Rabbi Refael was born and raised in Queens, NY. A graduate of Queens College and Touro Law School, Rabbi Ribacoff received a BA in Accounting and a JD in Law. Dedicated to Am Yisrael, he has focused his career on serving the Jewish community and has worked at YSZ as its Executive Director since its inception in 2001.

When not crunching numbers or pursuing grants for the Yeshiva, Rabbi Refael and his wife, Rebbetzin Adina Ribacoff, LCSW lecture and give Chattan & Kallah classes for over two decades. Together, they founded the organization, Table for Two and have published numerous articles on relationships and marriage.

Rabbi Ribacoff has semicha from Rabbi Itzchak Israeli, Rav Igal Haimoff and Rabbi Mordechai Benhaim. Rabbi Ribacofflives with his wife and family in the Five Towns and is the Rav of the Sephardic Congregation of Hewlett.