Crossroads Jerusalem

Our staff is comprised of:

• 1 director
• 1 assistant director
• 4 staff social workers (coordinating: outreach, intake, volunteers, and center activities)
• 10 teachers
• 5 group facilitators
• 7 trained volunteers
• 1 administrative assistant
• 1 director of development

Director Rabbi Robbie Sassoon, M.S.W., was raised in the Bronx, NY. He received his Bachelors in Psychology from Yeshiva College, Masters in Social Work from Wurzweiler School of Social Work, and Rabbinical Ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological at Yeshiva University. Over the past ten years, Robbie has created and led programs for youth in formal and informal Jewish education, at the Riverdale Jewish Center, S/A/R Academy, Camp Moshava, and Bnei Akiva, as well as facilitated innovative programming on substance abuse, parenting, and teens at risk. He has proven himself to be an innovator, bringing creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and administrative experience together with his interest and love working with kids and youth. Most recently, Robbie made aliyah in 2008 and spearheaded as well as directed the English Division at Lander Institute where he created a vibrant community of Anglos living in Israel studying in English. Robbie became the director of Crossroads in May of 2010.

Assistant director Orli Tiveria was born in Los Angeles to an Israeli father and an American mother. She spoke only English at home until age 14, when her family made Aliya. After graduating high school, completing national service, and studying in seminary, she attended a three-year program at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, emerging with a bachelor’s degree in social work. While in school, she volunteered at Or Shalom, which provides counseling for children living in foster homes. Tiveria completed her fieldwork at a Beit Shemesh social services office providing medical assistance to families and children, and at Jerusalem’s Gan Harmony, an outreach program that prepares English-speaking children with learning disabilities for the mainstream Israeli school system. She joined Crossroads in 2003.

Center activities coordinator and caseworker Adina Mishur was born in New York City, but moved with her family to Efrat, Israel when she was in the sixth grade. After high school, she performed national service at a boarding school for at-risk children. Following national service and a year of religious study at Midreshet Lindenbaum, Mishur earned a master’s degree in Bible studies and bachelor’s degree in comparative literature from Bar Ilan University, and a teaching degree from Michlelet Herzog. While at Bar Ilan, she counseled immigrants from western countries, and after teaching two semesters of high school English, she worked for a year with the mentally ill. In 2003, she began working toward a bachelor’s degree in social work at Hebrew University, performing her fieldwork as a therapist serving drug addicts and ex-convicts, and as a probation officer. Mishur simultaneously volunteered for Elem, an organization serving at-risk teens on the street. Since earning her B.A. in 2006, she has been working at the Crossroads Center.

Volunteer coordinator and caseworker Ahuva Wisebrod grew up in Canada. After graduating high school in 1998, she came to Israel to study, and then began earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology at York University in Toronto. Four years later she returned to Israel, first working at a seminary and then enrolling in the Block Program at Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work. In her first year in Wurzweiler, she interned at Beit Herzog, a home for mentally ill adults, where she provided one-on-one therapy and led group activities, and also helped mentally ill patients at Herzog Hospital. The following year, she led music classes and served as caseworker at a Jerusalem-based mental health clinic. After earning her master’s degree in social work, Wisebrod privately tutoring high school and university students in math, gave piano lessons, and volunteered at Crossroads as an English tutor. Since June 2006, she has been working at the Center as a caseworker and coordinating Crossroads volunteer staff.

Intake coordinator and caseworker Tsvi Rosby was born in Chicago and made aliyah in 1996. After completing his army service in a Hesder program combining military duty with religious study, he earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Moreshet Yaakov College in Rehovot in 2004 while continuing advanced torah studies. Throughout his torah and academic studies he has held teaching and mentoring positions with at-risk children and teens. Rosby earned his BA in social work at Bar Ilan University in 2004. As a student of social work he worked for one year in the mental health clinic of Beit Shemesh in the “Enosh” department with people suffering from mental illness. The following year Rosby worked in “Retorno” rehabilitation community as a therapist and group facilitator with people recovering from drug and other addictions. He joined Crossroads in 2007.

Outreach coordinator and caseworker Leah Sacks grew up in Harrisburg PA and is a graduate of the Rabbi David L. Silver Yeshiva Academy, Susquehanna Twp. High School, and Brandeis University. While at Brandeis she worked at a domestic violence shelter. Sacks volunteered in Thailand for 6 months at a drop-in center for Akha hill tribe street kids, and then went on to get her MSW from Washington University in St. Louis. She completed her fieldwork on the forensic unit of a psychiatric hospital, in Yokneam/Megiddo with the Jewish Agency’s Y2K program, and at the St. Louis chapter of the American Red Cross. Immediately after graduation in 2007, Leah made aliyah, then worked in the Safety Department of Hebrew University as well as a Madricah for a community mental health amutah. Sacks joined the Crossroads staff in 2008.

Development director Melissa Armoza was raised in Kenwood, CA. After receiving her BA from Brandeis University, Armoza worked for a special education institute in NYC where she developed a life-skills educational program for learning disabled and autistic children. In 1992, Armoza entered Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences where she designed and led a 5-year research program conducted in the NYC public school system examining children’s coping with setbacks and received her MA and MPHIL in psychology. Armoza made aliyah in 1998, and has three children. She joined Crossroads in 2007.

Crossroads was founded by Caryn Green, M.S.W., who was born and raised in Tyler, Texas. She received her BA at The University of Texas and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University in New York. Caryn moved to Israel in 1996 and began work with mentally ill young adults at Machon Summit. The following year she joined the professional staff of the children’s ward of Eitanim Psychiatric Hospital in Jerusalem. Along with her duties at the hospital, Caryn began working with youth at risk on the streets of Jerusalem. Caryn founded Crossroads in 2000 and has worked with English-speaking Israeli youth for over fourteen years. Caryn stepped down as director in April 2010, and remains an active member of the Crossroads board.

Crossroads is professionally supervised by the division for the Advancement of Youth at the Jerusalem Municipality.