Returning to the PNW after a short hiatus, Rabbi Akiva and Ela O’Connor are glad to be back in this beautiful part of the country. The O’Connors have traveled multiple times in the past few years, starting off in our neighbor to the north, Seattle, enjoying a brief stint in the heat of Arizona, and spending the months of isolation with family in Colorado. They now are excited to be back where they belong, weathering the overcast skies and gorgeous summers of the Northwest.

Originally from Israel, Mrs. Ela O’Connor spent her formative years in Dallas, TX, where she was heavily influenced by the DATA Kollel community. Planning on a career in finance, she surprisingly fell into a teaching role a few months after she finished her schooling, and has never looked back. She is a natural teacher, who embraces methods both old and new to reach her students. She has had many students who turned to her before the summer vacation and complained that they never had a teacher who was there for them like she was. Mrs. O’Connor also has gathered a following of loyal adults who benefit from her lecture series, and she is actively working to brainstorm new ways to connect Jewish women and girls who live away from the East Coast to each other, as well as to their Jewish heritage. In Portland, she will be offering her expert teaching abilities at Maayan Torah Day School, where she will be teaching Judaic studies to a number of grades.

Rabbi O’Connor grew up and received much of his Torah education in Denver, CO. His first position was as a member of the Seattle Kollel, where he began to develop his unique style of teaching and incorporating multiple disciplines under the umbrella of Torah. A holistic at heart, Rabbi O’Connor believes in the interconnectedness of all things, and their innate relationship to Torah and Judaism. He is an admitted history nerd, Star Wars geek, and fan of 19th century literature. Rabbi O’Connor recently received his MA from Arizona State University (Communication), and intends to utilize his skills in the pursuit of furthering the Portland Kollel’s mission.

The O’Connors look forward to getting to know everyone in the Oregon community, and anticipate many years of dedication to this wonderful place. Please feel free to reach out to them through the Kollel, or directly at rao@portlandkollel.org and ela@portlandkollel.org.