Meet Our Team

Rabbi Avi Goldstein has been the senior rabbi at Beth Jacob congregation since 2012. During this time, Rabbi Goldstein has established Beth Jacob as a hub of major Jewish programming in Columbus and as a destination synagogue for young families. Focusing on dynamic and diverse programming, Rabbi Goldstein and Beth Jacob have retained or recruited dozens of families in Columbus and has grown the membership by 45%. In addition to his synagogue responsibilities, Rabbi Goldstein is very active in the broader community, serving on the boards of the following organizations: Governor Mike DeWine’s Board of Faith Based and Community Relations, the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America,  Columbus Torah Academy, Buckeye Kosher, the Columbus Jewish Historical Society, the Columbus Eruv Society, Columbus Community Mikvah, Columbus Community Kollel, Agudath Israel of Ohio, JewishColumbus, JCRC and is the current president of the Columbus Board of Rabbis. In recognition of these efforts, Rabbi Goldstein was recently named one of the “18 Difference Makers” by the Columbus Jewish News. 

Ordained at the Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Maryland Rabbi Goldstein holds a Masters degree in Clinical Community Counseling from the Johns Hopkins University.  He has clinical experience at the Women’s Correctional Facility of Jessup, MD and with orthodox adolescents at the Maryland Counseling Network in Baltimore, Maryland. Rabbi Goldstein is married to his wife Miriam and has seven children: Elana, Rachel, Aryeh, Yaakov, Zev, Yerucham and Eli.

Rabbi Gavi Sragow grew up in Teaneck NJ. After learning in KBY (Keren B’Yavneh) and Mir Yeshiva in Israel and graduating from Touro college with a degree in psychology, he began learning in Ner Yisrael, where he has received a Masters of Talmudic Law and is currently completing Semicha. His wife Shayna (nee Lerner) grew up in Baltimore MD, and currently works as a pediatric occupational therapist. Rabbi Sragow has previously served as the Summer Rabbi in the Westwood Kehilla in Los Angeles, and is currently the Teen Learning Director at Suburban Orthodox Baltimore. The Sragows are known for their positive energy and their love for teaching and living life with excitement and passion. They are blessed with 2 daughters, 3 year old Dena, and one year old Yehudis. They are very excited to come and meet the Beth Jacob Community.

Rabbi Nechemia Hofman joined Beth Jacob in the fall and has made an immediate impact. In addition to learning with dozens of individual chavrusas each week, Rabbi Hofman has started many classes, spearheaded a men’s Yarchei Kallah to Lakewood, N.J., brought in the Krula Rebbe, helped organize a solidarity mission to Israel amongst many other things.

Rabbi Hofman was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and is a graduate of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ. Rabbi Hofman has mentored students in Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh in Jerusalem, young professionals at “Mordy’s Shteibel” in Lakewood, N.J. and has experience managing a major boys camp in N.Y.

Rabbi Hofman is married to Basi, the Kindergarten teacher at CTA and they have two sons, Shmuel & Shmaryahu.

Rabbi David Stavsky zt”l (1930-2004) was born in New York City in 1930. The Rabbi’s credentials include B.A., Psychology, Yeshiva University; ordained at Rabbi Isaac Elchanon Theological Seminary (studied with master scholar Rabbi Soloveitchik); M.A., Psychology, Ohio State University.

After ordination, the Rabbi served in the U.S. Army as a First Lieutenant at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital and he was the Post-Chaplain at Fort Carson, Colorado. He served on the pulpit at Beth Jacob Congregation from 1957 until his death in 2004. Rabbi Stavsky founded the Columbus Torah Academy in 1958, and is a former National VP of the Rabbinical Council of America.

Hilary Griffith is a Columbus Native. She also went to Columbus Torah Academy for elementary school and finished out her schooling through Columbus City Schools. She graduated from The University of Hartford on a tennis scholarship and a degree in Journalism. Before coming to Beth Jacob, Hilary worked for The Chiller Ice Rinks as the Marketing Director and as a reporter for the Wapakoneta Daily News. Hilary resides in Columbus with her husband Brian and twin children.