Photo credit: Netanel Avnit
Navah Avnit
By Adda Shur
Contributing Writer
Rebbetzin Navah Avnit is a vibrant, engaging senior figure whose sparkling eyes and charming smile immediately captivated guests during an interview at Golf Manor Synagogue during the summer of 2025. This interview was conducted as a form of honoring seniors by attentively listening to their life stories.
Rebbetzin Avnit and her husband, Rabbi Avraham Avnit, have dedicated over 50 years to supporting Jewish congregations across the globe, a journey during which she earned the affectionate title, the “Mother of the Community”.
Originally named “Tovah” when she was born in Bnei Brak, Israel, Navah was raised in a religious home and school. Her childhood was marked by tragedy: she lost her mother to tuberculosis at six months old and was cared for by her aunt until her father remarried when she was five. She later received her training as a qualified teacher from the International Mizrachi Seminary in Israel. At age 20, she began her first teaching post in Netivot, where she worked for two years.
It was during this time that she attended a Shidduch (matchmaking) event and met her Bashert (predestined match), Rabbi Avraham Avnit.
Rabbi Avnit was uniquely qualified for special missions, serving simultaneously as a Rabbi, Mohel, Chazan and Shochet, in several congregations.
The couple met in June 1967, shortly after the Six-Day War. On their second date, a confident 21-year-old Navah felt so at ease and compatible with Rabbi Avnit that she took the surprising step of proposing marriage. She realized they were ideally suited, sharing the same goals and vision for a life defined by adventure and service. “We were the same!” she declared, both ready to travel and build up Jewish communities.
Before their wedding, a small traditional matter required resolution: her given name, Tovah (which means “Good” and fits her so well), was the same as her future mother-in-law which was problematic according to the family’s customs. The solution, proposed by Rabbi Avnit’s grandfather and agreed upon by her parents, was to add “Navah” to her name. Once this detail was cleared, they married a few months later.
Their amazing life of transnational service began after receiving a call from The Chief Rabbinate of Israel about a congregation in South Africa. Navah reacted to the news with her characteristic optimism and energy, feeling “totally ready for the adventure” and agreeing without hesitation. This blend of travel, hard work, and dedicated community care was instinctively appealing to her. With the blessings of the Chief Rabbi and the World Zionist Organization, the couple embarked on their first mission, and the “Mother of the Community” was officially born.
For over two decades, the Avnits traveled the world, planting seeds of Jewish life in far-flung locales. As the Rebbetzin, Navah was instrumental in supporting numerous individuals and institutions wherever they served. She volunteered her time and expertise tirelessly in various capacities, including teaching in Jewish schools, assisting geirus and chevra kadisha, helping with food, employment, cleaning and childcare assistance and much more.
Following South Africa, the couple’s commitment took them across the globe. Their life became a map of service, touching communities in Australia, Zimbabwe, Canada, Switzerland, England and many more. When asked what souvenirs she gathered from her extensive travels, Rebbetzin Navah shared a poignant anecdote: her permanent souvenirs are her children. Each one, a special diamond from each community. With the exception of their firstborn son, who was born in Israel and still lives there, every other child was born in a different community, each one a living testament to their incredible global journey. Her son, Netanel Avnit, who lives with his parents and helps for them, accompanied her to the interview, was pointed to as a cherished example of one of these “souvenirs”.
The Avnits ultimately concluded their traveling ministry after their last post in Canada, settling in Cincinnati in the 1990s. Here, Rabbi Avnit served as the Rabbi of the Roselawn Synagogue and the North Avondale Synagogue, Shomrei Emunah in Dayton, and provided service to the Orthodox Jewish Senior’s nursing home. Rebbetzin Avnit has been a cherished and beloved presence in our Cincinnati Jewish community and an inspiration to so many with her example of loving dedication and selfless service for others.
Her personal mission, which she repeated with joyful declaration and without regard for challenge or difficulty, is the brief, potent, and guiding principle of her entire life: “I love helping people. It’s my Hobby.”
