Rabbi Shimon Cohen was born and raised in Ofakim in the Negev Desert. Rabbi Cohen received his rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva Beit El in Benjamin. Following his ordination, he was asked to serve as Program Director at Even Shmuel, where he was responsible for training new rabbis. In 1999 (5759), he became the de-facto rabbi of the City of Ofakim, where he served until his appointment as Spiritual Director of Beit Moriah, in August 2004 (Elul 5764). In addition to his activities at Beit Moriah, Rabbi Cohen serves as the local rabbi of the Yud Alef (י"א) neighborhood. Throughout his career, Rabbi Cohen has also devoted himself to the development of new communities throughout Israel and to teaching Torah and Judaism.
Shmaya Berkowitz, Executive Director
Shmaya was born in Be’er Sheva in 1968. He studied at Yeshivat Bnei Akiva and Yeshivat Shavei Hevron. He then served as an infantry officer in the Golani Brigade from 1987 to 1991. In 1993, Shmaya and his family returned to Be’er Sheva as part of the original group that established Beit Moriah. While in Be’er Sheva, Shmaya studied Geography and Environmental Planning and received his teaching certificate from Ben Gurion University. In 1995, Shmaya served as an educational emissary to the Jewish community of New Zealand. While abroad, he completed his MA in Geography at the University of Auckland. Upon his return to Israel in 2002, he became director of the Beit Moriah JCC. In 2009, Shmaya was appointed Executive Director of Beit Moriah.
Board of Directors
Aryeh Bodenheimer, Chairman of the Board
Mr. Bodenheimer was born in London and made aliyah in 1950. He has an MA in Chemistry and Economy Management. He served as an internal auditor at the Dead Sea Works Company for 33 years. After his retirement, he served as the public representative for the Regional Labor Court. Mr. Bodenheimer has been the Acting Chairman of the Board at Beit Moriah since its founding.
Zeev Sachs, Treasurer
Mr. Sachs was born in Jerusalem in 1949. He graduated as a Real Estate Evaluator in 1977 from the Technion University in Haifa. Since 1978, Mr. Sachs has owned a real estate firm in Be’er Sheva. Mr. Sachs also served as a bank manager for 10 years and as a member of various government committees in the property tax arena. In addition, Mr. Sachs is a qualified mediator and partner in the development of various real estate projects throughout Israel. Mr. Sachs was one of the founding members of Beit Moriah in 1993. He has served as Treasurer of the Board since 2009.
Daniel Sugerman, Secretary
Mr. Sugerman was born in Ra'anana and relocated to Be’er Sheva in 1975. His late wife, Pnina, is remembered by many Be’er Sheva residents as a beloved educator who was adored by her students. Mr. Sugerman completed his engineering studies at the Technion (Technical University in Haifa), where he graduated with a degree in Business Management as a Real Estate Evaluator. Upon completing his studies at the Yeshivat Kerem beYavne, he was ordained as a rabbi. Mr. Sugerman worked for the Dead Sea Works for 25 years where he served as a Secretary of the Board. He was one of the founding members of Beit Moriah in 1993.
Pnina Amir, Board Member
Mrs. Amir was born in Petach Tikva to parents who came to Israel in the third aliyah wave in the 1920’s. For more than a decade, Mrs. Amir served in various educational emissary positions in Turkey, India, Brazil, and the United States of America. Mrs. Amir is also a retiree of the Ministry of Education, where she worked as an instructor of Social Studies and Geography of Israel. Mrs. Amir is currently the director of the Israeli Association for the Blind, where she has worked for more than 35 years. In addition Mrs. Amir volunteers at Yad Sarah, among other organizations. She was one of the founding members of Beit Moriah in 1993
David Nezrit, Board Member
Mr. Nezrit was born in Morocco in 1944 and made aliyah to Be’er Sheva in 1961. He is a graduate of the Jewish School Alliance in Algeria. After serving as a member of the Israeli Police, Mr. Nezrit joined his father’s shoe business. Along with his family, Mr. Nezrit helped construct the glamorous Hechal Shlomo synagogue in the Dalet neighborhood of Be’er Sheva. He is a founding member of Beit Moriah.
Leah Wolf, Board Member
Mrs. Wolf was born in the United States to a rabbinical family and moved to Israel in 1978. She graduated with a BA in literature from Yeshiva University and also received an MA in English Teaching. Mrs. Wolf teaches English at Ashkelon College as well as Chemdat HaDarom College in Netivot. She was a founding member of Beit Moriah in 1993.
Prof. Amos Altshuler, Board Member
Professor Altshuler was born in 1937 in Tel Aviv and completed his doctoral studies at Hebrew University in 1969. Professor Altshuler was the head of the Math Department and a Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Ben-Gurion University. He is a member of the Council for Higher Education in Israel. He is also the Chairman and CEO of the Council for Higher Education in Judea and Samaria. In addition, Professor Altshuler is the Chairman of the Committee of Math for the Ministry of Education. He is a founding member of Beit Moriah.
Prof. Shimon Glick, Board Member
Professor Shimon Glick was born in New Jersey and received his MD from the Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York in 1955. Before his immigration to Israel in 1974, Professor Glick served as the Chief of Medical Services at the Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn and as Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Downstate Medical Center. Professor Glick was also the president of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists in the U.S. from 1965-1967. Upon immigrating to Israel, he became Professor of Medicine and Founding Chairman of the Division of Medicine at Ben Gurion University Faculty of Health Sciences in Be’er Sheva, where he later served as Dean and Head of the Moshe Prywes Center for Medical Education. Professor Glick is now the acting head of the Lord Rabbi Jakobovits Center for Jewish Medical Ethics and the ombudsman for the Israeli Ministry of Health, a position he has held for more than a decade. Professor Glick was a founding member of Beit Moriah in 1993.
Prof. Jacob Gopas, Board Member
Professor Jacob Gopas was born in Mexico in 1954. He received his Ph.D. in immunology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York in 1982. Professor Gopas is now an associate professor in the Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben Gurion University in Be’er Sheva. He also serves as the director of the Recanati School for Community Health Professions at Ben Gurion University and as director of the research laboratory at the Oncology Institute of Soroka University Medical Center in Be’er Sheva. Professor Gopas has been a member of the Beit Moriah Board since its foundation in 1993.
.jpg?id=9572774)
