Rabbi Naftali Schiff was raised in London and studied in Yeshivat Hakotel in Jerusalem's Old City prior to graduating from the London School of Economics with a BSc (Econ) specialising in International Relations. He joined the IDF Givati unit after making Aliyah, seeing active service in Lebanon and Gaza. In Israel, he received Rabbinic ordination from the Jerusalem Rabbinate as well as a Diploma of Education. Naftali relocated to London in 1999 to serve as Executive Director of Aish UK. As well as the day to day running of Jewish Futures and co-founding its member organisations, Naftali has travelled the world interviewing Holocaust survivors to ensure their testimonies and stories are preserved and recorded before it is too late. Naftali is committed to finding new pathways and vehicles to ensure a vibrant Jewish future together.
Rabbi Naftali Schiff has always been seized with this idea that I see as fundamental: that the impact we have through our programmes should not be transactional, but transformational. It shouldn’t be aimed at keeping the train on the track, it should be aimed at changing young people’s lives. Because that is how you really make a difference to the Jewish future.