Kolel Faculty

Kolel Faculty are made up of Toronto's leading Rabbis, Cantors, Jewish educators and university academics from across the widest possible Jewish spectrum. Each one subscribes to a pluralistic philosophy, understanding that not only will they meet a broad range of Jewish attitudes and observances in class, but believing that each denomination and each Jewish search has something to teach, and each Jewish soul has something to offer the Jewish community as a whole. There is no "push" to "become" anything or to subscribe to any doctrine from a member of the Kolel faculty. Each instructor also represents the best in Jewish life, being themselves an active member of the Jewish community. Our faculty act as mentors and teachers, and are role models of learning, commitment, openness and passion for Judaism.

Current Teachers

Rachel Adelman completed her doctorate in Midrash at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She has taught Tanakh and Midrash at Matan (Machon Torani Le'Nashim), the Conservative Yeshiva, Pardes and the Rothberg School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She has also lectured at Limmud (England) and Torah in Motion (Toronto). She currently holds the Ray D. Wolfe post-doctoral fellowship at U. of T. When she is not writing academic papers, it is poetry that flows from her pen.

Shiri Achiasaf has been involved in young adult education in Canada for the past 10 years. She is a licensed tour guide in Israel and also a graduate of Israel's Bar-Ilan University in Land of Israel Studies. Achiasaf has worked for the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem coordinating special programs such as Family Ulpan, Stagerim Program as well as leading several delegates from Jewish communities around the world. Over the last six years she has been working at Achiasaf Publishing House, a family business for over 70 years.

Frank Bialystock received his B.A. from the University of Waterloo and M.A. from York University - while teaching History for the Toronto Board of Education from 1972 to 1987. He was a visiting scholar at Oxford University and resumed his studies at York University where he received his Ph.D. in History. His fields of academic research include the Holocaust, the Canadian Jewish Community and Polish Jews in the Twentieth Century. He has taught at York University, University of Waterloo and now teaches at the University of Toronto as well as the inaugural scholar-in-residence in Canadian Jewish Studies at Concordia. Published works include a doctoral dissertation Delayed Impact: The Holocaust and the Canadian Jewish Community, (McGill-Queens’ University Press, 2000) awarding him the Tannenbaum Prize in Canadian Jewish History and nomination for the Governor-General’s Award in non-fiction. He is currently the chair of the Canadian Jewish Congress (Ontario Region).

Maya Buium is a teacher who has a passion for teaching Hebrew and Judaic studies to Adults.She has been teaching with Kolel for many years, and specializes in Hebrew reading, Judaic learning and exploring the meaning behind Prayers and Blessings. During the day, Maja is a public school librarian

Rabbi Lawrence A. Englander has been Rabbi of Solel Congregation in Mississauga since its founding. He holds a doctorate in the fields of Jewish Mysticism and Rabbinics and is the author of The Mystical Study of Ruth. He has been a frequent teacher at Kolel.

Rabbi Elyse Goldstein is the Rabbinic Director/Rosh Yeshivah of Kolel and its principal teacher. She has published Revisions: Seeing Torah Through a Feminist Lens, (1998), The Women’s Torah Commentary, (2000) and Seek Her Out (2002). Her fourth book, The Women’s Haftarah Commentary was published in 2004. For her bio, see our Kolel Faculty page.

Dr. Allan Gould, who writes monthly book review posted on Kolel's website, holds a doctorate in English from York University. For the past decade, he has taught at the University of Toronto, Ontario College of Art and has lectured for over thirty years across North America on Jewish topics including the Holocaust, Jewish Literature and Tzedakah. Although a full-time author of over 40 books including several on Jewish themes, poetry and short stories, he finds courses such as "What's Jewish About Great Modern Jewish Literature?" to be the most exciting and rewarding thing he does each year.

Aviva Hermannoff has been a Jewish Educator for the past 15 years. She has taught Hebrew as a second language to both children and adults. She holds a M.Ed. and specializes in second language instruction. Hermannoff serves as a Hebrew language consultant to a large Jewish day school and teaches Hebrew language instruction at CHAT (Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto.)

Michelle Katz is a high-school educator in English and Special Education. She is a certified Yoga therapist who has practiced and taught yoga and meditation for more than 20 years. She is also a certified Jewish Spiritual Director.

Yona Katz received her B.A. in Hebrew and Comparative Literature and Judaic Studies from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and M.A. in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, specializing in Jewish Studies and Hebrew Literature from the University of Toronto. She specializes in Hebrew language, literature, Bible and Jewish Studies. Katz also formerly taught for 14 years at U.S.D.S (United Synagogue Day School) , where she also came to be known as the “Bible Contest” teacher. In addition, she prepared students who represented Canada in the International Bible Contest in Israel .

Dr. Ira Schweitzer, RJE, is the Director of Education at Temple Sinai. He currently is on the Task Force for Jewish family education and special education at the Board of Jewish Education in Toronto. Ira is the past chairperson of the Reform Educators' Council of Toronto. He has written extensively on both formal and informal education and family development. He has also been actively involved as an adolescent family therapist as well as helping parents to cope with adolescent issues. As a social worker and educator, Schweitzer combines the study of Jewish texts with an understanding of human development.

Rabbi Michal Shekel has served congregations in the greater Toronto area and in the United States. She is the original editor of the holiday section of myjewishlearning.com. Rabbi Shekel is the author of numerous textbooks used in Jewish schools throughout North America. Presently Rabbi Shekel is the executive director of the Toronto Board of Rabbis, currently serving as interim rabbi at Or Shalom in London, Ontario and author of Kolel's weekly Parasha.

Baruch Sienna is Kolel's Director of Interactive Technology. He has served as Director of Education and worked in both day school and supplementary school settings. He currently maintains Kolels website and created Kolels first interactive CD ROM:The Gates of Torah.

Rabbi Skobac is the Director of Education and Counselling at Jews for Judaism in Toronto. He received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University. Rabbi Skobac has been involved in informal Jewish education since 1975 and has lectured extensively on missionaries, cults, issues of Jewish continuity and spirituality across North America, Israel, South Africa and Australia, India and the Former Soviet Union.

Rabbi Jerry Steinberg is a psychotherapist specializing in dreams, past life regression and psychogenic illness (illness not responding to conventional medical treatment). He has been on faculty of the Universities of Manitoba and North Dakota, consultant to the Federal Government of Canada in yoga, meditation and altered states of consciousness, a prison chaplin and congregational Rabbi. He is an author and poet (Melting: Poems of Frozen Man - ECW Press and has recently completed a manuscript entitled The Unlikely Nature of G-D: A Kabbalistic Perspective.

Alena Straussis a psychotherapist and career counsellor in private practice and has taught at Kolel for over 10 years. She is completing her PhD in Counselling Psychology and has been an educator and counsellor for over 20 years. She has a special interest in the coming together of Judaism and Psychology for therapeutic benefit.

Rabbi Michael Stroh is Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Har Zion, Thornhill, and past president of Arzenu: The International Federation of Reform and Progressive Religious Zionist. He has taught at the Hebrew Union College - Jeiwsh Institute of Religion, the University of Waterloo, the University of Toronto, and the Rabbinical Seminary of Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion.