Board of Directors

Susan Alpert, Ph.D., M.D. Minneapolis, MN

Susan Alpert, Ph.D., M.D.is currently the principle of SFA Consulting LLC, a one person firm focused on the strategies needed to place medical devices and other medical products into the global market. She was a Corporate Senior Vice President at Medtronic, Inc. and prior to that a VP at C.R. Bard, Inc. She previously worked at the US FDA where she held a variety of management positions in the Centers dealing with drugs, devices and radiological health, and foods. Susan is a microbiologist and pediatrician with a specialty in infectious diseases. She completed her undergraduate degree at Barnard College, Columbia University in New York City, holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from New York University and a medical degree from the University of Miami (Florida). Susan serves on the boards of a several non-profit organizations and for profit companies. A member of a Judaean family from Conn. where her sister was also active and her mother was later director of the Region, Susan attended TY as a camper and was on staff as well. She was a member of the national mazkirut and is a graduate of year course. She travels to Israel often for work and family, as her sister and late parents made Aliyah.

Mike Berman Tel Aviv, Israel

Mike Berman, a serial entrepreneur and seasoned corporate executive with vast experience in business start-ups, has co-founded two business incubators and co-founded or joined the boards of 14 medical device companies – an achievement that led to his recent induction into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame. He got his start as a product manager at a no-revenue company, SciMed Life Systems, where he rose to become President and directed revenue growth from $300 million to $1.5 billion in five years. A native of Ithaca, N.Y., Mike and his wife, Judy, lived in Israel for five years after he earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University, where he also received an M.B.A. Mike, who is now active in the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, was involved in Young Judaea as regional mazkir of Upper New York State Region. He was a TY camper, madrich, and merakez, and attended Machon/Year Course. His sons, Oren and Noah, were also involved in the movement through Camp Young Judaea Midwest, TY, Camp Young Judaea West, and Year Course.

Steve Berman Atlanta, GA

Steve Berman is President of Atlanta-based OA Development, a real estate firm that has developed or acquired close to 3 million square feet of office, industrial, and business park space in the South. Steve co-founded The Weber School, an innovative and successful Jewish community high school in Atlanta. He led the team that raised $36 million to start the school and is a past president of the institution. Steve holds a Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University and is a graduate fellow of the Wexner Heritage Foundation. He is also past president of the Greenfield Hebrew Academy and of Jewish Vocational Service. Steve has served on the national board of The American Friends of The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and was an officer of the Southeast American Israel Chamber of Commerce. A runner and cyclist, Steve worked at TY as a madrich and Head Counselor, and was Director of Florida/Puerto Rico Young Judaea. He met his wife, Gita, on Machon/Year Course and they lived in Israel for four years. Their daughters – Mara (whose husband, Michael Maze, is a Judaean who attended Camp Young Judaea Texas and TY), Aviva, and Shira – attended Camp Judaea, TY, and Year Course. Steve previously served on the board of Camp Judaea.

Richard Borenstein San Francisco and Tel Aviv

Rick Borenstein is a serial entrepreneur and experienced start-up executive and investor. Before founding his own investment banking company, Sequoia Partners, he was President of Wells Fargo Investment Company, the venture capital arm of Wells Fargo Bank. Sequoia specialized in the sale of software and services companies where he completed over 100 M&A transactions in 25 years. After Sequoia, he formed a seed venture firm in 2009 which invested in over 30 start-ups. He now sits on several boards both in the US and Israel. A native of New York City, Rick was a regional mazkir, attended TY, graduated from year course and then returned to be a merakez at Camp Judaea in North Carolina and at Tel Yehudah. Rick graduated from Michigan and then received an MBA from Harvard Business School. He settled in Northern California where he has one son and two grandsons. In 2015 Rick decided to make Aliyah and now lives in Tel Aviv.

Lynn Davidson Long Island, NY

Lynn’s involvement with and commitment to Young Judaea, began the summer of 1992 when her daughter Lauren first attended Camp Sprout Lake.  After Sprout Lake Lauren went on to Camp Tel Yehudah, Machon and Year Course, and even met her husband at TY! Lynn’s other daughter Amy went to Israel on YJ Israel Discovery the summer of 1993.
Lynn is proud to be the Hadassah National Young Judaea Chair. As a member of the Hadassah Nassau executive board for more than twenty years, she has always championed Young Judaea and is honored to be a member of the Young Judaea Global executive board. Lynn looks forward to the continued success of the organization!

Betsy August Gold Northern New Jersey

Betsy August Gold began her career as a reporter at The Miami News and later worked at newspapers in New York and New Jersey, where she last served as Business Editor of The Bergen Record. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications and won the Society of Professional Journalists’ highest award for Distinguished Service for a story in which she traced the path of a serial killer as he crossed the country murdering young women. Betsy currently has a direct-sales business and was named a top performer companywide for 10 straight years. She oversees a 45-member team and is responsible for training, business planning, and recruitment. Betsy is a LeanOnWe co-founder and leads the Care Advisor Team that supports clients. Betsy grew up in Young Judaea in Miami and served as mazkira of the Florida/Puerto Rico Region; attended Camp Judaea and then worked there as a madricha and Head Counselor; and attended TY. She was on Year Course with her husband, Ron, former mazkir of the New Jersey Region. Their daughters – Stephanie, Jacqueline, and Alexandra – have been engaged in the movement via CYJ Sprout Lake, TY, Machon, and Year Course. Betsy is a co-founder and immediate past president of The Friends of CYJ Sprout Lake.

Allison Goldberg Colorado

Allison Goldberg oversees the execution of the Foundation’s strategic vision and mission while testing new models for cross-sector collaboration. Before assuming this role, she served as the Vice President of Strategy & Programs at the AB InBev Foundation. Allison was previously the Director of Global Corporate Affairs at AB InBev corporate where she worked across the company and with outside experts to develop the architecture and strategy of the Global Smart Drinking Goals and the Together for Safe Roads initiative, a crossindustry coalition that works to improve road safety worldwide. She also worked at Abt Associates, a consulting firm, and held research positions at the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) at Columbia University. Allison is a 2015 Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar and holds an academic appointment as Lecturer at Columbia University where she teaches a course entitled, “Global Intractable Challenges: Innovations, Frameworks, and Change.” Most recently, she was appointed as the co-chair of the National Academy of Medicine’s Public Private Partnership committee.

Allison earned an interdisciplinary PhD in Public Health and Political Science from Columbia University and a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Brian Jaffee Cincinnati, OH

Brian Jaffee is a lifelong Young Judaean. Brian attended CYJ Midwest and Tel Yehudah as a chanich (camper) in the 1980’s and ’90’s, and was a member of the tsevet (staff) at both camps in the 1990’s. Brian is a boger (alum) of Year Course ’92-’93, and served as a madrich (counselor) on Year Course in ’99-’00. In addition, Brian worked in multiple roles in the National Office of Young Judaea. Now a parent of two happy CYJ and TY chanichot, Brian has been on the CYJ Midwest Board since 2014, and joined the YJ Global Board in 2021. Brian credits his entire Young Judaea experience for helping to shape the person he is today, including his leadership skills and for the career and life choices he’s made. Most importantly, Young Judaea is where Brian met so many of the people who – to this day – remain important in his life. Brian lives in Cincinnati, OH with his wife, Rabbi Shena Jaffee, and their two daughters Maya and Noa. Brian is the Executive Director of the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, where he works with the board and professional staff to achieve a long-term vision for Cincinnati as a vibrant Jewish community and Jewish destination.

Phillip Kibel

Fanny Zacharjasz Korman Philadelphia, PA

Fanny Zacharjasz Korman, MA, M.Ed is founder and President of FZK Performance Solutions, a consulting firm that specializes in performance improvement and leadership development. She is a master facilitator, delivering highly interactive courses around the world including the US, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Ms. Korman holds Masters Degrees from Temple University in Special Education and from Concordia University in Educational Technology.

Fanny’s connection to Young Judaea and Camp Tel Yehudah is deep, dating back to August 1969 when she received a scholarship from Hadassah to attend TY. During the fall of 1969 she started the first Young Judaea club in San Juan, Puerto Rico which has thrived ever since. Fanny attended Year Course and worked at TY in 1974 and 1975. Fanny met her husband Roger Korman at TY and they continued their YJ connection into the next generation, sending all three of their children to Sprout Lake, TY, Machon and Year Course. They all worked at Sprout Lake for many summers. Their eldest granddaughters are registered to begin their first summer at Sprout Lake in 2020.

Their three children became involved in Young Judaea through the club that Fanny founded in Montreal, where the Korman family lived for 24 years. The Montreal club was part of Empire region and their kids were very involved at the local and regional levels through their college years.

Roger and Fanny are on the TY Board and continue to devote their time and resources to ensuring that Tel Yehudah and Young Judaea will provide the same extraordinary experiences for their grandchildren.

Joe Kornfeld Houston, TX

Joe Kornfeld is an attorney in private practice in Houston, where he is very active in the Jewish community. He has served on the board and executive committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston and as chairman of the Community Relations Committee. Joe, who received an A.B. from Dartmouth College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center, is an alumnus of the Wexner Heritage Program and a co-founder and former president of the Emery/Weiner School, a pluralistic Jewish middle and high school in Houston. He was also chairman of the Southwest Zionist Youth Commission of Hadassah and president of Camp Young Judaea, Inc. Joe grew up in Elmira, N.Y., attended TY, was mazkir of Upper New York State Region, served on national mazkirut, and went on Year Course. He worked at Camp Young Judaea Texas during summers while attending college, and became the Director of CYJ Texas and the Director of the T-O-L Region after graduation. His three children — Alyse, Seth, and Dori — attended Young Judaea camps and each was a madrich on a summer Young Judaea Machon trip to Israel.

David Lehrer Kibbutz Ketura, Israel

Mr. Lehrer holds a joint Masters Degree in Management Science from Boston University and Ben Gurion University and has been the Director of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies since 2001. Mr. Lehrer has also worked as a business consultant for kibbutzim, small businesses, the Hevel Eilot Regional Council and the United Kibbutz Movement and has twice served as an emissary for the Jewish Agency for Israel in the United States. His research includes studies on the effectiveness of the ISO 14001 environmental management system and sustainable development in the Dead Sea basin. Mr. Lehrer is presently pursuing a doctorate at Ben-Gurion University’s Department of Geography researching the cost of nature protection in Israel.

Mr. Lehrer moved to Israel in 1978 and has been a member of Kibbutz Ketura, a rural cooperative, since 1981. He is married to Barbara Pinsker and they have three daughters, Avigail, Ariana and Meital.

Wylie Levone Washington, DC

Wylie Levone is a Partner at the international Law Firm of Hogan Lovells.

As one of the leaders of the firm’s Brazil practice and Co-Chair of the firm’s Israel practice group, his life mirrors his professional profile: complex, cross-border, and challenging.

His clients include multilateral financing institutions, start-ups, family offices, angel investors, private equity funds, oil and gas companies, construction contracting firms, renewable energy companies, and hi-tech companies. To this broad range of clients and industries, Wylie brings his deep experience in cross-border investment, project finance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and commercial transactions, bringing complex deals to successful resolution and working with clients to achieve their international business objectives efficiently and effectively.

Having lived in Brazil from 2012-2015 to open the Hogan Lovells offices in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Wylie has developed a unique skill set helping foreign companies understand and navigate the legal and business complexities of doing business in Brazil, and, in parallel, he regularly advises Brazilian companies on complex commercial deals governed by U.S. law and on the legal and business considerations of their cross-border transactions, both in the United States and abroad.

Wylie has taught International Business Transactions as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, has been a repeat guest lecturer on “Doing Business in Brazil” at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro, and has spoken at numerous seminars, conferences, and events on contract drafting, project finance, cross-border transactions, and related topics.

Prior to joining the firm, Wylie worked for several years managing projects for high-tech companies, primarily with European and large multinational clients. He also worked for The Middle East Children’s Association organizing cooperative Israeli-Palestinian educational initiatives. He is a former sergeant first class in the Israel Defense Forces and has an M.A. in International Relations, with an emphasis on Middle East politics and diplomacy.

Herbie Loebl

Ari Nahmani Tel Aviv, Israel

Ari Nahmani is the Founder & CEO of Jerusalem based Kahena Digital Marketing. Kahena is a search engine marketing company with a focus on data driven SEO & SEM, web analytics, and e-commerce consultancy. The company primarily hires native-english speaking olim to Israel and services US-based clients. Kahena consults with SMBs as well as Enterprise (Fortune 1000) companies to grow their revenue via increased discovery online.

Ari’s introduction to Young Judaea came later in life as a non-Judaean Year Course participant in 2001-2002. As part of a Hadassah scholarship, he returned from his gap year and days later started working as a madrich at Camp Judaea in Hendersonville, NC. That 12 month crash course into YJ, both Israel and stateside, changed his life forever.

Ari continued working summers at CJ, while serving as President of Hamagshimim at the University of Maryland, College Park. In addition, he worked as a City Coordinator for the Washington D.C. area Young Judaea chapter.  After making aliyah in 2006, Ari worked for Young Judaea Year Course – first as a madrich and then as the head of digital marketing. Ari lives in Tel Aviv with his wife Yamit and two daughters, Einav & Noa.

Jonah Paransky Houston, Texas

Marlene Post New York, NY

Marlene E. Post served as the 21st National President of Hadassah and past President of Hadassah International. Marlene serves on the Board of Directors for the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and chairs the Jewish Agency Assembly Meeting. She is a member of the Executive Board of Directors of Birthright Israel North America. Additionally, Marlene was Co-Chair of the Confederation of United Zionists and honorary Co-Chair of the National Coalition for Literacy. She has served on the Executive Board of the World Zionist Organization, as well as on the boards of the State of Israel Bonds, the Advisory Council of the New York Board of Rabbis, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, and the UJA Federation of New York.

Greta Rothschild Chicago, IL

For 36 years, Greta Rothschild has been a passionate Jewish educator in the Chicago area. She earned a Master of Social Work from Yeshiva University and a Bachelor of Social Work and Jewish Studies Certificate from Indiana University. She has worked as Synagogue Program Director, Education Director, Family Educator, Religious School Educator, Mentor and Young Judaea Youth Advisor. Greta has also been an active volunteer member of the Chicago Jewish community at large.  She is currently the President of Hadassah Chicago-North Shore Region, with a membership of 12,000. In Hadassah, Greta has served as Region Young Judaea Chair, Area Vice-President and National Young Leader Representative. Greta is also a proud past President of Camp Young Judaea Midwest Board of Directors and past Fundraising and Donor Relations Chair. Other organizations include Ma’ot Chitim of Greater Chicago, Jewish National Fund and Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.
Having grown up in Young Judaea in Lexington, KY, it was YJ that paved the path for her in Jewish communal work. Greta was a camper at Camp Young Judaea Midwest, Camp Tel Yehudah and was on staff at CYJ Midwest as Madricha and Merekezet. She was Central States Mazkira and participated on Year Course, followed by her involvement in Hamagshimin and serving as Midwest YJ Senior Advisor. Greta is married to Rob Eisenstadt and between them, they have four children, all of whom were campers at CYJ Midwest. Their son, Scott, went to TY and was a Year Course participant in 2009.

Roni Schwartz Brooklyn, NY

Roni Schwartz, the Young Judaea Coordinator for Hadassah, is a speech pathologist who works with developmentally disabled adults. She currently sits on the boards of the Jewish National Fund and Town Square Inc., and is the founder of the Friends of Edward R. Murrow High School in New York, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the arts in public high schools. Previously, Roni was president of Hadassah’s Brooklyn Region and served on the board of the Institute for Living Judaism. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Speech Education from the University of Buffalo and Master of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Brooklyn College. Roni currently serves as a Hadassah National Vice President and her dedication to the organization began with her late mother, Hilda Spivack, and has extended three generations to her daughter, Sari, who is also a life member. A Judaean herself, Roni has three children – Jeremy, Sari, and Joshua, a Young Judaean who went on Year Course. She and her husband, Michael, were founders of the Young Judaea Youth Hostel in Israel.

Michael P. Sherman New York, NY

Michael Sherman is a business leader and attorney in New York City. Currently a Senior Advisor for the Peter J. Solomon Co. investment bank, Michael has spent 25 years in multi-channel retailing, where he has been involved with numerous acquisitions, spin-offs, and restructurings. He was President of Fingerhut Companies, Inc., a $2 billion direct marketer that was purchased by Federated Department Stores. He was also chairman of the Direct Marketing Association in 2002 and he currently serves on five boards. Michael, who earned an A.B. from Syracuse University and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University, spent his junior year at Hebrew University and was a volunteer during the Yom Kippur War. His Young Judaea connection is through his children: Son, Josh (Rosh Sport at CYJ Sprout Lake); daughter-in-law, Andrea Eisenstein (TY, Year Course, Rosh Mumchim at Sprout Lake); daughter, Laura (Sprout Lake, TY, Year Course, national mazkirut; met her husband, Avi Fisher, on Year Course); and son, Jon (Sprout Lake, TY, Year Course). Michael, who served on the board of The Friends of CYJ Sprout Lake, is married to Ruth. He was a counselor and Rosh Edah at Camp Ramah, president of Neve Shalom synagogue in New Jersey, and treasurer of Beth El Synagogue in Minneapolis.

Shelley Sherman Great Neck, NY

Shelley Sherman, an attorney, is the Hadassah Executive Division Coordinator and immediate past Coordinator of the Young Judaea Division. She previously served as the Young Major Donors Chairperson and was the originator of Hadassah’s Take a Stand!, the young women’s fundraising and advocacy initiative. Shelley joined Hadassah in 1974 at Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem after spending the summer backpacking through Israel and being impressed with Hadassah’s institutions. Shelley, a past president of Temple Isaiah of Great Neck, N.Y., graduated from The George Washington University and Hofstra University School of Law. She practiced public service law in the New York State Department of Health, where she prosecuted doctors for misconduct, and in the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs. She also taught torts, legal writing, and trial practice at two law schools. Shelley and her late husband, David Diamond, are second-generation Hadassah Guardians of the Dream Donors, and part of a three-generation Founders family along with their children: Hannah, a Young Judaea Year Course participant in 2007-08, and Daniel, a Young Judaea alumnus.

Barbara Spack Edison, NJ

Barbara Spack is a former educator, president of BPS Computer Services and Real Estate Broker who is an activist by birth, by training and by actions.

Barbara’s 47 years—and counting—of service to Hadassah, 37 on the Hadassah National Board, including three Young Judaea portfolios among others before she assumed her current job as Chair of Young Judaea.

A five-generation Life Member of Hadassah and a past National Vice President, Barbara and her husband Eliot have three daughters, Beth, Paula and Rachel, all of whom attended YJ camps Sprout Lake, Tel Yehudah and Year Course, and count their closest friends among their YJ cohort. All five grandchildren are following in their families’ footsteps by attending Year Course, Israel Programs and YJ camps as well. Beth was a Year course madrichah, Rachel served on the National Mazkirut, grandson Avi Kessler was also President of NJ Young Judaea and a counselor/merakez at CJ in Hendersonville, NC, while Liat Kessler also served as a madrichah on Year Course and will be joining her Doda Beth by making Aliyah in August 2016– As you can tell this is a Young Judaean family!

Barbara serves on the Advisory Board of LAPID, The Coalition for High School Age Programs in Israel. She also served on both the Education and the Unity of the Jewish People committees of the Jewish Agency for Israel. A current member of the JNF Board of Trustees, Barbara is also a Life Member of her Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey, serving on its Israel Task Force. As an active member of her synagogue, Neve Shalom, she is a regular Torah reader and leader of services. Her favorite role is leading Shacharit on Yom Kippur.

Manny Synalovski Plantation, FL

Manny Synalovski is the Managing Principal of Manuel Synalovski Associates, a national architecture firm headquartered in South Florida. In addition to his significant accomplishments in the design industry, Manny is a highly regarded construction and real estate development professional. Manny completed his architecture studies at the University of Miami and for more than 25 years, his firm has completed award-winning projects in Florida, Puerto Rico, Connecticut, Texas, and Illinois. Born in Cuba and raised in Puerto Rico, Manny is currently on the board of the Jewish Federation of Broward County and serves as president of the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Broward County. Manny’s involvement in Young Judaea began during high school and he served as mazkir of Southern Region. He also worked at CJ and was a club leader during college. Manny is married to the former Lisa Kliegman, his Year Course sweetheart who was Director of Florida/Puerto Rico Young Judaea and Assistant Director at TY. Their daughters, Eva and Lindsey, are fourth-generation life members of Hadassah and active in the Jewish community.

David Stone New York, NY

David retired as a partner in the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, one of the largest New York-based international law firms, approximately six years ago. At Weil Gotshal, Mr. Stone specialized in corporate, securities and mergers and acquisitions law. During the last decade of Mr. Stone’s 35 year career, his practice focused almost exclusively on the Middle East. At Weil Gotshal, he created and led the firm’s Israel Practice Group and Middle East Practice Group. During his tenure, the Israel Practice Group represented the issuers or underwriters of more than 90 public offerings by Israeli companies of equity and debt securities in the United States and Europe, and the Middle East Practice Group represented and advised governments and government agencies, as well as private enterprises and individuals, in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Since his retirement Mr. Stone has studied 15th Century Flemish painting at New York University and Jewish law and philosophy at Yeshivat Hadar and has taught International Securities and Capital Markets Law at the Law School of the College of Management in Rishon L’Tzion, Israel. He also actively participated in the development, creation and administration, and served as Chairman of the Selection Committee, of the Avi Chai Foundation Fellowship Program, and actively participated in the development and creation, and current serves in the administration, and as Chairman of the Academic and Selection Committees, of the Russell Berrie Foundation Program in Interreligious Studies at The Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy.

Mr. Stone is currently a member of the Boards of Directors of Ameinu and T’ruah; the Leadership Circle of Trustees of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; the Finance Committee of J Street; the Jewish Studies and Library Advisory Boards of the Jewish Theological Seminary; and the New Israel Fund. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Friends of the Israel College of Management, a founding Trustee of the Tikvah Fund, a trustee of the American Friends of the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem, a trustee of Lincoln Square Synagogue and a member of the Boards of Directors of On-Track Innovations Ltds., a NASDAQ-listed high technology company headquartered in Rosh Pina, Israel, and Uri L’Tzedek.

Stuart Wallock Austin, TX

Stuart has spent the last 20+ years involved with driving the consumer experience around the convergence of technology, ecommerce, media and entertainment in various digital, marketing & online development capacities.  Stuart currently provides marketing and technology consulting services with Disruptive Engagement Consulting.  Previously, Stuart was CMO at iFLY Indoor Skydiving, Dir of Site Innovation & Social Commerce at Dell Technologies., Dir of Marketing at Newegg.com and before Newegg, Dir of Business Planning at Sony Electronics.
Stuart has served on multiple Austin Jewish community boards has spent the last 4 years on the Camp Young Judaea Texas board.  Over the last few years, Stuart has chaired events for JNF, AIPAC, and Austin’s Jewish Federation.  His Young Judaea career highlights include 4 years at CYJ, 4 years at TY, maskier of TOLC and year course. Greatest YJ accomplishments are sending his 3 boys to 21 combined sessions of CYJ, 6 sessions of TY, 2 on Machon, 1 on Year Course and finally two more are scheduled for Year Course in 2020 & 2021. He holds a BA in Liberal Arts from the University of Texas at Austin.  Stuart and his wife Elisabeth and their 3 children have lived in Austin since 2006.

Ayal Willner Los Angeles, CA