Our Staff

Rabbi, Rabbi Emeritus, Cantor, Religious School Director, Synagogue Administrator, Bookkeeper, and Administrative Assistant. To reach our staff, call 301/498-5151. Emails are included in each section.

Rabbi Doug Heifetz

Rabbi Douglas Heifetz joined Oseh Shalom as full-time rabbi in the summer of 2006, bringing to our community a wide range of learning and experience.

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Rabbi Heifetz received a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University, where he completed an internationally oriented liberal arts program, focused on Middle Eastern Regional Studies. He also obtained a Certificate in Peace and Justice Studies. After graduation, he worked as a union organizer in Washington, D.C. and Kalispell, Montana, helping low-income working people to pursue social justice.

Rabbi Heifetz attended the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, receiving his rabbinical ordination and Master of Hebrew Letters in 2005, along with certification as a Specialist in the Congregational Rabbinate. He lived in Israel for a year during his studies at the RRC; served as bet midrash intern, assisting rabbinic students in Jewish text and Hebrew study; and was elected student representative to the RRC Board of Governors. He received several honors and awards recognizing his scholarship and commitment to social action and justice. As a student rabbi, he served for two years as the spiritual leader of Congregation Ahavath Sholom in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

More recently, Rabbi Heifetz has served as the part-time rabbi of the Olney Kehila, where he was involved in all aspects of congregational life—leading services, teaching in the religious school, developing and teaching an adult education program, and counseling individual community members. In addition, he was a full-time middle school teacher at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, where he developed curricula on prayer, interpersonal relationships, and the Jewish calendar. He also lectured on Reconstructionism and led daily services.We are delighted to welcome Rabbi Heifetz and his wife Elaine Lippmann to Oseh Shalom. To reach Rabbi Heifetz, call the office or email:

Rabbi Emeritus Gary Fink

Rabbi Gary Fink

Rabbi Emeritus Gary S. Fink, D.Min., D.D., came to Oseh Shalom in 1980 as our first full-time rabbi. Under his leadership, Oseh Shalom’s membership grew more than threefold. In 2006, Rabbi Fink retired from the full-time pulpit to focus on pastoral care and end-of-life counseling, working with individuals and families experiencing life-limiting illness and bereavement, while remaining rabbinically and personally connected to our synagogue community.

A native of Baltimore, Rabbi Fink received his Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors from the University of Maryland in social psychology. He was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, where he received a Master of Arts degree in Hebrew Letters and was awarded a prize for highest academic standing. While at Oseh Shalom, Rabbi Fink earned a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Thanatology (the study of death and dying) from Hood College, and a Doctor of Ministry degree at the Howard University School of Divinity, concentrating in pastoral care and counseling. To mark his 25^th year as rabbi, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 2005. A gifted teacher, he is an instructor in adult Jewish studies with the Florence Melton Program, which is being hosted by Oseh Shalom in 2006-2007. Rabbi Fink and his wife Stephanie have a two grown children, a daughter Alia and a son Ari. To reach Rabbi Emeritus Fink, call the office or email:

Cantor Charlie Bernhardt

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Our cantor, Charles Bernhardt, has been singing at Oseh Shalom since 1983. His voice and guitar add spirit and joy to our services. Cantor Charlie draws on many aspects of Jewish musical tradition, including classical chazzanut, chasidic, Israeli, and modern American folk music, in addtion to his own compositions, to create an atmosphere that is both comforting and exciting.

“I cannot remember a time when I was not singing,” Cantor Charlie said. “For thousands of years, Jews have used music in their worship of God and to express the broad range of emotional reactions to the gift of life. We have been blessed with such a variety of Jewish music that I try to use as much of it as I can in our services.”

In his “day job,” Cantor Charlie is a professional union representative. He has advocated on behalf of working men and women for over 25 years. Following his leadership, Oseh Shalom takes part in the nationwide “Labor on the Bima” program each September in which the Jewish community and the labor movement celebrate their common bonds of social justice, human dignity and fair treatment in the workplace.

Cantor Charlie is a student in the Maalot cantorial school. He lives in Laurel with his wife, Marilyn. They have four children, Erin, Jeremy, Heather, and Matthew. To reach Charlie, call the office or email:

Education Director Maryana Harouni

Mariana Harouni, Religious School Director

Maryana Harouni, our Religious School Director, was born and raised in Iran, lived and studied in Israel, and has lived in the U.S. for the last twenty years. Maryana, a fluent speaker of Hebrew, was involved in Jewish Education in the past twenty years.

“The role of the Education Director is to inspire the new Jewish generation and instill in them the passion for their heritage. Jewish education is the tool to achieve this end, not only by formal classroom teaching, but also by opening them to the joy of Jewish learning and living. With ingenuity, creativity, imagination and all the resources available to us, we must inspire our students. Through our own passion, we must evoke passion and instill Jewish values in our students. It is our responsibility to utilize a synergy of methods to create programs that offer our students the newest and the very best in Jewish education.”

To reach, Maryana, email or call her at 301-498-7004.

Synagogue Administrator: Judee Iliff serves as your contact point for questions about membership, events and just about anything else concerning the synagogue. Judee is the friendly voice that coordinates synagogue activities. Call 301-498-5151 or email Judee at

Executive Secretary: If you call our office, you likely will be greeted by Saundra Harris, our wonderful secretary. She can send you a membership packet, tell you about upcoming events, and answer most other questions about our congregation or find the person who can. Call 301-498-5151 or email

Bookkeeper: Questions about dues, donations or other money issues? Talk to Ed Litrenta, our outstanding bookkeeper. He'll solve your problems quickly and efficiently. Call 301-498-5151 or email .