Leah Krakinowski‭, ‬worked for 25-years as a newspaper reporter, radio producer, and magazine editor working for such media outlets as Dow Jones, the Voice of America, and Knight-Ridder in the U.S. and Southeast Asia, Leah chose to apply her skills to promote Jewish education. Since 2020, she has directed strategic initiatives for the Ramaz School in New York City. Leah has a Bachelor of Arts in communications from the State University of New York at Albany, and a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of Maryland. She also has maintained a longstanding commitment to the Jewish community, having served in leadership roles on multiple boards and organizations. Leah lives in Tenafly, N.J. with her wonderful husband Andy. Together, they have two grown sons.

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Chani Laufer graduated from Fordham Law School in 2004‭. ‬After graduation‭, ‬she worked as a Law Guardian representing children in‭ ‬custody‭, ‬abuse and neglect cases in the Bronx and New York district courts‭. ‬Before practicing law‭, ‬Chani was a journalist‭, ‬reporting for The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Bergen Record‭. ‬She was also involved in New York State politics‭. ‬Chani‭, ‬and her husband Steve‭, ‬live in Washington‭, ‬DC with their three children‭, ‬Shoshana‭, ‬Ari and Erez‭.‬

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Adina Popuko is the Executive Director at the Natan Fund, which focuses on Jewish and Israeli social innovation. Before coming to Natan, Adina oversaw student leadership programs and student programming at Yeshiva University, and was the Director of National Partnerships at Masa Israel. Previously, Adina was a fellow at the Ruskay Institute for Jewish Professional Leadership at UJA Federation of NY, received a certificate in Experiential Jewish Education, and received a Masters in Non-Profit Management and Public Policy from NYU Wagner. Adina was raised in both Montreal and Cincinnati, and found her love for Jewish communal work at Camp Stone, where she worked for many summers. Adina currently resides on the Upper West Side.

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Rabba Abby Brown Scheier is an educator and Jewish community leader in Montreal‭. ‬Abby was member of the first ordination class of Maharat‭, ‬holds a degree in Religious Studies from York University‭, ‬and pursued an M.A‭. ‬in Bible at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem‭. ‬She is a popular Torah teacher in the Montreal community‭. ‬In addition to her public lectures at synagogues and Federation‭, ‬Abby works as a private tutor for conversion candidates‭, ‬bat mitzvah students‭, ‬and International Bible Contest candidates‭. ‬Abby established a supplementary education high school of which she serves as director‭, ‬and is active in multiple volunteer capacities at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim‭, ‬the synagogue of which her husband is the Senior Rabbi‭. ‬Abby serves on the board of directors of the Canadian Jewish News and writes a monthly column for the paper‭. ‬Abby is married to Rabbi Adam Scheier‭, ‬and together‭ ‬they have five daughters‭.‬

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Daniela Bellows Schreiber is a graduate of NYU with a degree in Physical Therapy and has been a practicing therapist for more than two decades‭. ‬She is a Court Advocate for victims of Domestic Abuse for the Rachel Coalition in the Newark NJ Family courthouse‭. ‬Daniela is a Past Teaneck chapter Amit President‭. ‬Daniela was on the founding board of Yeshivat Noam‭, ‬Paramus NJ‭. ‬Together with her husband Laurence‭, ‬she founded Yeshivat Ashreinu in Beit Shemesh‭, ‬Israel‭. ‬She is involved in many philanthropic endeavors‭. ‬Daniela Bellows Schreiber believes passionately in the importance of advancing opportunities for women within Jewish society and in the world at large‭. ‬She is the proud mother of three remarkable children‭. ‬Born and raised in Chicago‭, ‬she currently lives‭ ‬with her husband in Teaneck NJ‭.‬

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Erica Schwartz is a graduate of Harvard University whose passion is journalism and writing‭. ‬She began her career at the Wall Street Journal and then spent several years writing the Back of the Book column in The Jewish Week‭. ‬Today‭, ‬Erica is a freelance writer and author of the blog‭ ‬“Six in the City‭.‬”‭ ‬She currently serves on the board of the Ramaz School‭, ‬Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun and is the chair of UJA’s‭ ‬“Community Outreach and Engagement‭" ‬committee‭. ‬Erica lives on the Upper East Side with her husband and their six children‭.‬

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Abigail Lindenbaum Tambor served as Chair of the board of Maharat from 2019-2022, overseeing the implementation of the Yeshiva’s first strategic plan and overseeing the development of the second. She has served on the board since the inception of the institution, chairing the graduation and development committees, before taking on the position as executive Chair. Abigail has worked and held leadership positions at several Jewish organizations where she has been dedicated to developing greater opportunities for ritual inclusion, educational parity, engagement and leadership for women in Orthodox communities and in the Jewish world writ large. She currently resides in Manhattan with her husband, Shai and her four children.

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Rabbi Dr‭. ‬Daniel Smokler is the inaugural Chief Innovation Officer of Hillel International‭. ‬In 2011‭, ‬the Jewish Week named Dan‭ ‬one of the 36‭ ‬under 36‭ ‬change makers in Jewish life‭.‬

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Dan grew up in Ann Arbor Michigan and graduated Cum Laude from Yale University with a Bachelors of Arts in the History of Art‭.  ‬Following college‭, ‬Dan worked as a labor union organizer for the Service Employees Union and the Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union in Connecticut and Los Angeles‭. ‬Dan then went on to found Organizational Solutions‭, ‬a labor-consulting firm that helped reorganize the Writer’s Guild of America‭.‬

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Dan went to Israel for his rabbinical education and was ordained in 2005‭ ‬by Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg‭, ‬of Jerusalem’s highest rabbinic court‭. Dan has worked for Hillel at Occidental College and University of California Los Angeles‭. ‬He now works at New York University’s Hillel‭. Dan has a doctorate in Education and Jewish Studies at New York University and is a Wexner Fellow‭.  ‬

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Dan lives in New York with wife‭, ‬Rabbi Dr‭. ‬Erin Leib Smokler‭, ‬the Director of Spiritual Development at Maharat‭, ‬and their three children‭.‬

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Zelda R‭. ‬Stern is a donor-activist who is a member of the founding board of JOFA‭. ‬A graduate of Temple University‭, ‬she received‭ ‬an MSW from Columbia University and a Post-Masters Certificate in Advanced Clinical Social Work from Hunter College‭. ‬She is a trained psychotherapist who had a private practice before transitioning to her later work as a member of the Board of Directors of‭ ‬the Harry Stern Family Foundation‭, ‬where she worked with her five siblings‭, ‬and where she became an officer‭. ‬She speaks and writes about using strategic philanthropy to effect change‭, ‬and also mentors women serving in Orthodox leadership positions‭.‬

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Chaim Trachtman is the Director of the Division of Pediatric Nephrology‭, ‬NYU Langone Medical Center and Professor of Pediatrics‭ ‬at NYU School of Medicine‭. ‬He cares for children and adolescents with kidney disease and is the principal investigator for several NIH-funded and industry-sponsored studies of kidney diseases and hypertension‭. ‬He is on the editorial board of the journal Pediatric Nephrology and is on the Medical Advisory Board of the National Kidney Foundation-NY‭. ‬He has edited a book entitled Woman and Men in Communal Prayer‭: ‬Halakhic Perspectives that brought together several viewpoints on the halakhic validity of partnership minyanim‭. ‬He is married to Audrey Trachtman‭, ‬former executive board member of JOFA‭, ‬and is the father of three wonderful girls and their three husbands‭. ‬So far‭, ‬Chaim has five grandchildren‭.‬

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Jeffrey Wechselblatt grew up in Yonkers, New York and lives in Riverdale with his wife and four children. Jeff graduated from Solomon Schechter School of Westchester (1985), Ramaz (1989 (with Hadar notables Shai and Ariella Dubler)), Columbia College (1994) and Columbia Law School (1998). He spent two years studying in Israel (Yeshivat HaKotel (89-90) and Pardes (94-95)). While at Pardes, he also interned at the Israel Religious Action Center. He also spent many years as a camper at Young Judaea camps. Jeff is the General Counsel of Lone Pine Capital LLC, an investment adviser based in Greenwich, CT, and worked at NY law firms prior to joining Lone Pine in 1997. In his free time Jeff is an enthusiastic (a kind way of saying bad) guitar player, and enjoys coaching his kids in their various endeavors, reading and running​

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Ariel Groveman Weiner focuses on Jewish causes related to education, leadership, and gender equity. Ariel is a past Chair and the incoming Chair of the Board of Yeshivat Maharat and serves on its Executive Committee. She serves on the Executive Committee's of SAR Academy and High School, Prizmah, is a member of the Arev Fund and serves on the Board of Advisors of the Herbert D‭. ‬Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Ariel is a graduate of the Wexner Heritage Fellowship and served on the Wexner Heritage Continental Alumni Council and as a Slingshot mentor for next generation philanthropists‭. ‬For over a decade‭, ‬Ariel served as the Associate Director of The Samuel Bronfman Foundation where she oversaw the foundation's grant portfolio and worked closely with the various initiatives the foundation supports, specifically focusing on strategic and long term planning. ‬Ariel received her BA and MA in Jewish History from the University of Pennsylvania and received an Executive Certificate in Facilitation from Georgetown University. Ariel lives in Riverdale with her husband‭, ‬Josh‭, ‬and their three children‭.

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Ethan Davidson is an author, musi­cian, and phil­an­thropist who has record­ed 11 albums and toured through­out North Amer­i­ca and Europe. In 2005 he left his tour­ing life and returned to his Detroit roots where he helps run the William David­son Foun­da­tion estab­lished by his late father, Bill David­son. The pri­vate fam­i­ly foun­da­tion strives to ful­fill its founder’s lega­cy by advanc­ing the eco­nom­ic, cul­tur­al, and civic vital­i­ty of South­east Michi­gan, the State of Israel, and the Jew­ish com­mu­ni­ty for future generations.

 

Ethan serves on numer­ous boards in the Detroit area includ­ing at the Motown Muse­um and as the Chair­man of the Michi­gan Opera The­atre. At the Uni­ver­si­ty of Michi­gan, he earned a degree in Eng­lish along with grad­u­ate work in Mid­dle East­ern His­to­ry and Islam­ic Law. He has also stud­ied Jew­ish Phi­los­o­phy at the Jew­ish The­o­log­i­cal Seminary.  Ethan and his wife Gretchen live in Metro Detroit with their 3 boys. 

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Deborah Berkowitz is currently serving as a member of our Finance Committee.  Her background in non-profit finance, along with her responsiveness and willingness to make herself and her knowledge available to the staff and committee have made her invaluable.  A CPA, Deborah is currently serving as the Chief Financial Officer of the American Technion Society for the past five years.  Previously, she was Assistant Controller of the Museum of Modern Art, and Accounting Manager at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  She would bring a higher level of proficiency in non-profit finance to the board.  Deborah resides in Riverdale with her family.

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Robyn Shapiro grew up and now lives in Scarsdale, New York with her husband and three daughters. Robyn graduated from Westchester Day School (1993), Ramaz High School (1997), The University Pennsylvania (2001) and NYU Stern School of Business (2005). Robyn is a Managing Director of Financial Advisory & Solutions at Rabobank Wholesale North America, the North American arm of Rabobank Group, a global financial services firm and bank to the food and agriculture industry, headquartered in the Netherlands. Prior to that, Robyn was a credit ratings analyst at Standard & Poor’s.  Robyn also serves on the Board of Trustees of Westchester Day School. In her free time, she enjoys running, cycling and swimming, and has completed a few triathlons and marathons.

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