Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld, President
Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld is the Founder and President of Meor. In addition, Rabbi Gershenfeld is the Dean of Machon Yaakov and of Machon Shlomo, two Jewish studies institutions noted for the high caliber of their students. Rabbi Gershenfeld also is the educational director of Sinai Retreats in Warrensburg, New York, which offers two-week summer seminars to collegiate and post-collegiate youth.
His areas of special expertise include developing the relevance of the Jewish ethical tradition to modern man, revealing the beauty and exactitude of Biblical texts, and inspiring students to become educated, passionate and sophisticated lay leaders of the Jewish community.
Rabbi Gershenfeld graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from Trinity College with a BA in Economics and MA in History. Upon graduating, he studied in Japan on the Fulbright Scholar’s program.
Thomas Steinberg, Chairman
Thomas Steinberg is President of Tisch Family Interests where he is responsible for a wide range of investment activities for the families of Laurence A. Tisch and Preston Robert Tisch. Prior to joining the Tisch Family, he served as a Vice President at Goldman, Sachs & Company.
Tom has been a member of the Board of Directors of several public and private corporations, including Catellus Development Corporation, Gunther International, Cellegy Pharmaceuticals, Infonxx and ABLECO. He is also a member of the board of several non-profit organizations including the Metropolitan Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty and the New Seed Foundation. Tom graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University with a BA in Economics and subsequently earned an MBA from Stanford University.
Eric Evans
Eric Evans was a Portfolio Manager at CR Intrinsic Investors LLC, a private investment firm based in Connecticut, where he invested in healthcare equities. Prior to joining CR Intrinsic, he was an Analyst at Amaranth LLC, and spent several years in investment banking at Credit Suisse First Boston, UBS and Merrill Lynch. Eric is a magna cum laude graduate of Duke University, and he resides in Monsey, NY with his wife and three sons.
Ariel Kor
Ariel Kor is the Executive Director of Sampoerna Capital, which is the family office of one of Asia’s most prominent financial families. Prior to that, he was with Triton Partners, one of the largest European middle market buy-out funds, and worked with Evergreen Partners as well as the Investment Banking Division of Lehman Brothers.
Ariel is Israeli-born and Singapore-bred. He is also a board member of the Harel Insurance Group, The Hour Glass, and a director of the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Company. Ariel is a graduate of Oxford University.
Carey Wolchok
Carey Wolchok is the Managing Partner of The Perilune Group, a New York-based private investment partnership which manages a portfolio of investments in commercial aircraft, distressed debt and real estate. Previously, he was the Founder and Chairman of Avocet Aircraft, an aircraft manufacturer that was jointly owned with Israel Aircraft Industries, and was a Principal at AeroEquity, the private equity firm started by aviation pioneer Brian Rowe.
Carey has served as a member of the Board of Governors of Hillel – The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Abraham Scholars Program, a unique scholarship which enables graduating college students to study in Israel. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida and received his MBA from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Nancy Gofman
Nancy brings a wide variety of experiences to bear, having worked in positions ranging from international development, to higher education, to Jewish community building. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where her studies focused on International Relations and French Literature. As part of her education she spent a year abroad at the Institute Des Etudes Politiques in Paris studying in an intensive International Relations program.
Nancy’s began her career as an admissions director at the Harvard Institute for International Development where she coordinated with institutions from over 35 developing countries. She then spent a year in Bangkok, Thailand as a planning officer with the largest Thai NGO, The Population and Community Development Association, where she implemented both public health and economic development programs. Most recently Nancy’s been overseeing philanthropic projects within the California Jewish community, through both The Federation of San Francisco and a private foundation in Palo Alto.
In addition to her professional experience, Nancy has served on the boards of the South Peninsula Hebrew Day School, Congregation Emek Bracha, and Oshman Family JCC. She lives with her husband Yasha, and their two children, in Los Angeles, CA.
