Honorees

Yerachmiel and Gitta Koppel have always embodied what it means to be a Gush family, and they have a longstanding relationship with both Yeshivat Har Etzion and the Stella K. Abraham Beit Midrash for Women at Migdal Oz. They first visited the Yeshiva in 1970, when it was still in Kfar Etzion. Their oldest son, Moshe, came to learn at Gush in 1974.  At the time, Moshe was one of a handful of overseas students to attend the new Hesder Yeshiva on a barren hilltop in newly restored Gush Etzion.  The Koppel family immediately became strong supporters of the Yeshiva, even hosting the first alumni Shabbaton in the States.  Later on, they also organized the first NY dinner in support of the Yeshiva, at which Yerachmiel’s father Avraham Koppel z”l was honored. Yerachmiel and Gitta’s second son David attended the Yeshiva in 1977, and their son-in-law, David Zuckerbrot, learned at Gush in 1987. Yerachmiel and Gitta’s connection to Har Etzion continued into the next generation, through four grandsons who studied at the Yeshiva and a granddaughter who studied at the Beit Midrash of Migdal Oz.  Yerachmiel and Gitta, their children Moshe & Channah Koppel, David & Shira Koppel, Bibsi & David Zuckerbrot, and grandchildren, all live in Israel now and are proud to be associated with the Gush institutions and the values for which they stand.

Dr. Ari and Naomi Wiesen have a longstanding relationship with the Etzion Foundation.  Ari attended Yeshivat Har Etzion from 1995-1997 and returned with Naomi as a newlywed in 2001. Ari began a family tradition as the first of many siblings and siblings in-law who attended both Gush and Migdal Oz. Ari and Naomi’s strong feelings and support for the Yeshiva stem from the formative years they spent there and their continued relationships with Rabbeim and Michanchim. The values and philosophies of Har Etzion have influenced the Wiesens both personally and in the roles they play in their community.

Ari and Naomi are part of a core group that founded and continue to lead the Community Beit Medrash (CBM) at the Fuchs Mizrachi School (FMS) in Cleveland, Ohio.  The CBM partners with local shuls to provide shiurim, chavrutot and special programming for the community. The Wiesens are very involved in informal education, such as the YU/Stern Fellowship program, and Ari teaches Chidon HaTanach for the Junior High and High Schools.  Ari serves on the medical advisory boards of the local shuls and community mikvaot and is on the board of FMS. Naomi is a pro-bono marketing consultant for community organizations, is active on task forces and in organizing programming at FMS, and develops women’s Torah learning programs.  She also volunteers with the local kosher food banks.  The Wiesens and their children are very involved with Yachad, serving on the local board, hosting events, participating in shabbatonim, and more.

Ari is a Gastroenterologist with the Cleveland Clinic. He graduated from YU and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, completed a residency in Internal Medicine, and fellowships in both Gastroenterology and Advanced Endoscopy.  Naomi is a marketing and brand strategy professional, having worked at Nestle USA for the past 7 years. She earned her BS from CUNY and her MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. They moved to Cleveland in 2012 and have 4 wonderful children.

Rabbi Dr. Avi and Dena Block are honored to receive this year’s Educational Leadership Award from the Etzion Foundation.  Avi is currently the Mashgiach Ruchani and member of the Judaic Studies faculty at the Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy of Connecticut. Before that he served as the assistant rabbi at the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates. After graduating with honors from Yeshiva College, he went on to pursue graduate studies at the Bernard Revel Graduate School for Jewish Studies while studying for ordination at the RIETS.  Avi has also completed a doctorate in psychology from St. John’s University and has worked for several years in the NYC public school system and in private practice in school-based and clinical psychology settings.

Dena Block (nee Katz) teaches Talmud and Halacha at Maayanot High School in Teaneck, and serves as the school’s Director of Admissions. She received her bachelor’s degree in History from Barnard College, and her master’s in Medieval Jewish History from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies at YU. She also is a graduate of YU’s Graduate Program in Advanced Talmudic Studies (GPATS), and earned her yoetzet halacha certification from Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center. She currently serves as the Steinmetz, Bernstein Alexander Yoetzet Halacha at Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford, CT and mentors newly certified Yoatzot Halacha.

Both Avi and Dena feel very close to Yeshivat Har Etzion and Migdal Oz.  Dena comes from a longtime Gush family, with her father, sister and brother all being alumni of Gush and Migdal Oz.  Together, as a couple, the Blocks are very appreciative of the role that Gush and Migdal Oz have played in their lives and the influence they have had in their educational efforts through the years.