Bringing His YU Values to the Front Lines
Educated and Inspired by the Program She Now Leads NECHAMA PRICE, ED.D. ’01 Stern College for Women ’03 Graduate Program in Advanced Talmud Studies ’05 (MS), ’23 (Ed.D.) Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration ’08 (MA) Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies Director, Graduate Program in Advanced Talmud Studies (GPATS) Clinical Assistant Professor, Stern College for Women D r. Nechama Price ’01S isn’t just the head of the Graduate Pro- gram in Advanced Talmud Studies (GPATS) at Yeshiva
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), combat training and frontline experience in infantry operations, he was particularly qualified for his important role. Sackett has since returned to his work for YU Israel, ensuring that YU students receive a rewarding and unforgettable experience in the University’s popular year-round and summer programs in Israel, which include Counterpoint Israel, in which students run an English-based summer camp in Israel for teens; and YU’s Summer Internship Program, in which students work as interns in Israeli companies in areas such as marketing, engineering, communica- tions, data research, computer science and accounting. The intern- ships give students hands-on experience and invaluable insights into Israel’s world-renowned startup culture, while also providing significant benefits for the host companies. Every aspect of Sackett’s work is done with an eye focused on what is best for the students, and he spends many months meticu- lously planning every aspect of YU Israel’s summer programming. “This holistic approach to education extends beyond the class- room, shaping well-rounded individuals ready to tackle the chal- lenges of higher education and beyond,” he said. Sackett, who grew up on Long Island, New York and in Israel, enlisted in an IDF combat unit as a lone soldier when he was 20. He came back to the States to pursue his studies at YU and has great memories of his time there, where he learned an important value that guides him to this day: Make a positive impact. It’s a value he brought with him as a security manager for eight years at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport, during his service in the IDF and in his work for YU Israel. We’re thrilled and proud he’s part of the YU family.
GABI SACKETT ’05 Yeshiva College Program Director of YU Israel
T here are proud YU graduates and there are graduates of which YU could not be prouder. Gabi Sackett ’05YC checks both those boxes—first, as program director of YU Israel, for which he plans and creates dynamic pro- gramming for YU students in Israel, and second, as a devoted sol- dier who answered the call to help the people of Israel after the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7. As soon as he heard the news, he rushed to the front and served for four months straight without a break. As a captain in the Rabbanut (chaplaincy) Division 99 in the Is- rael Defense Forces (IDF) reserves, Sackett was stationed along the northern Lebanese border for the first two months and was in Gaza for the following two months. Sackett provided crucial pastoral support for his fellow soldiers and valiantly assisted in the retrieval of fallen comrades amidst hostile fire in enemy territory. With a background that includes studying at YU’s rabbinical school, the
University, she is also a proud graduate and world-renowned for her love of learning and teaching Talmud. “From a young age, I fell in love with learning Torah and knew I wanted to enter the field of Jewish educa- tion,” said Dr. Price. While an undergraduate at Stern Col- lege for Women, she took as many high-lev- el courses in Bible and Jewish Law as she could. “My skills really developed, and my life’s mission took focus when I spent three years studying in GPATS,” she said. After her third year as a student in GPATS, she was offered the opportunity to teach a class in Jewish law at Stern. She jumped at the chance, which led to a full-time teaching position, and 10 years later, becoming the director of GPATS. Women’s advanced Torah learning has never been the same, as Dr. Price is a highly respected, beloved teacher and inspiration for Jewish women around the globe. Learning the Talmud is a challenging undertaking, yet for those who master it, deeply rewarding intellectually and spiritu- ally. For Dr. Price, it is not just a labor of love to study and teach the wisdom of the Tal- mud to the young women at YU: She is awed by the opportunity. “For the last 20 years, I have been privileged to teach Torah to the most passionate, intelligent and learned students at Stern,” she said. “It is thrilling to watch the faces of my students as they de- velop their appreciation for the complexity and meaning in the Torah and its messages,” she added. “I love to journey with them
through Jewish history as we travel step by step through the halachic (Jewish law) ana- lytic process of each law.” Once an area of learning reserved exclu- sively for men, the Talmud offers those studying it deep insights into Jewish law and religious observance. “I believe that women can and should be given the oppor- tunity to learn Torah at the highest of lev- els, as undergraduates and, especially, at the graduate level.” Under her leadership, GPATS has dou- bled in size and added tracks and new areas of study. The program has also expanded its reach to inspire and educate on a much larger scale by adding a summer learning initiative, an online learning program and a visiting scholars program in which stu- dents give lectures in various communities.
Dr. Price has earned the coveted title of Senior Class Professor of the Year for 12 of her years at Stern as well as other awards for her scholarly work and teaching. In ad- dition, she is the author of a book on the 12 tribes, Tribal Blueprints . She feels privileged to not only teach her students Torah, but also to get to know them and learn from them. “Teachers of Torah must love what they teach and love who they teach,” said Dr. Price. “I look at my students and am inspired for the future of the Jewish people and—specifically—the future of women’s Torah education. I only hope that I am an honorable representation of Yeshiva University, its values and the community it represents.” Dr. Price, it’s not even a question.
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YU Today | Education and Leadership to Empower Our Next Generation
YU Today | Education and Leadership to Empower Our Next Generation
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