About The Rabbi
Rabbi Zecharia Sionit was born in Tehran, Iran. After emigrating to the United States as a teenager, he attended Yeshiva University High School and Yeshiva College in New York, and Yeshivat Shaarei Mevasseret Zion in Israel. Upon concluding a year of intense study in Israel, he chose to part with his life dream of becoming a cardiac surgeon and instead dedicate himself to Torah study. In his words: “Once I was engrossed in the study of Talmud and got to appreciate the Torah’s celestial beauty and profundity, my true path in life became clear. I chose to enter a field where the intellect and the spirit are equally challenged and developed, and where I would be able to help heal or enhance others’ spirits rather than their bodies.” His subsequent many years of study and community service have made him increasingly pleased with that decision.
Rabbi Sionit went on to study for 13 years at the world-renowned Rabbinical Seminary of America (Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim) and its affiliates, and received higher rabbinical ordinations Yoreh-Yoreh and Yadin-Yadin in 2006. Later, he received extensive training in the field of Milah, ritual circumcision, from a leading expert in Jerusalem and was certified as mohel mumcheh in 2009. He has served as rabbi at Sephardic Synagogue of Plainview in Long Island, New York, and as educational assistant to the Dean at Yeshiva Tiferes Yisroel in Brooklyn. Prior to moving to Dallas and founding the Sephardic Torah Center in 2011, he served as spiritual leader of Bar Yohai Sephardic Minyan, a diverse community in Silicon Valley, Calif. During that two-year period, Rabbi and Rabbanit Sionit revitalized many aspects of the congregation with innovative and exciting classes and programs. The rabbi made his Milah services available in the entire San Fransisco Bay Area, and also served as faculty member at the Jewish Study Network, an outreach and adult education center in nearby Palo Alto. Rabbi Sionit’s grasp of complex Talmudic and Halachic subjects, his pedagogical skills, and his command of English, Hebrew, Persian and Yiddish, enable him to reach and engage a broad range of people. He has a true passion for Jewish education on many levels, and for meeting new people and creating meaningful relationships.
Email: rabbi@sephardictorahcenter.org
About The Rabbanit
Ruckie Sionit (nee Andrusier) was born and raised in Staten Island, New York. After graduating high school, she attended a seminary in Jerusalem, and Touro College and SUNY Downstate in New York. She holds a degree in occupational therapy and specializes in pediatrics. Besides having practiced therapy most of her married life, she has also been a supportive wife and an exceptional mother to eight growing children. She shares the Rabbi’s vision and aspirations, and is an active partner in most aspects of the rabbinic life. Her sweet demeanor and deep perception make her an instant friend and a source of advice and encouragement to many. The Sionit’s are blessed with a loving, non-judgemental personal approach, that enables them to break through barriers and bring out the best in people.
Email: rsionit@gmail.com