Rabbi Andy Koren, Faculty

Rabbi Andy Koren (he/him/his, commonly referred to as Rabbi Andy) is Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Greensboro, the congregation across the street from 6 Points Sports’ inaugural campus.  For 18 years from 2003-2021 he served Temple as its Associate Rabbi and Director of Religious Education.  An avid baseball fan and golfer, Rabbi Andy was on faculty during 6 Points Sports’ first session in the summer of 2010.  He was a Rabbi on 6 Points Sports’ faculty for 6 summers and then joined the 6 Points Sports Advisory Committee which he served on until the summer of 2023.  Throughout his Rabbinic years, Rabbi Andy has been active in a wide range of civic issues ranging from supporting immigrants to civil rights and countering bigotry, racism, and antisemitism.  A native of North Miami, Florida, he received a BA in International Relations from Tufts University in 1988 and was ordained by the Hebrew Union College in 1993.  Rabbi Andy was a campus Hillel Rabbi for 10 years before making the permanent shift to congregational life.  He and his wife, Michal, have lived in North Carolina for over two decades; they have two adult children who attended URJ camps, including 6 Points Sports, during their youth.

Elinor Josephson, Lay Leader

Elinor is a seasoned Jewish professional with many years of experience in the Jewish community.   Elinor holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Hebrew with a Minor in Judaic Studies from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She also earned a Master’s degree in Jewish Communal Service from the Hornstein program at Brandeis University. After graduating from Brandeis, Elinor worked at the JCC in Pittsburgh PA, and then Springfield MA. When Elinor and the family moved to Florida, she worked at Congregation B’nai Israel. From 1995-2009, Elinor was the Director of the Levis JCC Summer Camp in Boca Raton.  After leaving the JCC in 2009, Elinor went on to become the Camp Administrator for URJ 6 Points Sports Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina.    Elinor was also previously the VP of Programming and the Camp Director for the Mandel JCC in Boynton Beach, and is currently the Director of Engagement and Programming for Temple Beth El of Boca Raton. 

Prior to joining the Temple Beth El staff in 2015, Elinor and her husband Jay were active members since 1999 when Elinor held numerous leadership positions at Temple Beth El including serving on the Board of Trustees. Elinor and Jay’s family includes Emily, Joshua and his wife Rachel and their delicious grandson Eli.  

Gina Salemi, Alumni/Coach

Gina is from Novi, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. She grew up playing many sports. In 2010, she attended a camp presentation at her temple for a brand-new Jewish sports camp in North Carolina. After the inaugural summer as a Haifa Hornet she was hooked. She spent five summers as a camper before going through the CIT program in 2015. While she spent time in many different majors it was clear her passions lied on the lacrosse field. Following high school, Gina was a counselor for 3 years, spending a summer in Eilat, then 2 in Kfar Saba, and an assistant coach for the lacrosse major. Outside of her summers at camp, Gina excelled on the lacrosse field, playing on the Israeli U-19 women’s national team in 2015 and then five years of NCAA Division I for La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA. During those five years, she earned her Bachelor’s in Economics and an MBA in Finance and Business Systems & Analytics. In 2018, she took over as the head girls lacrosse coach at 6 points, a position that she has loved and continues to prioritize in her life, always taking time off from her job as a treasury and finance analyst for Asana Partners in Charlotte, NC to come back and coach every summer.

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation, Supporter

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) — fueled by founder Harold Grinspoon’s entrepreneurial spirit and inspired by the deep meaning and joy in Jewish living — strives to build vibrant Jewish communities through connections to Jewish values, faith, traditions, and culture. Via partnerships and leveraged giving, the HGF encourages other funders to support the Jewish community. Together we are nurturing new generations, cultivating legacy giving, and investing in experiences that enhance continuity and assure the Jewish future. To date, the HGF and its partners have invested more than $550 million to support its programs and grantees and inspired over $1.6 billion in future commitments and gifts from others.   

One of the Foundation’s programs, JCamp 180®, focuses on the sustainability and organizational effectiveness of nonprofit Jewish camps through training for lay and professional leaders on strategic planning, fundraising, and governance. More than 140 overnight and day camps in North America, including URJ 6 Points Sports Academy, receive support via JCamp 180’s matching grants, conferences, consulting services, professional development, resources, and research.

Bernie Marcus, Supporter 

Philanthropist and public servant of the highest caliber, Bernie Marcus made a wide and lasting impact in his community and beyond. In 1979, Mr. Marcus co-founded The Home Depot, Inc., the world’s largest home improvement
retailer, and was its first CEO. He was chairman until his retirement in 2002. He then redirected his entrepreneurial spirit toward a variety of charitable endeavors, channeling his generosity through The Marcus Foundation, which focuses on Jewish causes, children, medical research, free enterprise and the community.Among The Marcus Foundation’s key grants:
–Grady Health System’s Marcus Stroke & Neuroscience Center and The Marcus Trauma Center
–To improve emergency care to trauma and acute neurological injury victims throughout Georgia, it gifted The Piedmont Heart Institute received a grant to establish the nation’s first heart valve reference center at Piedmont Hospital
–American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) received a gift to help Magen David Adom (MDA) build a critically needed new underground national blood center in Israel
–The Shepherd Center’s Project Share ensures that members of the military and veterans get diagnosed and cared for without financial constraint
–Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals’ integrative health center that brings the best of all worlds – integrative, global and traditional health – to patients
–The Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem is a non-partisan and non-political think tank that deals with the complex issues facing the Israeli democratic society
–Both strong believers in contributing to the health of the world around them, Bernie and his wife Billi established The Marcus Institute, which provides programs for children with disorders of the brain and their families. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta joined forces with The Institute to create the Marcus Autism Center, which offers expanded services for children with autism. Bernie also was the initial funder of Autism Speaks, an autism advocacy national organization. As a thank you to the associates, customers and shareholders of Atlanta and Georgia for the success of The Home Depot, where it is headquartered, Bernie created the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the northern hemisphere.
Bernie and Billi Marcus were among the first to sign The Giving Pledge, a commitment made by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to commit more than half of their wealth to philanthropy or charitable causes either during their lifetime or in their will. Encouraged by his mother to “always give back,” Mr. Marcus’ contributions are always given with the expectation that they will make a significant difference.