ABOUT ME

Hi! My name is Rabbi Yaakov Rutstein. This is my 9th year teaching at HHAI. I was born and raised in West Hartford, CT, a small Jewish community not too different from our wonderful community here in Indy. I attended a relatively small day school, very similar to HHAI, with a diverse group of students from many different religious backgrounds. After spending my four years of high school at a yeshiva in New York, I spent two years studying in Israel, where I attended Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh, a Hesder yeshiva, in which the Israeli students would split their years in yeshiva between studying Torah and serving in the IDF. After two years abroad, I returned to the States, where I continued my Torah studies at Yeshiva University in New York City, where I simultaneously recieved my bachelors degree in Psychology. After graduating from YU, I continued my Torah studies at a small yeshiva on Long Island, while at the same time receiving a masters degree in Education from the Azrieli Graduate school of Jewish Education (a graduate program affiliated with Yeshiva University). After spending 3 years in the yeshiva, and marrying my amazing wife, Tzirel, I taught for one year at the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, with a student body of close to 1,000 students, after which we moved with our young family of 4 to the beautiful city of Calgary, Canada to teach in the local day school. Calgary is located less than an hour away from the Canadian Rockies... For anyone who enjoys nature, and has not yet had a chance to visit, I would highly recommend a trip to Banff! A visit to the Canadian Rockies give one a glimpse into the grandeur and beauty of the world that Hashem created. The words from Tehillim (Psalms)- Mah rabu ma'asecha Hashem- How great are your works Hashem, comes prominently to mind when one experiences such breathtaking scenery. After 5 wonderful years in Calgary, our growing family, now of 6, made the decision to move back to the States to be closer to our family on the east coast. We could not be happier with the decision we made to make our new home in this wonderful community of Indianapolis. Thank G-d, we currently have 4 of our 6 children attending the Academy, as well as our two oldest daughters, who are proud graduates of HHAI, and are currently studying at Bais Yaakov High school in Baltimore, MD (my wife's alma mater :)). We feel so fortunate to be a part of such an amazing school and community!