Staff
Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin
Chancellor & Founder
Internationally-renowned educator, speaker and author Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin's outstanding contributions to Israel and to world Jewry have made him one of the leading voices of today's Modern Orthodox Jewish world. Riskin is especially renowned for his bridge-building efforts between various segments of society and for the innovative educational and social action programs which he built to further this vision.
Rabbi Riskin earned his BA in Greek, Latin, and English Literature from Yeshiva University and his rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. He holds a Masters Degree in Jewish History, and in 1982 he was awarded his Ph.D. from New York University's department of Near Eastern Languages and Literature.
Rabbi Riskin became a major spokesperson for Modern Orthodoxy early on in his career, as the founding rabbi of Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York. During his tenure, the synagogue became renowned for its outreach, educational and social action programs, including his early activism on behalf of Soviet Jewry. Nonetheless, in 1983, at the peak of his professional career, Rabbi Riskin left New York to become the founding chief rabbi of the City of Efrat, a burgeoning settlement in Gush Etzion seven miles south of Jerusalem, which he - together with Moshe Moshkowitz - had been working to establish since 1976. Today, Efrat numbers close to 10,000 residents and is considered to be the diamond in the protective ring around Jerusalem.
Rabbi Riskin is the Chancellor of Ohr Torah Stone Colleges and Graduate Programs, a network of groundbreaking institutions serving over 3,000 students, which he founded in 1983. Ohr Torah Stone has been in the forefront of generating Jewish societal change, charting new educational, legal and social paths in the realms of women's rights within Judaism, bridging gaps between observant and secular Jews, and promoting dialogue between Jews and members of the world's other major religions.
In addition to being an extraordinary teacher and sought-after lecturer, Rabbi Riskin writes a weekly column which is syndicated in newspapers worldwide. He has also published scores of articles and monographs on Judaism and contemporary issues, as well as five books.
The Brooklyn-born Rabbi Riskin has been married to Vicky since 1963; they have four married children and fourteen grandchildren, all of whom live in Efrat.
David Nekrutman
Executive Director
David Nekrutman is the Executive Director for Ohr Torah Stone's Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding & Cooperation. In this capacity he fosters relationships between members of the Orthodox Jewish community and the Christian denominations worldwide.
Mr. Nekrutman's professional career ranges from the Consulate General of Israel in New York , where he served as the Director of Interfaith & Community Relations to the Director of Constituent Services and Legislative Affairs for various New York City and State elected officials. After making Aliyah in 2005, Mr. Nekrutman worked in the field of e-marketing as a Director of Public Relations for a major hi-tech company in Ranaana.
His educational background is concentrated the world of the social sciences, receiving his Forensic Psychology Bachelor's degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and his Masters of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania , specializing in Social and Economic Development.
Mr. Nekrutman was instrumental in the successful launching of The Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, The Israel Experience, The Christian Jerusalem Day Banquet, and The Watchman on the Wall program with Reverend Robert Stearns of Eagles Wings, resulting in millions of Christians praying & supporting Israel and the Jewish people. He currently resides in Netanya with his wife, Kalanit, and three boys, Jonathan, Ori and Ariel.
Rabbi Eugene Korn, PhD.
North American Director
Ordained by the Israeli Rabbinate and with a doctorate in philosophy from Columbia University, Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn has dedicated his professional career in the area of Jewish-Christian relations and Jewish ethics & law. He served as the Executive Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding at Sacred Heart University, and was the Director of Interfaith Affairs for both the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Congress. His vocation within the field of Jewish ethics and law led him to serve as the Judaic Scholar at the JCC and Federation of MetroWest (NJ) and the Director of Leadership Education and Development at the Shalom Hartman Institute of Jerusalem. He also has taught at Yeshiva and Columbia Universities.
Dr. Korn has co-edited two books on interfaith relations, The End of an Exile by James Parkes, and Two Faiths, One Covenant? He is the author of the new book, The Jewish Connection to Israel, the Promised Land—A Brief Introduction to Israel, published by Jewish Lights in 2008. Rabbi Korn has also published two monographs on Israel and Jewish-Christian relations, and is now writing a book on the significance of Tzelem Elokim (Image of God) in Jewish tradition. He has published scholarly articles on Jewish thought and ethics, democratic Israel and religious tradition, pluralism, religious extremism and Jewish values, Jewish-Christian relations, Jewish attitudes toward non?Jewish culture, and business ethics. His writings have appeared the Jewish Week, America, Chicago Sun-Times, Religion News Service, the Bergen Record, The NJ Jewish News and The Bergen Jewish Standard.
Dr. Korn is a popular teacher who lectures widely in universities, synagogues, Jewish organizations, and educational institutions across the United States, Israel and Canada. He currently resides with his wife and children in Bergenfield, NJ. His son and grandchildren reside in Israel.
Limor Riskin
Director of OperationsEfrat Retreat Center
A native Israeli with a background in customer relations, Limor Riskin's credo is to ensure guests go away from the Efrat Retreat Center with a spiritual and inspirational experience. Prior to taking on this position, Mrs. Riskin was the Administrative Director for Yad L'Isha, a legal aid center that specializes in helping women whose husbands cannot be located or have been recalcitrant in giving them a Jewish divorce. She was also a consumer relations liaison for the Minister of Housing in Israel.
She received her Bachelors of Arts in Liberal Arts and Masters in World Literature and Italian from Hebrew University. For the last eleven years, Mrs. Riskin has resided in Efrat with her husband and three children Eden, Yael and Sahar.