Our Staff
Director, Robbie Sassoon received his Bachelor’s in Psychology from Yeshiva College and his MSW from Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Before Crossroads, Robbie has led programs for Jewish youth including 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 is an innovator — bringing together creativity, an entrepreneurial spirit, and administrative experience with his love of working with youth. Robbie made aliyah in 2008, when he led the English Division at Lander Institute to create a vibrant community for Anglos pursuing an education in English in Israel. Robbie became the director of Crossroads in May of 2010 and in his role has spearheaded key new programs including Crossroads’ crisis hotline and Mobile Unit. His influence has expanded Crossroads’ reach and increased the quality of its services.
Social Worker & Community Engagement, Reuven Hyman made Aliyah from Teaneck, New Jersey with his wife in 2013. After finishing his Bachelor of Art’s, Reuven completed his Master’s in Social Work with a specialization in Community Organization and Administration. Before joining Crossroads in 2016, Reuven worked in various professional leadership capacities in the not-for-profit sector. His extensive professional experience encompasses program planning and development, financial resource development, organizational development and strategic planning.
Social Worker, Deborah Heffes was born in Mexico, & moved to Canada in 2009. She completed her B.A. in Sociololgy at Yeshiva University & went on to earn her M.S.W. from Wurzweiler. As a student, Deborah worked at a public elementary school in the Bronx, New York, providing individual counseling to at-risk students, & facilitating therapeutic groups. She made Aliyah in 2020, initially joining the Crossroads team as a student, & has been here ever since.
Social Worker, Benyamin Rubinstein officially made Aliya in 2025 from New York after earning his undergraduate degree from Excelsior University and his Master’s in Social Work from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work.
Social Worker & Outreach Coordinator, Daniel Sasson made Aliyah in 2003 from his hometown Miami. After completing his army service, he earned his B.A. in Social Work at Bar Ilan University in 2019. As a student, he worked with a variety of different people in the Social Services Department in Jerusalem. He then worked as a therapist and group facilitator at the “Yad Sarah” Family Center in Jerusalem. Daniel joined Crossroads in 2019.
Social Worker & Job Center Coordinator, Mira Schneider grew up in Toronto, Canada. After completing her B.A. in Humanities Studies from York University, she earned her M.S.W. from Wurzweiler, graduating with a certificate in Trauma Informed Practice. As a student, Mira worked at the Tachana L’briut Hanefesh, a mental health clinic in Jerusalem, providing individual counselling for people suffering from mental illness. She also completed a placement at Darkaynu, counselling young adults with special needs, while teaching a weekly social skills workshop to assist in their integration into adult life. In Toronto, Mira worked as an NCSY advisor, creating lesson plans for teenage students, while providing emotional support. She was also part of an multidisciplinary team in an out-patient care program at Baycrest hospital, creating weekly educational programs for clients and communicating client needs to family members. For the first two years following aliya, Mira worked as as a madricha in a seminary – working closely with post-high school students, providing emotional support throughout their year in Israel. Mira joined the Crossroads team in 2019.
Social Worker, Leah Schwartz got her bachelors in psychology from Thomas Edison State University before moving to Israel to complete her Master’s in Social Work from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work. (Leah has had many years of experience at several gap year programs.) Leah joined the crossroads team in 2023.
Social Worker, Noam Spira studied psychology and counseling at CUNY Queens College before earning his MSW from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work. While a social work student, Noam worked in an outpatient psychiatric clinic as well as a member of the social service team in a retirement village. Before joining Crossroads, he has worked for several years as a social worker for participants of various gap year in Israel and summer camp programs.
Social Worker, Nechama Glanz moved to Israel from New Jersey now she lives with her family in Beit Shemesh. She received her Bachelor in Psychology from Yeshiva University. She then went on to receive her Master in Social Work from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work.
Clinical Supervisor, Orli Tveria was born in Los Angeles, made aliyah in high school, received a Bachelors in social work from Hebrew University, received a Masters in social work from Bar Ilan University, and is a certified CBT therapist. Orli started working at Crossroads in 2004 in various positions including social worker, program and volunteer coordinator, assistant director. At the present, she supervises social workers and students and has a private practice in Jerusalem.
Artistic Director for the Crossroads Theater Shed, Art Feinglass is a playwright and director whose plays have been performed in Seattle, Jerusalem and Off-Broadway in New York. His thirty-year theatrical career includes founding three successful theater companies, Access Corporate Theater, presenting plays for Fortune 500 companies on sexual harassment and diversity, the Manhattan-based Mostly Murder Dinner Theater, and the Seattle Jewish Theater Company. Art made aliyah in 1968, joining Kibbutz Lahav in Israel’s Negev desert where he worked as a farmer and high school teacher and served in the IDF during the Yom Kippur War. He holds a BA and teaching credential from Ben Gurion University of the Negev and an MFA from the University of Washington in Seattle. Art worked as a journalist for the Jewish Agency, the UJA and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). His short stories in English and Hebrew have appeared in Hadassah Magazine and other Jewish interest publications in the U.S. and Israel. He is the author of Public Relations for Nonprofits, Acting With Respect and two books for children, The Lonesome Dreidel and The Afikoman Adventure.
