Meet the K'VOD connect Team
Click on the team members' names below to learn more about each of them.
Rabbi Yair Walton
Rabbi Yair Walton from Cincinnati, Ohio, has dedicated his career to serving Jewish communities worldwide, including in Ukraine, Costa Rica, Argentina, Lithuania, Israel, and the United
States. His work in Israel encompassed Arab-Israeli coexistence projects, and initiatives focused on food justice within Israeli society. Additionally, he has served as a Jewish educator
in North Carolina, South Florida, and Los Angeles.
Rabbi Walton has collaborated with various Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform organizations, fostering connections within the Jewish community. He is deeply committed to pluralism and the
Jewish people, striving to empower others to become enthusiastic authors of their own Jewish stories. Rabbi Walton is passionate about the role of relationships in building Jewish
communities and is keenly interested in envisioning the future of Jewish communal life.
An innovator at heart, Rabbi Walton brings entrepreneurial skills to his work, continually seeking creative solutions to engage and support Jewish communities. Currently, he works with
Jewish Family Service and K’vod Connect, connecting older adults in Cincinnati to each other and the broader community. He is an alumnus of the Atra-Center for Rabbinic Education program
and the iCenter iFellows program.
Rabbi Simon Stratford,
Associate Rabbi
Rabbi Simon Stratford serves as the Associate Rabbi of K’vod Connect. Before joining Jewish Family Service, Rabbi Stratford worked for seven years as a congregational rabbi in Maryland
and Cincinnati. Rabbi Stratford received a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Michigan State University before receiving his Master of Hebrew Letters and Rabbinic Ordination from Hebrew
Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati.
Rabbi Stratford believes he is in the business of building and sustaining sacred Jewish community, the foundation of which rests upon meaningful personal relationships. Rabbi Stratford
has completed 1600 Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) hours and aspires to become a board-certified chaplain soon. Locally, he has served as the Chair of Cincinnati’s Jewish Educator’s
Council and a member of the Jewish Federations’ Roundtable on Mental Health. Most recently, Rabbi Stratford joined the fourth cohort of the 18Doors’ Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship. He is eager
to bring his passion for and experience working with interfaith families to his work at Jewish Family Service.
Rabbi Stratford comes to us with fifteen years of leadership and work experience in various Jewish communal settings. From youth groups and programs for families with young children to
summer camps, Hillel, and senior resident communities, his background in social work and experience as a pastoral care provider makes him a perfect addition to our K’vod Connect
Team.
Upon accepting the position, Rabbi Stratford said, “It is an honor and privilege to join K’vod Connect and be a part of Jewish Family Service, an organization that provides invaluable
support to our local Jewish and Cincinnati communities. I am excited to provide Jewish engagement and education at Majestic Care Cedar Village and help meet the pastoral needs of all
residents.”
Chaplain Miriam Karp
Chaplain Miriam Karp has been a pastoral care provider of K'vod Connect for over two years, visiting and supporting seniors throughout the greater Cincinnati area. A board-certified
chaplain, she has previously worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's and UC Medical Centers and Bethesda North Hospital. Before studying chaplaincy, Miriam served as a Judaic
educator for over 30 years, teaching locally at CHDS and in many congregations, with children and adults of all ages and backgrounds. She has worked in environmental education, summer
camps, with people in recovery from addictions, and with people with developmental disabilities.
Miriam pursued her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan, became a Certified Judaic Educator through Machon Chana, and earned an MA in Creative Jewish Expression at Antioch
University Midwest. Miriam is also a painter and writer.
She says, "Chaplaincy combines my deep interest in human growth and in helping folks find life tools, healing, and meaning in their spirituality and Jewishness, whatever that may mean to
them. It is a great privilege be able to offer non-judgmental emotional and spiritual support for our precious seniors, especially during life crises and transitions; to laugh, cry and
share together. I am thrilled to continue to bring these skills to enhance and support the wonderful residents of MCCV."
Mallory Moscovitch,
Program Specialist
Mallory Moscovitch will be joining JFS as a K’vod Connect Program Specialist. She has always been fascinated with humankind and pursued her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field of
anthropology. During this time she immersed herself in biological and sociocultural branches of anthropology where she gained multidisciplinary research experience covering a wide range
of public issues topics. She then went on to receive her master’s degree in Public Issues Anthropology.
Mallory’s academic and professional goals have always been to act as a resource for people. Prior to joining K’vod Connect, Mallory served a diversity of people in a number of sectors,
including education and health insurance. Through research and working directly with people, she realized her greatest joy was getting to know individuals and their lived experiences
in-depth. From this, she strives to understand people holistically in order to problem solve for their unique needs.
One of Mallory’s greatest passions is learning about Jewish traditions, cuisine, history, and current events. Mallory is thrilled to be serving members from both the Jewish and greater
Cincinnati communities at MCCV.
Bethany Putnam, LSW,
Social Worker
Bethany joins us as the Licensed Social Worker of K’vod Connect. She has worked for over eleven years as an LSW in Cincinnati in various roles with the aging population. She received a BA
in Social Work from the University of Kentucky and an MSW from the University of Cincinnati. Bethany is licensed to practice social work in the states of Ohio and Kentucky.
During her years of professional experience, Bethany has served older adults and their families in various settings. She has professional experience working in local long-term care
facilities, in palliative and hospice care, and most recently providing telephonic care management services at a large Medicare Advantage company. Bethany is passionate about putting
clients’ needs first and working to find solutions to problems, no matter their socioeconomic status. Bethany enjoys networking within the professional geriatric community to gain skills,
acquire knowledge, and learn about resources to better outcomes for her clients. In addition to K'Vod Connect, Bethany also joins Agewell Cincinnati Concierge. This role assists clients
and families in the community with concierge level care management needs.
Dara Wood,
Program Manager
Dara Wood is the K’vod Connect Program Manager. Dara Wood holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Elementary Education from the University of Cincinnati, a Montessori certificate for
infants and toddlers, and a Graduate Certificate in Jewish Education from the University of Cincinnati. She spent time substitute teaching with Lakota schools and then served as head
teacher at a local Montessori pre-school for several years.
Dara served six years as the Director of Mercaz Conservative Hebrew High School where she helped to build an arts-based curriculum to add to their already diverse offerings, and a parent
programming component. She was an active volunteer at Adath Israel Congregation for many years and had previously served as the chair of several committees as well as an officer before
moving into the role of Director of Education and Ritual of the Jarson Education Center at Adath Israel.
She served as Co-Chair of the Cincinnati Jewish Educators Council for many years and helped facilitate grant requests for the religious schools and manage those grants. Dara completed the
JNLI program with Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and served as a peer group leader for several years. Dara currently is a councilmember in Amberley Village Ohio.
She is married to Rob and has two children, Brittany and Becca, two son-in-laws, Randy and Danny, and three beautiful grandchildren, Nolan and Layla and Chase. In her free time Dara
enjoys photography, playing tennis and pickleball. She is excited to continue to work in the Jewish community and help build the K’vod Connect Program within Jewish Family Service.
KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS HELP?
For more information or to help us help others, please contact Rabbi Yair Walton at (513) 766-3333, send an email to ywalton@jfscinti.org or fill out the form by clicking here.