Naomi Adland
Shalom Hartman Institute
nadland@gmail.com
Originally from Durham, North Carolina, Naomi is currently a graduate student at
New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service in a dual MPA/MA program
in Jewish Professional Leadership. Prior to graduate school Naomi spent two years
working as the Assistant Director of Recruitment for the Pardes Institute of Jewish
Studies, where she was responsible for executing Pardes’ North American
recruitment activities. A proud alumna of Brandeis University and then AVODAH:
the Jewish Service Corps, Naomi is always happy to engage in conversations about
Judaism and social justice. In her free time, she can be found riding bikes,
volunteering with AJWS, and baking her way through the Smitten Kitchen.
Sara Adland
Slingshot
sara.adland@gmail.com
Karen Adler
Jewish Communal Fund
kadler@adlergroup.com
Karen R. Adler is an independent, management consultant working with high net
worth families and their foundations with a specific focus on management,
operations and philanthropic issues. She is also Senior Vice President of the Adler
Group, a multi-generational family business where her specific responsibilities focus
on advising younger family members. Prior to this Ms. Adler was the Chief Executive
Officer of Bromor Management LLC, the family office for the Andrea and Charles
Bronfman family.
Before joining Bromor, she was a strategic planning and marketing consultant
working with foundations, NGO’s and private businesses. From 1993 through 1997,
Ms. Adler was the Regional Administrator for the General Services Administration,
and in that capacity she was responsible for the development, construction, leasing
operating, and management of the US federal government’s real estate.
Karen Adler and the Adler-Greenwald Family philanthropic efforts focus on three
primary areas: Israel and the American Jewish community, American democratic
principles and expanding citizen participation and empowering women and girls to
fully participate in all aspects of society. In addition to her involvement with JCF, Ms.
Adler serves on the boards of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York,
the Roosevelt Institute, and Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.
Suzanne Aisenberg
Matan
suzanne.aisenberg@verizon.net
Suzanne Gaba Aisenberg, an independent consultant, advises nonprofit
organizations and foundations on a range of organizational issues. Prior to
launching her consulting practice in 2003, Ms. Aisenberg was a program officer with
The Atlantic Philanthropies where she was responsible for grantmaking in the areas
of nonprofit sector infrastructure, civic engagement programs and support for
philanthropy and volunteering.
Ms. Aisenberg joined the board of Matan in 2013. She also serves as a member of
the New York State Commission on National and Community Service, a position she
has held since 2007. In additional to professional and board activities, Ms.
Aisenberg provides her expertise as a reviewer for numerous grant competitions,
most recently for the Social Innovation Fund, the Global Social Venture Competition,
the Echoing Green Foundation and The Purpose Prize.
Ms. Aisenberg received a B.A. from Barnard College in economics and art history,
and an M.F.A. in Arts Administration from Columbia University.
Jare Akchin
Mishkan Chicago
jare@mishkanchicago.org
Jaré Akchin is Executive Director of Mishkan, a spiritual community in Chicago
focused on meeting the needs of a new generation of Jews intellectually, spiritually
and socially. Prior to joining Mishkan, Jaré served as the Director of Annual Giving at
JCC Chicago. Before building her career in Chicago, Jaré was based in San Francisco
and served as the founding Director of the Jewish Service Learning Project, a
community-wide initiative focused on engaging teens and young adults in service
and social justice. She has also served as Regional Director for BBYO in Northern
California and Teen Director at the JCC San Francisco. As a volunteer leader, Jaré
serves on the board of the One Percent Foundation, an organization dedicated to
engaging young people in philanthropy. Jaré holds a BS in Environmental Science
and Public Policy from the University of Maryland and a Masters in Public
Administration with a focus in Nonprofit Management from San Francisco State
University.
Samantha Anderson
Jewish Funders Network
samantha@jfunders.org
Samantha is the Director of Member Services at the Jewish Funders Network where
she engages with the network, creating opportunities to cultivate
interconnectedness and strengthen the network's impact on the Jewish
philanthropic community. She comes to JFN with a deep background in the field of
philanthropy and social innovation. Previously, as Managing Director of Arabella
Advisors, the philanthropic advisory firm, she led the New York office and managed
a range of engagements for the firm's institutional foundation and family clients.
Before that, at the Skoll World Forum at Oxford University, she curated the thematic
content for the largest global convening of social entrepreneurs and philanthropists
that had ever been assembled. Prior to that effort, she directed the Yale School of
Management/Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures, a $6
million venture fund that capitalized social entrepreneurs with start-up funds and
educated nonprofits about building sustainable organizations.
Samantha is certified by 21/64, a division of The Andrea and Charles Bronfman
Philanthropies in New York, as a philanthropic consultant to multi-generational
families, and is a member of the 13th National Cohort of the Selah Leadership
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Victoria Anesh
Platforma Summit
victoria.anesh@gmail.com
Victoria Anesh is a program developer, social entrepreneur, and connector. Victoria
graduated with a BS in International Trade and Marketing from FIT and with a MBA
from Pace University. Her communal career started in 2002 when she joined
COJECO to serve as the Director of Development. She was among the few first staff to
jumpstart COJECO’s success and oversaw the microgrant program Center Without
Walls. In 2009 Victoria co-founded the Blue Print Fellowship, a selective yearlong
program for RSJ artists and community entreprenuers, which has been replicated
across the country. Victoria later worked as a Grant Manager at the Genesis
Philanthropy Group and left to become a mom to her son Max. She now works as a
consultant and connector within the Russian speaking Jewish community.
Angie Atkins
The Wexner Foundation
aatkins@wexner.net
Angie has worked as the Director of Heritage Alumni at the Wexner Foundation
since 2011. Previously, Angie founded, ran, and then sold a jewelry business, which
manufactured in Israel and wholesaled around the world for 22 years. In her
current position, Angie draws on her marketing expertise from her business days to
build up platforms, opportunities, and desire for 1,800 Jewish lay leaders across
North America to cross-pollinate (both online and in person), to continue their high
level Jewish and leadership learning, and to invigorate their dedication to the Jewish
world. Angie is in touch with top lay leaders in 33 communities to listen and advise
on challenges facing their start ups and institutions. In her personal life Angie serves
on the Board of Romemu, loves to learn at Yeshivat Hadar, and holds many an open
tisch, class, seudah, minyan in her home.
Joshua Avedon
Jumpstart
joshua@jumpstartlabs.org
Joshua Avedon is Co-founder and serves as COO/CFO of Jumpstart, a research &
design laboratory that equips visionary leaders and philanthropic supporters of
Jewish and interreligious causes with the knowledge, relationships, and hands-on
assistance they need to achieve measurable impact, build stronger communities,
and transform the world. A start-up veteran, Joshua has spent the last several years
writing about, teaching, and championing innovation and social entrepreneurship
around the globe. He is also one of the founders of IKAR, one of the world’s most
influential Jewish emergent communities. Joshua is a CLI-certified facilitator, a
21/64 certified philanthropic consultant, and a member of the Selah Leadership
Network, and is a member of the inaugural cohort of American Jewish World
Service’s Global Justice Fellowship. Joshua lives with his wife Stephanie and their
three children, Elias, Navi, and Sarit in the house where he grew up in Venice,
California.
Melissa Balaban
IKAR
melissa@ikar-la.org
Melissa Balaban is the Executive Director and Founding president of IKAR, a Jewish
community that stands at the intersection of spirituality and social justice. Prior to
joining IKAR, Melissa was Assistant Dean at the University of Southern California
Law School. She was Directing Attorney of Public Counsel’s Child Care Law Project,
a senior consultant for a national human resources consulting firm, and an adjunct
professor at Loyola Marymount MBA program. Melissa is a graduate of UC Berkeley
and the University of Southern California Law School. Melissa is married to Adam
Wergeles, a lawyer, and has two daughters with whom she took a family “sabbatical”
in 2007 that included six and a half months of travel and volunteering in Africa,
Southeast Asia and Israel.
Sara Bamberger
Kevah
sbamberger@kevah.org
Sara is the founder and director of Kevah. Previously, Sara was the founder and
director of the Religion, Politics and Globalization Program at UC Berkeley, the
founding director of The Curriculum Initiative, an organization that supports Jewish
students in private schools around the country, and a founding staff member of
Gann Academy, a pluralistic Jewish high school in the Boston area.
Sarah Bassin
NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change
sarahbassin@gmail.com
Rabbi Sarah Bassin serves as the Executive Director of NewGround: A MuslimJewish Partnership for Change, an organization that equips Jews and Muslims in
America with the skills and relationships needed to strengthen cooperation on
issues of shared concern. In 2013, under Rabbi Bassin’s leadership, NewGround’s
high school leadership program was named California’s 2013 Faith-Based
Organization of the Year by Governor Jerry Brown. Prior to joining NewGround,
Rabbi Bassin served as the program manager at the Center for Muslim-Jewish
Engagement at the University of Southern California and as a program professional
at Princeton University’s Center for Jewish Life. Rabbi Bassin is a proud Joshua
Venture fellow who also serves as the coordinator of Hebrew Union College’s
mentorship program, an advisory board member of the Southern California Council
for the Parliament of World Religions, and on the steering committee of LimmudLA,
a pluralistic Jewish learning community.
Laura Baum
OurJewishCommunity.org
rabbi@ourjewishcommunity.org
Recognized as one of American’s top 50 female rabbis by the Forward and
constantly making national news, Laura Baum is a significant figure in
contemporary Jewish life. As one of the founders and rabbis of
OurJewishCommunity.org, she reaches hundreds of thousands of Jews around the
world and values a constantly evolving Jewish voice. Baum’s expertise in social
media and her commitment to modern Jewish thought have enabled her to
transform the lives of Jews around the world. Educated at Yale, trained at Hebrew
Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and with an MBA from Xavier University,
Laura is constantly on the move teaching, writing, speaking, tweeting (from
@rabbi), leading services, innovating, and building community.
Wren Beaulieu-Hack
Congregation Shir Tikvah/Metro Detroit Youth Prof. Council
Wren@shirtikvah.org
I have been the Director of Lifelong Learning for a Renewal/Reform congregation in
metro Detroit for the past 5 years. I am also the Chair for our Youth Professional
Council within the community. Within both my positions my focus is to create
connections to innovation and anything that will strengthen our Jewish community.
Rebecca Berger
The Samuel Bronfman Foundation
rberger@thesbf.org
Rebecca is the Program Associate at The Samuel Bronfman Foundation where she is
responsible for managing select grantee portfolios. She also works closely with the
Associate Director and Executive Director on special projects and programs.
Rebecca values community and is committed to empowering communal leaders to
succeed. She received her BA in Urban Studies at Queens College.
Joelle Berman
NEXT: A Division of Birthright Israel Foundation
joelle.berman@birthrightisraelnext.org
As the Director of Communications at NEXT: A Division of Birthright Israel
Foundation, Joelle’s charge is two-fold: communicating all the ways that Birthright
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Susan Berrin
Sh'ma
sberrin@shma.com
Susan Berrin is the editor of Sh'ma: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, a monthly
conversation engaging in matters critical to contemporary Judaism. She is also the
editor of two anthologies, A Heart of Wisdom: Making the Jewish Journey from
Midlife through the Elder Years, and Celebrating the New Moon: A Rosh Chodesh
Anthology.
Howard Blas
National Ramah Commission
howardb@campramahne.org
Howard Blas has served for 13 years as the director of the Tikvah Program at Camp
Ramah in New England. The overnight camp program provides camping and
vocational experiences for adolescents and young adults with special needs. He is
also a consultant on special needs camping programs for the National Ramah
Commission. Howard also serves as a teacher of Jewish Studies and bar/bat
mitzvah to students with a range of special needs and “special circumstances.” He
holds masters degrees in both social work (Columbia University) and special
education (Bank Street College of Education).
Howard writes regularly for many Jewish publications, including the Connecticut
Jewish Ledger and the Times of Israel and Babaganewz (all published work
available at howardblas.com). Howard was selected to be part of the first cohort of
Jim Joseph Foundation Fellows, through the Lookstein Center at Bar Ilan University,
a program to teach educators and Jewish community professionals to develop online
communities of practice. He has developed a community of practice for Ramah
Special Needs Program Directors and “Shabbos Is Calling,” a weekly video chat for
campers and staff. Howard received the S’fatai Tiftakh Award in April 2012 from
Boston Hebrew College’s Center for Jewish Special Education and was a 2013
Covenant Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewish Education.
Steve Bocknek
AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps
sbocknek@avodah.net
Steve Bocknek is AVODAH’s Director of Development & Communications. After
seven years of practicing corporate law focused on intellectual property and
litigation, Steve moved to the non-profit sector to engage full-time in his passion for
Jewish social justice. Prior to joining AVODAH in 2011, Steve helped co-found
Detroit Nation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the flow of funds, ideas, and
expertise between native Detroiters in and outside of the city. Steve co-chairs the
New Israel Fund's New Generations Steering Committee.
Daniel Bonner
Paul E. Singer Foundation
dbonner@thepesfoundation.org
Program Manager, the Paul E. Singer Foundation focusing on the Jewish and Israel
portfolio. Former student leader at Columbia, where I served as Student Governing
Board Vice Chair and Hillel President.
Carrie Bornstein
Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh and Education Center
carrieb@mayyimhayyim.org
Carrie Bornstein is Mayyim Hayyim's Executive Director. She started as a volunteer
Mikveh Guide in 2006 and has since served as Mikveh Center Director, Assistant
Director, and Acting Executive Director. Carrie now leads Mayyim Hayyim to
transition from a robust start-up to a sustainable grown-up, overseeing staffing,
board development, fund raising, national consultation, and communications. In
2013 Combined Jewish Philanthropies named Carrie one of the 18 most influential
young adults in Boston.
A cum laude graduate of Skidmore College, Carrie received her MSW from Boston
University with a focus on Macro Practice, including non-profit management,
planning and program development, and community organizing. A graduate of the
first cohort of DeLeT (Day School Leadership through Teaching) at Brandeis
University, Carrie also studied at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.
Carrie lives in Sharon, MA with her husband, Jamie, and their three young children.
Mitch Braff
Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation
katie@jewishpartisans.org
Mitch Braff
Biography
Mitch Braff is the Executive Director of the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation.
Despite a lifetime of study and Jewish education, Braff first learned about the Jewish
partisans in 2000. Braff learned that an old family friend was actually a former
Jewish partisan, someone who took up arms against the Nazis during World War II.
Empowered by this revelation, Braff found that current Holocaust history made
little mention of the Jewish partisans and educational material on the subject was
practically non-existent. By founding the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation
(JPEF), Braff hoped to create a context in which 7th-12th graders could learn about
the partisans, and young Jews could become empowered, as he was, about this
unknown group.
A filmmaker by trade, Braff set out to form JPEF with the goal of instilling a new
sense of Jewish pride by educating young Jews about the unsung heroes of the
Holocaust. Prior to starting JPEF, Braff produced film and new media projects for
some of the most successful companies in the world including Wells Fargo, Sony,
Yahoo!, and AT&T. The production expertise that Braff brings to JPEF translates to
some of the highest quality video and new media material ever produced for
educational material. In 2002 Braff was awarded a Joshua Venture Fellowship,
being chosen as one of eight “Jewish social entrepreneurs” to receive financial and
organizational assistance (from a pool of 150 candidates).
Braff studied film at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he produced
and directed the documentary Jazz in the Classroom, featuring Wynton Marsalis.
Braff continued to produce films for PBS and theater audiences around the world,
gathering over 26 awards for his work.
In 1992, Braff pioneered a national voter registration campaign that registered over
500,000 new voters. With the endorsement of both the Democratic and Republican
parties, and with the assistance of the Washington Post, Braff’s campaign focused on
increasing voter registration by placing voter registration forms and materials in
thousands of video stores across the country. He then produced a series of Public
Service Announcements, featuring actors Martin Sheen and Morgan Fairchild,
encouraging people to register. The Public Service Announcements were aired
nationally, and inserted prior to the feature presentation on videocassettes.
Braff is a native of San Francisco, where he lives to this day.
About the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation
The Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation (JPEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization based in San Francisco. JPEF is committed to empowering Jewish youth
of today to stand up and embrace their Jewish identity by presenting the
experiences of Jewish teenagers from another era who made a difference in
challenging times. Teaching young Jews about the Jewish partisans has the power to
transform not only their perception of the Jewish experience during the Holocaust,
but also of their own Jewish identity.
JPEF is developing and distributing effective educational materials – free-of-charge –
about the Jewish partisans, bringing their stories of heroic resistance against
tyranny into Jewish educational and cultural organizations. The JPEF curriculum
consists of three major components: Multimedia Study Guides, Video Interviews,
and Web Site Interactivity. Larry King and Ed Asner narrate short films that
complement JPEF’s printed materials. Innovative Web-based features such as “Ask a
Partisan” where people can get their individual questions answered online by a
panel of six partisans truly makes JPEF offerings unique to education.
For years, JPEF has been researching and documenting the Jewish partisans while
developing educational materials that will endure through time. Along the way,
JPEF has been helped by organizations as the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Facing History and Ourselves, Hillel, and the
B’nai B’rith Youth Organization who have all assisted in the distribution of their
work. With the help of these organizations and others, JPEF has reached tens of
thousands of young people from coast to coast. JPEF is ramping up production of its
curricular material and beginning to aggressively distributing its content—free of
charge—to Jewish and secular schools and organizations. In states such as California
where it is mandated to teach the Holocaust, JPEF is making significant progress to
have its materials as part of official state curriculums.
JPEF is the only organization whose sole focus is to develop educational material on
Jewish partisans. For more information, please go to www.jewishpartisans.org.
Hyim Brandes
Online Jewish Academy
hbrandes@onlinejewishacademy.org
Hyim Brandes is a Jewish Educator and Social Entrepreneur. He is the founder and
former CEO of JewishGeography.net, and the Co-founder and current Executive
Director of the Online Jewish Academy (OJA). OJA is partners with Jewish schools to
provide personalized learning opportunities for students using a blended model.
Phil Brodsky
The David Project
pb@davidproject.org
Phillip Brodsky joined The David Project in June 2010 after graduating from the
Hornstein Heller Graduate Program at Brandeis University. As the Campus Director,
Phillip works with the campus coordinators to reach out to student leaders to help
them engage their peers with Israel in new and exciting ways. He believes that every
student has the potential to make a difference for Israel and seeks to develop
programs that will help students gain the leadership skills to be successful now and
in the future.
Before earning his MBA and Master’s in Jewish Professional Leadership at Brandeis,
Phillip was the director of Jewish programming for Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. With
AEPi, Phillip taught student leaders how to organize successful philanthropic
programs, bring Jewish enrichment programming into their chapters and talk about
Israel within the fraternity and sorority community. His pro-Israel work while with
AEPi was recognized by the Israel on Campus Coalition, AIPAC and the North
American Interfraternity Conference. Phillip grew up in North Carolina and
graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives in Brookline
with his wife, Kali.
Jodi Bromberg
InterfaithFamily
Jodib@interfaithfamily.com
Jodi Bromberg is the president of InterfaithFamily, the premier resource supporting
interfaith couples exploring Jewish life and inclusive Jewish communities. We offer
educational content; connections to welcoming organizations, professionals and
programs; resources and trainings for organizations, clergy and other program
providers; and our InterfaithFamily/Your Community initiative providing
coordinated comprehensive offerings in local communities, including Boston,
Chicago, Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Susan Bronson
Yiddish Book Center
sbronson@bikher.org
Susan Bronson serves as Executive Director of the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst,
MA. She holds a Ph.D. in Russian History and Jewish History from the University of
Michigan and has worked in non-profit culture and higher education for more than
twenty years. Susan served as Program Director at the Social Science Research
Council in New York; Director of Planning and Development for Shakespeare &
Company in Lenox, MA; and Interim Director of the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield,
MA. She has consulted to museums, theater companies and foundations including
the U.S. Memorial Holocaust Memorial, the Carnegie Corporation, the Kennan
Institute, the Berkshire Theater Festival, and the Stamford Museum & Nature
Center. A native of New York City, Susan now resides in the Berkshire hills of
western Massachusetts with her husband and twin daughters
Shifra Bronznick
Advancing Women Professionals and the Jewish Community
bronznick@betterorg.com
Shifra Bronznick collaborates with social change organizations on deepening their
impact. Leadership consultant to the White House Project for a decade, Shifra has
provided strategic counsel to dozens of organizations including National Council for
Research on Women, Catalyst, Auburn, Keshet, Hebrew Union College –JIR, Public
Education Network, the Revson Foundation and American Jewish World Service.
Her groundbreaking action research for the Nathan Cummings Foundation fostered
powerful collaborations in the Jewish social justice field. Founder and President of
Advancing Women Professionals and the Jewish Community, she is co-author with
Didi Goldenhar and Marty Linsky of “Leveling the Playing Field.” She has been
selected three times by the Forward newspaper as one of the fifty most influential
Jews. A senior fellow at NYU’s Research Center for Leadership in Action she teaches
strategic leadership in the Executive Masters in Public Administration program.
Previously, Shifra was Executive Vice President of a major commercial real estate
firm in New York.
Dan Brown
eJewish Philanthropy
ejewishphilanthropy@gmail.com
Founder of the web-based publication eJewishPhilanthropy.com, Dan Brown is an
experienced marketing professional in both the public and private sectors. He has
long been active in the Jewish communal world, in Israel and the US. He is a past
Board Chair of the American Friends of the WUJS Institute, a mentor for the
PresenTense Global Fellowship Program and a member of the international steering
committee of Limmud FSU.
Dan holds graduate certificates in Nonprofit Program Administration and in
Fundraising from the University of Pennsylvania.
Nina Bruder
New Teacher Center
nbruder@gmail.com
Nina Bruder is the Director of the Jewish New Teacher Project, the Jewish day school
division of the New Teacher Center, a national non-profit educational organization
that accelerates the effectiveness of new teachers and school leaders through
mentoring. Nina served for almost a decade as the Executive Director of Bikkurim:
An Incubator for New Jewish Ideas and before that at the Drisha Institute for Jewish
Education. She is a co-author of the Bikkurim–Wellspring Consulting publication,
From First Fruits to Abundant Harvest: Maximizing the Potential of Innovative
Jewish Starts-Ups. Nina is also a periodic guest lecturer at the NYU Wagner School of
Public Service.
Lisa Capelouto
Self
lisa@bernsteinsny.com
Lisa Capelouto is a strategic consultant to foundations and Jewish organizations.
Originally from South Africa, she spent 20 years working in London for the UJIA and
as an independent consultant to the Pears Foundation and JW3. Lisa moved to NY in
2012 and resides in Westchester with her husband and children. She is currently
working as a consultant to the Natan Fund, JTA/My Jewish Learning and the UJA
Federation of New York.
Edmund Case
InterfaithFamily
edc@interfaithfamily.com
Edmund Case is the founder and CEO of InterfaithFamily. He practiced law for 22
years, served as president of his synagogue, graduated from the Hornstein Program
at Brandeis University, and co-edited The Guide to Jewish Interfaith Family Life: An
InterfaithFamily.com Handbook (Jewish Lights). His proudest professional
accomplishment is the InterfaithFamily/Your Community initiative, a growing
national network of comprehensive services and programs for interfaith families in
local communities, with staff now operating in Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia
and Boston.
David Chapman
Nathan Cummings Foundation
david.chapman@nathancummings.org
Rachel Chasky
Rachel N Chasky
Rachel.chasky@gmail.com
Rachel is a philanthropic consultant. She has experience in all aspects of fundraising
and has recently advised the Smithsonian Institution, American Red Cross, United
Hebrew of New Rochelle, Omnicom, the Elie Wiesel Foundation, Harry Winston, and
the National 4-H Council. Rachel recently authored Different Faiths, Common
Challenge: Maintaining the Affordability of a Faith-Based Education, highlighting
how Catholic and Jewish communal leaders are approaching religious school
affordability.
Rachel became a consultant after completing NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate
School of Public Service and The Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies
dual masters degree with an MPA in Finance and an MA in History. In 2010, she was
listed in the Jewish Weeks 36 under 36.
Prior to graduate school, Rachel worked on Wall Street for five years. She began her
career as a risk analyst at Goldman Sachs. She was later invited to join Citi Private
Bank.
Jay Chernikoff
Jewish Funders Network
jay.chernikoff@gmail.com
Jay Chernikoff is a real estate investor and entrepreneur living in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Originally from Cleveland, he has also lived and worked in New York and Los
Angeles. Jay has been an active member of the local and national Jewish community.
He is a member of the Jewish Funders Network Board of Directors and one of the
founders of Young Jewish Funders of Arizona, a locally focused giving circle. The
circle is focused on funding projects that build Jewish engagement in Phoenix
among the next generation.
Jay previously served as the then youngest member of the board of the Phoenix
Jewish Federation (now the Jewish Community Association) and was also a member
and active participant on the Young Leadership board. He also chaired a community
connections task force and has been part of several committees with UJA Federation
of New York.
Karyn Cohen
Jacobson Family Foundation
kcohen@jacobsonfamilyfoundation.org
Karyn leads the Jacobson Family Foundation’s work in Jewish Continuity, Israel and
special projects in the US in the non-Jewish related issues areas. She’s responsible
for identifying great organizations and leaders, developing grants and providing
strategic and tactical support to help organizations increase their impact in
significant and sustainable ways.
Prior to joining JFF, Karyn was Associate Vice President of Strategy Implementation
at Combined Jewish Philanthropies, where she managed strategy and grant making
for engaging key populations in Jewish life, and led measurement efforts and other
strategic projects. She started her career working for the New England Holocaust
Memorial and in the direct marketing industry. After business school, she spent nine
years as a management consultant in Chicago and Boston with Capgemini focused
on growth and customer strategy.
Karyn received a BA in Art History from The George Washington University and an
MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She lives in Lexington with
her husband, son and daughter.
James Cohen
KESHET
james@keshetonline.org
James Cohen serves as the Director of Development at Keshet. Prior to joining
Keshet, James served as the Donor Relationship Manager at the Greater Miami
Jewish Federation.
Allie Conn
Jewish Theological Seminary
abconn@gmail.com
Allie Conn recently finished her second year as a dual-masters student at the Jewish
Theological Seminary, where she is studying Jewish Experiential Education and
Midrash. Allie is originally from Lower Merion, PA and holds a BA in Public
Relations from Penn State University. Previously, she worked as a Berman Fellow at
the University of Michigan Hillel.
Gali Cooks
Keshet
gali.cooks@gmail.com
Gali Cooks believes people are the most important element of every enterprise. Her
career spans work at organizations of all sizes in the three sectors of society. From
speechwriting at the Embassy of Israel, to founding the PJ Library, to leading a
family foundation, to being VP of Operations at a tech startup, she has learned
lessons about how to build successful, happy organizations. A resident of Brooklyn,
NY, where she lives with her wife, Gali serves on the Board of Keshet, and holds a
B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.B.A. from the NYU Stern
School of Business.
Beth Cooper Benjamin
Ma'yan
beth@mayan.org
Beth Cooper Benjamin, Ed.D., is the Director of Research at Ma’yan, a program of the
JCC in Manhattan that provides feminist, social justice, and leadership training to
teen girls and teaches vital skills to parents and educators. In addition to her
research, which uses lenses of gender and privilege to examine the lives and
concerns of Jewish youth, she directs Ma’yan’s Research Training Internship, a
leadership program for Jewish girls in NYC-area high schools. Beth received her
doctorate in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate
School of Education in June 2006. She is also a graduate of the Selah social justice
leadership program.
Emilia Diamant
Prozdor of Hebrew College
ediamant@hebrewcollege.edu
Emilia Diamant, MSW, works with teens around the Boston area on social justice
leadership and cross cultural programming. In her spare time she also works with
Mayyim Hayyim and JOIN for Justice.
Susan Dickman
JCF
sue@jcfny.org
Susan Dickman is the Executive Vice President of Jewish Communal Fund, the
largest and most active Jewish donor advised fund in the nation. JCF manages
charitable giving for over 3,000 funds with total assets of $1.2 billion, making our
donors' philanthropy simple and more organized. Last year JCF donors granted
$272 million to thousands of charities, including 608 grants totaling $4 million to
many organizations that appear in the Slingshot Guide. JCF provides resources to
educate Jewish funders including The Jewish Philanthropy Roadmap and the new
Funding Jewish Innovation Resource Guide.
Rebecca Dinar
The Tribe
dinarfamilly@yahoo.com
Lauren Dorn-Jones
The David Project
ldj@davidproject.org
Lauren Dorn-Jones joined The David Project in 2012 as Director of Institutional
Advancement. Lauren is responsible for the development program and overseeing
all of the marketing of the organization.
Lauren joins our team with over 15 years of fundraising in the Boston Community.
Prior to coming to The David Project, Lauren served as the Director of
Organizational Advancement at Jewish Family & Children’s Service. In addition,
Lauren has extensive experience working in healthcare fundraising throughout
Boston. Lauren received her BA in Broadcasting and Film from Boston University
and her MED from Lesley University. Lauren lives in Bedford, MA with her husband
Mike and son Charlie.
Marjorie Dove Kent
Jews for Racial & Economic Justice
marjorie@jfrej.org
Marjorie Dove Kent is the Executive Director of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
(JFREJ), the NYC-based organization mobilizing the local Jewish community to take
action on today's most crucial issues of racial and economic injustice. Through
educational fora, workshops, grassroots political campaigns, and cultural
celebrations, JFREJ is committed to revitalizing a Jewish ethic of social justice,
cooperation and mutual struggle for human dignity. Marjorie comes to JFREJ with
nine years of experience in issue-based, identity-based, and neighborhood-based
organizing, from inside and outside the Jewish community. She is a graduate of the
Hebrew College Me’ah Program in Jewish Learning, the Jewish Organizing Initiative
Fellowship, the Jewish Social Justice Workers learning circle, and the Community
Arts Training Fellowship.
adina dubin barkinskiy
The Morningstar Foundation
adubin@mstarfnd.org
Adina Dubin Barkinskiy is the Director of Programs at The Morningstar Foundation,
a private family foundation primarily dedicated to strengthening the Jewish
community in the Greater Washington, D.C. area, throughout the United States, and
in Israel. Additional areas of focus for The Morningstar Foundation include
enhancing educational opportunities for disadvantaged young people, protecting
the environment, promoting the development of civil society in Israel, and
safeguarding individual rights. In addition to managing the foundation’s
grantmaking programs, Adina represents The Morningstar Foundation on several
committees, including the JFNA Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and
Shared Society and The Washington AIDS Partnership.
Dan Eckstein
Slingshot
dmeckstein@gmail.com
Dan Eckstein has been a member of SlingShot's giving circles. He currently lives in
New York City with his wife Carrie and son Noah and works at Hewlett Packard in
their services group. He is passionate about Jewish peoplehood, innovative
grassroots organizations, and micro-giving.
Steve Eisenbach-Budner
Tivnu: Building Justice
steve@tivnu.org
Steve Eisenbach-Budner is the Founder and Executive Director of Tivnu: Building
Justice. Steve won a Joshua Venture Group Fellowship in 2012 that enabled him to
channel his three decades of experience as an activist, carpenter, construction
trainer and informal Jewish educator into the building of Tivnu. With a focus on
youth, Tivnu: Building Justice engages and mobilizes Jewish communities on issues
of shelter and related basic human needs through hands-on construction projects,
education, and advocacy.
Jacob Feinspan
Jews United for Justice
jacob@jufj.org
Jacob Feinspan is the Executive Director of Jews United for Justice, a community
organizing group in the nation’s capital. Before joining JUFJ, Jacob founded the
advocacy program at American Jewish World Service and coordinated anti-poverty
advocacy and grant-making at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. He is
a leadership team member of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable and the past chair
of the Jubilee USA Network. He lives with his wife Suzanne and sons Mikah and
Noam in Wheaton, MD.
Merav Fine
NYU Wagner
merav.fine@gmail.com
Merav Fine is a full-time student in the dual degree Wagner/Skirball program,
seeking a Master of Public Administration with a Management Specialization (PNP)
along with a Master of Arts in Hebrew and Judaic Studies. She is graduating from
NYU Wagner in May, 2014, and from NYU Skirball in January 2015. She currently
holds the position of Vice President of Public Affairs in the Wagner Student
Association. Prior to Wagner, Merav worked in student programming and
organizing at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Beth Finger
Jewish Without Walls (JWOW)
JewishWithoutWalls@gmail.com
Beth is the founder of Jewish Without Walls. She most recently worked at The
Jewish Education Project. Prior to that, Beth worked at Jewish Community Centers
and Hillels. She is a Wexner Fellow and holds a Masters degree in Judaic Studies
from the Jewish Theological Seminary and a Masters in Social Work from Columbia
University. Beth volunteers with the Schechter School of Long Island and UJAFederation.
Julie Finkelstein
Slingshot
julie@slingshotfund.org
Julie Finkelstein is the Associate Director at Slingshot, where she supports and
develops next-generation funders, innovative Jewish organizations and their leaders
across North America. Julie earned her MBA from the George Washington University
as a Wexner Graduate Fellow. During school, Julie developed change management
strategies at Johnson & Johnson’s headquarters, traveled to and created marketing
strategies to advance a social change organization in Ghana, and consulted for Sixth
& I. Previously, Julie was the Assistant Director of Capital Camps, the Jewish
community camp of the Mid-Atlantic region, where she oversaw programming,
operations, staff recruitment and training. She continues to serve the camp
community as a consultant and trainer with the Foundation for Jewish Camp. Julie
got her professional start with Hillel: at Maryland Hillel, where she now sits on the
Board of Directors, and at Hillel’s international offices in DC. Julie earned a BA in
Anthropology from the University of Maryland, and now lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Jackie Fishman
Natan Fund
jackie@natan.org
Jackie Fishman is the Assistant Director of The Natan Fund. She is responsible for
overseeing Natan's grants process, researching new grants initiatives, managing
internal operations and HR procedures, working with Natan's current membership
and is part of the overall strategic visioning for the organization. Prior to Natan,
Jackie was a fellow at Insight: The Schusterman Fellowship for Jewish Community,
through which she worked at three top Jewish organizations: the Foundation for
Jewish Camp, Natan, and Hazon.
Ellen Flax
The Hadassah Foundation
eflax@hadassah.org
Rabbi Ellen Flax is the director of The Hadassah Foundation, which supports
programs serving Jewish girls and young women in the United States, and programs
that support the economic empowerment of women of all backgrounds in Israel. For
the past two years, she has served as a reviewer for the Slingshot Guide.
Danielle Foreman
Koret Foundation and Slingshot
dforeman@koret.org
Danielle Foreman manages the Koret Foundation's Jewish Community grant making
portfolio and K-12 Education Reform portfolio. She is also a board member of
Slingshot.
David Fox
Amir
dmfox@amirproject.org
Lisa Gerton
The Morningstar Foundation
lgerton@mstarfnd.org
Lisa is the Program Officer at The Morningstar Foundation, a private family
foundation with a primary mission to support Jewish community projects
throughout the Greater Washington, D.C. area; across the United States and in Israel
as well. She holds a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland
with a concentration in Management and Community Organization and a
specialization in Social Action and Community Development. She is a magna cum
laude graduate of Syracuse University where she received a B.A. while studying
Psychology, Child and Family Studies and Judaic Studies. Prior to joining The
Morningstar Foundation, Lisa served in a variety of philanthropically responsible
organizations working directly to impact the lives of at-risk populations; advocating
for their rights and best interests.
Lander Gold
Moishe House
lander@moishehouse.org
Lander Gold is the Senior Director of Organizational Advancement for Moishe
House. Based in Washington, DC, Lander works with Moishe House’s Board of
Directors, senior staff, and community members on raising awareness of the
organization, creating strong relationships between community members and local
Moishe Houses, and raising the support to sustain and grow the organization.
Previously, Lander was the Director of Strategic Advancement for the Alpha Epsilon
Pi Foundation and prior to that, he was the Friends & Alumni Network (FAN)
Associate for BBYO.
Lander earned his Bachelors Degree in Sociology from the University of Florida (UF)
and was a member of BBYO’s Professional Development Institute (PDI), where he
earned his MBA from Indiana University and a Certificate in Informal Jewish
Education from Hebrew College.
Lander lives in Washington, DC with his fiancé, Kari and is involved with Sixth & I
Synagogue, UF Hillel, AEPi, and the UF Alumni Association.
Phyllis Goldman
GandS Consultants
phyllis@gandsconsultants.com
Kathryn Gonnerman
Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford
kgonnerman@jcfhartford.org
As Communications Director, Kathryn Gonnerman supports the Jewish Community
Foundation of Greater Hartford's work to increase impactful giving in the region. We
work with donors, partner institutions including synagogues and agencies, on
endowment giving, innovative community problem-solving and smart grantmaking.
No'a Gorlin
ROI Community
noa@roicommunity.org
As Associate Executive Director of ROI Community, No’a is responsible for
supporting and developing ROI membership and enhancing its leadership
development on a personal, professional and strategic level. She is responsible for
all grant-making within the ROI Community, overseeing the efforts to help ROIers
gain organizational and financial footing.
No’a began her career as a marketing professional in the Israeli high-tech industry.
Searching for a way to add meaning to her life while impacting the Jewish world,
No’a transitioned into the nonprofit sector.
No’a served as Associate Director of Kolot, an organization that sets out to increase
Jewish identity among secular Israelis through Jewish text study. She then joined the
Chais Family Foundation, which was devoted to the advancement of educational
excellence in Israel and the deepening of Jewish identity. Before joining ROI, she
worked on developing partnerships at the Rashi Foundation.
No’a resides in Jerusalem with her husband and four children.
Russell Gottschalk
Atlanta Jewish Music Festival (AJMF)
russell@atlantajmf.org
An Emory alum (’07 BA Film and Music) and native of Atlanta, Russell Gottschalk is
the founder and director of AJMF (Atlanta Jewish Music Festival), the South's preeminent producer and promoter of Fresh Jewish Music experiences. Gottschalk
manages AJMF’s day to day operations including but not limited to building
community partnerships, soliciting artists and venue, seeking out development
opportunities, managing AJMF's human resources and engaging AJMF's fans on
myriad social networks.
Sherri Greenbach
Social Dividends
greenbachsl@yahoo.com
Sherri Greenbach launched Social Dividends with a strong belief that creating better
returns on philanthropic investments is the key to a better society. Non-profit
organizations yield higher returns when they invest in their capacity to fulfill their
mission. Using her experience of 25-plus years in the non-profit sector, Sherri
consults with organizations to help them create strategic development, marketing,
and organizational plans, as well as training their board of directors and coaching
their executive staff.
Bentzion Groner
Friendship Circle International
bgroner@friendshipcircle.com
Bentzion Groner is Executive Director of Friendship Circle International (FCI). As a
two-time childhood leukemia survivor Bentzion has a unique sensitivity to
individuals with special needs and medical fragilities. His commitment to
developing opportunities for children and teens going through difficult times is
what led him to Friendship Circle.
Bentzion graduated the Talmudic Seminary Oholei Torah in Brooklyn and was
ordained by Machon Ariel in Jerusalem.
Rebecca Guber
Asylum Arts
rebecca@asylum-arts.org
Rebecca Guber is currently the Director and Founder of Asylum Arts. She has
worked with artists for 15 years, and before Asylum Arts was the Founding Director
of the Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists. Over the past 10 years,
Rebecca has built a community of artists exploring Jewish ideas and identity
through fellowship commissions for new work, international retreats, and
professional development. Asylum Arts and the Six Points Fellowship, both under
her direction, have been the most significant direct supporters of emerging Jewish
artists in this generation. Artists supported through her efforts have produced
hundreds of readings, workshops and performances attended by over tens of
thousands of people and featured in hundreds of articles and blog posts, including
major mainstream and Jewish press, radio, and national TV. Rebecca has also
worked at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Museum of Jewish Heritage
and founded the Shpatzirin Festival.
Elaine Hall
The Miracle Project Judaica
coachelainehall@gmail.com
Shane Hankins
Reboot
shane@rebooters.net
Shane Hankins, Chief Operating Officer, has rich experience in nonprofit
management and fundraising. He most recently served as Executive Director of
Grassroots.org, a nonprofit providing web development and business consulting
services to over 2,300 other nonprofits around the globe. While there, Shane
completely restructured internal operations while increasing membership, budget,
and impact. He was also was a member of the founding management team for the
Economic and Community Development Institute, an organization dedicated to
building wealth and employment opportunities for refugees, immigrants, and lowincome individuals. This organization grew out of Jewish Family Services in
Columbus, Ohio. In his career he has managed dozens of staff and programs, and
has raised over $20 million.
Chad Hansen
Rita J. & Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation
chad.hansen@kaplanfoundation.org
David Harris
Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council
rimon@sabesjcc.org
David Jordan Harris is Executive Director of Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts
Council, which he has led since 2004. He is a musician, playwright, and composer,
whose work has been featured in every region of the United States as well as in
Canada, Spain, France, and Poland. Under David’s leadership Rimon has been
selected for the Slingshot guide each year since 2011.
Macy B. Hart
Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
hart@isjl.org
will email bio
Felicia Herman
The Natan Fund
felicia@natan.org
Felicia Herman has been the executive director of The Natan Fund, a giving circle of
young philanthropists supporting Jewish and Israeli social innovation, since 2005.
She is a frequent commentator on topics such as funding innovation, new trends in
Jewish life, and the power of the giving circle model for engaging people in Jewish
philanthropy. Felicia serves on the boards of Bikkurim: An Incubator for New
Jewish Ideas, The Sefaria Project, and on the advisory boards for several of Natan's
partners and grantee organizations. She is a recipient of the Jewish Funders
Network's JJ Greenberg Memorial Award, and she holds a Ph.D. in Jewish History
from Brandeis University. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and three
children.
Lizzi Heydemann
Mishkan Chicago
rabbi@mishkanchicago.org
Lizzi grew up on the South side of Chicago and graduated with honors from Stanford
University in 2004. She attended the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los
Angeles and simultaneously began attending and working at IKAR, a dynamic
spiritual community (also a Slingshot standard bearer). Being able to tolerate the
distance from her home town no longer, at age 30 Lizzi packed up everything she'd
learned in LA, Jerusalem, San Francisco and Burning Man, and returned to Chicago
in 2011 to found Mishkan- a spiritual community in Chicago whose mission is to
engage, educate, connect and inspire people through dynamic experiences of prayer,
learning, and community building. She's thrilled to be here.
Deborah Hochberg
The Paul E. Singer Foundation
dlhochberg@gmail.com
Warren Hoffman
Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
whoffman@jfgp.org
Warren currently serves as the Associate Director of Community Programming for
the Center of Jewish Life and Learning at Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.
Prior to that he spent over five years as the Senior Director of Programming for the
Gershman Y in Philadelphia where the Jewish Exponent named him the "next wave"
of arts and culture in the city. Warren holds a Ph.D. in American Literature from the
University of California-Santa Cruz and is the author of two books: The Passing
Game: Queering Jewish American Culture (2009) and most recently The Great White
Way: Race and the Broadway Musical (2014)."
Jonathan Horowitz
J.P.Morgan, Private Foundation Services
jonathan.g.horowitz@jpmorgan.com
Jonathan Horowitz serves as a vice president in the private foundation services
group at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Jonathan manages the grantmaking programs for
foundations working across a diverse range of funding areas, including arts and
culture, combating poverty, education and capacity building for the nonprofit sector.
Before coming to J.P. Morgan, he worked as a Program Manager for the Jewish
Funders Network. He serves on the board of Joshua Venture Group and Hillel at
Brandeis University and on the executive committee for NYC Workforce Funders.
Jonathan graduated from Brandeis University with a B.A. in Politics and English and
completed his M.P.A at New York University.
Rachel Ishofsky
Innovation: Africa
rachel@innoafrica.org
Rachel is the Managing Director of Innovation: Africa, which brings Israeli
innovation to African villages. While studying art and literature at New York
University, Rachel took some time to study and teach in West Africa, where she
founded a small non-profit for street children. After graduating Summa Cum Laude
with a B.A. in individualized study, she decided not to get her Ph.D. as planned, and
traveled the world instead, before returning to her native New York and joining the
Innovation: Africa team. Rachel has worked with various non-profits promoting the
arts, education, and human rights. She has taught English on three continents and
has traveled to over 30 countries.
Ellen Israelson
JCF
ellen@jcfny.org
Ellen Israelson is the Vice President of Marketing & Business Development for
Jewish Communal Fund, the largest and most active Jewish donor advised fund in
the nation. JCF manages charitable giving for over 3,000 funds with total assets of
$1.2 billion, making our donors' philanthropy simple and more organized. Last year
JCF donors granted $272 million to thousands of charities, including 608 grants
totaling $4 million to many organizations that appear in the Slingshot Guide. JCF
provides resources to educate Jewish funders including The Jewish Philanthropy
Roadmap and the new Funding Jewish Innovation Resource Guide.
Steven Jacobson
Dorot Foundation
stevej@dorot.org
Steven Jacobson is a lifelong student and sometime teacher of the American Jewish
experience. He is hard at work cultivating a new generation of American Jewish
leadership.
rae Janvey
rae janvey consulting
raejanvey@gmail.com
Rae consults in the area of expanding leadership capacity, helps design leadership
programs, serves as a thought-partner for leaders exploring new ideas and change
in the social sector, and acts as a mentor and coach to leaders, educators,
foundations and organizations.
Rae’s primary area of concentration is in the area of leadership development, with a
focus on personal leadership growth and change
*Rae is Principal Advisor and Leadership Coach to the Berrie Fellows Leadership
Program.
*Senior Advisor to The Conversation: Being Jewish in America – a program of the
Jewish Week
*Leadership consultant to the Samuel Bronfman Foundation, and the Bronfman
Youth Fellowships, where she also mentors the Co-Directors of the Fellowship;
*Senior Mentor, and faculty-member of the Experiential Educators Certification
Program.
Formerly, Rae was Executive Director of the Wexner Heritage Foundation;
Prior to that the Executive director of The American Pardes Foundation
Ruth Joseph
Women's Jewish Learning Center
ruth.s.joseph@gmail.com
Mamie Kanfer Stewart
Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah
mamie.kanfer.stewart@gmail.com
Mamie is the entrepreneur behind Starling (www.starlingmethod.com), a tech start
up that develops strategy management solutions for growing organizations.
Previously, she served as Director of WOWV during which she consulted with nonprofit organizations on staffing and strategic planning. Mamie is a board member of
InterfaithFamily, Luria Academy, and Moishe House and past board member and
funding partner of Slingshot. Mamie received an MBA from Stern Graduate School of
Business at New York University and a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute.
Mamie currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband and two young
daughters.
Tova Katz
Jacobson Family Foundation
tkatz@jacobsonfamilyfoundation.org
Tova Katz joined the Jacobson Family Foundation in May 2012 as a Portfolio
Associate in the issue areas of Jewish Continuity and Israel. Tova is responsible for
sourcing prospective grantees and managing the current grantee portfolio in the
Jewish North American space. She also provides advisory support to grantees. Tova
received her MBA from Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and
Management in 2012. Prior to that, she spent four years at the Foundation for
Jewish Camp where she managed the One Happy Camper Program, cultivating
institutional partnerships that enabled first-time campers to experience Jewish
overnight summer camp.
Tova earned a BA in history from Columbia University, and is a Wexner Graduate
Fellow and Davidson Scholar. She lives in Brookline with her husband and children,
and enjoys playing hockey and being outside in her spare time.
Elie Kaunfer
Mechon Hadar
kaunfer@mechonhadar.org
Rabbi Elie Kaunfer is the co-founder and executive director of Mechon Hadar
(www.mechonhadar.org). A Wexner Graduate Fellow and Dorot Fellow, Elie is the
author of Empowered Judaism: What Independent Minyanim Can Teach Us about
Building Vibrant Jewish Communities (Jewish Lights). Elie holds a doctorate in
liturgy from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and has been named multiple times to
the Forward 50 and to the Newsweek list of “Top 50 Rabbis in America.” He has
served as Scholar-in-Residence at the Federation’s General Assembly and at the
annual Jewish Funders Network conference, and has lectured widely on building
grassroots Jewish communities.
Yael Keller
Yeshivat Maharat
yaelkeller@yeshivatmaharat.org
Yael Keller, Director of Operations at Yeshivat Maharat, earned a Masters in Public
Policy from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and a Masters in
Jewish Professional Leadership at the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership
Program at Brandeis University. Upon graduation, she was the Director of
Programming at Uri L’Tzedek, the Orthodox Social Justice movement. In graduate
school she was an intern on the grant writing team at the Joint Distribution
Committee in Israel, advocating for Jews at risk throughout the world and a site
educator at Impact Boston, where she facilitated a teen experience focused on social
action, community service and advocacy. Before graduate school, Yael spent three
years in Washington, DC, working at the Jewish Community Relations Council of
Greater Washington and Hillel's Schusterman International Center. She spent a
semester in Israel studying at the Pardes Institute of Judaic Studies as well.
Jenny Kibrit Smith
Joshua Venture Group
jksmith@joshuaventuregroup.org
Jenny Kibrit Smith has been committed to advancing the work of social mission
organizations for more than ten years. She currently serves as the Program and
Operations Officer at Joshua Venture Group, a national venture philanthropy that
provides multi-year funding and capacity-building support to emerging social
entrepreneurs and their ventures who are working to create a more just, vibrant,
and inclusive Jewish community.
Jason Kimelman-Block
Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice
jkimelman-block@bendthearc.us
Etta King
Jewish Women's Archive
eking@jwa.org
Etta King has worked for three years as JWA's Education Program Manager. A
graduate of Brandeis University and Habonim Dror North America, she combines
her passions for storytelling, learning, and community building by helping educators
bring Jewish values, culture, and history alive through primary sources. Etta is a
current fellow in the JOIN for Justice Jewish Organizing Fellowship. In addition to
her work at JWA, Etta teaches cooking, science, improvisational theater, and Israeli
dance to students of all ages.
Andy Kirschner
100 Reasons to Win
andrewjkirschner@gmail.com
Andy Kirschner is the founder of 100 Reasons to Win where he coaches individuals
and facilitates workshops to challenge others to win at life. His mission is to help
professionals better their health, relationships and careers. Additionally, he is a
certified social start trainer with PresenTense and passionate about training the
next generation of social entrepreneurs. Andy also facilitates meetings for Weight
Watchers, sharing his journey of losing over 100 pounds to inspire others. Andy
grew up near Detroit went to college in Grand Rapids met his wife in Chicago and
together they moved to Washington DC for her career. He used the opportunity to
combine all of his experience in coaching training sales business development and
even improvised comedy to start 100 Reasons to Win. When he is not coaching you
can usually find him running on a trail in Rock Creek Park training for his next
marathon.
Dori Kirshner
Matan
Dori@matankids.org
Dori Frumin Kirshner is the Executive Director of Matan. Prior to joining the Matan
team 5 and a half years ago, Dori worked at UJA-Federation of NY for seven years, in
both planning and fundraising capacities. Dori began her professional career at The
Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan as a bi-lingual educator (Hebrew and
English), upon completion of her MA in Education from The Jewish Theological
Seminary of America.
Idit Klein
Keshet
Idit@keshetonline.org
Idit Klein has been an activist for equality and social justice for the past 20 years.
Since 2001, she has served as Executive Director of Keshet. During this time, Klein
has built Keshet from a one-person, local organization with an annual budget of
$42,000 to an 18-person, national organization with an annual budget of nearly two
million. Under her leadership, Keshet developed a comprehensive training
curriculum for LGBT inclusion and trained educators in hundreds of Jewish
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Suzanne Kling Langman
Shalom Hartman Institute of North America
suzanne@shalomhartman.org
Suzanne Kling Langman is Director of Operations and Administration of the Shalom
Hartman Institute of North America. Formerly she was Senior Program Manager for
Marketing and Communications at the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish
Education (PEJE). She also served as Director of Jewish InterAction, a young adult
program sponsored by the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston, the Jewish
Community Relations Council, and Hebrew College; and Director of Undergraduate
Academic Life at List College of the Jewish Theological Seminary. Suzanne received
an MA in Jewish literature from JTS and undergraduate degrees from Barnard
College and JTS
Rachel Klinghoffer
Slingshot Fund
rachel.klinghoffer@gmail.com
Rachel Klinghoffer is an artist, educator and Jewish non-profit lay leader. She
received her MFA in Painting with honors from Rhode Island School of Design and
her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Rachel has been involved
with the Slingshot Fund since 2008 and was a member of the JDub Board from 2009
– 2012.
Rachel has exhibited her art in the US and abroad and has taught at Rhode Island
School of Design, been a guest artist for the Hunter College art foundation program
and taught art at Luria Academy. Her article, “Practice, Practice” in which she
articulates the intersection of her artist practice and Jewish practice was published
in Shma. She is a member of the Asylum Arts network, supporting contemporary
Jewish culture on an international scale, being a member of the 2nd cohort from
2014. She currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Lois Kohn-Claar
Neshamot Venture Philanthropy Fund
loiskc17@gmail.com
For the past several years Lois Kohn-Claar has devoted herself to Jewish communal
service and philanthropy. Since moving to Westchester in 2001, she became
actively involved in UJA-Federation where she now serves as Chair of Westchester
Women’s Philanthropy. She is a member of the UJA-Federation of New York Board
of Directors and sits on the Commission for Jewish Identity and Renewal’s Task
Force for Experiments in Teen Engagement. Kohn-Claar is a founding member of the
Neshamot Women’s Impact Philanthropy group; sits on the Boards of the Jewish
Education Project, the Foundation for Jewish Camp, and the University of
Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education. Since graduation from the Wexner
Heritage program, Kohn-Claar has been actively involved in launching the
Westchester Jewish Teen Learning Initiative in conjunction with the Jewish
Education Project.
Kohn-Claar graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA Degree and MS
in Education.
Naomi Korb Weiss
PresenTense
naomikweiss@presentense.org
Naomi is CEO of the PresenTense Group, overseeing programs and operations in36
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Robin Kramer
Reboot
robin@rebooters.net
Shawn Landres
Jumpstart
shawn@Jumpstartlabs.org
Shawn Landres, PhD, is co-founder & CEO of Jumpstart, a Los Angeles County
Commissioner, and a partner in early-stage social enterprises. His award-winning
social innovation work is grounded in more than two decades of international
experience in organizational development, network building, social scientific
research & analysis, and interreligious engagement. A widely published essayist and
editor, Shawn has co-authored Jumpstart's groundbreaking Connected to Give
reports on household charitable giving by Jews and Americans of other religions. He
serves on the board of managers of Hub LA and Spark Experience Design and
advises The Mother Company and InVenture. Elected by his peers to the Board of
Directors of the Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry, Shawn is active
in advisory councils for the Clinton Foundation, the Liberty Hill Foundation, Nexus,
and Sh'ma. The White House has featured him as a "spotlight innovator" and
speaker, and Liberty Hill awarded him its 2013 NextGen Leadership Award. Shawn
and his wife Zuzana Riemer Landres live in Santa Monica, where they are being
raised by their two young daughters.
Eric Lebovich
UJA Federation of NY
eric.lebovich@gmail.com
Eric Lebovich is an active member of the New York Jewish community and has been
involved with a number of organizations since moving to Brooklyn in 2001.
Originally from Beachwood, OH, a jewish suburb outside Cleveland, Eric attended
Johns Hopkins University and graduated with honors in Economics. While Eric's
work life in financial services has been diverse with experience at Lehman Brothers,
Bloomberg, FactSet, Fidelity and AlphaSense, he has always made time to get
involved with philanthropic organizations such as UJA Federation of NY where he is
a founding committee member of the Young Wall Street Division as well as active
member of the Commission on Jewish Peoplehood (COJP) New York Jewry taskforce
that allocates over $2 million anually. Additionally, Eric has deep involvement with
the Jewish Children's Museum in Crown Heights, long-time fundholder at the Jewish
Communal Fund, active member of Congregation Bnai Avraham in Brooklyn
Heights, and ongoing commitment to both Hillel and Chabad at his alma mater.
Michelle Lebowits
Jewish Communal Fund
michelle@jcfny.org
Michelle Lebowits is the Director of Business Development at the Jewish Communal
Fund, one of the largest donor-advised funds in the country that manages $1.2
billion in charitable assets for over 3000 funds. Prior to joining the Jewish
Communal Fund, Michelle oversaw UJA-Federation of New York1s Investment
Management Division and was the longtime Director for Young Leadership at the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Michelle is actively involved in the philanthropic community and serves on the
Board of Directors of Reuth Medical Center in Israel and on the Young Leadership
Board of Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America.
Michelle graduated with honors from the State University at Albany and spent a
year abroad at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Michelle and her husband Michael Bender live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Sarah Lefton
G-dcast
sarah@g-dcast.com
Sarah is a graduate of NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program and began
her career at The New York Times on the Web before embarking on a streak
through Hollywood and Silicon Valley startups. After a crisis of meaning, she left the
tech scene to join Camp Tawonga as its Marketing Director, launch the clothing
brand JewishFashionConspiracy.com, and in 2008, founded G-dcast in response to
her own difficulty finding engaging and meaningful Jewish content online. She has
served on the boards of the JCC of San Francisco and the independent, pluralist
Mission Minyan. Sarah has been named to the Forward 50, and is a recipient of the
Joshua Venture Group fellowship, and the Pomegranate Prize for exceptional young
Jewish educators.
Lisa Lepson
Joshua Venture Group
llepson@joshuaventuregroup.org
Lisa Lepson is currently the executive director of Joshua Venture Group, which
identifies, funds, and cultivates social entrepreneurs who are transforming the
Jewish landscape. She has extensive experience building start-up non-profit and forprofit social ventures including founding leadership roles at RockCorps, Upwardly
Global, Exhale and Killing My Lobster Theater Project. In 2011, Lisa developed and
taught a the inaugural course on social entrepreneurship for high school students in
the Genesis program at Brandeis University. Lisa received an MBA from The
Anderson School at UCLA and a BA from Brown University.
Coby Lerner
Slingshot
cobylerner@gmail.com
Jackie Leventhal
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
jleventhal@sixthandi.org
As the Associate Director of Sixth & I, Jackie focuses on strategically growing the
organization’s programs, brand, audience, and influence. Jackie created a nationallyrecognized speaker/author series from scratch and has produced 300+ events to
date. She oversees the strategic communications practices of the organization,
including messaging, event publicity, organizational visibility, and marketing of
special projects. She launched Not Your Bubbe’s Sisterhood, a program series for
millennial women. A six-year veteran of the organization, Jackie is one of Sixth & I’s
original employees and has worked across all departments. This year Jackie will be
instrumental in implementing the vision of our 10th Anniversary celebration and
Inside Sixth & I conference, including developing a framework for Sixth & I’s model
to be replicated nationally and to scale its potential for impact.
Eileen Levinson
Haggadot.com
levinsoneileen@gmail.com
Stacy Levitan
Judith Creed Homes for Adult Independence, Inc. (JCHAI)
stacylevitan@jchai.org
Stacy holds both a Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature
from the University of Pennsylvania. Before coming to JCHAI, Stacy worked for a
decade as a litigation attorney at the Philadelphia firm of Schnader Harrison Segal &
Lewis. Stacy served three years as JCHAI’s Chairperson, when she dramatically
increased fundraising and continued to increase JCHAI’s profile in the community.
Now Executive Director, Stacy is responsible for overseeing the direction of JCHAI’s
programs and JCHAI’s day to day operations. Stacy is a passionate and tireless
advocate who revels in opportunities to improve and strengthen the JCHAI
community.
Stacy is intimately familiar with JCHAI’s mission, as her brother, Doug Jarett, is a
resident. Growing up with a sibling who has intellectual disabilities gives Stacy a
thorough and sympathetic perspective on the role JCHAI serves in families.
Marni Levitt
Gateways: Access to Jewish Education
marnislevitt@yahoo.com
Renanit Levy
Hazon
renanit.levy@hazon.org
Renanit Levy is the Director of Philanthropic Partnerships for Hazon. Prior to
joining Hazon in 2008, she was the director of The Gottesman Fund, a family
foundation focused on supporting Jewish life. Renanit has also worked as a
grantmaker and communal planner in the areas of Jewish education and identity,
government relations, and health and human services at UJA-Federation of New
York, as well as in admissions for The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Renanit
holds a graduate degree in Jewish Communal Leadership and Nonprofit
Management from the University of Michigan School of Social Work, where she was
the Ernie Michel Fellow through the Federation Executive Recruitment and
Education Program. She is an active volunteer at the Park Slope Jewish Center, a
member of the Gen-i Task Force at UJA-Federation of New York and the co-chair of
the grants committee at PS 32. Renanit lives in Brooklyn with her husband Steven
Mazie and daughters Amarya and Barra.
Meredith Lewis
MyJewishLearning/Kveller
meredith@myjewishlearning.com
Meredith Lewis holds an MA in Hebrew and Judaic studies and an MPA in non-profit
finance from New York University. She received a BS in journalism from the Medill
School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Meredith also has served as youth
group advisor for USY, a Hebrew school teacher, and a Jewish educational
consultant.
Emily Loubaton
American Jewish World Service
eloubaton@ajws.org
Emily is a Senior Development Officer at American Jewish World Service, overseeing
Global Circle, AJWS's emerging leaders group, in New York and Washington, D.C.
Before joining AJWS, Emily was the Individual Relations Manager at PENCIL, a
nonprofit education organization, where she oversaw their individual donor
portfolio, recruitment of new volunteers, and created donor affinity groups
including its emerging leaders, the Honor Rollers. Emily was previously the Director
of YouthBridge-NY, a nonprofit leadership development organization training young
people to meet the challenges of a diverse New York City (housed by JCRC of NY).
Emily also worked at UJA-Federation of New York in their Educational Resources
and Organizational Development department.
She received an MPA from the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College, and a BA in
Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. On the volunteer end,
Emily is involved with the Bnei Akiva of NY Finance Board and Limmud NY. She
currently lives in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, moonlights as a makeup artist, is a
Jazzercise enthusiast, and has had 15 letters to the editor in The New York Times
published.
Ellen Maiseloff
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit .Opening the Doors Program
maiseloff@jfmd.org
Ellen Maiseloff serves as the Associate Director of the Opening the Doors Program
which is part of the Alliance for Jewish Education at the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit. Ellen has worked in the Opening the Doors program for 15
years, currently as Director and previously as Program Assistant while serving as
the Opening the Doors Special Education Consultant for a large reform Temple
religious school. Ellen is a graduate of the Jewish Learning Institute on Disabilities
and Inclusion. Previously, Ellen supervised Oakland University Master Candidates
completing their student teaching and was a High School Learning Disabilities
Teacher Consultant and Department Head. Ellen is honored that Opening the Doors
was recognized as one of the leading innovative organizations in the Slingshot
Supplement on Disabilities & Inclusion 13/14.
Ellen earned her B.A. in Special Education, cognitive impairment and an M. A. in
Special Education, learning disabilities, both from Michigan State University.
David Manchester
Brandeis University
davidman@brandeis.edu
David Manchester is a dual masters’ candidate in Jewish professional leadership and
public policy from Brandeis University. He also works as a Research Analyst at the
Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies on the American Jewish Population Project.
David’s passion relates to the social study of American Jewry, especially the
development of an individual’s Jewish identity and program evaluation. Prior to his
move to Boston, David lived in Washington, D.C. where he worked for Blackboard,
Inc., an educational software company, where he designed quantitative metrics and
reports to track department progress and outcomes. He has also served as a
Legislative Assistant for Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America,
where he focused on US foreign policy, energy and the environment, and health care
reform. In 2012, David was chosen for the Washington Jewish Week’s Minyan List
composed of the 10 most interesting Jews in the DC area.
Jakir Manela
Pearlstone Center
jakir@pearlstonecenter.org
Jakir Manela is the Executive Director of the Pearlstone Center near Baltimore, MD.
He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2004 and has worked as a Jewish
environmental educator and nonprofit leader ever since. After founding Kayam
Farm at Pearlstone in 2006, Jakir now oversees the entire agency, now engaging
over 17,000 participants each year in retreats, transformative Jewish education, and
hands-on sustainable agriculture. Jakir lives just up the road from Pearlstone with
his wife, Netsitsah, and their two sons—Lev Yodea and Shama Nissim. Together
they hope to soon establish a Jewish intentional community near Pearlstone.
Ilana Mantell
Mechon Hadar
mantell@mechonhadar.org
Ilana Mantell is Mechon Hadar's Director of Operations. She then learned in Hadar's
yeshiva as a full-time fellow from 2010-2012, and began to work for Hadar in 2012.
Abbe Marcus
J-Teen Leadership
abbe@jteenleadership.orb
Abbe has extensive experience in organizing and leading social action projects and
service trips for Jewish teens in the greater New York area as well as nationally and
abroad. She has led numerous social action trips for Jewish Teens to Baton Rouge,
New Orleans, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Nashville Tennessee, Cuba and Haiti. She
coordinated several county-wide J-Serve projects in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Additionally, she developed and implemented several social action curriculums for
the Jewish Education Projects for synagogues in Westchester. Abbe is the former
Family and Youth Educator at Congregation Sons of Israel in Briarcliff Manor for
over 10 years. She has a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and an
M.S. from New York University.
Aliza Mazor
Bikkurim
amazor@bikkurim.org
Aliza Mazor is the Executive Director of Bikkurim: Advancing New Jewish Ideas, a
joint project of Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and the Kaminer
Family. Bikkurim has incubated 31 innovative start-ups that contribute significantly
to the diversification and reinvigoration of Jewish life. Through Atid Hazak (Strong
Futures), Bikkurim prepares the most promising new initiatives in Jewish life to
grow their impact. Previously, Aliza served as an independent organizational
consultant to philanthropies, capacity-builders, and social justice organizations. A
Chicago native, Aliza spent fifteen years living and working in Israel and holds an
MSW from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She currently lives in New York City
Alison McWilliams
Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation
alison@nncf.net
Deborah Meyer
Moving Traditions
dmeyer@movingtraditions.org
Deborah Meyer is the Founder and Executive Director of Moving Traditions. The
organization’s award-winning programs, Rosh Hodesh: It's a Girl Thing! and Shevet
Achim: The Brotherhood empower thousands of Jewish teen girls and boys to
question gender restrictions and make meaning in Jewish community. Deborah has
dedicated her career to building social change organizations, and she writes and
speaks about gender, Judaism, and inspiring Jewish teen engagement.
Lee Moore
Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living torah
lee@lippmankanfer.org
will email later
Debbie Nahshon
National Ramah Commission
debbie@campramah.org
Debbie Nahshon is the Director of Institutional Advancement for the National
Ramah Commission. A former broadcast news journalist at Israel Radio and a
communications and fundraising specialist, Debbie spent the first fifteen years of
her career in Israel, working in executive positions in for-profit and non-profit
organizations, including as founding director of the Israel Women’s Network and as
a founding executive of Israel’s Channel 2 TV. She is the former Executive Director of
the American Friends of the Ghetto Fighters’ Museum, Director of the Merrin
Institute at DOROT, Director of Development and National Projects for the Bergen
County YJCC/Kehillah Partnership, and is a consultant in fundraising and
organizational development in the fields of Jewish education and healthcare. She has
a Masters from Hebrew University and a Bachelors from Cornell University in
Industrial and Labor Relations.
Debbie Niderberg
Hidden Sparks
dknider@hiddensparks.org
Debbie Niderberg, Executive Director, helped launch Hidden Sparks, from
conceptual development to its present size and worked collaboratively to design its
unique programming, and build the organization’s infrastructure and professional
leadership. She is also responsible for developing new initiatives, such as Hidden
Sparks Without Walls, and new programmatic and funding partnerships. Prior to
coming to Hidden Sparks, Ms. Niderberg served as the Executive Director for The
Nash Family Foundation, where she was instrumental in bringing the Schools
Attuned Professional Development Program to 72 New York area Jewish schools,
launching a kosher City Harvest program, an Israel-based medical fellowship, and
grants for the first residential Jewish hospice in New York, among other significant
grants. Prior to this, she co-founded the Jewish Children’s Learning Lab, an
interactive Jewish children’s museum in New York and managed the Outreach and
Special Projects division for the Fund for Jewish Education.
Debra Nussbaum Cohen
Haaretz
dncnews@icloud.com
Debra Nussbaum Cohen is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared
in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, New York magazine and many
Jewish publications. She is presently a contributing editor for The Forward and New
York correspondent for Haaretz.
Olivia Ofer
Slingshot Fund
oliviaofer@gmail.com
Olivia has been working in her family’s real estate business in New York before now
deciding to transition into the non-profit/philanthropic world. She holds a BA from
University of Pennsylvania in Health and Societies and completed her Masters at
New York University in Strategic Real Estate management. She worked as an analyst
in Goldman Sachs in PWM in London, and then M&A in Deutsche Bank in Israel. In
2009 she co-founded Education Opportunity Fund in New York which provides last
dollar scholarships and ongoing support through graduation from college. Starting
in May she will begin a fellowship with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
Naamah Paley
Bronfman Fellowships in Israel
naamah@byfi.org
Naamah Paley is the Manager of Alumni Initiatives for the Bronfman Fellowships,
where she manages their Alumni Venture Fund, Alumni Advisory Board, and more.
Prior to Bronfman, she worked at the New Israel Fund and American Jewish World
Service, and was a Dorot Fellow in Israel in 2008-2009.
Nati Passow
Jewish Farm School
nati@jewishfarmschool.org
Nati Passow is the Executive Director of the Jewish Farm School and the new
Director of Hazon Philadelphia. Over the last decade, Nati has been a leader in the
Jewish environmental movement, teaching and speaking around the country. He
was instrumental in developing the Farm at Eden Village Camp, a fellow Slingshot
organization. Nati studied sustainable building design and natural building and is a
certified Permaculture designer, and he holds a B.A. in Religion and Environmental
Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.
Andrew Paull
Jewish Teen Funders Network
andrew@jtfn.org
Andrew Paull is the Program & Communications Assistant for the Jewish Teen
Funders Network, working to spread the message of JTFN across all communication
platforms. He also works on JTFN's Stepping Up Long Island Program and Camp
Philanthropy Program. Prior to arriving at JTFN, Andrew served as the Youth
Programs Coordinator at Larchmont Temple in Larchmont, NY. He spent many
summers on staff at various Jewish camps and travel programs operated by the
Union for Reform Judaism. Andrew received his BA in History from Chapman
University and earned a Certificate in Jewish Education for Adolescents and
Emerging Adults at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
Simone Picker
Nishmah
spicker@jccstl.org
Simone Picker has worked with Nishmah as Banot Program Coordinator over the
past 5 years. She joined following her MSW graduation at the Brown School of
Social Work at Washington University. During her graduate program, Simone
participated in the Jewish Communal Practicum Unit through Jewish Federation
which brought together a small of group students interested in learning more about
being a professional in the Jewish community. She enjoyed her various internships
at the Jewish Community Relations Council, the J, and Jewish Federation. In her role
at Nishmah, Simone coordinates high-quality programs for girls in 1st -12th grade,
teen boys, and young women in their 20s and 30s.
Amanda Pogany
Luria Academy of Brooklyn
amanda@luria-academy.org
Amanda Pogany is the Head of School at the Luria Academy of Brooklyn. She has
worked for the last decade in the field of Jewish education as a teacher, consultant,
mentor and coach. Most recently, Amanda spent two years working with new
teachers and administrators across the country, running professional development
seminars, and working with them on best practices in building classroom
communities, classroom management, and developing Rabbinics curriculum. She
taught elementary and middle school Judaic studies for 7 years. A trained mentor
through the Jewish New Teacher Project, Amanda mentored teachers for the
Davidson School at JTS, the Pardes Educators program, and the Solomon Schechter
School of Manhattan. In her role as a consultant, Amanda has worked with The
Covenant Foundation, Mechon Hadar, JDub Records, The Six Points Fellowship and a
number of Jewish Federations. Amanda is a graduate of the Pardes Educators
Program, has a Masters in Jewish Education from Hebrew University and a BA from
Barnard College. She co-founded Altshul, an independent egalitarian minyan in
Brooklyn, in 2005.
Stacey Popovsky
The Lisa and Michael Leffell Foundation
spopovsky@leffellfoundation.org
Stacey Popovsky is the Executive Director of The Lisa and Michael Leffell
Foundation, a family foundation dedicated to inspiring passion for Jewish education,
strengthening the security and vibrancy of the State of Israel, and encouraging the
dissemination of ideas, both in North America and abroad. Stacey works in
partnership with the funders to implement philanthropic strategies and determine
funding priorities that maximize impact. Prior to joining the Leffell Foundation,
Stacey was the Director of Higher Education and Confronting Anti-Semitism
Initiatives for the Anti-Defamation League and the Director of Hamagshimim, the
University Zionist Movement sponsored by Hadassah.
Tina Price
Israel on Campus Coalition
Tina@priceny.com
Jonathan Raiffe
Slingshot
Jraiffe@adlergroup.com
Jonathan Raiffe, a Wexner Heritage alum (Miami 11), serves as the Chairman of the
Board of Slingshot, Treasurer of Jewish Community Services of South Florida, and as
an executive board member of The Network of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
Professionally, Jonathan is the Executive Vice President of Adler Development, LLC,
a real estate development company based in Miami. Jonathan earned a Bachelor of
Arts, in anthropology, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, in
marketing, from Washington University. He also received a Master of Science in
Finance and a Master of Science in International Real Estate from Florida
International University. Jonathan can be reached at jraiffe@adlergroup.com.
Daniel Raiffe
Slingshot
Draiffe@gmail.com
Dana Raucher
The Samuel Bronfman Foundation
draucher@thesbf.org
As Executive Director of The Samuel Bronfman Foundation, Dana Raucher manages
the Foundation’s grants portfolio and the philanthropic portfolio of Edgar M.
Bronfman. Ms. Raucher serves on the boards or committees of various non-profits
including the Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel, The Curriculum Initiative,
MyJewishLearning.com and Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.
Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked at the Israeli law firm Shiboleth,
Yisraeli, Roberts, Zisman & Co. in Tel Aviv, and is a member of the Israel Bar
Association. Ms. Raucher is a graduate of Columbia University and of the Buchmann
Law School at Tel Aviv University. Born in Israel, she currently lives in New York
with her husband, Yossi and their sons.
Arlene Remz
Gateways: Access to Jewish Education
arlene@jgateways.org
Arlene Remz is the Executive Director of Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, the
central organization for Jewish special education in Greater Boston. Through its
unique regional model, Gateways provides high quality special education services,
expertise, and support to enable students with diverse learning needs to succeed in
Jewish educational settings and participate meaningfully in Jewish life. Arlene
began her career in special education as a counselor in the Tikvah Program at Camp
Ramah in New England, but for many years her professional life in special education
was separate from her volunteer work in the Jewish community. Through Gateways
she has brought together these two passions—working to ensure that every Jewish
child can access a Jewish education.
Adina Remz
Jewish Disaster Response Corps
Adina@jdrcorps.org
Marcella Rolnick
Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah
dorholtt@gojo.com
Marcella Kanfer Rolnick is Vice Chair of GOJO. With headquarters in Akron, Ohio,
GOJO is the global leader in skin health and hygiene solutions for away-from-home
markets and the inventor of PURELL® Instant Hand Sanitizer. Marcella is
passionate about innovation, sustainability, and organizational effectiveness at GOJO
and beyond. Marcella also founded and leads Walnut Ridge Strategic Management
Company which provides management and administration services to select forprofit and nonprofit entities, as well as Everett Partners which invests in early-stage
health & wellness companies. She is a Director of Nervomatrix, an Israel- and USbased pain management start-up. Marcella is a Director of American Jewish World
Service. She serves on the Advisory Boards of the Fowler Center for Sustainable
Value at Case Western Reserve University and of Joshua Venture Group.
Marcella earned her MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford
University and her BA from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs at
Princeton University. Marcella currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband
Josh and three young sons.
Rafi Rone
Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds
rafi@magnajm.com
Rafi Rone is the Director of Jewish & Israel Initiatives at the Joseph and Harvey
Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds. Rafi has previously worked at the Baltimore
Jewish Council, UJC, Birthright Israel and the JDC. Rafi has had over twenty years of
community relations and community development experience working on behalf of
the Jewish community, covering four continents and dozens of Jewish communities.
He was stationed in the former USSR, Israel and Eastern Europe for the American
Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). He has taught and consulted widely on
topics including everything Israel, Jewish Peoplehood & identity, leadership
development, philanthropy, cross-cultural training, generational divide. Rafi’s MPA
is from Columbia University’s School for International and Public Affairs at
Columbia University, where he was awarded the Picker Prize for Public Service. His
B.A. is in History and Politics from Brandeis University. He was also a Wexner
Graduate Fellow, and was the Ralph Goldman International Fellow at the AJJDC, and
has studied at both the Pardes and Hartman Institutes. Rafi lives in Baltimore with
his phenomenal wife, Rabbi Dana Rone Saroken, and their 3 deliciously ridiculous
children, Gideon, Moa and Maya.
Simone Friedman Rones
Emanuel J. Friedman Philanthropies
simone@ejfphilanthropies.org
Simone Friedman Rones is the Executive Director of Emanuel J. Friedman
Philanthropies (www.ejfphilanthropies.org). EJFP works to catalyze Jewish
innovation in the Washington, D.C. region. She is interested in collaborating with
other funders on ideas that create vibrancy in Jewish life.
Harriet Rosen
The Women's Jewish Learning Center
hhr@cox.net
Harriet Rosen has served as a member of the Women's Jewish Learning Center
Steering Committee, and now the Advisory Committee, since it opened its doors in
2010. After many successful years in the business world, Harriet devotes much of
her time to strengthening the Jewish Community in a variety of ways. In addition to
her work with the WJLC, she has served as a member of the board of the URJ, and
currently serves on the boards of the Phoenix Jewish Free Loan as well as the Jewish
Community Association of Greater Phoenix.
Jennifer Rosen
Moishe House
Jen@moishehouse.org
Jen Kraus Rosen joined Moishe House as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2010
and oversees the organization's development and marketing departments. Prior to
working for Moishe House, Jen was a program associate for the Charles and Lynn
Schusterman Family Foundation and oversaw several areas of grantmaking and
program implementation. Jen holds an Executive Certificate in Non-Profit
Management from Georgetown University and graduated with a B.S. in Public Affairs
and a certificate in Jewish Studies from Indiana University. Jen resides in Charlotte,
North Carolina with her husband Andrew, daughter Bayla Bea, and two dogs.
Daniel Rotman
BBYO
drotman@bbyo.org
Toby Rubin
UpStart
toby@upstartbayarea.org
Toby Rubin is founder and CEO of UpStart, a national non-profit that enables change
makers to design 21st century Jewish life. UpStart advances innovative ideas for
Jewish life by accelerating projects of Jewish social entrepreneurs and fostering
entrepreneurial mindsets and practices in established organizations.
Toby ended her career as an attorney but not before winning a US Supreme Court
case representing students with disabilities in education matters. Sparked by her
experience as a Wexner Heritage Fellow, she held various positions at the SF Bureau
of Jewish Education. She rose to Associate Director before leaving in 2008 to launch
UpStart after its successful pilot phase as a BJE project. From 1985-2004, Toby
served in multiple executive lay leadership roles.
Robert Saferstein
Sh'ma Journal/Friday Night Lights/Eighteen:22
robert@saferstein.org
Interested in the interfacing of ritual, experience, and technology, Saferstein has
used his background in the arts and technology to broaden the definition of what
‘Jewish’ can look like by building community and realizing new points of
engagement across multiple platforms. Currently the Market Development Director
of Sh’ma Journal, Saferstein is also a leader in the LGBTQ Jewish world where he is
the recipient of two Natan Grants for ROI Entrepreneurs (2013 & 2014) for his popup series of sophisticated Shabbat and holiday dinners for gay Jewish professionals,
Friday Night Lights. His latest initiative, Eighteen:22 , will bring together today’s top
emerging and established LGBTQ Jewish influencers and allies from around the
world for a three-day think tank that will lay the foundations for a global network of
leaders empowered in the execution of their ideas and change initiatives for the
21st Century.
Ruth Salzman
The Russell Berrie Foundation
sarevalo@rbfdtn.org
Ruth Salzman is the CEO of The Russell Berrie Foundation, bringing an extensive
background in lending and investing within the social sector. The Berrie
Foundation provides support in the Northern New Jersey community and in Israel
as well as funding in the mission areas of diabetes, humanistic medical practices and
interfaith dialogue. She is former Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending &
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Lani Santo
Footsteps
lani@footstepsorg.org
Lani is the Executive Director of Footsteps, a New York-based nonprofit that
provides social, emotional and practical supports to ultra-Orthodox Jews grappling
with the consequences of leaving their insular religious communities. Lani is
dedicated to social justice, building inclusive and accepting communities, and
supporting individuals through transformative experiences within the Jewish
community and beyond. Prior to joining Footsteps, Lani served as a Senior Program
Officer at American Jewish World Service (AJWS), where she focused on immersive
international service-learning experiences for young adults. Lani is an alumna of
AVODAH: The Jewish Anti-Poverty Network and served on the AVODAH board from
2004-2013. She graduated Barnard College and holds an MPA in Public and
Nonprofit Management NYU's Wagner School.
Shannon Sarna
UJA-Federation of NY
shasarna@gmail.com
Shannon Sarna is the project manager for the Shapiro Family Fellowship which
operates out of UJA-Federation of New York. Shannon previously served as
communications manager for the Samuel Bronfman Foundation where she had the
privilege to work closely with the principals of the foundation to plan community
events throughout North America; work with grantees on creating authentic media
strategies; and manage the public relations for Edgar M. Bronfman’s book, Hope, Not
Fear: A Path to Jewish Renaissance. Shannon is also a food writer, managing content
and blogging for The Nosher and her writing and recipes have been featured in
Tablet Magazine, The Jewish Week, Buzzfeed and Joy of Kosher. Shannon lives in
Jersey City, New Jersey, with her husband, their rescue dog, Otis, and daughter.
Nigel Savage
Hazon
nigel.savage@hazon.org
Nigel Savage, originally from Manchester, England, founded Hazon (Hebrew for
"vision") in 2000. Hazon works to create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish
community and a better world for all, is the anchor of the New Jewish Food
Movement, and a pioneer in connecting outdoor adventures to Jewish life. In 2013,
Hazon completed a merger with the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center. The
enlarged Hazon now includes both Adamah, Teva, and the Jewish Greening
Fellowship.
Before founding Hazon, Nigel was a professional fund manager in the UK. He has an
MA in History from Georgetown, and learned at Pardes, Yakar and the Hebrew
University.
Hazon was recognized by the Sierra Club as one of 50 leading faith-based
environmental organizations in the US and in 2008 Nigel was named a member of
the Forward 50. Hazon has been recognized in the Slingshot 50 every year since
inception.
Nigel is thought to be the first English Jew to have cycled across South Dakota on a
recumbent bike.
Ilana Schatz
Fair Trade Judaica
ilana@fairtradejudaica.org
Ilana Schatz is the Founding Director of Fair Trade Judaica, linking fair trade
principles with Jewish values. A highlight of her work has been meeting artisans in
Guatemala and Nepal who make kippot and tallitot. She has been active in Jewish
social justice work for over 25 years, focusing on economic justice; previous projects
focused on community investing, mentoring programs, and advocacy for people
dealing with homelessness. Ilana just transitioned from being a lay spiritual leader
at her synagogue after 15 years. She loves to garden, hike, and spend time in her
kitchen when not working.
Will Schneider
Slingshot
will@slingshotfund.org
I was given a copy of Slingshot in 2006, and it completely changed my relationship
to the Jewish community. I remember opening it up and thinking, “There are Jewish
things happening that I want to be a part of!” I was a loyal reader for a few years,
and when the job came up I jumped on it. I am amazed every day that I get to work
with the people shaping the Jewish community of the future. Prior to joining
Slingshot in 2009 Will Schneider worked as a fundraising consultant for dozens of
non-profit clients across several sectors — the Apollo Theater the Joe Torre Safe at
Home Foundation and the National Urban League to name a few. While consulting
he also founded and developed a community and professional network for young
professional fundraisers called “The Future Leaders in Philanthropy (FLiP).” In
approximately two years the FLiP community grew rapidly to over 3000 people —
and now it continues to grow under new leadership. Prior to consulting Will
worked on the major gifts team at Carnegie Hall and before that in the Development
Office at New York University."
Jane-Rachel Schonbrun
AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps
jschonbrun@avodah.net
Jane-Rachel Schonbrun serves as Director of Foundation Relations at AVODAH: The
Jewish Service Corps. Although Jane-Rachel joined the AVODAH staff team in 2011,
she has been a part of the AVODAH community since participating as a corps
member in the second cohort of the program (NYC '99-'00). Prior to joining
AVODAH's staff, Jane-Rachel worked in Jewish education and community
engagement at the Kehillah Jewish High School and the Oshman Family JCC, both in
Palo Alto, CA. Jane-Rachel is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary
Graduate School and the Columbia University School of Social Work and an alumna
of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship. She lives in Deal, NJ with her husband, Rabbi
Aaron Schonbrun, and their three delightful children.
Hilary Schumer
Slingshot
hilary@slingshotfund.org
Hilary is an educator, writer, and aspiring cyclist. Prior to joining Slingshot, Hilary
worked as a Coalition Educator at the Jewish Education project, where she created
and assessed innovative models of congregational Jewish education and guided
professional development and enrichment for part-time educators. Previously,
Hilary coordinated inclusion services at Bnai Jeshurun and served as a ghostwriter
for a healthcare professional, publishing several magazine articles and managing a
blog on sleep disorders. Hilary has MA’s in Jewish Education and Midrash from the
Jewish Theological Seminary, and earned a BA in Classical Studies from Columbia
University.
David Selden
Nothern Virginia Hebrew Congregation
david.selden@icfi.com
David Selden, a long time member of Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation
(http://www.nvhcreston.org/) in Reston, VA, a member of the Board of Trustees
and VP for Administration, is working diligently with clergy, lay leadership and
fellow congregants to manifest the future through community organizing, social
justice activism, engagement with Jewish young adults through a unique
partnership with NOVA Tribe (http://www.novatribeseries.com/) and the
Emmanuel J. Friedman Philanthropies, and commitment to Jewish youth leadership
and community development supported by an endowment established in memory
of David's son, Sam.
Sharon Shapiro-Lacks
Yad HaChazakah- The Jewish Disability Empowerment Center
sshapiro@yadempowers.org
Sharon Shapiro-Lacks, Founding Director of Yad HaChazakah-The Jewish Disability
Empowerment Center, is well known in national, state, and local enclaves for her
leadership in disability policy for over 25 years. Her most notable accomplishments
were leading coordinated efforts to implement the Help America Vote Act and to
extend rent increase exemptions to people with disabilities in NYC (DRIE), after a 20
year struggle. A cum laude graduate from Hofstra University, Ms. Shapiro-Lacks
brings the disability self empowerment and advocacy approach to traditional Jewish
communities.
Nancy Shaw
Wilderness Torah
nancy@wildernesstorah.org
Nancy has more than twenty years experience in nonprofit management and the
private sector, including serving as director of the Craigslist Foundation, manager at
the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, founder of the social responsibility program at
Blue Shield of California, and in marketing for Fortune 500 companies including
HBO and RR Donnelley in New York.
In 2009, Nancy set out to explore her Jewish identity and quickly discovered
Wilderness Torah. At the 2009 Passover in the Desert, she connected with Jewish
experience for the first time and also met her husband! Nancy went on to serve on
the executive committee for the 2009 Hazon Sustainable Food Conference and
eventually, as a board member for her synagogue.
Nancy received a B.A. from UC Berkeley and holds an MBA in sustainable business
from Presidio Graduate School. She lives in Berkeley, California.
Yona Shem-Tov
Encounter
yona@encounterprograms.org
Will email BIO to Will.
Bethany Shiner
Slingshot
Bethany.shiner@gmail.com
Roman Shmulenson
COJECO
RomanS@cojeco.org
Roman Shmulenson came to the United States with his family in 1993 from the
Crimea. He holds a BA in Judaic Studies from Brooklyn College and an MSW from
the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Roman is a graduate of
the Institute of Non-Profit Management at Columbia University School of Business.
Roman is the Executive Director of the Council of Jewish Émigré Community
Organizations (COJECO)- the central coordinating body in the Russian-speaking
Jewish community of New York that works towards successful integration of the
Russian-speaking Jews into American Jewish community while preserving unique
Russian Jewish heritage.
Rochelle Shoretz
Sharsheret: Your Jewish Community Facing Breast Cancer
rshoretz@sharsheret.org
Rochelle Shoretz, Esq., Founder and Executive Director of Sharsheret, is a two-time
breast cancer survivor who founded Sharsheret after her own diagnosis at age 28.
Rochelle served as a law clerk in 1999 to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg. A member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young
Women, Rochelle speaks to audiences across the country and serves as a resource
for major media on issues related to breast cancer in young women and Jewish
families.
Ben Shuldiner
None
Bshuldiner@yahoo.com
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Elana Silber
Sharsheret: Your Jewish Community Facing Breast Cancer
esilber@sharsheret.org
Elana Silber, MBA, Sharsheret’s Director of Operations, joined the organization as a
volunteer in 2002, before becoming a staff member at Sharsheret. A graduate of the
Mount Sinai Hospital/CUNY Masters in Business Administration Programs, Elana
coordinated conferences and outreach efforts for several hospitals in the New York
area. As Sharsheret's Director of Operations, Elana manages day-to-day operations
of the organization, develops Sharsheret’s core programs, supervises the publication
of Sharsheret resource materials, and coordinates national partnerships.
Philip Silverman
Slingshot
philsil@gmail.com
Rebecca Sirbu
Rabbis Without Borders, CLAL
rsirbu@clal.org
Rabbi Rebecca W. Sirbu, is the Director of Rabbis Without Borders at Clal – The
National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. Named as one of the most
innovative Jewish organizations in America by the Slingshot Guide, Rabbis Without
Borders stimulates and supports creativity in the rabbinate. In 2013, Rabbi Sirbu
was named a⁦湯⁦景琠敨洠獯⁴湩灳物瑡潩慮 慲扢獩椠 流牥捩⁡祢吠敨䘠牯慷摲
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Bronfman Foundation, Dana Raucher manages the Foundation’s grants portfolio and
the philanthropic portfolio of Edgar M. Bronfman.
Julie Sissman
HEKDESH
jsissman@yahoo.com
Julie Sissman is a board member and chair of external relations for HEKDESH, a
giving circle made up of alumni of the Dorot Fellowship in Israel. Julie is also an
organization and leadership consultant who strategizes around business and
organizational challenges to maximize leadership development and organizational
success.
Arthur Slepian
A Wider Bridge
arthur@awiderbridge.org
Arthur Slepian 60i60s60 60t60h60e60 60F60o60u60n60d60e60r60 60a60n60d60
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Julia Smirnova
Havurah at Camp Tel Yehudah
julia.smirnova@youngjudaea.org
Julia Smirnova was born in Nizhne Novgorod in Russia. She immigrated to
Brooklyn, New York in 1992 with her family. Julia spent 5 years in Israel as a
teenager, and considers herself Israeli at heart. Julia worked at Tanger Hillel House
at Brooklyn College. In her role as Program Coordinator, she facilitated in volunteer
programs, community service missions and social events, working closely with
Jewish Russian-speaking young adult communities. Julia worked at the Council of
Jewish Emigre Community Organizations (COJECO) as a Jewish Educator in Russian
day care centers. Julia completed the Hornstein Program at Brandeis University,
receiving her MBA in Non-Profit Management and MA in Jewish Professional
Leadership. She was the recipient of the Brandeis Genesis Institute fellowship for
Russian-speaking Jews. Julia has been with Havurah at Tel Yehudah since its
inception in 2009, progressing from Counselor, to Supervisor, and then to Rosh
Machane in just four summers. She was excited to take the next step in becoming
the Havurah Program Manager, an organic progression in her work with Tel
Yehudah. In her spare time, Julia enjoys scrapbooking, yoga and cooking.
Tamar Snyder
Jewish Communal Fund
tamar@jcfny.org
Tamar serves as the Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives & Communications at
Jewish Communal Fund, the largest Jewish donor advised fund in the country,
managing $1.25 billion in charitable assets. An award-winning journalist, Tamar
worked for several years as a staff writer at The Jewish Week in New York. She
holds a master's degree journalism from Columbia Journalism School, a Masters in
Public Administration (MPA) from NYU/Wagner, and an MA in Hebrew and Judaic
Studies from NYU. She created a financial literacy curriculum for Jewish teen girls
and presented the program to nearly 500 teens as part of Jewish Women
International’s Life$avings project, and currently teaches Personal Finance &
Philanthropy at Manhattan High School. She is a Certified Educator in Personal
Finance (CEPF).
Ethan Sobel
Nehirim
esobel@nehirim.org
Ethan Sobel is extremely excited to serve Nehirim as the Director of Student
Programming, Communication & Development Associate. He holds a M.S. in Public
Relations from Boston University and received his B.B.A in Finance and Sport
Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Ethan’s involvement in
LGBTQ Jewish activism began as the founding President of LGBT Jews a& Allies at
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␀ 最渀椀最愀渀愀洀 Ⰰ 礀 爀琀渀甀漀挀 攀栀琀 渀椀 Marci Soifer
NEXT: A Division of Birthright Israel Foundation
marci.soifer@birthrightisraelnext.org
Marci Soifer is the director of operations and planning at NEXT: A Division of
Birthright Israel Foundation, improving program evaluation systems and managing
the national projects. Marci completed her undergraduate work at the University of
Michigan, and completed graduate work at New York University with dual degrees
in Nonprofit Management (MPA) and Judaic Studies (MA). She worked as the
Assistant Camp Director at Camp Young Judaea Sprout Lake, and graduated from the
Foundation for Jewish Camp's Yitro Leadership Program. She participated in an
American Jewish World Service (AJWS) Rabbinical Students Delegation, worked as a
group leader for AJWS Volunteer Summer, and served as an AJWS Kol Tzedek: Voice
of Justice Speaking Fellow. She coached a PresenTense social entrepreneur, served
on the advisory board for Camp Kesem: Columbia University, and worked on both
the program and operations sides of Repair the World.
Laura Solomon
N/A
laura@laurasolomonesq.com
Laura is the founder of Laura Solomon, Esq. & Associates, a law firm devoted to the
representation of nonprofit, charitable, and other tax-exempt organizations. She
started her firm after her work as an Associate with Ballard Spahr Andrews &
Ingersoll, LLP in its Public Finance and Tax Departments, because of her
commitment to providing even the smallest nonprofit groups access to the legal
services they need to organize and operate successfully.
Laura acts as outside, general counsel, to over 200 exempt organizations worldwide.
She and her associates provide a wide range of legal services, including tax,
corporate, mergers, joint ventures, and complex financings. Her clients include
public charities and private foundations, museums, hospitals, schools, religious
groups, business, environmental, animal welfare, and amateur sports organizations,
social clubs, and political action committees, and range from small start-up
organizations to large health systems and multi-national charities.
Daniel Sperling
The Marcus Foundation
dsperling@marcusfoundation.org
Julia Stalder
Eden Village Camp
julia.r.stalder@gmail.com
Julia Stalder is a non-profit professional with rich experience in strategic planning,
fundraising, program development and board relations. She attends Slingshot Day
representing Eden Village Camp, a Jewish organic farm camp located in the Hudson
Valley, where she serves as a Board Member and Chair of the Development
Committee.
Julia has held senior development and program positions at the Peaks Foundation,
the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund and Hadassah, and has
provided consulting services to several other New York area non-profits.
Concurrently, together with her husband, Julia founded Stalder Mediation LLC, a
private mediation firm offering mediation and facilitation services and mediation
trainings. She currently oversees the operations and business development for the
firm. Julia is also an attorney and began her career practicing law in New York City.
Aviva Stampfer
Natan Fund
aviva@natan.org
Aviva Stampfer is the Program Assistant at the Natan Fund. She is responsible for
assisting Natan with new strategic initiatives, including the Jewish Giving Circles
project. Prior to Natan she worked with Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, City
Lore, Project Harmony camp in Jerusalem , and as a City Year Corps member in
Harlem. Aviva was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She earned at B.A in Urban
Studies and Sociology from Barnard College.
Aaron Steinberg
Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance
aaron.steinberg@jofa.org
Aaron Steinberg is a Jewish communal professional who has been a programmer,
educator and fundraiser. He has previously worked at SAR Academy in Riverdale,
and led the Eimatai Leadership Development Project at Yeshiva University. Aaron is
a licensed social worker, and holds an MSW from the Wurzweiler School of Social
Work. He is an active member of his synagogue in White Plains, NY, where he lives
with his wife Adina and two kids Dahlia and Judah. Aaron can be reached at
aaron.steinberg@jofa.org.
Jeremy Stern
Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA)
jstern@getora.org
Rabbi Jeremy Stern serves as the Executive Director of the Organization for the
Resolution of Agunot (ORA), an international nonprofit organization which
advocates against the abuse of the get (Jewish divorce) process. Rabbi Stern
received a B.A., a Master’s in Jewish Education, and rabbinic ordination from
Yeshiva University, and a Master’s in Public Administration specializing in Nonprofit
Administration from Baruch College. With ORA, Rabbi Stern has been instrumental
in resolving over 100 contentious Jewish divorce cases and in leading communitywide initiatives to assist women who are victims of get-refusal. Rabbi Stern lectures
frequently on issues of domestic abuse, the interplay between the Jewish and
American legal systems, and the role of the Jewish community in preventing and
counteracting get-refusal.
Ruth Suzman
MB & Edna Zale Foundation
ruthsuzman@gmail.com
Ruth Suzman is a dedicated volunteer, philanthropist, and advisor to non-profits.
Ruth is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and of Yale University’s MBA
program, where she concentrated on non-profit management and strategy.
At present, Ruth is president of the board of directors of the foundation for
Westchester Community College, and also serves as vice-chair of the board of BBYO,
the national Jewish youth movement. She is an active member of the board of
Repair the World, a national Jewish volunteer service organization, and a trustee of
the MB and Edna Zale Foundation of Dallas. Additionally, Ruth serves on the
national board of the Jewish Deaf Resource Center, the College of Liberal Arts at the
University of Texas, and is chair of the Wisdom Council of Greyston Foundation of
Yonkers, NY. Ruth is a member of the advisory boards of DOROT, City Harvest, and
the JCC on the Hudson.
Jennifer Szapiro
City Harvest
jszapiro@cityharvest.org
Jennifer Szapiro is City Harvest’s Associate Director of Institutional Giving, working
to build partnerships with foundations, corporations, and government in the fight
against hunger in New York City. Prior to joining City Harvest in 2010, Jennifer
spent four years with The Jaffa Institute, an Israel-based organization working to
alleviate poverty in south Tel Aviv. Jennifer holds an MA from Ben Gurion University
of the Negev and a BA from the University of New Hampshire.
Ellen Thurm
UJA-Federation/Neshamot and Nedivot Funds
thurme@ujafedny.org
Ellen is the director of Neshamot and Nedivot, UJA-Federation's Westchester
Women's Venture Philanthropy Funds. The funds collectively have allocated over
$3M to organizations addressing Jewish women and girls at risk and Jewish
Continuity.
Alana Tilman
National Ramah Commission
alana@campramah.org
Alana Tilman is the Special Projects Coordinator of the National Ramah Commission.
Through her work, she coordinates and plans National Ramah projects including
leadership training, college programming, the Ramah Service Corps and the
Ramah365 app. She holds an MA in Informal Jewish Education from the Davidson
School at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Alana is a graduate of Brandeis
University where she studied Psychology, Jewish Studies and Modern Hebrew
literature. As a lifelong Ramahnik, she has spent many summers as a camper,
counselor and Rosh Edah at Ramah in the Poconos and Ramah Israel Seminar.
Rebecca Tobin
Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation
rebecca.tobin@kaplanfoundation.org
Rebecca Tobin is the Executive Director of the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family
Foundation. She previously worked as the Executive Director of Friends of Bezalel
Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem. Prior to her work at Friends of Bezalel she
was a Research Fellow at the Hudson Institute and was also the Assistant Director of
the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust. Rebecca is looking forward
to her first Slingshot Day.
Heather Tratt
Keshet
heather@keshet.org
Heather Tratt-Director of Programs and Operations
BA Elementary Education, M.Ed Early Childhood Special Education, Certificate of
Advanced Studies, Education Leadership
Heather has been associated with Keshet since the summer of 1994. At Keshet,
Heather oversees all of Keshet’s programming from Preschool to day school to
summer extended school year. Heather coordinates all staffing (200 summer staff
and 50 school year staff); works with all of our host site staff to help insure
successful programming for children and young adults with special needs. Heather
is a certified trainer for the Crisis Prevention Institute and trains all Keshet staff in
CPI. Heather is also an adjunct faculty member at Oakton Community College where
she teachers “The Exceptional Child.”
David Tuchman
OMGWTFBIBLE
david.tuchman@gmail.com
David Tuchman was raised in a Modern Orthodox community in New York and has
always considered comedy an important part of his Jewish tradition. In late 2013, he
started OMGWTFBIBLE, a new translation of the Hebrew Bible that reinvigorates
the text by turning it into a comedy podcast.
Naomi Tucker
Shalom Bayit
Naomi@shalom-bayit.org
Naomi Tucker is the founder and Executive Director of Shalom Bayit, the first Jewish
domestic violence agency in Northern California and one of the first of its kind in the
US. She has worked in the field of domestic violence prevention for 31 years.
Naomi has been instrumental in building a national Jewish domestic violence
movement and Jewish communal response to abuse. She has helped many Jewish
communities across the country launch programs to address domestic violence,
increasing safety for Jewish women abused by an intimate partner. A teacher,
writer, trainer, community organizer, mom, and author of numerous articles and
publications on domestic violence in the Jewish community, Naomi is a national
consultant on faith-based approaches to ending violence in the home.
Elisheva Urbas
Hazon
elisheva.urbas@hazon.org
Elisheva Urbas is the Director of Makom Hadash, Hazon’s residency program for
second-stage Jewish organizations. She is a trustee and past president of the
Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan, and has served on advisory boards at the
JTS Ivry Prozdor and Limmud NY. Elisheva has spent more than twenty-five years
working as an editor, writer, and writing teacher, on topics ranging from Bible
criticism and monetary policy to bird migration and psychoanalysis, including eight
years as the Managing Editor of the publishing house Farrar, Straus, Giroux.
Authors and editorial clients have included David Hartmann, John McPhee, Anne
Fadiman, Francine Klagsbrun, James Grant, David Grossman, Arthur Waskow, David
Ellenson and Ruth Wisse, as well as institutions including UJA-Federation of NY, the
Wellspring Consulting Group, and the Samuel Bronfman Foundation. She and her
husband David Morris live in Manhattan; their daughters are students at Schechter
Manhattan, SAR High School, and the University of Chicago.
Cari Uslan
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
cuslan@mazon.org
Cari B. Uslan, Certified Fund Raising Executive, is the Director of Development for
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. Ms. Uslan has an exceptional background in
fundraising and advancement in the nonprofit sector, working with national and
local organizations to enhance their resources and advance their missions. Prior to
joining MAZON, she served as a Development Officer for Mayo Clinic, an
internationally renowned leader in health care through the integration of
exceptional patient care, medical research and education. Ms. Uslan also has broadbased management experience. She has served as the Area Director for the
American Heart Association and as a Jewish communal professional, working with
Los Angeles area synagogues in administrative leadership positions.
Karla Van Praag
JOIN for Justice
kvanpraag@joinforjustice.org
Karla Van Praag is the founder and Executive Director of JOIN for Justice and
directed its predecessor organization, the Jewish Organizing Initiative. She helped
create the Greater Boston Synagogue Organizing Project while at Boston’s Jewish
Community Relations Council. Karla serves on the board of Real Food Generation
and the leadership team of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable. A graduate of
Wesleyan University, Karla holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard
Kennedy School.
Aviva Vogelstein
The Slingshot Fund
avogelst@gmail.com
Aviva graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010 and
from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2013. She currently holds a fellowship
at the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under the Law, an organization
that takes legal action to fight anti-Semitism on university campuses. Growing up in
Baltimore, Maryland, her parents taught her the importance of observing and
learning about Jewish tradition and supporting the Jewish people. Aviva is very
excited to be a part of the Slingshot Fund, and hopes to pave the way for her seven
younger siblings and many cousins in the world of Jewish philanthropy.
Lana Volftsun
Slingshot
lanatalya@gmail.com
Lana Volftsun is Executive Director of the One Percent Foundation (OPF), an
organization that makes philanthropy accessible to Millennials+ and empowers
them to change the world together. She serves on the Board of Slingshot, sits on the
Issues Committee for the National Center for Family Philanthropy, and is member of
the Impact Grants Initiative and Innovation Fund committees for the SF Jewish
Community Federation. Lana takes her work on the road, speaking at conferences,
gatherings, and universities about Millennial giving. Prior to OPF, Lana worked as a
technology consultant at Deloitte Consulting. She received a BSBA and Master's
Certificate in NonProfit Management from Washington University in St. Louis.
Rebecca Voorwinde
The Bronfman Youth Fellowships
becky@byfi.org
Becky oversees the strategic planning for all aspects of the Bronfman Fellowships in
Israel and the US, including working closely with the global alumni community of
over 1,000. Becky facilitates collaboration and networking among alumni through
innovative programming such as the Alumni Venture Fund, the only Jewish peer-to-
peer micro-grant fund, recognized for two years by Slingshot as a top innovative
Jewish project in North America. She also develops relationships with Jewish and
non-Jewish organizations to further personal and professional leadership
development of our Fellows and alumni, who serve as leaders in key positions of
influence around the globe.
Previous positions include work in the Corporate Responsibility Group at Ernst &
Young LLP and as a consultant at Diversity@Work Australia Inc. Becky graduated
Summa Cum Laude from Barnard College with a B.A. in American Studies. She
serves on the Advisory Board of InterfaithFamily.com and she is a committee
member on Interfaith Inclusiveness for UJA Federation of NY.
Rebecca Wanatick
MetroWest ABLE-Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ
rwanatick@jfedgmw.org
Rebecca Wanatick received her Master’s Degree in Special Education from Boston
University and a Bachelor’s Degree in both Elementary and Special Education from
University of Hartford. Rebecca is presently employed as the Community Inclusion
Coordinator for MetroWest ABLE. MetroWest ABLE (Access, Belonging and Life
Enrichment for People and Families with Special Needs) engages families,
synagogues and agencies in creating a Jewish community that is made whole
through the active and meaningful participation of all of its members, with
opportunities for access to every aspect of Jewish life. Rebecca serves as a facilitator
between the families and support agencies, helping to make connections and raise
the level of inclusive programming. She coordinates family and educator
workshops, shadow and babysitting training for teens interested in working with
children with special needs, engages with synagogue inclusion committees, and
provides outreach and advocacy for individuals with special needs and their
families.
Philip Warmflash
Jewish Learning Venture
rabbiphil@jewishlearningventure.org
Rabbi Philip Warmflash is the founding Executive Director of Jewish Learning
Venture, an agency that aims to empower people who seek to make Jewish life,
learning and community relevant and meaningful. He is a consultant for Shevet, the
Consortium for the Jewish Family. Rabbi Warmflash is a recipient of the 2007
Covenant Award for Exceptional Jewish Educators. Rabbi Warmflash has developed
multiple cutting edge programs, including Reshet: Network for Synagogue Strength,
currently being implemented in seven communities across the country. He offers
workshops nationally on areas of Jewish life and text, often focusing on Synagogue
Growth and Renewal, Jewish Family, Prayer and Spirituality. He received his BA at
Brandeis and M.A. and ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He lives in
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.
Amy Warshaw
Clal
Warshaw5@gmail.com
Development Manager at Clal - The National Jewish Center for Learning and
Leadership. For the past two years I have had the pleasure of being a Slingshot
guide evaluator.
Ruthie Warshenbrot
The Wexner Foundation
ruthie@wexner.net
Ruthie is currently Associate Program Director at The Wexner Foundation. She is a
Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar and was a Lisa Goldberg Fellow in
Jewish Leadership at NYU where she completed a MPA and a MA in Hebrew and
Judaic Studies. While at NYU, Ruthie worked as a Jewish Service-Learning Manager
at Repair the World and as a Program Leader for Bend the Arc’s Jewish servicelearning trips. She also participated in a Jewish service-learning delegation to
Senegal with American Jewish World Service. With a group of NYU alumni, she
worked on the Jewish Communal Professional Compensation Survey. Prior to
graduate school, Ruthie was the Executive Director of Limmud NY. She is a recipient
of the Jewish Communal Service Association’s Young Professional Award. She grew
up in Charlotte, NC and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Jewish Studies.
David Weinstein
Havurah at Camp Tel Yehudah
david.weinstein@youngjudaea.org
David started in Young Judaea as a camper at Camp Young Judaea Sprout Lake the
year it opened in 1976. He was a camper, kitchen boy, madrich and merakez at
Camp Tel Yehudah as well as the former National Administrative Vice President and
Education Director of Young Judaea. He attended Young Judaea Year Course 1982-
83. During his 17 year “vacation” from YJ, David was a high school teacher, family
educator, curriculum developer and educational consultant. He graduated from the
University of Michigan (Go Blue!) with a degree in Judaic Studies and Political
Science and has a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of
Education. He also studied Jewish texts at Machon Pardes in Jerusalem. David met
his wife, Amy, at Sprout Lake in 1976 and their two children, Mikaela and Kira, are
now Judaeans as well. David returned as Director of Tel Yehudah in 2007 and is a
graduate of the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Executive Leadership Institute as well
as a recipient of the Innovator Award from the Legacy Heritage Fund. He also serves
on the education committee of Bnai Keshet in Montclair, NJ.
Lori Weinstein
Jewish Women International
loriweinstein@jwi.org
Lori Weinstein is the CEO/Executive Director of JWI, an organization of more than
75,000 donors, members and supporters committed to protecting the rights of all
women and girls to live in safe homes and thrive in healthy relationships. Under her
decade of leadership JWI has created dozens of innovative programs and
philanthropic initiatives for women and girls that build safe homes, promote healthy
relationships and inspire strong women. In addition to her work with JWI, Lori is a
founder of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation (WAWF), has served on the
board of directors of American Jewish World Service and Regional Council of the
New Israel Fund and currently serves on the board of the Religious Coalition for
Reproductive Choice and the executive board of the National Coalition for Women’s
Organizations as well as a number of other organizations.
Aimee Weiss
Maimonides Fund
aimee.weiss@gmail.com
Laurie Wexler
Sunflower Bakery
laurie@sunflowerbakery.org
Sara Winkelman
JCC
swinkelman@jccstl.org
Sara Winkelman, MSW, is the Director of Nishmah, the St. Louis Jewish Women’s
Project, a Department of Jewish Community Center in St. Louis. Sara has been the
director since August of 2011. Prior to this, she was the Assistant Director of Jewish
community Life. She has worked in a variety of other capacities at the JCC and other
Jewish organizations for the past 20 years
Sara previously worked at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis as Coordinator of
Overseas Planning and Projects as well as Partnership 2000 Director. Sara also
served as Director of Women’s Division at Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the
Jewish Federation of Boston.
Before moving to St. Louis, Sara and her husband, Rabbi Hyim Shafner, spent a year
in Bombay, India working as Jewish educators for the Joint Distribution Committee.
Sara is also the proud 慰敲瑮漠⁦敂 Ɱ 夠湯桡愠摮䠠癡⁡桓晡敮⁦Ň䨀汵敩匠獩浳湡
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Alexis Wojtowicz
Mazon
alewojtowicz@gmail.com
Alexis Wojtowicz studies Art History at the University of Maryland, where she
anticipates graduating just a few days after Slingshot Day. She grew up in the Young
Judea youth movement, spent a gap year on their Year Course program, and will
work at Camp Tel Yehudah this summer. Currently, Alexis interns at American
Jewish World Service preparing for their 'We Believe' Policy Summit, and also
serves as the Hillel representative on Mazon's board of directors.
Jonathan Woocher
Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah
jon@lippmankanfer.org
Jonathan S. Woocher is President of Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah,
which promotes efforts to connect Jews and others to Jewish wisdom, sensibilities,
and experiences that help them lead more purposeful and fulfilling lives. Prior to
assuming this position, Dr. Woocher worked for 27 years at JESNA as President and
then as Chief Ideas Officer, where he headed the Lippman Kanfer Institute, an
action-oriented think tank for innovation in Jewish Learning and Engagement. Dr.
Woocher is the author of Sacred Survival: The Civil Religion of American Jews and
numerous articles on Jewish education, community, and religious life. His most
recent article, “Jewish Education in a New Century: An Ecosystem in Transition,” coauthored with his daughter, Meredith, appears in the 2013 volume of the American
Jewish Year Book. Dr. Woocher serves on the boards of the Covenant Foundation
and Bikkurim: An Incubator for New Jewish Ideas.
Meira Zack
Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA)
director@getORA.org
Stefanie Zelkind
Jewish Teen Funders Network
stefanie@jtfn.org
As the founding director of the Jewish Teen Funders Network, Stefanie has played a
crucial role in the growth and development of the field of Jewish youth
philanthropy. She got her first taste of collective giving as a co-founder and
participant of "No Small Change: A Tzedakah Collective for Women and Girls."
Before joining JTFN, Stefanie served as the National Field Director of the Coalition
on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), and the Director of International
Affairs for Adam Teva V’Din – The Israel Union for Environmental Defense. She
earned a double masters degree in Nonprofit Management and Judaic Studies at
New York University, where she was a Wexner Graduate Fellow.
Carly Zimmerman
Challah for Hunger
carly@challahforhunger.org
Carly Zimmerman, CEO of Challah for Hunger, started her challah journey at the
University of Pittsburgh, where she co-founded the 7th chapter. She is proud to be
part of a network that's grown from a small group of passionate leaders to a global
movement of 67 chapters. Passionate about student empowerment and social
justice, Carly previously worked in the Hillel community and received her master's
degree from the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership. She lives and
works in Philadelphia. There, she spends her free time exploring the city’s parks and
restaurants with her husband, Michael, and dogs, Henry and Daisy. She invites you
to celebrate 10 years of "baking a difference" and t 敬牡 潭敲愠潢瑵䌠慨汬桡映牯
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David Zinner
Kavod v'Nichum
dzinner@jewish-funerals.org
David Zinner is the Executive Director of Kavod v'Nichum, (Honor and Comfort), and
the Gamliel Institute. He is the lead author for three courses – Chevra Kadisha:
Origins and Evolution, Tahara and Shmira; and Education, Organizing and Training.
He has coordinated the annual Chevra Kadisha and Jewish Cemetery conferences for
the last 12 years, manages the web site Jewish Funerals, Burial and Mourning, and
conducts community Chevra Kadisha trainings.
David is the Vice-President of the Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater
Washington, representative of religious non-profit cemeteries on the Maryland State
Advisory Council on Cemetery Operations, and the former Executive Director of
Tifereth Israel Congregation, in Washington, DC.