award for 2015.
Rabbi Kenneth Brander, David Mitzner Dean - Center for the Jewish Future, YU
For the past three years I have known Yoni on both a personal and academic level. Not only has he attained an exemplary academic status, but he has also excelled in making an impact on the broader Jewish community. Yoni's true interest is being an agent of social change and this has been demonstrated to me each and every time he comes to my office with an idea to help the Jewish community. Yoni's greatest attribute lies in his passion and his ability to conceptualize creative ideas and to implement them so that he sees them through to their completion. Yoni has served as the president of the Society for the Future of Jewish Education where he has brought current challenges in Jewish Education to the forefront, allowing undergraduate students to explore these issues and come up with creative solutions. Furthermore, he has engaged students in inter-university conversations on issues focused on Jewish continuity,
Yoni displays commitment and devotion to the needs of the community and he has a unique ability to communicate with teens and college age students. His energy, enthusiasm, and willingness insure that any organization fortunate enough to have Yoni and will see much delight from his professional accomplishments.
- Rabbi Kenneth Brander The David Mitzner Dean Center for the Jewish Future Yeshiva University
Rabbi Moshe Drelich Former Associate Principal, The Moriah School
Yoni Fein has been employed at the Moriah School of Englewood since October 2012. Yoni Fein teaches Talmud, Navi and Dinim to our 6th grade students as well as the remedial Gemara class fo the 7th grade. During his short tenure at Moriah, Yoni has distinguished himself as a thoughtful, creative, hardworking and effective educator and communicator. He has been well received by his students, parents and colleagues at work. Yoni in a very short amount of time has established himself as a team collaborator among new and veteran teachers in our middle school. He continues to explore avenues of successfully incorporating and synthesizing technology into the classroom. I am inspired by the amount of care and concern he has for each of his students. It is my pleasure and privilege to recommend Yoni Fein for any educational isntitution.
Rabbi Moshe Drelich Associate Principal, Middle School
Dr. Karen Shawn Professional Development Mentor, Yeshiva University
Yoni is exhibiting beginning mastery of his teaching. He is warm, engaging, creative, and very much aware of his students' needs and abilities. Yoni governs with affection and elicits excellent results.
October 27th, 2014- Heritage Fair Symposium
Dear Yoni, How proud I was to be able to feature one of our own AGS graduates as our savvy tech person at our artifacts/Heritage Fair workshop yesterday morning at Moriah! Thank you so much for agreeing to work with Rachel and me to present this important event.
You were invaluable! You were able to trouble-shoot and resolve the issue with my film--because you graciously came so early!!--and then screen it perfectly; you were gentle and patient with the speaker whose slides, on occasion, were not exactly in the order in which he wanted to speak about them; and your immediate request for participants' e-mails allowed us to send a great deal of material to them that would otherwise have had to be printed. Your manner is excellent and your attitude is always gracious.
Your work in Rachel Schwartz's small-group workshop was also excellent; you helped the group see the benefits of bringing the Fair into the 21st century by using the technology now available. I would not be surprised if people write to you to invite you to help them set up their Fair!
I especially appreciated your prompt follow-up within an hour of the end of the event as you asked Rachel and me if there were additional items to be added to the links you planned to send to the participants. We both had additions that would have been lost had you not prompted us to add them. You are highly professional!
It was a pleasure to work with you and I thank you for giving up your Sunday morning for this event.
Lisa Fusco Director of Technology & Innovation, The Moriah School
It is my profound pleasure to recommend Jonah Fein for the Outstanding Teacher Award at ISTE.
It is sometimes difficult to see the impact one teacher can have at school - but not Jonah. His excitement about learning, his commitment to excellence and his dedication to his colleagues and students can’t be missed. He brings an entrepreneurial spirit and committed work ethic to not only design innovative solutions in the classroom, but to also implement those ideas by sharing them with other teachers and build excitement about educational technology integration for even the most timid tech “un-savvy” teacher.
Jonah is a big idea person. When looking at ways to engage his students he will try almost anything and accepts pointers from his students and administrators about how to improve his implementations with the same vigor. It is an honor to work with Jonah because he takes us all along on the idea train with him. Jonah introduced Blendspace to our faculty as we were struggling to find a way to add blended learning into our Jewish Studies program. He bridged the gap to help make this study of ancient religion come alive for his students. Slowly other teachers recognizing how Blendspace engaged his students requested his input and help. Jonah is a Blended Learning Coach in Middle School and so he reached out to the teachers and helped them leverage this edtech product in their classroom, as well.
As a Blended Learning Coach, Jonah is responsible to help teachers master the change of mindset from being a legacy (sage on the stage) teacher to a personalized learning teacher (guide on the side). Jonah helps scaffold training for these teachers with the support of the school administrators and has brought about big changes by designing carefully constructed professional development that honors the teacher’s vulnerability while at the same time challenging them to step outside their comfort zone.
As Jim Collins, a world-renowned expert on leadership, once wrote: It’s not about the where the bus is going, but who is on the bus. Jonah is an Outstanding Young Educator because he has the unique combination of understanding where the bus should go and how to unite a team together to face any bumps in the road. While many young educators are looking to become the best they could be, he is always looking to support his team and help them think beyond the walls of the classroom.
Josh Joseph Senior Vice President, Yeshiva University
I have known Jonah (Yoni) Fein in a variety of capacities over the years. From his teenage days playing hockey through college and until today, he has been nothing short of a dynamic and innovative young man.
Yoni is an exceptional candidate for the Lisa Goldberg Fellowships in Philanthropy and Jewish leadership as he brings the true art of entrepreneurship and articulate persuasion to everything he does. Building off the foundation of excellence he developed as an exceptional student here at Yeshiva University, Jonah developed a knack for multi tasking and organizational skills which have given him the ability to get a lot done in an extremely short amount of time. He is detail-conscious, hard-working and has a resourceful maturity and professionalism. We have remained close throughout the years and will continue to do so as Jonah continues to excel as whatever he sets his mind to.
Jonah’s talent and interest in helping others, dedication to his work, and commitment to continually learn and improve his own skills and knowledge leave me no doubt that he will meet and surpass all academic and professional expectations set for him.
- Josh Joseph Senior Vice President, Office of the President, Yeshiva University
Dr. Judith Cahn, Director , eLearning and Distance Education, Azrieli
It was a pleasure to have you participate in the online course. Your work was consistently timely, well-written, thoughtful, substantive, and high quality. Your observation paper reflected a good analysis of what you observed through the lens of developmental theories. - Professor Judith Cahn, EdD Director, eLearning and Distance Education