Rabbi Ben Hassan
Rabbi Ben Hassan grew up in Manchester, England. He spent his teenage years in Bnei Akiva developing a passion for Torah and the land of Israel. After High School, he studied at Yeshivat Kibbutz Hadati on Kibbutz Ein Tzurim. During this life-changing year, he developed a passion for halakha and minhagim.
Rabbi Hassan has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Salford. Following college he went back to Israel to study at Darche Noam in Jerusalem. During that year he met his wife, Sharona.
Rabbi Hassan then went to learn at Yeshivat Hamivtar in Efrat, under Rabbi Shlomo Riskin where he received semikha (rabbinic ordination) from Rabbi Riskin and Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg. Rabbi Hassan was a rabbinic fellow and teacher as well as Community Director during his four years at Yeshivat Hamivtar.
In September 2009, Rabbi Hassan moved to Melbourne to become a high school teacher at Leibler Yavneh College – a modern orthodox, religious zionist co-educational day school. He specialized in teaching 7th to 10th grade students Torah and Talmud. Rabbi Hassan was appointed the rabbi of Sassoon Yehuda Sephardi Synagogue in November 2009. During his time there, he strengthened the community, creating a vibrant home for Sephardim of all backgrounds. He successfully fundraised for the first new Sefer Torah in the synagogue for 25 years.
In August 2013, Rabbi Hassan moved with his family to become the Scholar in Residence of Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation. In February 2014, he accepted the position of Rabbi of the synagogue. Rabbi Hassan and his wife Rubissa Sharona have been married for 8 years and have four daughters Cohava, Gabriella, Rutie and Tova. Rabbi Hassan writes a weekly blog on a variety of Jewish topics and how they impact the modern world at askrabbihassan.blogspot.com.
Rubissa Sharona was raised in Jacksonville, Florida. She studied at Bar Ilan University’s Bet Midrash program and also at The Pardes Institute in Jerusalem. She has two bachelor’s degrees, one in Jewish Studies and the other in theatre production. Sharona also has a Masters degree in Social Work from Yeshiva University.
Sharona was an early childhood Jewish Studies teacher in Leibler Yavneh College during their Melbourne years. She shares her curriculum of Jewish studies with weekly updates to her blog, kosherkidz.blogspot.com. Sharona is a qualified Kallah instructor and a skilled educator who enjoys teaching Bat mitzvah girls and adults Torah on a weekly basis.