Dear Netivot Community,

The Head of School Search Committee (HOSSC) and The Netivot Board of Directors are excited to announce the appointment of Rabbi Dr. Rafi Cashman as our next Head of School. Rabbi Cashman will be joining the Netivot family in August.

Rabbi Cashman's educational pedigree is stellar. He holds a BA in History and Political Science from the University of Toronto, a Masters of Education from Yeshiva University and a PhD in Education from OISE at the University of Toronto.   After learning in Israel for four years, Rabbi Cashman received Semicha locally.  He attended the Harvard Principal's Center and is an ulpan-certified fluent Hebrew speaker. Rabbi Cashman is a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar, and has numerous awards and publications to his name.

Rabbi Cashman brings a breadth of both teaching and administrative experience in Jewish Day Schools. He is currently the Director of Education at Associated Hebrew Schools (AHS), responsible for coordinating and aligning its three core campuses. In addition to this role, Rabbi Cashman is also the Branch and Judaic Studies Principal of the Danilack Middle School campus at AHS.  This position includes overseeing the daily operations  of the campus, as well as hiring, training and supporting faculty, including co-chairing the Principals Council. Rabbi Cashman leads professional development for faculty and curriculum design for the Judaic Studies program.  Prior to his current position, Rabbi Cashman taught in the Judaic Studies department at Bnei Akiva Schools (Yeshivat Or Chaim) and TanenbaumCHAT, serving  as Department Head of Rabbinics.  In his years working with high school students, both in schools and as Director of Special Projects for   The House, Rabbi Cashman was regarded as a role model and thoughtful educator, establishing close relationships, of which he still maintains today. Finally, Rabbi Cashman spent two years as a consultant at Rosov Consulting (Berkeley, California) where he was a senior associate, working on program evaluation and strategic planning for Jewish educational organizations and not-for-profits, giving him broad exposure to a wide variety of educational providers.

Rabbi Cashman will ensure Netivot maintains its high standards of academic excellence while pursuing opportunities for further growth. He will oversee the development and implementation of curriculum, while supporting and guiding our teachers in the next steps of their professional practice.  He will further Netivot's development of innovative and forward-thinking approaches to education in both Limudei Kodesh and General Studies. Rabbi Cashman is an outstanding communicator with a clear vision of leadership, well suited to lead the Netivot community, meeting the needs of our teachers, students and parents.

Rabbi Cashman's personal and educational philosophies match the mission and vision of Netivot HaTorah, and this, combined with his many accomplishments and attributes, makes him an ideal Head of School. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are confident Rabbi Cashman will advance the culture of excellence at Netivot, and lead the school in a manner that will further establish it at the forefront of North American Orthodox Jewish day schools.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Rabbi Cashman and his wife Risa are the proud parents of Ora (13) Shevi (11), Simi (4) and Koby (1).

CLICK BELOW TO VIEW A VIDEO MESSAGE FROM 

ARI TENENBAUM, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND RABBI DR. RAFI CASHMAN, 
INCOMING HEAD OF SCHOOL

About the Search Process

Rabbi Cashman's appointment is the culmination of an intense and thorough search process that began last March. The Head of School Search Committee (HOSSC) is comprised of individuals who have an extensive knowledge and understanding of both Netivot HaTorah and the Toronto Jewish community.  The work of the committee began with a review of the job description and a discussion with the Board of Directors of the primary characteristics, skills and attitudes required to succeed.  The committee also invited and received feedback from faculty members. As well, the committee worked with Yeshiva University and the Consortium of Jewish Day Schools to compile a list of appropriate candidates. We reached out to no fewer than 50 top educators to advise them of this opportunity. Over fifteen quality resumes were received and assessed.

Over the past several months, the committee interviewed ten serious prospects. Those whom we felt would be suitable candidates were brought in for further meetings. With each candidate, we explored not only their knowledge, experience and leadership skills, but also their commitment to our hashkafa and their ability to represent Netivot's vision and mission. At the conclusion of this extensive process, Rabbi Cashman stood out as being the best fit for Netivot.

I take this opportunity to thank Howie Paskowitz and Rena Markus for their leadership in chairing the Search Committee and extend all our appreciation to the entire Committee for the time and effort they dedicated to finding Netivot's next Head of School.

Sincerely,