Board of Directors
The Jewish Education Project
2024-2025 Board of Directors
Lois Kohn-Claar - President
After years of working in the field of education and educational technology, Lois now devotes herself to Jewish communal service. She is the Board President of The Jewish Education Project and Vice Chair of the International BBYO Board. She is past-chair of UJA-Federation Westchester Women’s Philanthropy and a founding member of the Neshamot Women’s Impact Philanthropy group. Lois serves on the Board of Directors of UJA-Federation of New York and previously served on the boards of The Foundation for Jewish Camp, The Leffell School, and the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. Lois holds a BA and a MS in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. She was a Wexner Heritage participant and is also a certified yoga instructor.
Karen Everett - Vice President
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).
Martine Fleishman - Chair of the Board
Martine Fleishman is an active volunteer leader with extensive leadership roles in UJA-Federation of New York, Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), OLAM, Repair the World, American Jewish Committee, AIPAC, Leffell School (formerly Schechter), and Hillel, among others. She is the former President of The Jewish Education Project. At UJA, Martine has served on the Nominating Committee, Network Cabinet, Israel Education and Engagement, and Hillel Task Force; she also served as Regional chair for Westchester.
Gary Wingens - Treasurer
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.
Amy Yenkin - Secretary
Amy Yenkin is a producer and editor with 30 years of expertise in social issue documentary photography, the use of arts for social change, philanthropy, and strategic planning. She has directed and produced numerous exhibitions, books, and projects and is currently producing a documentary film about bringing Syrian war criminals to justice. Amy is a former director at the Open Society Foundations (OSF) and a former trustee and Vice Chair of the Rodeph Sholom School of New York City.
Directors
Louise Chazen Banon
Louise is President of 7thonline, which provides assortment planning solutions for the fashion industry. Louise is active in UJA-Federation of New York and other philanthropic endeavors. She lives on the Upper East Side in NYC where she is a member of Kehilath Jeshurun.
Melissa Buckner
With extensive involvement with the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Melissa is also a long time Board member of the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education and she is currently serving as Chair of the Be Well Committee focusing on teen mental health issues. She previously chaired PJ Library, the Day School Committee and Teen Department. She is a past Chair of the Board of the Gordon School of Beth David Congregation and Temple Beth Am Day School. Melissa is a Wexner Heritage Program Miami 11 member. Prior, she practiced commercial law in Atlanta and was an attorney at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., before moving to South Florida where she focused on health care law and child welfare advocacy.
Ella Chinitz
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.
David Dabscheck
David, originally from Australia, now living in New York, is a founder and CEO of GIANT Innovation, where he transforms the way organizations act to become world-class innovators. He is a board member for several Israeli and New York tech companies, and the founder of the Community Security Service (CSS), a Jewish volunteer security nonprofit organization. David has taught at leading universities and executive programs as a thought-leader on innovation.
Ivy Dash
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 Feilbogen
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 Foreman
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.
Jane Greyf
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.
Scott Harris
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 Jakubovitz
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.
Saul Kaiserman
Saul Kaiserman, RJE (he/him/הוא) is a doctoral candidate at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he is studying how clergy and educators experience their work as a “calling.” He has been honored as a “Visionary Leader in Jewish Life and Learning” by Hazon (now called Adamah) and a “Distinguished Jewish Educator” by the Association of Reform Jewish Educators, on whose board he serves. Saul is the emeritus founding director of lifelong learning at Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York. He lives in New York with his wife, Liz Freirich, and their two children and two cats.
Avery Kastin
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. He has been affiliated with the Reform congregation The Temple in Atlanta since his youth.
Moshe Klein
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 Klipper
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 Kravitz
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 Kupferberg
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
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.
Dammara Markowitz
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
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.
Monique Rechtschaffen
With family origins in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monique worked for many years in public relations at Salvatore Ferragamo, agnès b, and Emanuel Ungaro. Monique lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and she and her family are active in Ramaz, Kehilath Jeshurun, and UJA-Federation of New York.
Stephen Rutenberg
Stephen is a principal at the law firm of Polsinelli where his practice focuses on the intersection of special situations investing and FinTech including cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. Stephen participated in JFNA’s National Young Leadership Cabinet where he was the New York co-chair. After many years of living in New York City where he served on the Board of Directors of the UJA-Federation of New York, Stephen Rutenberg currently resides in South Florida with his family including two young children, Gabrielle and Etienne, the older of which just started Jewish day school. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Brooklyn Collage and attended the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem.
Peter Stern
Peter is a Managing Director at Audax Private Debt, focused on direct lending and private credit. Prior to that, he was a Financial Analyst with Bank of America in the Leveraged Finance Group. A Wexner Heritage Fellowship Alumnus, Peter is actively involved with UJA-Federation of New York, having served on the Board as well as Co-Chair of Emerging Leaders and Philanthropist (ELP) and helped to start UJA’s Generosity division.
Giselle Weissman
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.
Meryl Wiener
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.
Tikvah Wiener
Tikvah is a nationally recognized leader in educational innovation. She is currently Co-Director of The Idea Institute, which helps Jewish and independent schools and organizations implement project-based learning (PBL) and other progressive pedagogies. Tikvah’s prior roles include Head of School at The Idea School in Bergen County, NJ, and Chief Academic Officer at Magen David Yeshivah High School in Brooklyn, NY. She was also an Upstart Fellow from 2014-2016.