Leadership

LEADERSHIP

STAFF

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz
Founder & President
Rabbi Yanklowitz has twice been named one of America’s Top Rabbis by Newsweek and has been named by The Forward as one of the 50 most influential Jews and one of The Most Inspiring Rabbis in America. Rabbi Yanklowitz is the author of 23 books on Jewish ethics and his writings have appeared in outlets as diverse as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and the Atlantic among many other secular and religious publications. He has served as speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and a Rothschild Fellow in Cambridge, UK.

Rav Shmuly received a Masters from Harvard University, a Masters from Yeshiva University, and his Doctorate from Columbia University. He was ordained as a rabbi by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, along with 2 private ordinations in Israel. He serves as the Founder & President of YATOM: The Jewish Foster & Adoption Network.

His wife Shoshana, and their four children live in Scottsdale, Arizona. They are also foster parents.

Alli Goozh
Program Manager
Alli has been an active part of the Jewish community for years, volunteering at Pardes Jewish Day School, participating and volunteering with Yatom, supporting the work of Arizona Jews for Justice and more. Alli is passionate about making the path to fostering and adoption far less daunting for people with room in their hearts and homes for these wonderful children.

After almost 20 years in her corporate career, Alli shifted her full attention to creating her two businesses. When not working or volunteering, Alli can be found spending time with her family, her rescue dogs, and her friends!

Anna Abramyan
Finance Manager
Anna Abramyan holds a B.S. in Economics & Trading and a M.S. in Economics & Finance. She worked as a COO/Finance Manager at a jewelry company for 7 years in Moscow before moving to New York City with her family 5 years ago. In New York, she was taking courses on the basis of accounting in Intuit, and now she is a certified ProAdvisor. Her career as Accountant/full charge bookkeeper spans across different fields including but not limited to pharmaceuticals, HVAC, E-commerce, and non-profit.

Tal Bresler
Program Associate
Tal Bresler (she/her) is a neuroscience student at the University of Maryland. Tal has a wide range of education and childcare experience as well as a strong Jewish background. Hailing from Silver Spring, Tal attended the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy and then went on to learn at Nishmat for her Shana Ba'Aretz before coming to UMD. Tal has worked as a camp counselor, tutor, social media manager, and administrative intern for a range of institutions. At UMD, Tal is involved with Kedma, the Orthodox student group on campus, as well as the Honors Ambassadors Program and the UMD Club Crew Team. In her free time, Tal enjoys painting, walking, learning, and hanging out with friends.

BOARD MEMBERS

David Lilienfeld is a Senior Investment Analyst at Three Bridges Capital, a global investment manager based in New York. In addition, he serves as Director of Corporate Development & Strategy for Ameelio, a nonprofit focused on disrupting the prison telecommunications industry by decoupling incarceration and profit. David is also active as a Volunteer Mentor with Y Tu Tambien, a program focused on increasing access to higher education for Latinx & 1st-gen students. Previously, David worked in Investment Banking at Macquaire Capital in New York and in European Public Affairs for Novartis AG in Brussels. A graduate of SAR High School, he holds a BA in History, with distinction, from Yale University and an MPhil in Political Thought from the University of Cambridge. Outside of work, David is a passionate fan of the Grateful Dead and an avid squash player.

Diane Kolatch is a high school English teacher. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Religion from Columbia University, and her Master's Degree in Secondary English Education from Teacher's College. Diane is a board member of the Etzion Foundation, and was previously a board member of Congregation Darkhei Noam in New York City. She enjoys reading, hiking and spending time with family and friends. Diane lives with her husband and daughter in New York.

Mike Morrison is a practicing trial attorney in Chicago, Illinois. He is married and has three children. He enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, traveling and playing basketball. Mike obtained his undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University, where he studied on a four-year athletic scholarship. Mike played Division I Men’s Basketball for four years and was the team’s co-Captain in his senior year. Mike was awarded the NIU Men’s Basketball Team’s Heart Award in 2003, which is given to the player who demonstrates the most inner drive and determination. He received his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School in 2006. Mike was included on the 2016 Emerging Lawyers Magazine list for Product Liability Defense Law and on the Illinois Super Lawyers-Rising Stars list for 2011.

Chad Shifrin is an attorney focusing his practice on complex construction projects and disputes. Chad counsels clients in contract negotiation through project completion and litigates disputes in courts across the country. He is one of the five founding partners of the law firm Laurie & Brennan and serves on its executive committee. Previously, Chad was an attorney at the global law firm DLA Piper. When out of the office, Chad enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, reading, golfing, and rooting for Chicago’s sports teams.

RABBINIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Rabbi Ruven Barkan
Rabbi Cari Bricklin-Small
Rabbi Nate Crane
Rabbi Braham David
Rabbi Diana Gerson
Rabbi Lisa Goldstein
Rabbi Dr. Yitz Greenberg
Rabbi Jarah Greenfield
Rabbi Andy Koren
Rabbi Julie Kozlow
Rabbi Igael Gurin Malous
Rabbi Toby Manewith
Rabbi Roly Matalon
Rabbi Anat Moskowitz
Rabbi Haviva Ner-David
Rabbi Rayzel Raphael
Rabbi Dr. Simcha Raphael
Rabbi Yerachmiel Shapiro
Rabbi Susan Silverman
Rabbi Elyse Wechterman
Rabbi Lina Zerbarini