Faculty

Rabbi Corey Helfand, Teen Beit Midrash 

Rabbi Corey Helfand joined Ohr Kodesh Congregation (OKC) in July 2021. Prior to leading OKC, Rabbi Helfand served as the senior rabbi at Peninsula Sinai Congregation (PSC) in the Bay Area. Under his rabbinic leadership OKC is a thriving, sacred community known for its warmth and member engagement. 

Rabbi Helfand received his rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary as well as a Master’s degree in Talmud and Jewish law and a concentration in pastoral care. He was a recipient of the prestigious Gladstein Fellowship and studied entrepreneurship rabbinics, with an emphasis on visioning and community building.

A Midwest native, Rabbi Helfand is a diehard Kansas City sports fan. He is married to Jenny Ackerman, a palliative care social worker, and together they have three children: Eden Leora, Matan Judah, and Jonah Gavriel.

He enjoys all things outdoors, watching and playing sports, and living up to his name, Rabbi MacGyver. Be prepared to learn, laugh and deepen your love with Judaism. You can reach Rabbi Helfand at RabbiHelfand@OhrKodesh.org.
 

Tzvi Gumnitzky, Tzohar

Tzvi Gumintzky is thrilled to teach at Tzohar.

He grew up in Baltimore and lived many years in Israel, where he was a Legacy Heritage Fellow and practiced high-tech law at a Tel Aviv firm. Tzvi is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law and is a member of the Maryland and Israel Bars.

He enjoys learning texts with (and from) students, especially examining contemporary issues through the lens of Jewish sources. In his free time, he loves to explore nature and follow Baltimore sports.

University of Maryland Faculty  

Select members of the University of Maryland, College Park faculty will present special lectures and presentations throughout the academic year. 

The University of Maryland Coordinator is Professor Maxine Grossman, Director and Associate Professor of the Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Program and Center for Jewish Studies. 

Participating faculty includes:

• Mikol Bailey, a Ph.D. candidate in early modern Jewish history, with a focus on Jews in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
• Bernard Cooperman, who served as Director of the Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Studies from 1991 to 1997.
• Maxine Grossman, whose research interests the study of ancient Judaism and the Dead Sea Scrolls; methods and theories in the study of religion; gender studies; and articulations of lived religious experience in contemporary society.
• Avital Karpman, director of the Hebrew program at the University of Maryland.
• Lauren Kotkin, director of educational programs at Exponent Philanthropy, the nation’s largest philanthropy membership association.
• Ilai Saltzman, Director of the Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies at the University of Maryland.
• Matthew Suriano, who specializes in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, ancient Near Eastern religions, Northwest Semitic epigraphy, and the archaeology of the Levant.
• Eric Zakim, whose research and teaching focus primarily on modern Hebrew literature and Israeli culture.