He’s Baaaaaack…Rabbi Mordechai Soskil Returns to BT

After a brief (three year) hiatus from the hallowed halls of Beth Tfiloh, 14-year BT veteran Rabbi Mordechai Soskil has returned home from Boston to his Baltimore family.

After previously serving as a Judaics teacher and Middle School principal here at BT, Rabbi Soskil has graduated to High School as the new Director of Judaic Studies. An important part of his role is a renewed focus fostering our students’ Jewish growth by helping them find relevance in their tefilah (daily prayers), and through programming developed in conjunction with Mrs. Rachel Levitt-Klein, Director of Student Life. Says Rabbi Soskil, “Some of my favorite memories of my time at Beth Tfiloh are of Shabbatonim and other programming that I think are such an important part of making the teaching of Judaism fresh, relevant and personally meaningful.”

Other aspects of his role include mentoring Talmud and Rabbinics teachers; evaluating the school’s current Judaic studies offerings to determine whether they are meeting all their goals, “particularly in regards to student engagement;” ensuring that all Judaics studies faculty members are using “industry standard best practices in their teaching;” and, of course, teaching.

Rabbi Soskil is excited to return to the BT classrooms, which provide the perfect environment for his teaching approach. “I’m always thinking about how to craft classes that allow for students’ voices to be heard and also allow me to present authentic, traditional Jewish sources,” he says. “I love it when students can be the creators of learning and not just consumers of teaching.”

During his time in Boston, Rabbi Soskil accrued some impressive accomplishments, such as completing YU Lead, Yeshiva University’s school leadership certificate program; completing his first half marathon; finishing Shas (the entire Talmud); and getting a hug from Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (“true story!”). As Judaic Studies Principal for the middle and upper school at Maimonides Academy, he implemented an enhanced advisory program and a Judaic studies elective program, all while building “some really great relationships with students and teachers” there.

We are excited to bring Rabbi Soskil’s energy, humor, enthusiasm and passion for Jewish education back to BT!