Gerald B. Zelermyer - Interim Rabbi
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Rabbi Gerald B. Zelermyer, a native Bostonian, will be serving Agudas Achim as interim rabbi until August of 2009.
Throughout a career that spans four decades, Rabbi “Z” as he is happy to be called, has devoted his pulpit skills to New England. He was named Rabbi Emeritus by Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford, Connecticut. The post he retired from after nineteen years in 2002.
Since that time, he has held year long interim positions in Curacao, The Netherlands Antilles, at Mikve Israel Emanuel, the oldest continuously functioning congregation in the Western Hemisphere. Rabbi “Z” also did interims in Marlboro, New Jersey and Daytona Beach, Florida.
In 2005 and 2006, he was with Agudas Achim. The current season represents a return engagement with a personality anxious to continue the transition of a congregation with an Orthodox heritage into a warm and compatible version of a Conservative synagogue with traditional standards and values.
Rabbi Zelermyer is married to Heske Levisson, a native of the Dutch West Indies. They are parents of Gideon and Michelle of Montreal, Quebec. Gideon is Hazzan of Congregation Shaar Ha Shomayim in Montreal. Their son Salo is married to Lisa. They reside in Washington, D. C. where Salo is senior counsel at the Department of Energy.
Mitch Gilbert – Executive Director
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mgilbert@agudasachim.org
Mitch joined the Agudas Achim professional staff in September 2007, having most recently served the Las Vegas Jewish community as the Director of Jewish Family Service Agency. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Mitch has over 31 years of Jewish communal experience. He has previously worked for the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Jewish Federation’s in: Cleveland, Akron, Vancouver and San Francisco. In addition to the 55 post graduate credits he has earned in Jewish studies, Mitch has a Master of Science in Social Administration degree from Case Western Reserve University.
Edwin R. Frankel (Ed) – Ritual Director
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efrankel@agudasachim.org
Edwin R. Frankel (Ed) is entering his second year as ritual director at Agudas Achim. Born in Rochester, NY, he grew up in Philadelphia. , Ed earned his BA in History and his BHL in Bible from the Combined Program of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and Columbia University. He also holds an MA from JTS in Talmud and completed an MA in Jewish Educational Administration from New York University.
Ed has extensive experience a teacher and administrator in Jewish days schools and as a synagogue professional. Ed is married to Anna. He has three amazing children from his first marriage: Joshua, a rabbinical student at Yeshivat Chovevai Tsion, Elisheva, an entering student at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and Sara, a graduate of the Weber Jewish Adademy in Atlanta.
Carol Cohen – Preschool Director
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ccohen@agudasachim@org
Carol Cohen joined the Agudas Achim Team in 2003 with a proposal to start the Agudas Achim Preschool program. She has been the Preschool Director and Lead Teacher for us since the program began in the fall of 2004. Carol graduated from the Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education. She has over 18 years of experience in teaching young children.
Carol resides in Bexley with her husband Scott and their two boys, Jacob and Evan.
Naomi Kurland - Academy Administrator
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nkurland@agudasachim.org
Naomi Kurland has been the Agudas Achim Academy Administrator since July 2007. Naomi was born and raised in Chicago, where she received her B.A. in Sociology from Roosevelt University. Since her Bat Mitzvah, she has served several Jewish communities as a tutor, teacher, administrative assistant, and day camp director. Prior to moving to Columbus, she worked in Human Resources at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Naomi is married to Ruvane Kurland, and they just had their first child, Lyric Samson, in April 2008.
Debbie Robinson - Controller
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drobinson@agudasachim.org
Debbie is currently in her 21st year at Agudas Achim. She first came to us in 1987 working part-time as an accountant. Within time, the position expanded and Debbie is now officially the synagogues controller. Debbie is an accounting graduateof Central Ohio Technical College in Newark Ohio and worked in small business accounting before coming to Agudas Achim. Debbie lives with her husband Steve in New Albany. They have three adult children, Cory, Michelle and Jodie.
Dina Vinar-Cieplinski - Office Manager
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dcieplinski@agudasachim.org
Dina Vinar-Cieplinski is entering her 6th year as the synagogue’s office manager.
She holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Clinical Social Work from The Ohio State University with special emphasis in Human Development and Family Science. She is a licensed social worker.
Growing up in Columbus, Dina was very active in Agudas Achim’s youth program. She is an 8th grade alumna of Columbus Torah Academy and a preschool alumna of the Agudas Achim Preschool.
Dina resides in Eastmoor with her husband Eli and daughters, Julia and Rebekkah.
