Yair Shahak

Yair Shahak is chair of Frisch’s Hebrew department. In addition to Hebrew, he teaches Italian, Yiddish and Tanach, and is the faculty advisor for the Arabic Culture and Language club. From 2010-2015, he served as a full-time Instructor of Hebrew at Yeshiva University, and, in 2013 was awarded the Lillian F. and William L. Silber Professor of the Year Award, an honor chosen by the student body for his “lucid explanations” and “warm, crystal-clear methodology.” He holds a B.A. in Jewish Studies, Music, and Hebrew Language & Literature; an M.A. in Bible; cantorial ordination from RIETS; and a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music, where he was the recipient of the Adele Lerner Prize in Chamber Music. He is slated to receive his rabbinical ordination in 2019. In 2016, he made international headlines when he became the first ever American to win first place at the International Bible Contest for Adults (Chidon HaTanach HaOlami) in Jerusalem, after winning the National Bible Contest for Adults (Chidon HaTanach HaArtzi) in New York in both 2014 and 2016. His Tanakh-infused poetry has been published in Hador: The Hebrew Annual of America, and he has served as a cantor and scholar-in-residence at synagogues and universities in the tri-state area and beyond.