NYJA Leaders Network

List information. Current as of August 30, 2023.

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:

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

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine

Assembly member Harvey Epstein, NY State Assembly, District 74

Senator Brad Hoylman, NY State Senate, District 27

Assembly member 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

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 Jennie Rosenn, Founder & CEO, Dayenu

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 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 Lisa Arbisser

Cantor Lori Corrsin

Community Leaders:

Karen Adler, Community Leader and Philanthropist

Anita Altman, Board Chair, Young Advocates for Fair Education

Stuart Appelbaum, President, Jewish Labor Committee

Talia Benamy, Jewish Communal Engagement Chair, J Street NYC

Gabriel Blau, Founder, Equality New York

Kenneth Bob, National President, Ameinu

Yoni Bokser, Acting Executive Director, NYS Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development

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

David Chapman, Rabbinical Student and Wexner Graduate Fellow

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

Alan Cohen, Chief Program Officer, JASA

Daniel Marks Cohen, NYC Council Candidate, District 7

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

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

Aaron Dorfman, Former President, Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah

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

Dan Fleshler, Board Member, Ameinu and Americans for Peace Now

Peter Frey, Board of Directors, J Street

Gili Getz, Programming Chair, J Street NYC

Brenda Gevertz, Executive Director Emerita, JPRO Network

Paul Golin, Executive Director, Society for Humanistic Judaism

Phyllis T. Goldman, Board Member, Bend the Arc

Melanie Gorelick, Senior Vice President, Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Jack Gorman MD, President and Co-founder, Critica

Michele Gregson, Founder, Jewish Women of Westchester

Jessica Haller, NYC Council Candidate, District 11

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

Melissa Iachan, Senior Supervising Counsel, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

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

Rae Janvey, Founder, The Conversation: Jewish in America

Peter Joseph, Chairman Emeritus, Israel Policy Forum

Karen Spar Kasner, Board Member, JCRC-NY

Zachary Katznelson, Co-Founder, Dismantling Racism, Congregation Beth Elohim (Brooklyn)

Rachel Kleinbaum, Former Director, Jewish Coalition on Criminal Justice Reform

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

Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Co-Founder, 100Kin10

Jo-Ann Mort, CEO, ChangeCommunications

Udi Ofer, Deputy National Political Director, American Civil Liberties Union

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

Richard Ravitch, Former Lieutenant Governor, New York

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

Kathleen Rubenstein, Executive Director, Skadden Foundation

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, Founder, Brooklyn Young Democrats Jewish Caucus

Doug Schneider, Member, Democratic State Committee, 44th AD

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

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

Russell Semmel, IPF Atid Bronfman Convenor

Abe Silberstein, Communications Director, Brooklyn Young Democrats

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

Susie Stern, Vice Chair, Jewish Federations of North America

Meg Sullivan, Director, JCC Harlem

Rachel Tiven, Former CEO, Lambda Legal

Ann Toback, CEO, The Workers Circle

Alan van Capelle, CEO, Educational Alliance

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

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, so that thousands of Brooklyn neighbors could help to protect human rights and democracy in the Trump years.

Matt Nosanchuk

Board Member

Matt Nosanchuk was liaison to the American Jewish Community in the Obama White House and a member of the National Security Council staff. He also served in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs, was awarded the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for his work to advance LGBT civil rights, and was instrumental in securing American Jewish communal support for the Iran nuclear agreement.

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 Gershon is the Executive Director of Project Kesher, a Jewish not-for-profit that works to build Jewish community, promote gender equality and advance civil society in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and Russian-speaking communities in Israel by developing and empowering women leaders.

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.

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.

Phylisa Wisdom

Executive Director

Bio TBD