Our Board

Following a successful career with major ad agencies, Karen is the Principal of the boutique branding and marketing communications firm Marketing Matters Ltd with clients across the US and in Israel. Karen has also held numerous non-profit leadership positions at legacy organizations including UJA-Federation of New York, Westchester Jewish Council, and Hadassah. She also previously served as Director of Admissions and Outreach at The Leffell School (then known as Schechter Westchester School).

Giselle’s professional background is in consulting where she advised large and small organizations on strategy, leadership, and board development. Having grown up in Denver, she attended Jewish Day School which set the path for her involvement in Jewish education. In addition to the Jewish Education Project, Giselle has served on the boards of the Leffell School, The Westchester Jewish Council, JCC of Mid-Westchester, UJA Westchester Advisory Board, UJA Network Allocations Committee, AIPAC Women’s Initiative, and BBYO Women’s Leadership Initiative.

Lois brings her extensive background in education and educational technology to her leadership roles in Jewish communal service. As Board President of The Jewish Education Project and Vice Chair of the International BBYO Board, she guides strategic initiatives that shape Jewish education and youth engagement.

A dedicated philanthropist, Lois is a member of the UJA-Federation of New York Board of Directors and past chair of UJA-Federation Westchester Women's Philanthropy. She was instrumental in establishing the Neshamot Women's Impact Philanthropy group. Her board service includes previous positions with The Foundation for Jewish Camp, The Leffell School, and the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education.

Lois holds both a BA and MS in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. A Wexner Heritage alumna and certified yoga instructor, she brings a holistic perspective to her leadership and community work.

Gary is Chair and Managing Partner of Lowenstein Sandler LLP, a 400 lawyer national law firm based in New York. He formerly served as allocations chair, strategic planning chair, and on the executive committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest (NJ). He is also former Board Chair of Golda Och Academy, a Solomon Schechter school based in West Orange, New Jersey. Gary lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with his wife Helene.

Sanford ("Sandy") Antignas is CFO of Trestle Management, a family office, following a career as COO of global asset management firms. He holds a BS from UC Berkeley, an MBA from NYU, and is pursuing a degree in International Affairs at Columbia. Sandy is deeply engaged in Jewish communal life, serving as Chair of the Board of Directors of the United Israel Appeal (a JFNA subsidiary), Vice President of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, and a member of the boards of The Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Joint Distribution Committee, among numerous other leadership roles. He is an alum of the Wexner Heritage Program and the JFNA National Young Leadership Cabinet.

Ella is a digital, marketing and data transformation leader at L'Oreal. She is recognized for building personalized consumer experiences that drive business results. Ella is also on the board of The Leffell School. Between Leffell and The Jewish Education Project, Ella enjoys bringing together her professional and personal passions to support innovation in Jewish education. Ella and her husband are proud parents to 4 children.

Ivy Dash has roots in both New York and Florida, and currently lives in Broward County, FL. While in New York, Ivy was a member of Congregation Rodeph Sholom, worked at the JCC Manhattan, The Jewish Theological Seminary’s Prozdor, and URJ. In Florida, Ivy served as both educator and bus captain on multiple March of the Living trips, was a board member at Donna Klein Jewish Academy and the Waldorf School of Palm Beach, was Chair of the Kristallnacht Jewish Film Festival for the South Palm Beach Federation and has designed Holocaust Education programs for many private schools in South Florida. Ivy is active with the Neshama Institute of Boca Raton.

Amy is a life-long educator and learner. She taught in the Mamaroneck Public Schools at Murray Avenue School and sat on the board of trustees at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. Amy is active at The Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan where she is a gallery educator and serves on the Board of Trustees. Amy and her husband Rob reside in Scarsdale and have been very involved at The Leffell School where they have both served on numerous committees and task forces.

Michael is a corporate restructuring lawyer and advisor with expertise in corporate governance and crisis management. He was a Board member at UJA-Federation of NY, where he was a member of various grant-making committees and task forces. Michael also is the President of the Community Synagogue of Rye and is a Board member of Mosholu Montefiore Community Center.

Julia Friedman Rubin brings deep expertise in education policy and research, with experience in K-12 curriculum development, culturally responsive teaching, and edtech. She spent six years teaching grades 5–8 in New York City public and private schools before moving into roles at Teachers Pay Teachers (as senior content expert overseeing curriculum evaluation) and Applied Curiosity Research. Julia holds an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and is currently pursuing an Executive MBA at NYU. She is a member of Hebrew Institute in White Plains, and her children attend the Leffell School.

Jane is a partner at Latham and Watkins LLP with expertise in mergers and acquisitions. Jane was a participant in the Wexner Foundation’s program for Russian Speaking Jews, and she co-chaired the Natan Russian Speaking Jews Giving Circle. Jane also sat on the board of COJECO, as well as the Steering Committee of COJECO’s Keystone Fellowship, and is involved with the Russian Division at UJA-Federation of New York.

Jennifer Gross is a seasoned leader in finance, fundraising, and nonprofit management. After a career marketing hedge funds, she served as Vice President at UJA-Federation of New York and CEO of American Friends of Tel Aviv University. She is currently a Partner at Dame Mas Tequila. Her children are graduates of the Ramaz School, and she is active in Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun and Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach. Jennifer served on The Jewish Education Project's Strategic Planning committee and chaired its 2026 Spring Event.

Scott Harris is the founder of the Harris Residential Team at 125-year-old firm Brokerage firm Brown Harris Stevens. He serves on UJA's Board of Directors and its REX Real Estate Committees. Scott also sits on the Board of Directors of Judaism Alive, which runs Jewish Rock Radio, Songleader Bootcamp, and the Jewish Star youth leadership training programs.

Bruce is a former Caribbean hotel owner and corporate marketing and business development executive.  He currently serves as a SCORE.org mentor helping young entrepreneurs bring their business ideas to fruition. Bruce also serves on the board of The Jewish Grandparents Network and the Bet Torah Foundation. He is a past President and Trustee of the Bronx High School of Science Alumni Foundation Inc. Bruce lives in Westchester County, NY with his wife Julie.

Avery Kastin strongly believes in the value of exceptional Jewish education and is familiar with a range of issues facing the Jewish community having served as a volunteer in the Jewish community for over twenty-five years. Avery is a board member of Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, where he currently serves as Chair of Allocations. He also sits on the Executive Board of Hillels of Georgia. Avery is a graduate of the Wexner Heritage Program, and has been affiliated with the Reform congregation The Temple in Atlanta since his youth.

Moshe Klein, a dedicated educator and passionate Jewish heritage researcher, hails from the Hasidic community of Brooklyn. His journey through life has been a unique blend of cultural immersion, academic pursuit, and diplomatic engagement. Currently, Moshe Klein is channeling his profound love for Jewish heritage into writing a captivating book. He is also a dynamic lecturer who brings his love for Jewish heritages to audiences around the world.

Rosemarie is an active volunteer with North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center on Long Island, Woodbury Jewish Center, JCRC on Long Island, and more. Rosemarie also has extensive volunteer experience with UJA-Federation of New York, including their Long Island division.

Mark is an attorney and President of Jenco Properties, a real estate investment firm based in South Florida. His current involvement in the Miami Jewish community includes chairing the board of the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE) and serving on the board of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation where he is on the planning and distribution committee as well as the Be Well Miami committee. His leadership roles have included chairing The Miami Jewish Film Festival, The Jewish Volunteer Center and the day school allocation committee. Nationally, Mark is an alumnus of the Wexner Heritage Program and National Young Leadership cabinet. Outside of his Jewish involvements, Mark is involved with The South Florida Symphony and various LGBTQ+ causes.

Hillary strategically builds brands and drives growth at the intersection of culture, creativity, and technology as a VP of Performance Marketing. Deeply committed to Tikkun Olam, she is also a board member of Commonpoint and involved with UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish and Philanthropic community in Los Angeles. Hillary deeply believes in the power of education and the impact that knowledge has on transforming communities. Most recently, she has volunteered and partnered with Eshkol for Life to rebuild and revitalize kibbutzim in Israel.

David Leit is an Assistant Attorney General for the State of New Jersey in the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Practice Group. He leads the Special Litigation Section, with a particular focus on first and second amendment issues, reproductive rights, civil gun enforcement, civil rights, and immigration rights. David has been active in synagogue leadership as well as Federation and studied Religious Studies at Stanford University. David lives in Maplewood with his wife Karyn and his post-college kids, Ben and Margery. David has also been involved in sports and athletics for a long time and since 2012, has been competing in triathlons.

Rabbi Joshua Lookstein is the Associate Head of School (Rabbinic Leadership, Jewish Life and Learning) at Ramaz, where he helps integrate the school’s mission and values across the student experience. He began his career at Ramaz and has since served as an assistant rabbi, foundation executive, and a Major Gift Officer at UJA-Federation of New York, where he led fundraising for the $150 million Day School Challenge Fund; most recently, he was Head of School at Westchester Day School before returning to Ramaz. He holds degrees in Philosophy and Medieval Jewish History and received rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University, and he lives in Scarsdale with his wife, Georgie, and their three children.

Dammara is an innovative leader and educator originally from Canada. A current Wexner Heritage Fellow and National Young Leadership Cabinet Member, she serves on the Boards of Directors for The Jewish Education Project, Moishe House, and The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Dammara sits on UJA NY's Israeli Judaism committee and chairs JFNA's National JEDI Giving Circle. She holds a Master's in Jewish Education and was a Head Elementary Jewish Studies teacher at Rodeph Sholom School. Named one of New York Jewish Week’s 36 Under 36 and a recipient of The Jewish Education Project’s Robert M. Sherman Young Pioneers Award, her work promotes personal wellness and social belonging through immersive Jewish experiences. A culinary school graduate, she founded Jewish Cocktails and Tel Aviv Sound Bath, and after making Aliya in 2021 splits her time between New York and Israel.

Jami Moore is a Kindergarten Teacher at Avenues: The World School, an international immersion school in Chelsea, Manhattan. Prior to this, she taught Kindergarten and First Grade at Brooklyn Friends School. Jami has also been a camp counselor and administrator at Camp Androscoggin, an all-boys camp in Maine. Jami is an active volunteer leader at UJA-Federation of New York and she’s passionate about connecting people to their Jewish identities and communities.

Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal is the Senior Director of Youth and Family Education at Central Synagogue, where she oversees programming for families and children of all ages, including the May Family Nursery School, LCLJ, teen programming, and family programs. Prior to Central, Rabbi Rosenthal was the Director of Children and Family Education at IKAR in Los Angeles, and before that, she held positions at Congregation B’nai Zion in El Paso, TX, and at B’nai Jeshurun in New York City.

Rabbi Rosenthal received a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and was ordained as a rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2009.  She also received a master’s degree in Jewish education and was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. She lives on the West Side with her husband, Dr. Adam Arenson, and their three children, Simon, Leo, and Maddie.

Ronnie Schlussel is a dedicated lay leader and Jewish communal philanthropist, holding an MBA from NYU Stern. She has served as past-president and trustee at Yeshivat Frisch, a Modern Orthodox high school in Northern New Jersey, and as a longtime trustee at Yavneh Academy in Paramus, where she co-chaired their Grandparent Giving Circle. Ronnie and her family are key leaders at Congregation Netivot Shalom in Teaneck and members of the Teach Coalition's Benefactor Circle, as well as have long-standing involvement with Camp Ramah Berkshires.

Meryl Wiener is a partner in the law firm Warshaw Burstein, LLP where she advises financial institutions, investment managers and hedge funds on corporate, regulatory, securities and structural matters. Meryl has served on the Board of Directors of Park Avenue Synagogue, and she is the President of her residential building cooperative. She is active in UJA-Federation of New York, serving on the UJA Immersive Jewish Experience committee, and she previously served as chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Solomon Schechter High School of New York.

Pamela Wolfson is a community leader passionate about Jewish education and identity, holding an MBA from Wharton and a degree from McGill University. She serves on the boards of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation (recipient of the Stanley C. Myers Leadership Award), the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, Lehrman Community Day School, and the Miami Beach JCC. Pam was recently selected for the Spertus Institute’s Leadership Certificate in Combatting Antisemitism and is currently participating in the Certificate in Israel Leadership for Day School Leaders, a partnership between Spertus and CAJE Miami. She lives in Miami Beach with her husband Howard and their three children.