National & Israel Staff

Adina Frydman New York, NY

Adina H. Frydman is the new CEO of Young Judaea Global.  Having spent 12 years at UJA-Federation of New York, first spearheading the synagogue department, SYNERGY and then as executive director of Community Resources, Adina focused on strengthening the NY Jewish community and its organizations through Talent Development, Synagogue and Day School Initiatives, Community Volunteerism, and Crisis Mobilization. In addition, she contributed to thought leadership in the area of synagogue change by producing leading research in areas such as Voluntary Dues, Data Driven Decision Making, Synagogue Engagement of Young Adults, Russian Speaking Jews, and Empty Nesters, as well as developing key attributes for a thriving synagogue. Before coming to New York in 2008, Adina was the Director of Focus Israel at the St. Louis Jewish Federation, where she worked to foster engagement between synagogues and Israel. In addition, Adina received a Bachelor of Music from Stetson University and Cantorial Investiture from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute for Religion. Adina founded the music program at the Brandeis Institute for Music and Art (BIMA), directed several choirs through HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir.  Recently, she completed the inaugural fellowship of the Mandel Executive Leadership Program.  Adina is the proud mother of four children.

Andi Lewittes New York, NY

Miriam Alexander New York, NY

Hannah Lane New York, NY

Taylor Wishnov New York, NY

Zach Litif New York, NY

Isaiah Shapiro New York, NY

Ivana Pavlisin New York, NY

Inbal Raanan New York, NY

Moshik Toledano Tel Aviv, Israel

After completing three years of service in the IDF, Moshik Toledano started his career with Young Judaea as a Madrich (counselor) for Year Course 1987-88. He assumed this role again for Year Course 1988-89.

In 1990, Moshik was appointed Coordinator of Year Course Field Activities and as the Coordinator of Summer Programs. Two years later he was promoted to be the Director of Summer Programs, a position he held until 1994. At that time National Hadassah and the Young Judaea leadership offered Moshik a position in New York to serve as the Director of Israel Programs, a position responsible for promoting Israel Summer Programs and Year Course.

During the three years serving as the Director of the Israel Programs department in New York (1994-1997), Moshik led Young Judaea to become the largest provider of Israel Programs in the world, providing services to thousands of young people around the world, in addition, providing services to many Jewish communities and Federations across USA. In 1997, Young Judaea brought 1200 teens and college students to Israel on various summer programs and 130 high school graduates on Year Course.

Upon returning to Israel, Moshik was appointed as the Director of Short Term Programs & Administration for Young Judaea Israel. In late 2002, during a critical time in the movement, Moshik was requested to serve for one year as the Interim National Director of Young Judaea.

In 2004, Moshik was appointed as the Deputy Director of Young Judaea Israel and in January 2013 Moshik was appointed as the Executive Director of Young Judaea Israel. He is a board member of Atid, an international partnership of pluralistic youth movements and is also a board member of The World Zionist Youth Movements council.

Moshik graduated from Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a degree in International Relations. He resides in Tel Aviv, where he enjoy his passion for the beach, arts, fine dining and urban life.

Adam Jenshil Tzur Hadassah, Israel

Adam Jenshil is a long-serving member of the Young Judaea team. Adam brings nearly three decades of cumulative involvement in Young Judaea and a successful history in growing programs to his position as Director of Year Course. Adam has held senior positions at the Federation of Zionist Youth (Young Judaea’s sister program in the UK), the Northeast region of Young Judaea in New Jersey, Camp Young Judaea Sprout Lake and other departments. His international knowledge and experience in addition to his Zionist passion continues to invigorate a new era of creativity and teamwork, as Young Judaea looks to the future. From 2006-2009, Adam was the director of the Short-Term Programs Department, overseeing high school age summer programs, Amirim and the Birthright track. He is married to former Year Course counselor, Dganit, they have 21-year-old twins, Lee and Maya who are big sister and brother to 11-year-old Ari and they live in Tzur Hadassah.

Dafna Laskin New York / Israel

Dafna Laskin lives somewhere between JFK Terminal 4 and Sabich Frishman in Tel Aviv. Prior to her role at Young Judaea, she served as Secretary to the Prize Committee at the Genesis Prize Foundation and in her previous life worked as a journalist, with articles published in The Jewish Daily Forward, The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Hartford Courant, and the New Haven Register. She received her BA in history and journalism from the University of Connecticut and her MA in Near Eastern Archaeology from Tel Aviv University.

Dafna enjoys exploring lesser known religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem and would be happy to explain how you can walk from one center of the world to the other in 30 minutes or less!

Ariel Magal Kibbutz Regavim, Israel

Ariel lives on Kibbutz Regavim, about 40 miles north of Tel Aviv, with his wife, Shira, and their three kids – Yael (13), Rotem (10) and Omri (7).

His most recent role was a senior Jewish educator in BINA, an organization that promotes Jewish education in Israel for Israelis. Before that, Ariel served for two years as Shaliach, emissary, of the Jewish Agency on Long Island. Before that, he worked for many years at Young Judaea Israel  in different roles. For Ariel, the beginning of my tenure as Year Course director is actually a homecoming. He believes in Jewish and Zionist education as a tool for personal growth.

Rabbi Adam Drucker Kiryat Gat, Israel

Rabbi Adam Drucker is the Director of Education for Young Judaea Israel and is a passionate activist and educator who works with several organizations to bring about religious equality in Israel.

For over a decade, Rabbi Adam has taught for multiple educational institutions and developed materials for schools and museums around the world. Since joining the Young Judaea team in 2017, Rabbi Adam has been responsible for developing high-level educational programs, providing our participants with expert guidance, and leading meaningful experiences year in year out. Rabbi Adam lives in Kiryat Gat with his partner and their five children.

Adi Yaakobovitch Tel Aviv, Israel

Ortal Mussachy-Erez Beit Nekofa, Israel

Ekka Peck New York, New York

Talia Goldin New York, New York

Tzippy Horowitz

Orit Segal Israel

Daniel Smith Jerusalem, Israel

Shuli Melalis Israel

Teva Yaari Tel Aviv, Israel

Iris Haham Israel

Zoe Zeidler Tel Aviv, Israel

Devorah Silverfarb Israel

Kineret Zemach Israel

Lahan Kinarot Israel

Hannah Wallick Waupaca, WI

Jewish summer camp for Hannah was her most formative experience, where she spent time as a camper, counselor, and in various leadership roles. She pursued the rabbinate early on as a way to “be a camp counselor” for the Jewish community. Always focused on building inclusive communities, Hannah worked for Big Tent Judaism in New York and built the outreach department at the Milwaukee Jewish Federation where she served as a Vice President for a decade. Working in non-traditional, pluralist congregations, Hannah served a rural congregation in Southern Maryland, an urban congregation in Tribeca, Manhattan and a growing congregation of young adults in Long Island City, Queens. Currently, Hannah serves as the spiritual leader of the Moses Montefiore Congregation in Appleton, WI. Hannah has rabbinic ordination and a MA in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary and a BA in Jewish Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Hannah’s additional coursework has included UW-Madison Business School in supervision, the Nonprofit Center in New York in grant writing, Union Theological Seminary in fundraising, and Boardified at the Kellogg School at Northwestern for governance. Hannah, her two children and husband live in Milwaukee and her two adult stepchildren live in Philadelphia. Her daughter is an enthusiastic camper at CYJ Midwest.

Helene Drobenare Verbank, NY

Helene Drobenare, MSW, MA, holds a Master of Social Work from Yeshiva University and Master of Administration in Organizational Change Management from the New School of Social Research. Helene has been working with youth for 20 years. Helene grew up in BBYO and went on to work in their leadership camp programs at Perlman and Beber camps. She has also served as the coordinator for the March of the Living program, and the director of programs for Masada Israel Summer Programs. She lived in Israel for four years where she worked for TRACKS Adventures as Director of Youth Programs & Marketing. Helene has spent years committed to improving the lives of children in Africa through her volunteer work in South Africa and Tanzania. Helene has served as the director of CYJ Sprout Lake since September 1999.

Frank Silberlicht Wimberley, TX

Since coming on as Director in 1998, Frank has overseen significant growth at Camp Young Judaea-Texas and its Retreat Center in Wimberley, TX. He considers the Jewish camp experience a life-changing opportunity, a unique setting to learn and grow in life’s most important areas—in character, in health, and in relationship. He’s committed to providing that experience with excellence, by emphasizing a mix of community, Zionism, Judaism, and—in true Texas tradition—cattle rustling!

Prior to CYJ-TX, Frank worked for Camp Tel-Yehuda, Taco Bell Corp, and Trails End Camp. While serving as Camp Director (and chief bottle-washer), Frank and his wife Simone, have grown their family with their children Elan, Jacob, and Rebecca and their dog, Coco.

Lori Zeligman Hendersonville, NC

Lori has been a part of the Camp Judaea family since she was a camper and continued through as staff. Lori started her career with Young Judaea as an Area Supervisor and staffed multiple Birthright trips. Following her time at YJ she transitioned into Camp Judaea’s Assistant Director.

After leaving CJ in 2010, Lori worked at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta as the Director of Camp Isidore Alterman and then worked in corporate as a Human Resources Generalist at BrandBank. Being extremely passionate about Informal Jewish experiences, Lori returned to Camp Judaea in 2018.

Lori is originally from Augusta, GA and received her undergraduate degree in Judaic Studies from the American Jewish University in California. While in College, Lori studied abroad in Israel at Ben-Gurion University and discovered her love to travel all over the world! Lori earned her master’s degree in Jewish Education from Siegel College and completed her Human Resources Certificate from the University of Georgia.

Lori met her husband, Michael, at Camp Judaea and they are excited to share the CJ experience with their children, Molly and Bram. Lori’s favorite activity at camp is Rikkud and you can find her every Saturday night dancing on the basketball court with the campers and staff!

David Weinstein Barryville, NY

David Weinstein started in Young Judaea as a camper at Camp Young Judaea Sprout Lake the year it opened in 1976. He was a camper, kitchen boy, madrich and merakez at Camp Tel Yehudah as well as the former National Administrative Vice President and Education Director of Young Judaea. He attended Young Judaea Year Course 1982-83. During his 17 year “vacation” from YJ, David was a high school teacher, family educator, curriculum developer and educational consultant. He graduated from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) with a degree in Judaic Studies and Political Science and has a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He also studied Jewish texts at Machon Pardes in Jerusalem. David met his wife, Amy, at Sprout Lake in 1976 and their two children, Mikaela and Kira, are now Judaeans as well. David returned as Director of Tel Yehudah in 2007 and is a graduate of the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Executive Leadership Institute as well as a recipient of the Innovator Award from the Legacy Heritage Fund. He also serves on the education committee of Bnai Keshet in Montclair, NJ.