Rabbi Yali Szulanski

Rabbi Yali Szulanski is an award-winning educator, trauma-informed emotions specialist, and writer dedicated to creating spaces where children, teens, and families feel seen, supported, and empowered. She serves as Director of Youth and Family Engagement at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, where she trains teen leaders in empathy and inclusive leadership and supports families through moments of transition, growth, and challenge. Yali is a social-emotional learning specialist and educational wellness consultant who partners with schools and communities to integrate mindfulness and emotional wellness into everyday learning and life. Her work is rooted in the belief that Jewish education should nurture the whole person—mind, heart, body, and soul. She founded The “I Am” Project and The Neshima Initiative, bringing emotional wellness and resilience practices to schools, camps, and community organizations nationwide and abroad. Based in the Bronx, Yali received rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Maharat and holds a master’s in Psychology and Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College, with a certificate in Spirituality-Mind-Body Integration. She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from New York University and lives in Riverdale with her family, deeply rooted in community life.