New principal chosen for HAFTR Middle School

Joshua Gold will succeed Dr. Rochelle Brand as principal of the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) Middle School effective July 1.
Brand will remain with the school through June 30 helping with the transition.

She is moving to Florida to be the Head of School at Shaarei Bina Torah Academy for Girls in Hollywood, Fla.

To find Gold, the search committee headed by Dr. Adam Lish conducted a comprehensive and competitive search. It began its work last summer assisted by consultants from the Yeshiva University School Partnership, HAFTR officials said.

Gold has worked in the New York City Department of Education for the past 10 years, spending his last seven years at NEST+m, a citywide K - 12 Gifted and Talented Public School where he was assistant principal.

He has a bachelor’s degree in adolescent education-social studies from SUNY Cortland, a master’s in history from Brooklyn College and a master’s in education in educational leadership and organizational management from Columbia University. Gold is also a graduate of the Teachers College Summer Principal’s Academy.