Tantur Administrative Staff
Fr. Timothy S. Lowe, Rector
The Very Rev. Fr. Timothy S. Lowe was ordained a priest of the Orthodox Church in America in 1983. A graduate of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Fr. Timothy has served as adjunct Professor at Holy Apostles Catholic Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut, where he taught Old Testament and is co-founder and Director of the Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies. He also taught English at the Friends School in Ramallah, an American Quaker school serving local Palestinian youth. In addition to his work in various parishes, he has studied at the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem and has lectured on modern Middle Eastern affairs through such diverse groups as Holy Apostles Seminary and the Jewish Center for Jewish-Christian Dialogue.Fr. Timothy also worked at Yale University researching and translating Holocaust survivor testimonies from Hebrew to English for the Fortunoff Library. Fr. Timothy is fluent in both Hebrew and Arabic. He is joined at Tantur by his wife Lisa. They have six children and (soon to be) seven grandchildren.cc
Issa Da'boub, Director of Finance & Business Manager
idaboub@tantur.org or Idaboub54@hotmail.com
Issa has been at Tantur for over 35 years. He has worked with all the Rectors who have passed through Tantur's doors. Issa is a Christian from Bethlehem and is a qualified Accountant/Auditor and has an AIA accreditation in Insurance. He has also lectured in Accounting for The Latin Seminary in Bethlehem while at Tantur so he comes here with a multitude of experience. Issa is responsible for running the finances and business operations of Tantur. He is married to Olivia another Bethlemite, and has two children and one grandson.
Keith Begg, Marketing & Public Relations
Keith is a Volunteer at Tantur who deals with the Marketing of Tantur, from editing/writing our two newsletters & social media, and maintaining our website to connecting our ever expanding Tantur community with one another. Keith hails from Ireland, worked in Insurance in a past life, completed an MA in International Relations in 2009 and subsequently moved to Jerusalem.
Dan Koski, Marketing & Administration
Originally from Minnesota, Dan joined Tantur Institute after several years of work in the tourism and nonprofit sectors of the West Bank. He is currently working as a both a Marketing and Administrative Officer, helping other staff members with various tasks and programs. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth, and also has a background in Law Enforcement. Dan is married to Sofia, a local Palestinian Christian, and enjoys being involved with the local Arab and Greek Orthodox Christian communities in Bethlehem district.
Tony Pohlen, Program Director
Tony first came to Tantur for a semester study abroad program in 1996, and he is now thrilled to be back as the director of programming. Tony holds a BA in theology and sociology from the University of Notre Dame and an MSc in violence, conflict, and development from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Most recently, Tony has been back at Notre Dame where he was an assistant director of a development studies program at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. He has also worked at a camp for those with developmental disabilities, served at a homeless shelter modeled after the Catholic Worker tradition, and spent four years teaching secondary school in Uganda as a lay volunteer with the Congregation of Holy Cross. Tony is originally from Minnesota. His wife, Esther, who is from the Netherlands, joins him at Tantur.
Esther van Stam, Guest Services Coordinator
As Guest Services Coordinator, Esther plans social events and is here to help guests with their questions regarding transportation, entertainment, logistics and anything else that will help them have the best possible experience at Tantur. Originally from The Netherlands, Esther moved to South Bend, IN in the U.S. in 2009 to join her husband, Tony Pohlen. There, she worked as a casework coordinator for refugees at the American Red Cross, taught several yoga classes, and got her qualifications for Thai Yoga Bodywork. She is excited to be part of the Tantur staff and enjoys meeting all the wonderful guests that come here.
Lisa Lowe, House Manager and Staff Supervisor
Lisa manages the “household” at Tantur, which includes booking rooms for guests, scheduling conferences and supervising our employees. A paralegal by education and experience, she previously worked for a law firm in Stamford, Connecticut before coming to Tantur.
Jacqueline Mazoyer, Head Librarian
Jacqueline arrived from France to Tantur back in September and is now Head Librarian for the Tantur Library. Jacqueline comes to Tantur with a multitude of experience having worked for many years at the Catholic Diocesan Library of Rennes in Brittany. Very involved in ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, she is delighted to be at Tantur making this amazing resource accessible on line in the very near future.
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The Tantur Family
