About CyberSem
Our Mission
CyberSem is dedicated to empowering Jewish women to continue their Torah studies by fostering a safe, inclusive, and accessible online platform. With a commitment to breaking barriers and empowering Torah education for every Jewish woman, CyberSem's mission is to ensure the continuity of Torah learning. CyberSem is a place of growth and opportunity for all Jewish women.
Our History
Launched in 2010 by its founder and educational director, Dr. Chavi Goldberg, CyberSem was born with the intention of paving the way for girls to learn beyond high school years. CyberSem, the very first online Torah seminary, originally began with one broad organization, housing all courses together. In 2022, CyberSem pivoted and created separate divisions (Machon Temima and Chemdah), paving the way for more structured Torah learning, highlighting each divisions’ strengths and uniqueness.
Founder’s
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I spent the early years of my professional career as a teacher, and I really loved it. After some time, I decided I wanted to upgrade my teaching skills. It was during a research assignment in my online Masters’ program that my life changed and my path led me to a much higher degree, an EdD. Back in the 1990’s, the landscape for girls to go to seminary was very different than it is nowadays. Seminaries were overcrowded and enrollment numbers exceeded the number of physical seats for girls. There was no alternative and solutions were minimal. And what about girls who did not attend seminary but wanted college credits? The online learning options for boys and men were plentiful, while the options for women and girls were non-existent. I set out to change that and to create an online solution for women and girls. I knew that in order for Deans to relate to me and afford me their time to consider accepting my course credits, I had to get the same degree as them. I got my EdD and CyberSem was born.
Today, I am proud to offer you an online learning option, full of endless opportunities and a wealth of knowledge. Through CyberSem’s divisions, Machon Temima and Chemdah, women and girls can build up their skills, strengthen their knowledge, and feel empowered to go further and become independent. Our exclusive program, The Shabbos Gift, is dedicated to strengthening your knowledge about Hilchos Shabbos in the kitchen so you can be fully present each week. We even have courses available for beginners if you are ready to embrace Judaism and the beauty that Torah learning has to offer.
Welcome to CyberSem!
CyberSem by the Numbers
Our Faculty
Dr. Chavi Goldberg has always been passionate about sharing her love for learning and empowering women to excel in their own journeys. She holds a Bachelor of Jewish Education with honours from Talpiot College and a Master of Science in Graduate Teaching and Curriculum Development from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Goldberg completed her Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Distance Education at Nova Southeastern University.
One of America’s premier Jewish scholars in Torah and Jewish mysticism, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (YY) Jacobson is one of the most sought-after speakers in the Jewish world today, lecturing to Jewish and non-Jewish audiences on six continents and in forty states, serving as a teacher and mentor to thousands across the globe.
Hava Preil is a passionate individual with 19 years of experience teaching Judaic studies around the world, inspiring countless young minds to pursue a life of spiritual fulfillment. Mrs. Preil’s impressive assortment of awards and degrees bespeaks of an unyielding dedication towards her students and passion for teaching Torah. She holds an M.A. in Judaic Sciences with a focus on teaching Tanach from Machon Lander and a B.A. in Judaic Studies from Yeshiva University. Mrs. Preil is also a licensed Israeli tour guide and loves inspiring visitors in her "outdoor classroom" as well. Mrs. Preil looks forward to broadening women’s knowledge base and learning together with her students.
Rabbi Barnea Levi Selavan received his semicha from Ner Yisroel before making Aliyah with his wife Shoshanah, where they are now living in Jerusalem’s Old City. Rabbi Selavan is a licensed Torah Umesorah educator, certified field archaeologist, historian of the Ancient Near East, editor and journalist, and is a tour guide in lands related to Am Yisroel’s formative history such as Jordan, Turkey, Tunisia, Cyprus, and Rome, as well as in The Israel Museum, British Museum, Met, and many others. As Co-Director of the educational organization, Foundation Stone, he has helped produce classroom media and mount educational excavations and explorations. Together with Chicago’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures educational department, Rabbi Selavan developed a model training program for Jewish educators to use the museum’s resources. Rabbi Selavan’s dedication to CyberSem goes as far as having traveled around Israel to film on location for relevant course topics, including Bayis Rishon, Bayis Sheni, and the formation of the Mishna. His background explanations draw upon Torah and reference geography, archaeology, and historical sources, integrating them into a deeper understanding of Tanach and Chazal.
Tzvia Steiner Eisenberg is a lifelong educator and learner. With an expertise in special education, Tzvia draws upon years of experience in informal and formal educational settings, as well as experiential learning. She is passionate about forging connections with the learners she encounters. Tzvia holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Education from Arizona State University. She is a voracious reader and enjoys an eclectic variety of topics. She is a mother (and grandmother), and lives near Toronto, Canada, with two of her children.
Rabbi Pesach Fishman has been a communal rabbi and educator in South Africa for over thirty years, specializing in creating well-structured Torah study material. He is the author of Mishnat Menachem, a mini encyclopedia of the Rebbe's teachings on the personalities of the Talmud.