NYJA Leaders Network

List information. Current as of January 23, 2025.

All affiliations are for identification purposes only. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, NYJA is a non-partisan organization and does not endorse candidates for elected office.

Members of the NYJA Leaders Network broadly endorse NYJA’s platform and support our Jewish and democratic values. The Network includes Jewish individuals who hold positions of leadership at synagogues, non-profits, and other communal organizations, or are leaders in their respective professional fields.

Our goal is to build a network that represents the diversity of the New York Jewish community, including Jews of all denominations, ethnicities, genders, races, generations, and regions of New York. Individual members of the Leaders Network may not align with NYJA’s positions and statements in every instance.

Allied Elected Officials:

Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, NY State Assembly, District 74

State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, NY State Senate, District 27

State Senator Liz Krueger, 28th District

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine

Representative Jerrold Nadler, U.S. House of Representatives, NY-10

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, NY State Assembly, District 67

Rabbis:

Rabbi David Adelson, Dean, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

Rabbi Jonathan Blake, Westchester Reform Temple (Scarsdale)

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi, Central Synagogue

Rabbi Ayelet S. Cohen, Senior Director, New York, New Israel Fund

Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson, Senior Rabbi, Temple Emanu-El (Manhattan)

Rabbi Jonah Geffen, Senior Jewish Educator and Campus Rabbi, Hunter Hillel

Rabbi Barbara Goldman-Wartell, Temple Concord (Binghamton)

Rabbi Matt Green, Congregation Beth Elohim (Brooklyn)

Rabbi Steve Gutow, Visiting Scholar and Co-Director of the Religious Leadership and Civic Engagement Project of the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service of New York University

Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe, Associate Rabbi, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale- the Bayit

Rabbi Stephanie Kolin, Congregation Beth Elohim

Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, Founding Spiritual Leader, Lab/Shul

Rabbi Sam Levine, East Midwood Jewish Center

Rabbi Joy Levitt, Executive Director, Marlene Meyerson Jewish Community Center Manhattan

Rabbi David Evan Markus, Temple Beth El (Bronx) & Board Chair, Bayit: Building Jewish

Rabbi José Rolando Matalon, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun (Manhattan)

Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson, Senior Fellow, Center for LGBTQ Studies in Religion

Rabbi Shira Milgrom, Congregation Kol Ami (White Plains)

Rabbi Bethie Miller, Founder, Sanctuary

Rabbi Avram Mlotek, Co-founder and Spiritual Director, Base

Rabbi Joel Mosbacher, Senior Rabbi, Temple Shaaray Tefilah (Manhattan)

Rabbi Mike Moskowitz, Scholar-in-Residence, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (Manhattan)

Rabbi Scott Perlo, Romemu Brooklyn

Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein, Rabbinic Scholar and Public Affairs Advisor, Jewish Federations of North America

Rabbi Drorah Setel, Temple Emanu-El (Rochester)

Rabbi Felicia Sol, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun (Manhattan)

Rabbi Danny Stein, Director, Base UWS

Rabbi Benjamin H. Spratt, Congregation Rodeph Sholom (Manhattan)

Rabbi Josh Stanton, East End Temple (Manhattan)

Rabbi Abby Stein, Co-Founder, Sacred Space

Rabbi Peter Stein, Senior Rabbi, Temple B’rith Kodesh (Rochester)

Rabbi Lennard R. Thal, Senior Vice President Emeritus, Union for Reform Judaism

Rabbi Burton Visotzky, Professor, Jewish Theological Seminary

Rabbi Josh Weinberg, Vice President of Israel and Reform Zionism, Union for Reform Judaism

Rabbi Irwin Zeplowitz, Senior Rabbi, The Community Synagogue (Port Washington)

Cantors:

Cantor Irena Altshul, Cantor, Temple Israel of the City of New York

Cantor Lisa Arbisser

Cantor Josh Breitzer, Congregation Beth Elohim

Cantor Lori Corrsin

Community Leaders:

Karen Adler, Community Leader and Philanthropist

Anita Altman, Board – YAFFED

Stuart Appelbaum, President, Jewish Labor Committee

Andy Austin, Board Chair, A Wider Bridge

Talia Benamy, Jewish Communal Engagement Chair, J Street NYC

Gabriel Blau, Founder, Equality New York

Kenneth Bob, National President, Ameinu

Yoni Bokser, Executive Director/VP, NYS Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development / New Media

Jessica R. Brown, Co-Chair, J Street NYC Chapter

Dina B. Charnin, Former Director of Israel Policy and Programs, National Council of Jewish Women

Alan Cohen, Chief Program Officer, JASA

Daniel Marks Cohen, Democratic State Committeeman & District Leader Part A (AD 69)

Kobi Cohen, Co-Founder, Israel Shelanu

Lori L. Cohen, Executive Director, ECPAT-USA

Steven Cohen, Trustee, New York University

Victoria Cook, Founder, Torah Trumps Hate

Ami Dar, Executive Director, Idealist.org

Alan Divack, Program Director, The Lucius N. Littauer Foundation

Aaron Dorfman, Executive Director, A More Perfect Union

Allison Fine, Past President, Temple Beth Abraham (Tarrytown)

Dan Fleshler, Board Member, New Jewish Narrative

Peter Frey, Board Chair, J Street

Jennifer Friedlin, Principal and Strategy Director at Lizanne Hart Consulting

Gili Getz, Programming Chair, J Street NYC; Board Chair, American Friends of Combatants for Peace

Brenda Gevertz, Executive Director Emerita, JPRO Network

Paul Golin, Executive Director, Society for Humanistic Judaism

Phyllis T. Goldman, Consultant & Board Member, Bend the Arc

Melanie Roth Gorelick, CEO, Elluminate

Jack Gorman MD, President and Co-founder, Critica

Michele Gregson, Founder, Jewish Women of Westchester

Jessica Haller, Board of Directors, JCRC NY

Stuart Himmelfarb, CEO and Co-Founder, B3/ The Jewish Boomer Platform, Inc.

Rabbi Margo Hughes-Robinson, Executive Director, Partners for Progressive Israel

Melissa Iachan, Deputy General Counsel, NYC Dept. of Consumer and Worker Protection

Rae Janvey, Founder, The Conversation: Jewish in America

Peter Joseph, Chairman Emeritus, Israel Policy Forum

Karen Spar Kasner, Board Member, JCRC-NY

Zachary Katznelson, Executive Director, Independent Rikers Commission

Andrea Salwen Kopel, Executive Director, National Council of Jewish Women New York

Jonathan Kopp, Chair, J Street NYC

Gil Kulick, Board Member, Partners for Progressive Israel

Arieh Lebowitz, Executive Director, Jewish Labor Committee

Alisa F. Levin, Chair, Honeymoon Israel; Board Member, Israel Policy Forum, Executive Committee, JCRCNY

Stephen Levin, Former Council Member, NYC Council, District 33

Dr. Rachel Lissy, Director, New York Jewish Coalition for Criminal Justice Reform

Stu Loeser, Founding Principal, Stu Loeser & Co.

Noemi Masliah, Co-Founder, Immigration Equality

Ruth Messinger, Former Manhattan Borough President and AJWS President

Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Co-Founder, 100Kin10

Jo-Ann Mort, CEO, ChangeCommunications

Udi Ofer, John L. Weinberg Visiting Professor and Founding Director, Princeton Policy Advocacy Clinic, Princeton SPIA

Sheryl Parker, Director, The Joseph Stern Center for Social Responsibility, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan

Margo Paz, Senior Advisor, UJA-Federation of New York

Judith Stern Peck, Former Board Chair, UJA-Federation of NY

Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Writer & Activist, Founding Editor, Ms. Magazine

Harry Reis, Former Director for Policy and Strategy, New Israel Fund

Marcia Riklis, Chair, Jewish Funders Network

Josh Rolnick, Founding Director, Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah

Eric Rosenbaum, President and CEO, Project Renewal

Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Founder & CEO, Dayenu

John Ruskay, Executive Vice President Emeritus, UJA-Federation Of New York

Johanna Sanders, Director of Policy and Organizing, The Vaid Group

Nigel Savage, Former CEO, Hazon

Zachary Schaffer, Co-Founder and VP Community Engagement, Project Shema

Jeff Schoenfeld, Past President, UJA-Federation Of New York

Jodi Schwartz, Vice Chair, Board of Trustees of The Jewish Federations of North America

Abe Silberstein, Associate Director, The Abraham Initiatives

Jill Smith, Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Moishe House

Susie Stern, Vice Chair, Jewish Federations of North America

Meg Sullivan

Rachel Tiven, Former CEO, Lambda Legal

Ann Toback, CEO, The Workers Circle

Alan van Capelle, Executive Director, Friends of the High Line

Simone Weichselbaum, Co-Founder, Kugel Jews

Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers

Chesky Wertman, Director, Jewish Alliance for Dialogue and Engagement

Jeffrey M. Wice, Executive Director, National Association of Jewish Legislators

Evan Wolfson, Founder, Freedom to Marry

Michael Young, Board of Directors, J Street

Isaac Zablocki, Director, Israel Film Center, Marlene Meyerson Jewish Community Center Manhattan

I’M INTERESTED IN JOINING THE NETWORK

Rabbi Rachel Timoner

Co-Founder & Board Member

Rabbi Rachel Timoner is the senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Elohim, a synagogue based in Brooklyn, New York. She helped to launch RAC-NY and Reform California, two statewide efforts to bring Reform Jewish values to bear on core issues of our times. In November 2016, Rabbi Timoner, in cooperation with City Councilmember Brad Lander, founded #GetOrganizedBK to protect human rights and democracy in the Trump years.

Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum

Co-Founder & Board Member

Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum serves as spiritual leader of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah. She has served on the United States Commission on Internal Religious Freedom, New York City’s Commission on Human rights, and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Faith Based Advisory Council. She has been ranked multiple times by Newsweek as among the 50 most influential rabbis in America.

Karyn Gershon

Board Member

Karyn Grossman Gershon is the CEO of Project Kesher, a nonprofit building Jewish life and empowering women leaders in Ukraine, Israel and Belarus. In Israel, Karyn has been at the forefront of supporting programming and advocacy for Ukrainian and Russian women immigrants and refugees and the Russian-speaking LGBTQ community.

Nancy Kaufman

Board Chair

Nancy Kaufman is a coach for women in the c-suite and a consultant for not-for-profits. She most recently served as CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW,) a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates inspired by Jewish values. NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms.

Amy Spitalnick

Board Member

Amy Spitalnick is the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the national convener of Jewish coalitions working across communities to build a just and inclusive American democracy. She previously served as Executive Director of Integrity First for America, which became a powerful national voice in the fight against white supremacy and extremism.

Phylisa Wisdom

Executive Director

Phylisa Wisdom comes to NYJA with a life-long commitment to service that she acquired growing up in a tight knit Reform temple community in San Diego. With that anchor, she has rooted all her professional commitments thus far in the deeply-held value of tikkun olam. Her Ladino-speaking Sephardic grandmother from The Bronx instilled a deep appreciation for the diversity of Jewish communities in New York City.

Jacob Tolson

Programming & Political Manager

Jacob joined New York Jewish Agenda (NYJA) in 2024 and serves as the Programming and Political Manager. Previously, Jacob was the Project Manager for a series of interfaith trainings aimed at stemming domestic terrorism and hate-based violence at a large Jewish nonprofit.

Brad Lander

Co-Founder

Comptroller Brad Lander serves as New York City’s chief financial officer, leading an office of roughly 800 public servants in their work to promote the financial health, integrity, and effectiveness of city government and secure a more thriving and sustainable future for all New Yorkers.

Amy Rutkin

Amy Rutkin is a veteran government and political leader with 25+ years of Capitol Hill and New York experience. She served as Staff Director to the House Judiciary Committee (the first-ever Democratic woman in the role) and Chief of Staff to Congressman Jerrold Nadler, and is a trusted advisor to Democratic Leadership and the White House.

Naomi Horn

Naomi joined NYJA in 2025 and serves as the Engagement Manager. She previously worked as an analyst at a research agency, where she specialized in social and political insights. Naomi graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in Economics & Educational Studies. She founded a small grassroots minyan in 2023 and enjoys testing the limits of how many people can fit in her apartment for Shabbat.