Rabbi Yaakov Kermaier is the rabbi of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan. He previously served as rabbi of the Ohel Leah Synagogue in Hong Kong for six years before his tenure in Manhattan. He traveled extensively throughout the former Soviet Union, where he established Jewish educational programs and a leadership training seminar. In 2015, as a leader of the NYC Eruv, he departed for Israel, and more recently immigrated there permanently with his family to fulfill a long-held dream of living in the homeland, having visited during times of war and terror. Kermaier has been active in interfaith bridge-building efforts, particularly between Jews and Druze. He heads the community diversity organization Yakir, which sponsored events celebrating Druze-Jewish ties, such as commemorations linked to Jethro’s Shabbat and the heroism of Druze policeman Zidan Seif during the 2014 Har Nof synagogue attack. He spoke at the 2014 Klinghoffer Protest introduced by Jeffrey Wiesenfeld. His son survived a near-death experience in a Palestinian terrorist bus attack after their move to Israel.