Faculty

Meet our amazing and inspirational faculty members

Rabbi Leib Walfish

Rosh Yeshiva

Rabbi Walfish, or “Reb Leib” as he is affectionately monikered by his family and many students, serves as the Rosh Yeshiva of our Beis Medrash program since making Aliyah in 2023. Having graduated from Beis Medrash Elyon in 1955, Rabbi Walfish has since served in many prestigious positions in renowned yeshivos across the USA, making a remarkable dent in the worlds of Halachic and Talmudic scholarship. Undeterred by his advanced age, Rabbi Walfish is a vibrant force in our Beis Medrash, aweing students and faculty alike with his towering scholarship, inquisitive personality, and his sharp, incisive wit.

Rabbi Zev Klainstein

Menahel

Rabbi Klainstein, a popular lecturer and Mashpia, resides with his wife Laya Harkavy-Klainstein, in the Old City of Jerusalem. While no novice in any Torah subject, Klainstein has gained prominence in the field of Bible study and interpretation, and his unique method of seamlessly combining classical commentaries with the teachings of Breslov Chassidut has made his classes enjoyable and engaging to both the beginner and accomplished student. Klainstein enjoys playing guitar in his spare time and would be happy to show you the basics.

Rabbi Danny Shapiro

Rabbi Shapiro, born and bred in Tiberias, is a renowned expert in the field of practical Halacha, who utilizes his familiarity with the ins and outs of modern Jewish life coupled with an unwavering dedication to the study of the law to provide his students with a clear-cut methodology to thrive and succeed as individuals, while remaining committed Jews beholden to the laws of the Shulchan Aruch. Rabbi Shapiro and his wife Rabbanit Tamar live, study and teach in Jerusalem, and their young children are often spotted frolicking on the grounds of our campus.

Mrs. Ahuva Hunter

Mrs. Hunter, nee Ginsberg, is a senior lecturer at Beer Mayim, who uses her classes and informal talks as a medium to deliver positive messages to her students. Her lectures strive to reinforce their sense of self worth as Jewish women, while imparting a life-long appreciation for the joys of a Torah lifestyle. Stemming from a long line of influential Torah personalities, including famous rabbis and rebbetzins, Mrs. Hunter is a paradigm of stellar middot and Torah scholarship in her own right, serving as a dynamic role model to our student body. Hailing from Lawrence, NY, Mrs. Hunter lives in the Itri neighborhood of Jerusalem, and her husband Uri is a popular teacher in a local yeshiva.

Mrs. Esther Cohen

Mrs. Esti Cohen, a Beis Yaakov graduate, always knew that teaching was in her future. Doubling as both a lecturer and as the Eim Bayit in our dormitory facilities, Esti serves as a mother figure to our seminary students, devotedly accompanying them through the transitions of seminary life. Mrs. Cohen and her daughter Sarit live in Jerusalem, and she often welcomes students into her home and kitchen, lending them a listening ear and a helping hand, and when necessary, a warm motherly embrace.

Mrs. Chana Eisen

Mrs. Eisen, a popular lecturer at the Institute, infuses her various classes with an acute sense of Tanach and Jewish history as they relate to current events and to the life of every individual. Sporting an unmatched expertise and proficiency of the vast literature spanning the centuries of Jewish and secular scholarship, Mrs. Eisen carefully treads the border between the sacred and the mundane, leaving her students with a balanced, educated approach to develop and maintain their own unique worldview rooted in Jewish tradition. Mrs. Eisen and her husband Prof. Chaim reside in Jerusalem’s picturesque Nachlaot neighborhood, and enjoy regaling family, friends and students with anecdotes culled during their extensive travels to obscure locations abroad.

Rabbi Chaim Stern

Rabbi Chaim Stern graduated from Rabbinical College in 2009, where he earned his Semicha. In the years that followed, Rabbi Stern gained prominence as a rising star in the world of Torah education for both men and women. Quiet and unassuming by nature, Rabbi Stern prefers to let ideas penetrate organically, and indeed his lectures are masterful tapestries of raw intellect, unadorned of the shimmery trimmings of oratory and rhetoric. Rabbi Stern, his wife Channa, and their children reside in Ramat Beit Shemesh, and they often spend Shabbat on our Jerusalem campus.

Mrs. Chavi Spero

Mrs. Chavi Spero is a noted mechaneches with decades of experience. Although she started off her career journey with a degree in graphic design, Mrs. Spero’s passion for Torah led her to change her occupation to full-time teaching. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Mrs. Spero made Aliyah together with her husband shortly after getting married, and they now live in the sunny neighborhood of Givat Sha’ul with their 4 children. Mrs. Spero especially enjoys learning and teaching the weekly Parsha, and is excited to give share her knowledge and experience with her students in Be’er Mayim.

Rabbi Yaakov Kohn

Rabbi Yaakov Kohn is a father of 6 and an avid music enthusiast. He grew up in Boston, and then briefly attended Ohr Sameach after discovering his Jewish roots. Throughout his journey, Rabbi Kohn has spent time studying the ancient roots of Jewish music, as well as the history of traditional Jewish songs and iconic singers and Chazzanim across the world. He enjoys giving over his knowledge to his students, and doubles as the leader of Kol Hanoar, the local children’s choir in his neighborhood, Nachla’ot.

Rabbi Avraham Pollack

Rabbi Avraham Pollack is a born-and-bred Californian, and proud of it! Rabbi Pollack enjoys studying and teaching all things Jewish, including Tanach, Kabbalah, Jewish Culture, and much more. He lives in the Old City with his wife and 3 daughters, and enjoys spending his mornings davening Neitz at the Kotel. Rabbi Pollack enjoys giving over his knowledge to his students, and lectures in various Yeshivas across the central Jerusalem area.

Ms. Efrat Chaimov

Efrat Chaimov was born and raised in the city of Petach Tikvah. Her fluency in both Hebrew and English allow her to teach Hebrew to scores of American students. Be’er Mayim is fortunate to have Efrat on board, especially given her busy schedule. Efrat enjoys the challenge of helping her students build their Hebrew skills and vocabulary, especially when they have absolutely no background speaking the language.

Be'er Mayim Institute

Faculty

Meet our amazing and inspirational faculty members

Be'er Mayim
Institute