KU Chabad, led by Rabbi Zalman and Nechama Tiechtel, has added a new rabbi and rebbetzin to its staff for the 2023-2024 school year.
Rabbi Lev and Talia Voskoboynik, who came to Lawrence, Kansas, from California, have been brought on to help KU Chabad serve more of the KU Jewish community, which has been growing for years.
Over the past five years, the demographic of Jewish students has increased by 2.6%, according to KU Chabad. The addition of Rabbi Lev and Talia Voskoboynik can help further the organization’s mission of being available to students at all times.
“When we say it is our mission to reach every Jewish student, we mean it,” Rabbi Tiechtel said. “We are happy with our success of the past and use it as an impetus to expand and improve for the future.”
Talia Voskoboynik holds a bachelor's and master’s degree in accounting from the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, while Rabbi Lev Yakov Voskoboynik earned his bachelor's in Talmudic studies and rabbinical ordination from the Central Talmudic Institution in Brooklyn, New York.
Talia Voskoboynik's life was greatly impacted when she encountered the Chabad on Campus at Texas A&M and served as a student leader. Rabbi Voskoboynik grew up in Southern California, where he was a tennis champion at his high school in Los Angeles. He discovered his Jewish passion and spiritual path through being involved in the Chabad Teen program Cteen.
“The Voskoboyniks’ diverse backgrounds and shared passion for connecting and inspiring Jewish students make them a perfect fit for our Jewhawk community,” Rabbi Tiechtel said.
The couple plan to spend the year in Lawrence, dedicating their time to supporting and expanding KU Chabad’s reach. On a daily basis, they will man information tables across campus stocked with resources for anything Jewish, “mitzvot on the go” and opportunities for connection. They will mentor students one-on-one, provide much-needed counseling and support, and visit students who are ill. They will also teach Torah classes and lead engagement initiatives in various KU schools and the Greek system with the goal of ensuring that every student finds a way to connect with the Jewish community.
Talia Voskoboynik said that “we are so excited to be a part of the ‘Jewhawk’ family for the upcoming year. From the moment we arrived to be part of the KU Chabad family, we can already see the warmth and vibrancy that the students have when it comes to getting involved in Jewish life at KU. It’s so special for us to be a part of this tremendous impact.”
More information about the Voskoboyniks is available at thetennisrabbi.com, and more information about KU Chabad is available at jewishku.com.
