Jonathan Z. Maltzman

Rabbi Jonathan Z. Maltzman of Kol Shalom in Rockville, Maryland, spent three years as the only civilian rabbi in the country of Japan. In this position, Jonathan Z. Maltzman acted as the representative of the Jewish faith to the Japanese population and as an invaluable conduit for the Embassy of Israel in Japan.

Following his time in Japan, Rabbi Maltzman served five years at Tifereth Israel in Des Moines, Iowa, a synagogue with the largest congregation in the state. Rabbi Maltzman assumed his current position in 2002, and for the last 14 years has helped expand both the Kol Shalom congregation and staff.

Jonathan Z. Maltzman majored in Near Eastern studies as an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest academic honor society. During his time at the university, he was active in the Hillel program on campus. In addition to his work at Kol Shalom, Rabbi Maltzman has been involved with a number of Jewish organizations, including MAZON (“food” in Hebrew), a Jewish charitable group focused on feeding communities throughout the world.