The Orthodox Union Department of Community and Synagogue Services announced the appointment of Naftali Herrmann as southeast regional director. Mr. Herrmann will work with synagogues and communities in the southeast, including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida. He will be based in Boca Raton, Florida.
“The OU Southeast Regional office provides resources including services and programming through Yahad, the OU’s National Jewish Council of Disabilities and NCSY, the OU’s international youth movement,” explained Naftali. “The OU, in fact, is the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, and we have always focused on the support of our synagogues. We are now adding a regional director to underscore that commitment – to enable community and synagogue services to provide leadership, resources and programmatic support to southeast Orthodox communities and congregations.”
Naftali and his wife, Shani, reside in Boca Raton and are members of the Boca Raton Synagogue, an OU-member shul. Shani works as a pediatric nurse practitioner in Broward County. Naftali grew up in Suffern, New York, where he attended Congregation Bais Torah, led by Rabbi Berel Wein. Naftali credits his family and community in veering his interest toward communal work.
“The OU Southeast regional office’s goals are synonymous with the broader mission of the Orthodox Union,” said Naftali. “We aim to engage, strengthen, and lead the Orthodox community by providing religious, educational, social, and cultural programming and resources on relevant and timely issues that impact upon the lives of individuals and families. The regional office creates a giant tent to house all current OU Southeast services, while simultaneously developing and addressing the changing and growing needs of our synagogues.”