Meet the Kaplowitz Family

Rabbi Elliot Kaplowitz is thrilled to be back at Brandeis.  Rabbi Kaplowitz grew up in Livingston, NJ.  After spending a year in Israel at Yeshivat Sha’arei Mevasseret Zion, he attended Brandeis where he received a combined BA/MA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and wrote an honors thesis on the “Jewish Legal Decisions of Rabbis Ovadia Yosef and Moses Feinstein.” After graduating from Brandeis in 2002, Rabbi Kaplowitz spent a year working as the Iyyun Fellow at Hillel’s International Center in Washington, DC.  Rabbi Kaplowitz received his semicha from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. 

Rabbi Kaplowitz interned for two years at Congregation Shaarei Tefillah in Newton, MA under the mentorship of Rabbi Benjamin Samuels.  Rabbi Kaplowitz has taught in a number of settings, including the JCC in Manhattan and serving as scholar in residence in a number of shuls across the country. 

Toby Goldfisher Kaplowitz received her BA in psychology and music from Stern College for Women and is a graduate of the Stern College Graduate Program in Advanced Talmudic Studies. While in college, Toby spent three summers abroad in Australia and New Zealand leading an experiential Jewish education program called Counterpoint.  In December 2006, Toby received her M.S.Ed. from the Bank Street College of Education where she focused her studies and Masters thesis on school leadership and progressive/experiential Jewish education.

Toby began her professional career as Program Coordinator the Association of Modern Orthodox Day Schools and High Schools, an agency of the Center for the Jewish Future, Yeshiva University. She created and developed a professional development conference for beginning school leaders called SELA- Support for Educational Leadership Advancement and continued to be a resource to the CJF team on all programs involving experiential Jewish education. Toby also created and developed a new website as a resource for experiential Jewish educators.

Toby married Rabbi Elliot Kaplowitz in September 2005.  They are the proud parents of Yisrael Nachman.  Rabbi Kaplowitz is an avid Boston Red Sox fan.  He enjoys cooking, home brewing, working out and traveling.  Toby loves to watch The Food Network and cook any chance she gets!

Check out Rabbi Kaplowitz (http://brandeis.facebook.com/profile.php?id=592361403) and Toby (http://brandeis.facebook.com/profile.php?id=569417379) on Facebook!