Meet Our Spiritual Leader

Messianic Rabbi Shmuel Oppenheim

It takes a special person to be a good Rabbi of a Messianic Jewish Synagogue, and special definitely describes our Rabbi Shmuel Oppenheim.  No amount of biography will ever be a sufficient substitute for meeting him or talking to him on the phone, so we recommend you try one of those also.  We know him to be a man who has good scriptural knowledge and wisdom in dealing with people.  We also know him to be a humble man who doesn’t take himself too seriously.  Even some of his jokes are funny

Shmuel Oppenheim was born in El Paso,(Ysleta) Texas and grew up on the Fort Quitman Land and Cattle Company Ranch in Hudspeth County.   At age 15, he came to a faith that Yeshua is the Jewish Messiah.  Upon graduating from high school he attended L.P.C. in Los Angeles, California, where he obtained a Bachelor’s of Theology degree.  Shmuel traveled to Yisrael in 1972 and there rediscovered the connection between Yeshua and the culture which had surrounded the G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’akov  for millennia.  His life and call were transformed and he has been involved in the Messianic Jewish movement ever since.

Shmuel was the founder of Kehilat Ben David in El Paso where he led the congregation for 12 years.  For a period spanning six decades he has spoken and traveled in more than 25 countries.  Shmuel served several congregations as an interim Rabbi.  He was the Spiritual Leader of Kehilat Mashiach for four and a half years before accepting the invitation to be permanent Spiritual Leader at Lev HaShem in Las Vegas, Nevada in August of 2004.  He has served on the Executive Boards of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC) as well as the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA).    

Rabbi Shmuel is available by appointment throughout the week.  Please call the office at    702-869-8983 or see Paula Feinbaum to schedule a meeting.