Thursday, October 1, 2026
From his early days growing up in Woodstock, Josh Gold always wanted to be a teacher. Now, almost a decade after becoming Principal of the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) Middle School, in Lawrence, he reflected on his tenure.
Gold, 42, graduated from SUNY Cortland with a bachelor’s degree in adolescent education-social studies. He then earned a master’s degree in history from Brooklyn College and a master’s in educational leadership and organizational management from Columbia University.
For a decade, Gold worked in the New York City public school system as a social studies teacher, rising the ranks to become an assistant principal.
Gold joined HAFTR on July 1, 2016, and has influenced many since then.
Tamima Feldman, an associate principal at HAFTR’s lower school, said Gold always spearheads projects and is open to new ideas.
“His mission to uphold school values and Jewish goals through his intuition is what makes him a wonderful leader,” she said.
Since 2018, students have participated in a STEM Summit, presenting apps they developed using coding. Gold said students learned programming systems like Python and JavaScript to code functional apps, which revolve around Jewish values each year.
As part of the summit, Gold said, the school brings in venture capitalists and patent attorneys, teaching students how to market themselves and their ideas in a “Shark Tank”-style pitch.
“It’s a really good example of the interdisciplinary nature of our program by combining Judaic studies and general studies,” Gold said.
In another project, eighth-grade capstone students complete genealogical research on their family or community. Gold said students prepare a TED Talk-style presentation on their findings, and how they can continue their family legacy.
“The reason we do it is because there’s research out of every University that identifies the more students know about their family history, the grittier and more resilient they are,” Gold said.
Considering antisemitic events — both local and globally — Gold said much of student education at HAFTR is about empowering and educating students on their heritage — through assemblies and guest speakers. Students also take trips to Albany and Washington D.C., to advocate and lobby for legal changes.
“We always believe fighting darkness with light is the best recipe,” Gold said. “We want to make sure students are educated and empowered to respond to hate.”
That commitment extends to HAFTR’s Mishna Yomi program, which Gold said teaches 500 people daily. On its website and WhatsApp, HAFTR rabbis teach Mishnayot, or sections of Jewish oral law, and students hit learning goals as they finish each section — celebrated with a Grand Siyum. Gold said it gets families involved because most of the students learn the traditions and Jewish law as a family.
“It’s an incredible testament to the daily commitment to learning that so many of our families have beyond the scope of the baseline curriculum of the school.”
When the coronavirus pandemic closed schools, Gold said maintaining community was difficult for his administration and staff. They eventually used Kahoot and Zoom sessions to bring parents and students together during isolation. Like with everything, however, Gold, who is now the Principal of both HAFTR’s lower and middle schools, helped the community push through.
“I think that each year our community gets stronger as we continue to communicate the mission and vision of the school,” Gold said. “We have to maintain a sense of community during times where parents and community members can get involved, even when we can’t always be physically together.”
