Meet up with Rabbi Maurice Appelbaum and you’ll likely be looking up. Not only because he’s tall, but more importantly because of the type of person that he is, and if you ask him, he’ll tell you that he largely attributes his life trajectory due to his Yachad experience.
Yachad members and advisors that participated on Shabbatonim during the mid 2000’s will remember Maurice mostly for his stand up job as the Ruach Coordinator for Senior Yachad. Maurice was legendary within the ‘Yachad circle’ and many songs/shtick still performed today are rooted and credited to him
Maurice grew up in Flatbush and attended the Yeshiva of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School. He went on from there to study at yeshiva in Israel before returning to the States where he split his collegial years between Rutgers University and Brooklyn College. Upon graduation Maurice attended Yeshiva Chovevei Torah from which he received his rabbinical ordination. He is currently the spiritual leader in Greenpoint, Brooklyn at Congregation Ahavas Israel (AKA Greenpoint Shul) as well as a supervisory candidate for HealthCare Chaplaincy working at NY Hospital Queens.
Maurice’s Yachad journey began in Israel in 2000. While studying for the year abroad, Maurice became involved with KEDMA, a student organization in Israel that promotes social action through innovative programming. Through KEDMA, Maurice attended a Yachad training Shabbaton in Jerusalem led by former Yachad staffer Elana Goldscheider. Inspired by this Shabbaton and other Yachad events in Israel, Maurice officially joined Yachad while in college. In fact, he became so involved that he got into “trouble” with the Hillel Rabbi at Rutgers University that he wasn’t on campus enough for Shabbat to fulfill prior obligations to Hillel.
During his Yachad journey, Maurice served as the Brooklyn Coordinator for Senior Yachad, staffed several Yad B’Yad summer programs (North, South and Israel), including one that he co-directed together with his wife Rebeccah. He additionally, led several Birthright trips to Israel geared specifically for individuals with disabilities. 
During our interview with Maurice, he shared with us just how strongly Yachad has impacted his life. “Yachad brings people together, and I [as a person] was brought together by Yachad. Yachad is the big tent that unifies Jews – of all types – together”. Maurice expounded upon his decision to go into the pulpit as inspired by Yachad. “It’s possible to go through life avoiding people who are different including people who have disabilities, but Yachad demonstrated to me the uniqueness of each individual and how I am a stronger and more connected person when my orientation is geared toward inclusivity. Yachad changed how I saw myself and others and challenged me to do more with my life”.
Although already a few years removed from his Yachad days, Maurice remains close with several of the Yachad members and staff that he built close relationships with during his time with Yachad. We are excited to share that Maurice has now formally reconnected with Yachad roots by joining the newly founded Young Leadership Council of Friends of Yachad. We look forward to continued shared Yachad experiences with Maurice, Rebeccah and their three beautiful children, B’Yachad!