Leadership
Leaders committed to the fellowship and its vision
Rabbi Dr. Yosef Koelner
CEO, RGMI Fellowship- BA, Spanish & Latin American Studies — Illinois State University
- MA, Jewish Studies — Gratz College
- D.P.Min. — Wagner Leadership Institute
- Higher Education Teaching Certificate — Harvard University
- Teudah, Hebrew Ulpan Aleph — Katsrin, State of Israel
Founder & CEO
Rabbi Dr. Yosef Koelner
Rabbi Dr. Yosef Koelner serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Rabban Gamaliel Messianic International Fellowship. A teacher, author, and Messianic rabbi, he brings decades of study in Jewish thought, Scripture, and leadership to the work of the fellowship.
His academic path spans Spanish and Latin American studies, graduate work in Jewish Studies, doctoral ministry training, a teaching certificate from Harvard University, and Hebrew study in the State of Israel — a breadth that shapes his heart for equipping leaders across cultures and nations.
Executive President
Rabbi Shmaryahu Lehtimaki
“I was raised in a very strict religious home. Like so many, I wandered from my faith in my youth, and I struggled with my faith until 2010, when I came into ‘Messianic’ Judaism (Yeshua-believing Judaism), and I found my soul (neshama) and inner longing within Yeshua.”
“I grew up all over the world, raised in a military family, and then retired from the military and the Department of Defense. After years of soul-searching, I answered God's call and began my ministry, establishing Beit HaSha'ar Messianic Fellowship in June 2015, located in Columbus, Georgia / Phenix City, Alabama.”
Rabbi Shmaryahu Lehtimaki
Founder, Beit HaSha'ar Messianic Fellowship- Master's in Executive Leadership — Grand Canyon University
- Hebrew Language & Jewish Studies — Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Certificate in Jewish Context & Culture — Israel Bible Center
- NCCAP/IPHM Certification — Grief Counselor
- NCCAP/IPHM Certification — Relationship Therapist
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