Judaism Unpacked Day of Learning: Bringing Big Jewish Ideas into the Classroom

Rabba Yaffa Epstein is the Senior Scholar and Educator-in-Residence at the Jewish Education Project. Previously, she served as the Director of the Wexner Heritage Program at the Wexner Foundation, as well as the Director of Education for North America at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, where she was also a long-time member of the faculty and staff. Yaffa is currently an Associate Faculty Fellow for Pardes North America.

In 2024, Yaffa was honored as a recipient of the prestigious Covenant Foundation Award, recognizing her outstanding contributions to Jewish education. Yaffa received Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshivat Maharat, an additional private Ordination from Rabbi Daniel Landes, and holds a Law Degree from Bar-Ilan University. She has also studied at the Pardes Kollel, the Advanced Talmud Institute at Matan, and the Talmud Department at Hebrew University.

Yaffa has taught Talmud, Jewish Law, and Liturgy for over a decade, educating rabbis, educators, and lay leaders across the spectrum of Jewish denominations. She has been the Director of the Beit Midrash at the Dorot Fellowship in Israel and has taught at Yeshivat Maharat, the Drisha Institute, The Wexner Heritage New Members Institute, Kayam Farm Kollel, and Young Judaea. Passionate about making Jewish learning accessible and inclusive, Yaffa has lectured at Limmud events worldwide, written curricula for the Global Day of Jewish Learning, and created innovative educational programming for Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.