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Clergy

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Rabbi Eli Babich

SENIOR RABBI

Rabbi Eli Babich joined the Fifth Avenue Synagogue as Assistant Rabbi in 2013 and was appointed Rabbi in 2019. He has imparted wisdom, meaning, and inspiration from the bimah and through many classes.

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Rebbetzin Lisa Babich

REBBETZIN

Lisa is a born and bred New Yorker who was raised in Queens, New York. She is a full time Rebbetzin and speech and language pathologist. Lisa has been involved in teaching outreach from the young age of 19.

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Dr. Sol Roth

CHIEF RABBI EMERITUS

Rabbi Dr. Sol Roth received a B.A. from Yeshiva College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He was ordained by the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University.

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Chaim Stern

SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE

Chaim Stern currently teaches a high-level course on Ketzos HaChoshen at Fifth Avenue Synagogue. Chaim is global head of alternative risk solutions at Goldman Sachs.

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Rabbi Dr. Michael Rosensweig

SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE

Rabbi Dr. Michael Rosensweig is a Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University and one of Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein's leading disciples.

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Rabbi Samuel Fishelis

SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE

Rabbi Shmuel Fishelis has been giving the Daf Yomi shiur for over 30 years. Fifth Avenue Synagogue is privileged that he is now giving the shiur here.

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Zak Benarroch

CANTOR

Zak's love for music was ignited at a young age in his hometown of London. At the age of 14, Zak led his first High Holiday services, and since then, he has been engaged with Shuls in many communities globally.

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Joseph Malovany

CANTOR EMERITUS

Joseph Malovany possesses a brilliant spinto tenor voice, described by the London Guardian as "most powerful, beautiful and expressive spinto technique... sturdy and heroic".

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Yair Halpert

BA'AL KOREH

Yair Halpert has been serving as the Torah reader at Fifth Avenue Synagogue since 2024, bringing precision, warmth, and a deep respect for tradition to the bimah. A proud member of a multigenerational FAS family, Yair has been part of the synagogue community his entire life, and his connection to the shul and its members continues to grow stronger each year.

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Rabbi Yaakov Kermaier

RABBI EMERITUS

Rabbi Yaakov Y. Kermaier served as the spiritual leader of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue Synagogue from October 2003 to June 2015, when he and his family made Aliyah.

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