Aish HaTorah of Greater St. Louis is an outreach organization, dedicated to providing Jewish education for Jews from all backgrounds and religious affiliations.

The Aish mission is to inspire members of the St. Louis Jewish community to experience, explore, and share the beauty and wisdom of Torah and their Jewish heritage in order to build, strengthen and sustain the future of our Jewish community.

Rabbi Yosef David, Executive Director

Rabbi Yosef  David hails from Lakewood, New Jersey and attended the world renowned Mir yeshiva in Jerusalem.  Rabbi David is the Executive Director of  Aish Hatorah of St. Louis and loves teaching torah in a relevant and meaningful way. His unique Soul Building Workshop at Nusach Hari Bnai Zion synagogue every Saturday morning is based on lessons from bodybuilding and weightlifting and how the physical world teaches about the spiritual world. He leads thought-provoking discussion groups on almost every topic.  Rabbi David has been the catalyst for the community wide Clean Speech St. Louis Program, and the Momentum JWRP Israel trips. His short films at Aishstl  on YouTube are fun and  inspiring.  He and his wife, Mimi, have led many Israel trips for couples as well as for men and women where his knowledge of Israel, history and outgoing and easy-going nature are highly appreciated. Yosef and Mimi enjoy hosting many guests from all segments of the Jewish community for Shabbos dinners, holidays and barbecues.
In his free time, he enjoys weightlifting, exercise, and experiencing the outdoors. Joseph and his wife, Mimi, have been married for 29 years and are parents to seven fabulous children, three in-law children and four grandchildren.

Email: ydavid@aishstl.com

Rabbi Shmuel Greenwald, Director of Education

Rabbi Shmuel Greenwald grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. As a child, when making a list of places he might one want to live, St. Louis was between the Congo and Dazakhstan. Becoming a Rabbi occupied a similar place on his list of possible occupations. Rabbi Greenwald loves living in St. Louis and frequently states, “It is a great place to live, but I would not want to visit.” Rabbi Greenwald lives in St. Louis with his wife Chana and five children.

Email: sgreenwald@aishstl.com

Mimi David, Director of Women’s Education

Originally from New York but a mid-westerner by choice, Mimi David lives with her family in St. Louis, Missouri.  As Director of our Women’s Education Dept. and as a Judaic Studies teacher at Esther Miller Bais Yaakov, Mimi spends her time doing what she loves best:  learning with and teaching fabulous women and girls about the beauty, depth, and relevance of Judaism.  Whether it is at a popular Lunch-and-Learn, over the phone in a conference-call class, or in a high school classroom, Mimi is a sought-after teacher and lecturer.  She writes a weekly Shabbos email that is read by over 275 women, and hosts a monthly Challah Club that has standing room only.   An experienced, dynamic (and fun!) trip leader, Mimi has led 17 missions to Israel, including two couples’ trip with her husband Yosef. Mimi has been involved in Jewish education for over 20 years.  Besides her classroom teaching, she is a mentor and dating coach for many of her former students.  She is also certified by Mikvah USA as a presenter of “The Divine Gift” to teach women and brides about the mitzvah of Mikvah.  In addition to feeding people’s souls, Mimi is a great cook and hosts lots of guests, with whom she enjoys sharing delicious Shabbos and holiday meals. Mimi’s most important job is shared with her husband Yosef:  raising their family of 7 awesome kids (and two amazing sons-in-law and  two daughters-in-law and  delicious grandchildren!).  She and Yosef firmly believe in the idea that Jewish inspiration begins at home.

Email: mimidavid@aishstl.com

Caren Goldstein, Administrative Assistant

Caren Goldstein has been with Aish St. Louis since December 2015. Caren is a New Yorker at heart but likes the slower pace of living in St. Louis. A resident since 1998, Caren and her family moved to St. Louis for her husband's career change. She was previously employed at the JCC-Creve Coeur for nearly 13 years and has been the co-administrative assistant at Aish St. Louis for seven years. Her husband, Yiftah, is a kibbutznik, and they visit family when they can. Her daughter, Michal, is an avid music festival attendee and is a mental health counselor. Her son, Ariel, works at Ameristar Casino in the Benefits Department. They all love to travel when they can and enjoy spending time with friends and exploring different neighborhoods in St. Louis.

Email: cgoldstein@aishstl.com

Shelley Dean, Social Media Director

Shelley Dean has been an integral part of the St. Louis Jewish community since 2003.  In addition to creating and running her Rhythm 'n' Ruach Program for Jewish Preschools and synagogues across the country, she had been an essential part of the social media aspect for Kohn's Kosher Deli.  She is currently the Social Media Director for Aish HaTorah St. Louis.  She loves the time that she spends with her 4 amazing teenagers, ranging from 13 - 18 years old.

Email: sdean@aishstl.com

The Gloria and Rubin Feldman Aish HaTorah Center for Jewish Studies at 457 N. Woods Mill Road in Chesterfield, known as “the Firehouse,” opened its doors in June of 1999 and is the home for most of the Aish classes and programs, as well as the Aish administrative offices. The warm and welcoming atmosphere enhances the Jewish learning experience for all participants.

Programs and classes include Basic Judaism classes, learning Hebrew, topics within Jewish Philosophy, Jewish Wisdom for Living, Workshops on Marriage and Relationships, Mussar (self improvement and character development) groups, understanding the weekly Torah portions, and discussion groups on contemporary issues. Learning is available through classes, Lunch & Learn sessions, one-on-one study, and Home Study Groups. The Aish Rabbis are available to teach, counsel, and service individuals and families.

The annual Aish St. Louis Speaker’s Series brings extraordinary people with inspiring messages on a variety of topics. The Annual Stuart I. Raskas Dessert Reception presents a world-class speaker and awards a local volunteer who has contributed significant time and resources to Aish.

Shabbat and Holiday programming include a weekly Shabbat Learner’s Service that offers participants the opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues. Monthly Shabbat dinners held at the Firehouse are popular with everyone, especially families.

Aish HaTorah of Greater St. Louis is one of many Aish centers in the U.S. While each branch is independent, all are part of the Aish HaTorah International network, with its World Center in Jerusalem.  For more information, contact Aish at 314-862-2474 or at stlouis@aish.com.