Leadership
Welcome to the heart and soul of The Mussar Institute. Our management team is the driving force behind our mission, working tirelessly to steer our organization towards success and embody our core values.
These visionary leaders bring a wealth of experience, dedication, and expertise to the table, ensuring that we not only meet our goals but exceed them. Get to know the individuals who shape our vision and lead us on the path to excellence.
Alan Morinis
Founder
Alan is widely considered to be a leader in the resurgence of contemporary Mussar. Born into a culturally Jewish, non-observant home, he studied anthropology at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. He teaches, writes curriculum, and speaks frequently. His books include Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, Everyday Holiness, and With Heart in Mind.
OUR TEAM
Presented in Alphabetical Order
Lihi Ariad
Assistant Director of Operations
Lihi brings over a decade of rich experience in program management, backed by a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering & Management. Her diverse career across various industries is marked by significant contributions in project and operations management. Lihi is celebrated for her exceptional organizational skills, strategic insights, and a deep commitment to community service. Outside of her professional endeavors, she cherishes time with her family, leads a children's Lego robotics club, and actively participates in sports.
Dianne Benmayor
Business Manager
Dianne brings a wealth of experience in customer service and management gained in the luxury giftware industry. She is a certified yoga instructor with more than 500 hours of teaching experience. She teaches and has taught yoga, including Mussar Yoga, at a variety of locations including the Mayerson JCC, Wise Temple, and other congregations. She discovered Mussar after being enlightened by one of her students about Edith Brotman’s book, Mussar Yoga, and through the book she found TMI. She lives with her husband in Cincinnati, OH. They have two grown children and a beloved granddaughter.
Leslie-Anne Copes-Finke
Director of Teen Program
In addition to her position as Director of Teen Program, Leslie-Anne also serves on the Board of Directors. She brings experience in the areas of leadership, team effectiveness, and fundraising. Leslie has served as a consultant for Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ Leadership Development Institute, is a Vice-Chair of the URJ Communities Leadership Team (NE), and has held senior positions at several not-for-profit organizations, including Boston Baroque, WNET-NY, UCS, and Common Ground Stage and Film Company. She is the proud mother of three, ages (17, 20, and 23), and is a past president pf her synagogue community.
Rivka Felsher
Consultant to the Board
Rivka, former Director of Operations for TMI, is the Director of Undergraduate Partnerships at Gratz College. She consults with TMI on organizational process and budget management. She has nearly 25 years in nonprofit management, private and public higher education administration and instruction, private congregational school leadership and instruction, educational consulting, and freelance editing and writing. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and is an avid potter and craft artist. She resides in Southeast Florida with her husband and two children.
Avi Fertig
Director of Mussar
Rabbi Avi Fertig serves as the Director of Mussar at The Mussar Institute, where he has been guiding courses and programs since 2010. Avi's educational background includes studying at the Yeshiva of Ner Israel in Baltimore, followed by a move to Israel in 1997. During his time at the Mir Yeshivah in Jerusalem, he developed a close bond with Rabbi Reuvain Leuchter, a prominent disciple of Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe, a renowned authority in Mussar. Since then, Avi has been studying, writing, and teaching Mussar to a wide audience, impacting thousands of students. He is also the author of two books on Torah and Mussar. Avi resides in Beit Shemesh with his wife, Estie, their children, and their recently born grandson, Ariel.
Devorah Fuchs
Marketing and Communications Manager
Devorah Fuchs, with over 20 years of experience in marketing and business in Israel and the US, is dedicated to strengthening Israeli and Jewish communities through innovative strategies. Holding a BA in Communications and an MBA with a focus on Marketing, she resides in Austin, TX, where she actively volunteers in the local Jewish and Israeli community. Devorah is passionate about fostering connections and leaving a positive impact on the world.
Eric Gurvis
Director of Chaverim and Outreach
Kim Rosenthal
Assistant Director of Teen Program
Kim Rosenthal (she/her) is a recent graduate of The William Davidson School at Jewish Theological Seminary with a MA in Jewish Education. She comes to TMI with 14 years of youth work including AmeriCorps, various roles at Temple Beth El (Madison, WI) and the Jewish Federation of Madison, and as the cohort leader for the Kol Koleinu Fellowship through Moving Traditions. Her work focuses on the intersectionality of LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, and Jewish identity. She is a proud co-founder of a Rosh Chodesh women's group and intergenerational chavurah, both places she calls her spiritual home. Kim lives in Madison, WI with her wife and fur babies in a tiny home!
Palmer Rubin
Digital Assets and Communications Associate
Palmer Rubin has worked in Jewish nonprofit spaces, marketing, and communications for nearly seven years, with experience at the Breman Museum, Bend the Arc, and Repair the World. Palmer received a Master of Arts degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Helaine Sheias
Assistant Director of Programming
Helaine Sheias, Ph.D., made Aliyah to Israel in her teens, served in the IDF, and settled in Israel for more than two decades. She is the co-author of the TMI Tapestry Courses and a graduate of the Yesod and Manchim Facilitator Training programs. She has facilitated many TMI courses where she guides participants to the sacred place of inner balance. This process facilitates circles of transformation and change by modeling spiritual awakening, and self-reflexive learning, or hitlamdut. Facilitating Mussar courses brings Helaine deep joy and a continuous sense of awe and wonder.
Evie Weinstein
Co-Chair Facilitator Development Council
Evie Weinstein has spent most of her professional life in Jewish Education and Jewish Communal work. Her career started in Jewish camping as the Assistant Director of Camp Lakeland and directing the Children and Youth Departments at the JCC of Greater Buffalo.
Evie became the Executive Director of the Bureau of Jewish Education of Buffalo and the Principal of the High School of Jewish Studies. It is there she was introduced to Mussar and Alan Morinis through Lead with Jewish Values, a Mussar Institute course for professional staff. Evie was trained as a Mussar Facilitator in Manchim and thus her relationship with The Mussar Institute began.
Evie has facilitated many TMI courses, has consulted and worked with Alan on the Challenges and Choices TMI course for teens, and is now on the Facilitator Task Force. She has attended many TMI Kallot.
Nancy Weiss
Director of Manchim Facilitator Training
Nancy Weiss, LCSW, is a depth psychotherapist, spiritual director, and Mussar facilitator dedicated to helping others discover unique pathways to their soul’s expression. She facilitates local and online Mussar groups and is a member of TMI’s Facilitator Development Council. As Coordinator of Manchim, the Facilitator Training Program for The Mussar Institute, she was privileged to work closely with Alan to create the current Manchim curriculum. Nancy collaborated with two Mussar practitioners to create a deck of 90 Mussar cards titled, “Lights of Mussar™ Cards for Creating a Balanced Life.” A collage artist, poet, and SoulCollage® facilitator, Nancy guides people in bringing an expressive voice to the Mussar traits and spiritual principles. Her collage art appears in Midrashic Mirrors, which illustrates the richness of creating art to reflect the essence of each Torah portion.
Harvey Winokur
Co-Chair Facilitator Development Council and Director of Yesod
Rabbi Winokur, Co-Chair of the Facilitator Development Council and Director of Yesod, is a native of New York. He received his B.A. from SUNY at Buffalo, and his M.A. and Ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Kehillat Chaim, a Reform congregation in Roswell, Georgia, which he founded in 1982. Rabbi Winokur is a Facilitator/Trainer for Prepare-Enrich, an organization that administers premarital/marital needs assessments, a certified Spiritual Director, and a Trainer-Facilitator for The Mussar Institute.
Check out these great resources!
Books by Alan Morinis
Mussar Chants
Mussar Classics