Faculty
ADMINISTRATION
Rabbi Yerachmiel Garfield, Ed.D.
Head of School
In 2010, Rabbi Yerachmiel Garfield moved to Houston to lead YTE. Having grown up in Pennsylvania, Rabbi Garfield continued his rabbinic studies after high school. He studied for four years in Jerusalem, under the tutelage of Rabbi Zvi Kushelevsky. After, he relocated to Baltimore, MD, where he earned a Bachelor of Talmudic Law from Ner Israel Rabbinical College. He received Smicha from Rabbi Berel Wein, which completed his Rabbinic Ordination.
In 2001, Rabbi Garfield moved with his young family to Atlanta. He began teaching ninth grade in the newly founded Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael, where he would eventually become the assistant principal. Rabbi Garfield received the Jewish Federation’s "Educator of the Year" award in 2006, representing all Jewish day schools in Atlanta. Concurrent to his teaching, Rabbi Garfield served for six years as the school counselor at the Torah Day School of Atlanta and as youth director at Congregation Ariel.
Rabbi Garfield holds a M.S. in Counseling and a Post-Masters Certificate in Supervision and Administration from Johns Hopkins University. He is also a Georgia state certified principal and has completed the Torah Umesorah National Fellowship for Principals program. He holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Houston.
Rabbi Garfield has presented at the Torah Umesorah’s National Educators Conference and has written for Hamodia, a national Jewish newspaper. During the summer Rabbi Garfield returns to Baltimore where he serves as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University, School of Education.
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Rabbi Moshe Segelman
Menahel- Boys
Rabbi Moshe Segelman is an alumnus of Yeshiva Gedolah of Cliffwood where he studied under R’ Shimon Alster shlit''a for 9 years, whom he still keeps a close relationship with. He then joined Bais Medrash Mayan Hatorah in Lakewood as a Shol U’meishiv and Rosh Chabura, and served as a mentor for the boys as well. He went on to teach 7th and 8th grade in Politz Hebrew Academy for 5 years, where he also served as the Assistant Principal for the boys division. He also directed a camp in the greater Philadelphia area during the summers.
Mrs. Melissa Truelove
General Studies Principal
Mrs. Melissa Truelove joined Yeshiva Torat Emet in 2017. She has over 15 years of experience in education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Arizona and an M.Ed. from Northern Arizona University in Educational Leadership. Mrs. Truelove started her career as a teacher for 10 years at Tucson Hebrew Academy in Arizona. She has taught many elementary and middle school grades and subjects, for which she has received multiple national awards. Mrs. Truelove is passionate about many aspects of education, including: curriculum development, instructional coaching, data-driven instruction, and presenting professional development workshops.
Mrs. Esti Littman
Early Childhood Director
Mrs. Esti Littman joined the staff of YTE in 2011 as a teacher, and now serves as director of the early childhood program. Since 1997, Mrs. Littman has taught children with varying learning styles and abilities in integrated preschool classrooms, dedicated resource rooms, and traditional environments. She also served as an administrator at the renowned School for Children with Hidden Intelligence (SCHI) in Lakewood, NJ. Mrs. Littman’s diverse educational experience reaching children on a wide range of developmental levels enriches her work at YTE.
Mrs. Littman graduated from Thomas Edison State College with a B.A. in Psychology and earned her M.S. in Special Education in 2001 from Adelphi University.
Rabbi Chaim Helprin
Assistant Principal, Limudei Kodesh- Boys
Rabbi Chaim Helprin has worked in the field of education as a rebbe/teacher, student activities coordinator, and middle school coordinator since 2003. Rabbi Helprin learned in Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim for 10 years and received Smicha from Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, Av Beth Din, Jerusalem. Rabbi Helprin holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Thomas Edison State College, Trenton NJ and a M.A. in Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University.
Mrs. Devorah Ouzzan
Assistant Principal, Limudei Kodesh- Girls
5th Grade Girls Limudei Kodesh
Mrs. Devorah Ouzzan began her teaching career as an Early Childhood teacher in Toronto, Canada. She holds a Bachelors Degree from Waterloo University with a focus in social development studies. She has called Houston home since 2013 and has found her passion working as a Judaic studies teacher for both elementary and upper school grades at YTE.
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF AND STUDENT SUPPORT STAFF
Mrs. Miriam Litvinchouk
Ivrit Coordinator
1st Grade Boys and Girls and
3rd Grade Boys and Girls Ivrit
Mrs. Michal Soussan
Upper School Girls programming
8th Grade Girls Limudei Kodesh
2022–2023 FACULTY
Mr. Chris Fagbayi
5th, 6th, and 8th Grade Boys and 6th and 8th Grade Girls Science
Mrs. Caroline Miltch
Ivrit, 2nd Grade Boys and Girls
and 4th Grade Boys and Girls
Mrs. Tahlia Mollot
6th and 7th Grade Girls Social Studies, 7th Grade Boys Science and Social Studies
Mr. Tyrone Tyson
5th Grade Boys Math, Social Studies, and Language Arts
8th Grade Girls Social Studies