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Youth Rabbi/Rabbinic Intern Mordechai Harris
HIWP Congregational Intern Ruthie Braffman
Rabbi Chaim Marder
Rabbi Chaim Marder has served as the rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of White Plains since 1995. His enthusiasm, wisdom, caring and charm has brought life to our community. Under his leadership, the synagogue has experienced a true renaissance, becoming an exciting hub of thoughtful and engaging experiences, and an embracing home for the people of varied ages, interests, and backgrounds who have joined the HIWP family.
Rabbi Marder has been is involved in many communal organizations including the Vaad Harabonim, Vaad Hakashruth, and the Westchester Board of Rabbis. He is a former Vice President of the Rabbinical Council of America and was recognized by the UJA Federation of New York with its annual Rabbinical Award. Since 2004 he has served as the chair of the department of the Professional Rabbinate at YCT Rabbinical School.
Prior to his arrival in White Plains, Rabbi Marder served as a rabbi in Providence, RI and Riverdale, NY. He holds a Masters degree in Jewish History from BRGS of Yeshiva University, and rabbinical ordination from RIETS. He also studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel.
Rabbi Marder’s wife Suzie is a native of Riverdale and a graduate of Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University. Suzie is an LMSW, holding a Masters in Social Work from Rhode Island College and having worked in a variety of counseling settings. Presently, Suzie is the School Social Worker at Westchester Day School, head counselor and Ma Tov day camp, and has a private counseling practice. And along with this, she is a beloved, supportive rebbetzin to the Hebrew Institute community and beyond.
The Marders are the proud parents of seven children.
See the Rabbi’s writings here.
Chazzan Yitzy Spinner
Chazzan Yitzy’s professional singing career began when he became the Miami Boys Choir’s youngest member at the age of eight. He was immediately elevated to the status of soloist and remained there until he left the choir 5 years later. Since his career began, he has appeared on over two dozen recordings, including his solo release, entitled You and I. He has performed with many of Jewish music’s top names, including Mordechai Ben David, Avraham Fried, Dedi, Shloime Dachs, Mendy Wald, Yisroel Williger, Yaakov Shwekey, and Yehuda. Chazzan Yitzy has performed all over the United States, Canada, and Israel, as well as in Belgium, Holland, and England. He has appeared on some illustrious stages: Nassau Coliseum, Radio City Music Hall, Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Halls at Lincoln Center, Wembley Arena (London), Yad Eliyahu (Tel Aviv), and has also appeared twice live on Chabad’s annual Chanukah telethon, viewed by three million people each year. Chazzan Yitzy’s interests led him to study music at Yeshiva University. His classes in music theory helped to advance his proficiency at both keyboard and guitar, allowing him to subsequently become an accomplished orchestrator and audio engineer. While still an undergraduate student, he also studied full time in YU’s Belz School of Jewish Music. It was here that he brought all of his talents together. Chazzan Yitzy’s well-trained ears allowed him to absorb various techniques for applying Nusach HaTefilah from some of the most well-known Baalei Tefilah, including Chazzan Bernard Beer, Chazzan Sherwood Goffin, and Chazzan Joseph Malovany. It is his synthesis of these nuances that have led congregations all over the United States to request his talents. Chazzan Yitzy and his wife Rachel moved into White Plains in June 2006 and they have since expanded their family with son and a daughter.
Mordechai Harris
Mordechai Harris is Youth Rabbi/Rabbinic Intern at Hebrew Institute of White Plains. He is a dynamic young man, providing a model of Jewish commitment and menschlechkeit. Mordechai is a semichah student at YCT Rabbinical School presently in the third year of the program. His responsibilities at the synagogue include mentoring our group leaders, coordinating programs for our youth, and many rabbinic opportunities including formal and informal teaching.
Mordechai has been working in informal Jewish education for almost a decade. He has been an NCSY chapter advisor since 2000. More recently, he served as the associate regional director of Upstate NY NCSY where he was in involved in many aspects of organization and programming. In that capacity he worked with youth of all ages. In 2009-10, Mordechai also served as a JLIC Fellow at the Hillel of University of Albany.
He is a graduate of the University of Rochester, and he studied at Yeshivat Bat Ayin prior to his studies at YCT.
Mordechai is married to Nisa, a nurse at Presbyterian Hospital. They have a daughter.
Ruthie Braffman
Ruthie Braffman serves the HIWP congregational intern. Ruthie hails from Bala Cynwyd, PA. She is a first year graduate student, pursuing a dual Masters in Talmud and Bible from the Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program of Advanced Talmudical Study (GPATS) and Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. She graduated from Stern College in 2010, where she majored in Judaic Studies and English Literature.
As an undergraduate, Ruthie was involved in number of extra-curricular activities including her term as President of the Torah Activities Council, working as a staff writer for Yeshiva University’s Torah and Thought publication Kol Hamevaser, and participated as a committee member of the Sharsheret Breast Cancer Club. She spent her past few summers as a Division Head at Moshava Indian Orchard, and in Israel working with at-risk teenagers in a small development town. Ruthie is currently a board member on Bnei Akiva’s National Board and a Co-head of Bnei Akiva’s Innovative School Programming (ISP).
In her role as congregational intern, Ruthie is in involved in formal and informal teaching at the shul. She will offer divrei Torah over the course of Shabbat, and lead both chavurot at homes and “parshah shmoozes” after Kiddush. In addition, she will participate in and help advise those sharing divrei Torah in our various women’s Isha L’Isha contexts. She will also do some one on one studying within the kehillah, and lead some sessions for our upcoming bnot mitzvah.
Ruthie is enthusiastically looking forward to her role as Congregational Intern at the Hebrew Institute of White Plains, and developing warm relationships with the welcoming White Plains community. And we are too!
Our Emeritus Clergy
Rabbi Emeritus Murray Grauer
The Hebrew Institute of White Plains was born prior to World War I through the vision of a small group of people who migrated to this city. Wishing to worship in the traditions of their fathers, they gathered in a minyan in the rear of a furniture store, and in a few years, erected their first edifice. In 1917 they dedicated the first cemetery grounds. Between the Wars they were a struggling but growing Orthodox Synagogue. In 1951, within a year of the dedication of our present edifice, Rabbi Grauer came to the pulpit, following Rabbi Samuel Feldshon and Rabbi David Roth, to join The New Suburban Migration. He was our rabbi for 44 years, until 1995.
Cantor Emeritus Eli Berlinger
Eli Berlinger, a graduate of Yeshiva College Belz School of Music, and the Julliard School, served as cantor of The Hebrew Institute, a position he occupied with great distinction, from 1980 until his retirement in 2006. He is a constant inspiration to our Congregation. Cantor and Miriam Berlinger have three children and six grandchildren.
