Rafael Etessami ‘96, z”l was a driving force in the North Shore Hebrew Academy and Mashadi communities where he was well known for his perseverance, kindness, creativity, and a life dedicated to Torah, Mitzvot and Eretz Yisrael. He passed away in 2018 after an epic and almost miraculous battle with cancer. His wife Melody ‘04, and his children Adam (7th Grade) and Lia (3rd Grade) carry on his shem tov within our community. 

Rafael’s family, friends, former classmates and all who knew him remember distinctly his passion for art, chesed and Tikun Olam. It is in this legacy that we proudly establish Rafael’s Angels, a program at NSHA which will be devoted to instilling in our students our core values of Achrayut and Torat Yisrael through education, chesed and Israel programming and supporting in action those in need.