MOISHE HOUSE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Northeast Community Manager
Adena is Moishe House's Senior Northeast Community Manager. In her role, she guides residents in creating meaningful programs in building their communities. Adena attended her first Moishe House Williamsburg event in 2015, where she met the founders of Base, and became immersed in both communities. Adena believes in having strong Jewish spaces for all levels of observance and identities and in being open to new people and new experiences with warmth and excitement.
Adena has taught autistic, multi-disabled, and severely emotional children of all ages, in over 100 schools in all 5 boroughs of NYC and in Massachusetts.
Adena has a BA from Wagner College in Musical Theatre and a Minor in Psychology. She has been on ABC, MTV, off-Broadway, and performed at venues all around NYC. In her spare time, she sits on the Board of Brookline Interactive Group, creating social media content, and is working on a new children's television show, Deanie's Corner. Adena is based in Brookline, MA.
Albert is a Global Community Manager, supporting our community builders located across Europe and beyond to be leaders in creating meaningful, welcoming experiences that serve the young adult Jewish community. Albert loves getting to work with young community leaders from all over the world and is inspired to lead the change they want to see.
Born and raised in Barcelona, after earning their BA in Art History in Spain and Germany, Albert worked in education, social work, and the medical field before they started working for a Jewish cultural center in Barcelona. He has facilitated workshops and debates in activist and community spaces (including Moishe House Barcelona) on topics ranging from animal rights to gender and sexual diversity, often looking at the intersection with Judaism. Albert also graduated from Paideia, the European Institute for Jewish Studies.
Job Titles:
- North American RSJ Community Manager
Alex is our North American Russian-Speaking Jews (RSJ) Community Manager. He was drawn to Moishe House because of the forward-thinking culture that it represents and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that it generously provides to the Jewish community. Alex originally started as an RSJ Moishe House resident in 2016, before pursuing a career in Jewish Leadership and Non-profit work. Born in Israel to Ukrainian parents, Alex served as the Senior Campaign Associate for the Jewish United Federation before taking on his current role with our Moishe House team.
Alex graduated from DePaul University in 2016 with a Bachelor's Degree in Health & Science. He has worked in the event and entertainment space for over 10 years while simultaneously growing in the Jewish advancement space in the Chicagoland area.
Job Titles:
- Director of Immersive Experiences
Ali is Moishe House's Director of Immersive Experiences, managing the team in executing our educational vision and developing creative and fun immersive experiences. She oversees our Staff-Led Retreats, Retreatology, and Peer-Led Retreats, as well as our Camp Nai Nai Nai immersive learning experiences!
Ali came to Moishe House from Hillel International, where she managed recruitment, marketing, training, and operations for Birthright Israel, Onward Israel, and Masa Israel Journey for 8 years. She has a lifelong passion for engaging the Jewish community and immersive experiences. Ali graduated from Florida State University and currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Director, North American House & Pod Programs
Alyssa is our Director of North American Houses and Pods. She is driven by Moishe House's mission of helping young adults grow closer to their Judaism every day. It would make for a strange Marvel movie, but Alyssa's superpower is cooking excellent mac ‘n' cheese!
Alyssa started at Moishe House in 2018 as an MHWOW Coordinator, and has since been promoted to Program Manager, Associate Director, and Director. Prior to Moishe House, Alyssa worked at the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit in their NEXTGen Detroit division programming for young adults. She executed a plethora of new programs, including large-scale fundraisers and interfaith couples initiatives, and was named a Detroit Jewish News 36 Under 36. She holds a degree in mathematical sciences from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Alyssa is a graduate of the Glass Leadership Institute through the Anti-Defamation League, a religious & Hebrew school teacher at Temple Beth Israel in Skokie, IL, and a board member of Delta Phi Epsilon's National Development Corporation.
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
- Member of the Senior Management Team
As Chief Human Resources Officer, Ann oversees all facets of global talent acquisition, leader development, employee relations, benefits and payroll, and culture, as well as program safety and crisis management. She is an advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and has been told that her super powers are listening and asking great questions! Her Why for joining the Moishe House team? To support the team charged with building communities for and with young Jewish adults!
Ann holds degrees in counseling and education, both from the University of Georgia. She has previously worked in Human Resources leadership and business partner roles in healthcare and oil & gas industries. Ann's family is everything to her, including sons Evan (3rd year rabbinical student at HUC-JIR) and Fred (3rd year doctoral student at Rutgers University), and husband Eddie (professor of physical therapy at Langston University).
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Jewish Learning Collaborativ
- Associate Director, Jewish Learning Collaborative
- Jewish Learning Collaborative 's Associate Director
Avidan is the Jewish Learning Collaborative's Associate Director. He leads the development and implementation of the JLC's 1:1 Jewish learning program to support partner organizations in bringing the JLC to their teams, while supporting educators and learners as they learn together. Avidan is attracted to the global reach of Moishe House as a pluralistic, compassionate organization that enables young Jews in shaping their own engagement with the tradition and community.
Avidan has studied at Yeshivat Maale Gilboa, Yeshivat Hadar, and Pardes, and was a Fellow with the Nachshon Project. After graduation, he moved to Berlin as a Ramah Service Corps Fellow, working at a Hebrew-German bilingual elementary school, and serving on the Jewish Education team at Base Berlin. Avidan was also the founding program manager of Solu, a Jewish service-learning initiative in the Chicago area. Avidan loves basketball, Jewish a cappella, and learning new languages! He holds a BA in Religion from Columbia University and lives in Chicago!
Job Titles:
- Jewish Life Specialist
- Life Specialist
Caleb Bromberg is our Jewish Life Specialist. He is an educator, ba'al tefilah (prayer leader), and rabbinical student committed to learning and sharing a living Torah. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Education and English from DePaul University in 2016, Caleb moved into the world of Jewish education, serving for several years as a synagogue youth programmer and curriculum director. In 2021, he received an Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Studies from the Spertus Institute and all the while worked as a teacher, program developer, and curriculum writer for Jewish adults.
In 2020, Caleb began his journey towards becoming a rabbi and will be ordained in 2024. He is deeply passionate about prayer, study, cooking, and mini-golf. He is currently based in Washington Heights, Manhattan with his wife, Rebecca, and their dog, Caper.
Job Titles:
- Strategic Program Partnerships Director
Cassie Perez is Moishe House's Strategic Program Partnerships Director. In her role, she leads the project management and partnerships for brand strategy, ongoing brand management, and process improvement and documentation. She has a true passion for making the world more inclusive and loves helping others find their place in exploring themselves and their Jewish identity in a welcoming, compassionate, and encouraging environment.
Originally from Flower Mound, Texas, Cassie graduated from The Ohio State University where she studied Early and Middle Childhood and Disability Studies. She spent 2 years studying American Sign Language and teaching preschool in Columbus, Ohio, before taking off for Israel to spend a year teaching English in Bat Yam. Prior to joining Moishe House, Cassie was the IACT Israel Coordinator at the University of Delaware Hillel. In her free time, you can find Cassie cooking, swimming, and cheering on the Buckeyes!
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Specialist, Immersive Experiences
Celia is Moishe House's Sr. Program Specialist of Immersive Experiences. She supports Peer-Led Retreat facilitators as they attend Retreatology and then work to plan engaging, dynamic, creating Jewish Learning Retreats in their communities. Each day, she sees facilitators take their Judaism into their own hands and express it in a way that is meaningful to them. The concept of creativity is especially close to Celia's heart because she is a crafter extraordinaire!
As the Retreats Specialist at Moishe House, Chelsea collaborates and partners with the Global and Immersive Experiences Teams to plan oversee and manage all North America retreat logistics and recruitment, and to play a supporting role in ensuring the success of retreats in all other locations. Outside of work, Chelsea can be found in the kitchen cooking, hanging at the beach, or searching thrift stores for vintage cocktail glasses.
An Encinitas native (though her heart is in Tel Aviv), Chelsea lives nearby in Carlsbad with her husband, Tom; daughters, Romy and Noam, and their French Bulldog, Jack. Chelsea holds a B.A. in Social Sciences and a Master's in Jewish Education from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prior to Moishe House, Chelsea worked primarily in the education sector as a preschool teacher, an elementary school teacher, and the executive assistant in a high school counseling office.
Job Titles:
- Senior Administrative Assistant
Dan is Moishe House's Senior Administrative Assistant for the Jewish Education Department. He comes to Moishe House after holding administrative, fundraising, and programming roles at nonprofit organizations and think-tanks, including the Union for Reform Judaism, JCP Downtown, Seeds of Peace, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and AIPAC.
Dan holds a BA in International Studies and a minor in Israel Studies from American University and is an active community member of Moishe House in the New York City area. Outside of work, Dan enjoys seeing movies and musicals, traveling, singing in the Zamir Noded choir, and checking out new places to explore in the city. Dan is originally from Stamford, CT and currently resides in Manhattan, NY.
Job Titles:
- Data & Operations Specialist for the Jewish Learning Collaborative
- JLC Senior Data & Operations Specialist
Daria is the Data & Operations Specialist for the Jewish Learning Collaborative. She is passionate about finding new ways to analyze data to inform growth and development, and about creating effective systems to streamline processes and remove barriers. Daria joined Moishe House because she is inspired by our unique approach to building community and bringing people together on a global scale.
Daria is a Ph.D. Candidate in Politics at the University of California - Santa Cruz, and she holds a master's degree in Politics from UC Santa Cruz and a bachelor's degree in International Relations from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia. Her professional experience lies in the fields of Jewish philanthropic advising & program evaluation, undergraduate instruction in Political Science, and journalism & news media.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
- Member of the Senior Management Team
As the founder & CEO of Moishe House, David has been involved in every aspect of Moishe House since the beginning. He launched Moishe House to be part of building something that would have a real impact on the global Jewish community and beyond. Today, he works with the board and leadership team to chart the course of Moishe House for the future. In his role, he most enjoys the opportunity to learn from young adults from across six continents about their Jewish experiences. When he's not doing work with Moishe House, you can find him traveling to destinations with no dress codes, spending time with friends or playing basketball.
David has been a non-profit innovator since high school when he started Feed the Need, a nationally recognized homeless feeding organization. In 2006, he helped establish Moishe House and became the organization's first CEO. Through his work in the Jewish community, David has garnered many honors including the Avi Chai Fellowship, the JCSA Young Leadership Award, and the Bernard Reisman Award for Professional Excellence. In 2013, David was the recipient of UCSB Hillel's inaugural Alumni Achievement Award. David graduated with honors from University of California at Santa Barbara with a BA in Business Economics.
David is Moishe House's Community Manager for the Eastern U.S. He is passionate about Jewish communal engagement and helping to inspire today's youth to engage with Judaism in a way that feels natural and exciting. He believes Moishe House is an organization that is doing something practical to engage those who might not be interested in Jewish communal values in a sustainable and exciting way!
David served in Washington, D.C. in many roles in the Jewish foreign policy space, including as the Program Officer for the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry (NCSEJ), where he monitored Russian-language international media for developments on Jewish communal issues, researched the foreign policy of post-Soviet states, and drafted memos for meetings between U.S. and foreign diplomatic representatives from post-Soviet Eurasia.
David holds a B.S. in Diplomacy & International Affairs and a B.A. in Economics from Seton Hall University, and a certificate in Russian language from the Faculty of Philology at Saint Petersburg State University in Russia.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Development Operations
Diane is the Associate Director, Development Operations, playing a key role in managing our grants and development operations processes throughout their lifecycles. She began her career in nonprofit development at Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, GA, and also worked for Chimp Haven, the world's largest chimpanzee sanctuary.
Diane was raised in a military family and has lived in California, Guam, Virginia, Washington, Japan, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and North Carolina. She is a graduate of Kennesaw State University where she earned her B.S. in Communication. In her free time Diane enjoys visiting cultural institutions, running, and enjoying cuisines from around the world.
Dimitry Ekshtut is an educator, musician, and Jewish community builder. Dimitry co-leads Based in Harlem and is also a co-founder and lay leader of Kehillat Harlem, a progressive orthodox prayer community. Born in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia) and raised in Philadelphia, Dimitry moved to New York City in 2005 to pursue a career as a jazz musician. He holds a Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Guitar Performance and a Master's of Music Education, both from New York University, and has had an active career as a full-time music educator in public, private, and charter schools throughout New York City. Dimitry is currently a rabbinical student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT), an adjunct professor of Jewish Studies at City College of New York (CCNY), and works to build Jewish community in Harlem, where he resides with his wife, Erica, their daughter, Maayan, and their cat, Vaska.
Job Titles:
- East Coast Jewish Life Specialist
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair / Piedmont, CA
As a lifelong Jewish learner and educator, Elyssa is ecstatic to be a part of Moishe House's Jewish Education team! She is excited by opportunities to make Torah accessible and engaging to people from all different backgrounds and learning styles, and she hopes that she will be able to do that more broadly as the Jewish Educator.
Elyssa was born and raised in the California Bay Area before she moved to Michigan for college (Go Green!), Oregon to work at Hillel, Jerusalem to start graduate school, and then New York to finish her Master's in Jewish Experiential Education from JTS. When she's not annotating her Tanakh with the color-coded system she created, you can find her crocheting or embroidering, making spreadsheets of nerdy things, talking with people about the Shmitah year, baking, and re-organizing her spice cabinet.
Job Titles:
- Jewish Life Specialist
- Life Specialist
Emily Rogal is our Jewish Life Specialist. She is an aspiring Jewish educator, healer, and ritual leader. She is a trained birth and postpartum doula, mikveh guide, and a Jewish educator invested in cultivating Jewish spaces which center on reflection, resilience, joy, justice, and just the right amount of angst. She spends the majority of her free time drinking oat milk lattes, hunting down weird midrashim (which is basically rabbi fanfiction in her book), reading and writing fantasy, and finding her perpetually lost water bottle.
Emily graduated from The New School in 2017 with a degree in Religious Studies. There, she focused on the mikveh as a site of contemporary feminist ritual intervention and care, before pursuing a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School.
Job Titles:
- Finance
- Member of the Senior Management Team
Erin comes to Moishe House from serving as Controller at a large private Montessori school on the north side of Chicago. Prior to returning to industry, Erin worked in public accounting specializing in audit and tax preparation of exempt organizations. In 2010, with three little kids in tow, she studied and passed the CPA exam on her first attempt. Prior to that she had a more interesting career in orchestra management as a founding staff member and General Manager of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, a Pan-America youth orchestra, after serving as the General Manager of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras.
Erin received a bachelor's degree in art history and a concentration in music from Indiana University.
She lives in Skokie, IL with her three boys and husband.
Job Titles:
- Program Specialist, MHWOW - Global Communities
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Senior Director, Global Communities
Eva knows all about the ins and outs of living in a Moishe House as she was a founding resident of Moishe House Prague. Now, as Senior Director of Global Communities, she uses her experience to lead and support staff and residents in the work they're doing all over the world. She enjoys her work because in many international communities, Moishe House is the only opportunity for young adults to be involved in Jewish community. Eva's superpower is the ability to sleep anywhere, which comes in handy on her many international flights.
Eva graduated from the Prague College of Journalism, majoring in PR and marketing, as well as from Paideia, the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Stockholm, Sweden.
Job Titles:
- Program Specialist, MHWOW
Evan is thrilled to be a Program Specialist for Moishe House Without Walls (MHWOW). He has previously been a Jewish Professional at Metro Chicago Hillel and The Jewish United Fund. He graduated from Muhlenberg College with a Theatre degree and grew up attending Olin Sang Ruby Institute. In addition to his Jewish Professional work, Evan is also an active performer in the city of Chicago, and is currently a member of the Hot Clown Company, a theatrical clowning company established in 2019.
Evan thinks communal Jewish practice and community building are essential to the success of Judaism. Moishe house's accessibility, innovation, and international reach make them a key player in bringing Jewish practice to the modern age. He loves what the organization does and is so excited to meet all of the hosts around the country and continue to explore and grow in his Jewish professional work!
Job Titles:
- Marketing Content Strategist and Writer
Job Titles:
- Director, House and Pod Operations & Strategy
Job Titles:
- Midwest Director of Advancement
Hannah Maia is our Midwest Director of Advancement. As a former resident and MHWOW host in Shanghai, China, Hannah Maia prides herself in being well versed in the ways of the Moishe-verse. In her role, she is excited to share her stories with the supporters and champions of Moishe House.
Originally from Ellicott City, Maryland, she earned her Bachelors in Asian Studies with a focus on Business in China from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. During her study abroad in Shanghai, she was invited to a Shabbat dinner at Moishe Shanghai, during which she signed up to join the first peer led retreat to Kaifeng. Hannah Maia has had a diverse career that has taken her from Baltimore to Washington DC and then back to Shanghai, where she served as the Community Manager of Kehilat Shanghai and then as a Senior Development Associate at NYU Shanghai. She recently relocated to Chicago, Illinois where she is excited to explore the local music and culinary scene.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Global Retreats and Jewish Education
Job Titles:
- Senior Northwest Community Manager
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- Treasurer / Palo Alto, CA
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- Program Specialist, House & Pod Support
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- Director, Jewish Service Learning
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- West Coast Community Manager
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- Immersive Experiences Program Manager
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- West Coast Director of Advancement
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- Central Community Manager
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- Executive Assistant & Board Liaison
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, RSJ Programming
Kathrene is our Associate Director, RSJ Programming. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, where there is a large and thriving community of RSJ's. Her family came from Belarus in the late 90's. Most recently, Kat was responsible for creating, running, and facilitating events and programs for a variety of groups, including teens and young adults.
Kathrene is a graduate of Baruch College, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communication as well as a Law and Human Resources minor. She is bilingual, with fluency in Russian.
Job Titles:
- Senior Administrative Assistant, Global Development
Kevin is our Latin America Jewish Educator. He is a lifelong volunteer and experienced professional in the Jewish community of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Kevin is passionate about reading, writing and engaging people in discussions about Jewish life, Israel and many more issues.
Kevin was born in Buenos Aires and his path in Jewish leadership started when he joined a Zionist movement in his teens. His professional life led him to work at the World Zionist Organization, the Latin American office of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and a local Jewish high school, where he served first as a teacher and later joined the leadership of the organization.
He has a Licenciatura (5-year degree) in Sociology from the University of Buenos Aires and a Master's degree from Columbia University in Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies, obtained through a Fulbright scholarship. Right before starting his graduate studies, Kevin joined a Moishe House in New York City as a resident and has been a passionate fan of Moishe House ever since.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- VP, Advancement
Job Titles:
- Midwest Community Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- VP, Development Operations / Rabbi Ari Perten / VP, Jewish Learning Department
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, House & Pod Support
Job Titles:
- Senior Human Resources Recruiter
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- Associate Director, Accounting
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- Program Specialist, MHWOW
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- Senior New York Community Manager
Job Titles:
- Global Director of Advancement / Human Resources
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- Mid - Atlantic Community Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Senior Vice President, Global Development
Job Titles:
- Rabbi
- Founding Executive Director, Jewish Learning Collaborative
As Director of the Open Dor Project and Founding Executive Director of the Jewish Learning Collaborative, Rabbi Ana continues her lifelong work of creating and sustaining dynamic, multivocal and welcoming communities. She supports emerging spiritual communities and their leaders through the Open Dor Project. Through the Jewish Learning Collaborative, she supports professionals and Board members at Jewish organizations discovering wisdom, as well as a growing cadre of inspiring Jewish educators. Rabbi Ana is inspired in her role by getting to work with creative, brave and thoughtful people and joined the team because she wanted to be a driver for experimentation. Rabbi Ana's background in Jewish camps also means Rabbi Ana is notably good at tie-dying.
Previously, Rabbi Ana was the director of Hebrew Union College's Founders Fellowship, an incubator for progressive Judaism on college campuses, and was the associate director of the URJ Greene Family Camp, a Jewish overnight camp. Rabbi Ana is also the chair-elect of the Central Conference of American Rabbis' ethics committee. She received rabbinical ordination from Hebrew Union College and a BA from Dartmouth College.
Job Titles:
- Rabbi
- VP of the Jewish Learning Department
- VP, Development Operations / Rabbi Ari Perten / VP, Jewish Learning Department
- VP, Jewish Learning Department
Ari Perten is Moishe House's VP of the Jewish Learning Department and is a key member of the Program Leadership Team, which oversees all global programming at Moishe House. He has spent his career in the Jewish communal world where he has served as a congregational Rabbi, Camp Director, Hillel Director, and, most recently, as the founding Director of the Norman E. Alexander Center for Jewish Life at the YM&YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood in Manhattan. Ari believes in creative thinking and deeply resonant, multi-entry access to Judaism. He is excited by Moishe House's mission, believing that many young Jewish adults are seeking moments, opportunities, and communities to live meaningful Jewish lives.
Job Titles:
- Rabbi
- Base Rabbi / Rabbi Sofia Zway
Job Titles:
- Rabbi
- Base Rabbi / Rabbi Jesse Paikin / Executive Director, Base
Job Titles:
- Rabbi
- Base Rabbi / Rabbi Jesse Paikin / Executive Director, Base
- Executive Director for Base
Jesse holds a Bachelor of Arts from York University, a Master's degree and a Graduate Certificate in Experiential Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College, and is currently a Master's Candidate in Clinical Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He has also studied at Yeshivat Hadar, NYU, the University of Toronto, and the National Theatre School of Canada.
A lover of live music, Jesse lives in Washington DC with his wife, Stephanie.
Rabbi Jesse is the Executive Director for Base. Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Jesse has called Montreal, New York, Jerusalem, and Washington DC home. Prior to coming to Moishe House, Jesse served as a rabbi at Washington's Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, where he held a Fellowship from the Jewish Emergent Network - a group of seven upstart, independent spiritual communities. Jesse also recently served as a Research Fellow with M², the Institute for Experiential Jewish Education, where he researched and designed new pedagogies to influence the ways that Jewish educators teach.
Job Titles:
- Rabbi
- Jewish Life Specialist
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- Rabbi
- Jewish Life Specialist
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- Member of the Senior Management Team
- VP, Global Marketing and Communications
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- West Coast Jewish Life Specialist
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- East Coast Jewish Life Specialist
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- Base Strategic Operations Specialist
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- Community Board Representative
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- Rabbi
- Base Rabbi / Rabbi Sofia Zway
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- Associate Director, House & Pod Programs
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- Development Operations Data & Systems Specialist
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- Chief
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Program Officer
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- Vice Chair / New York, NY
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- Senior Latin America Community Manager
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- Senior HR Business Partner / Marketing and Communications
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Program Operations