NYJA Leaders Network

List in formation. Current as of June 14, 2021.

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

Senator Brad Hoylman, NY State Senate, District 27

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

Council Member Brad Lander, NYC Council, District 39

Council Member Stephen Levin, NYC Council, District 33

Community Leaders:

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

Karen Adler, Community Leader and Philanthropist

Anita Altman, Board Chair, Young Advocates for Fair Education

Adam Basciano, National Director, IPF Atid

Talia Benamy, Jewish Communal Engagement Chair, J Street NYC

Rabbi Jonathan Blake, Westchester Reform Temple (Scarsdale)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aaron Dorfman, 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

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

Gili Getz, Programming Chair, J Street NYC

Paul Golin, Executive Director, Society for Humanistic Judaism

Lee Jason Goldberg, Ending Mass Incarceration Team Co-Chair, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (Manhattan)

Phyllis T. Goldman, Board Member, Bend the Arc

Rabbi Barbara Goldman-Wartell, Temple Concord (Binghamton)

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

Rabbi Matt Green, Congregation Beth Elohim (Brooklyn)

Michele Gregson, Founder, Jewish Women of Westchester

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

Jessica Haller, NYC Council Candidate, District 11

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

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, Director, Jewish Coalition on Criminal Justice Reform

Rabbi Stephanie Kolin, Union Temple of Brooklyn

Jonathan Kopp, Board of Directors, J Street

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

Alisa F. Levin, Executive Committee, Israel Policy Forum

Rabbi Sam Levine, East Midwood Jewish Center

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

Stu Loeser, Founding Principal, Stu Loeser & Co.

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

Seth M. Marnin, Board Chair, Keshet

Noemi Masliah, Co-Founder, Immigration Equality

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)

Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Co-Founder, 100Kin10

Rabbi Bethie Miller, Founder, Sanctuary

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

Jo-Ann Mort, CEO, ChangeCommunications

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

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

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

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, Director for Policy and Strategy, New Israel Fund

Marcia Riklis, Chair, Jewish Funders Network

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

Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Founder & CEO, Dayenu

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

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

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

Nigel Savage, CEO, Hazon

Zachary Schaffer, Founder, Brooklyn Young Democrats Jewish Caucus

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

Rabbi Drorah Setel, Temple Emanu-El (Rochester)

Abe Silberstein, Communications Director, Brooklyn Young Democrats

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

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)

Susie Stern, Vice Chair, Jewish Federations of North America

Meg Sullivan, Director, JCC Harlem

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

Rachel Tiven, Former CEO, Lambda Legal

Ann Toback, CEO, The Workers Circle

Alan van Capelle, CEO, Educational Alliance

Rabbi Burton Visotzky, Professor, Jewish Theological Seminary

Susan Wagner, Co-Founder, Jews Defending American Values

Simone Weichselbaum, Co-Founder, Kugel Jews

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

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

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

Rabbi Rachel Timoner

Co-Founder & Member of the Board

Rabbi Rachel Timoner, co-founder and member of the board, 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, such as immigration, affordable housing, and racism. 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

President & Co-Founder, 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 & Member of the Board

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, member of the board, 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 Member

Nancy Kaufman, member of the board, 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.

Micah Lasher

Board Member

Micah Lasher has been a leader in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, focused on public policy and communications. Most recently, he was Head of Policy and Communications for Sidewalk Labs, an Alphabet (Google) company focused on innovation in technology and urban design to address challenges facing cities across the world.

Gene Goldstein-Plesser

Associate Director

Gene Goldstein-Plesser, Associate Director, previously led the San Francisco Bay Area office of Keshet, where he created and managed a diverse array of educational and community building programs to support LGBTQ Jews.