Leadership

Rebecca Voorwinde is CEO of The Bronfman Fellowship. Becky oversees the strategic planning for all aspects of the Fellowship in Israel and the US, including working closely with the global alumni community of over 1,400 and selects incoming Fellows. An alumna of the program, Becky served as a volunteer member of Bronfman’s Alumni Advisory Board before taking the full-time position of Director of Alumni Engagement in 2008. Becky’s professional experience includes work in the Corporate Responsibility Group at Ernst & Young LLP, where she led the roll-out of an employee volunteer program focused on increasing access to higher education for disadvantaged students, implemented a greening and socially conscious element into all of Ernst & Young’s meetings and conferences, and created a social enterprise track at the company’s annual Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. Previously she worked at a non-profit human resources consultancy, Diversity @ Work in Melbourne Australia. Becky graduated Summa Cum Laude from Barnard College with a B.A. in American Studies. Becky serves on the board of M2: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education and Tivnu, a Jewish domestic gap year program. Becky resides in Brooklyn with her husband Michael and their three children. She can be reached at becky@bronfman.org. 

Daphna has been active for many years in the fields of pluralistic Judaism, community development, and young adult communities. She has held managerial and educational positions at the Mandel Leadership Institute, Beit Tefilah Israeli, and the Zalman Shazar Center, and served as a community emissary in the MetroWest community of New Jersey. Daphna holds a degree in Jewish Philosophy and Political Science from Tel Aviv University (Cum Laude), and is completing her thesis research at the Sociology and Anthropology Department at Bar Ilan University on mentoring. She graduated from the Hartman Institute’s Beit Midrash for outstanding students in Jewish Studies, and completed the programs in Cultural Institution Management and Career Development Counseling at Tel Aviv University.

Dapha has also volunteered as the Chair of the Alumni Organizations Forum in Israel and served on the Board of Directors. She has edited the book Georgia – Journey to Jewish Heritage, published by The Zalman Shazar Center; and co-edited a book with Dr. Daniel Marom on Hebrew culture for early childhood education, published by The Mandel Leadership Institute.

Heather is the Director of Finance for the organization.  She manages all financial operations both in the US and Israel and has been with The Fellowship since 2001.  She holds degrees in both Accounting and Hotel and Restaurant Management and is a Notary Public licensed in New York State.  Outside of Bronfman, Heather assists various local small businesses with freelance bookkeeping help in the upstate NY area where she resides with her husband Tom.  Her hobbies include kayaking, reading, gardening and herbology.

Erica Goldman has been an engineering linguist, a high school English teacher, and has taught Israeli dancing on five continents (so far!). In 2011, Erica joined the Global Jewish Education department at New Community Jewish (now deToledo) High School in Los Angeles and helped coordinate and implement both their three-week and three-month exchange programs with Tel Aviv high schools. In 2015, she became an Educator for the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Cornerstone Fellowship and launched Ma’agal, an initiative to improve Israeli dance education at schools and camps across the nation. 

A two-time Brandeis University graduate, Erica holds an MBA as well as a Masters in Jewish Professional Leadership and is a grateful Wexner Fellow/Davidson Scholar. Before joining Bronfman, Erica was the Chief Program Officer at JPro, an organization dedicated to supporting all those who work for Jewish organizations across the US and Canada. Erica lives in Brooklyn NY and loves taking really, really long walks.

As a 1988 alumna of The Bronfman Fellowship. Laura has been deeply involved with the program over the course of her professional and personal journey. She knows firsthand the transformative power of the Fellowship experience and the unique contributions of this community.

Laura is a passionate and dynamic advancement leader with experience in philanthropy, community relations, management, and communications. Trained as a lawyer, for more than fifteen years Laura has worked with non-profits, higher education institutions, and health care systems to achieve transformative growth and fulfill their missions. 

For nearly a decade as the Director of Development and Institutional Advancement for the Bard Prison Initiative and then in a number of consulting roles since, Laura led community engagement; annual fund, major gifts and stewardship; corporate and foundation relations; and strategic planning and capacity building. By working closely with executive leadership and boards to determine priorities and strategy, Laura has cultivated meaningful, long-term collaborations with individual, foundation, and corporate donors.

Laura has a BA (Summa Cum Laude) and MA degree from Brandeis University and earned her JD at the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College. She is a Board member of the Jewish Federation of Dutchess County and a member of the Anti-Semitism Workgroup for the Dutchess County Human Rights Commission. Laura lives in Rhinebeck, NY with her family.

Rabbi Hannah Kapnik Ashar (Bronfman ’04) is Director of Faculty at the Bronfman Fellowship. She is also the Founder and Director of Rahmana, a women’s prayer initiative. Hannah’s scholarship focuses on prayer practice and the poetry of liturgy, midrash (rabbinic exegesis), and feminine Torah of Yemima Avital and others. Hannah is a graduate of Hadar’s Advanced Kollel and an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship and the Atra Fellowship for Rabbinic Entrepreneurship. Hannah is a graduate of Wellesley college, a birth doula, and a mother of three girls.

Stefanie Weisman is the Communications and Design Associate at The Bronfman Fellowship.  She received a B.A. in history from Columbia University and an M.A. in art history from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts.  Her first book, The Secrets of Top Students: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Acing High School and College, was published by Sourcebooks in 2013 and has since been translated into Chinese.  She writes fiction and nonfiction in her spare time.  A lifelong resident of Astoria, New York, Stefanie’s hobbies include reading, visiting museums, hiking, and traveling to as many countries as possible.

Sari is a not-for-profit professional with twenty-two years of experience in a variety of roles at the Sephardic Community Center before joining the Bronfman Fellowship in 2020. In her last position as Director of Special Projects, she managed programs, fundraisers and staff. Sari is most proud of her children and grandchildren. She and her husband Sion live in Brooklyn.

Ashlie Flood is the Data and Administrative Associate at The Bronfman Fellowship. Prior to joining the team at Bronfman, Ashlie was the Fundraising and Volunteer Coordinator for CHiPS Soup Kitchen and Women’s Shelter in Park Slope, where she helped the organization break all previous fundraising records and keep folks fed and housed throughout the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashlie’s professional experience also includes work in the development departments of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. Ashlie received a B.A. in Art History from Hamilton College with minors in Art and Hispanic Studies, and participated in two Hamilton off-campus study programs: the New York City Program and the Hamilton College Academic Year in Spain Program. Her lifelong love of art inspired her to co-curate an exhibition titled WILDFIRE, featuring art by Jon Bellona, at the February 2020 SPRING/BREAK Art Show. She lives in Hell’s Kitchen with her partner Gil and their two cats, Poppy and Tuna. She can be reached at ashlie@bronfman.org.

Elizabeth Ochs (Bronfman ’01) leads the Fellowship’s portfolio of programs aimed at creating an interconnected network of alumni who can empower, inspire and engage one another towards enhanced leadership in the Jewish community and beyond. Elizabeth lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her husband and son. She concentrated in Urban Studies at Brown University and received a Master’s in Education from Antioch University. Elizabeth directs the Creative Reuse Center of RI and serves as a Quality Advisor for the RI Department of Education.

Nava was born in France and, after making Aliyah with her family at the age of 4, was raised and educated in Jerusalem. She attended the Emuna Arts High School for girls, where she majored in theater. During her national service she worked on a horse farm which specializes in therapeutic riding and treats people with special needs. She completed a BA in Management and Media & Communications at the College of Management, with a specialization in advertising and marketing. Nava lives with her husband in the Har Gilo settlement which is located a few kilometers south of Jerusalem.

Yuval Nussan, a 2009 Amitei Bronfman alum, was raised in Hoshaya in the Galilee. In his gap year he volunteered at the Tzameret NGO, before studying at Har Etzion Yeshiva. Yuval served in the IDF combat forces as a commander. He has a Master’s degree in Hebrew Literature from Hebrew University as part of the Revivim, A Program of Excellence for the Training of Teachers in the Instruction of Jewish Studies. He also studied group management at Oranim College. Yuval has facilitated workshops and groups at the Gesher organization and at Amitei Bronfman as manche (counselor) in 2019-20, and teaches Humanities in a high school in Jerusalem. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife Elisheva and child Neta.

Nurit (Muszkat) Barkan-Bocarsly (Amitei Bronfman ’13) was born and raised in Jerusalem, where she lives with her partner Rafi. After serving as an officer in the Education Corps, Nurit studied at Hadar and did Shlichut in Australia. She completed her undergraduate studies in History, Sociology & Anthropology at Hebrew University, and volunteered in the Lissan program. She is currently working on her MA in Sociology & Anthropology at Hebrew University, as well a teacher’s certificate from Kerem Institute. Nurit works at Hebrew University as a TA, at Bar Ilan University as a research assistant, and at the Rothschild Foundation (IL) as a facilitator.

Paz Bendek (Amitei Bronfman ‘13) grew up in Shimshit in the Jezreel Valley and now lives in Jerusalem. After completing a year of service at the Israel Association of Community Centers, he joined the military service as a soldier and as a commander at the Intelligence Corps. Today, Paz is a student of History and Jewish Studies at the Open University and is studying for a teaching certificate at Kerem Institute. He also works as a data analyst at the Lytrix company.

Elchanan Finn (Amitei Bronfman ’17) was born and raised in Efrat. Before the army, he studied at the yeshiva in Otniel, then served as a paratrooper. After the army, he continued studying in the Siach Yizchak yeshiva in Efrat. Today, he is a student at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics (P.P.E). He is married to Peleg and lives in Jerusalem.

Dana Raucher is President of the Board of Directors. A Bronfman alumna from ’89, she is the Executive Director of The Samuel Bronfman Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Dana worked at the Israeli law firm Shiboleth, Yisraeli, Roberts, Zisman & Co. in Tel Aviv.  Ms. Raucher is a graduate of Columbia University and the Buchmann Law School at Tel Aviv University, and is a member of the Israel Bar Association. Born in Israel, she currently lives in New York with her husband, Yossi, and their sons.

Jonathan Wachter (Bronfman ’96), Secretary of the Board, was a director in the chief investment office and global treasury of JPMorgan Chase. He helped manage liquidity strategy for the firm. Before joining JPMorgan, Jonathan was a consultant in the banking practice of McKinsey & Co. and a private equity analyst at the Blackstone Group. Jonathan earned a BA in Applied Math and an MBA from Harvard. Jonathan grew up in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where his parents, sister and four nephews still live. Jonathan is a long-time resident of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where he is an active member of Darkhei Noam, a lay-led minyan which counts several other Bronfman alumni as members.

Noam Lockshin (Bronfman ’01) is a partner at Kimmeridge, an investment firm in New York focused on the energy sector. He previously worked as Senior Research Associate at Sanford C. Bernstein on the #1-ranked E&P research team.  Noam is a native of Toronto and earned a BA in math from Canada’s York University. Before that, he also studied for two years at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel. Noam currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Hillel International’s Office of Innovation. He also organizes shabbat services for tots at his shul on the Upper West Side, the neighborhood where he lives with his wife and three daughters. Bronfman has been a big part of his life since he was a fellow in 2001.

Stephanie Berger (’17) is an environmental educator and urban farmer in Brooklyn, New York. They currently work at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden coordinating a plant education program for low income Brooklyn students and their teachers. Previously, Stephanie worked in plant education at the NYC DOE and was part of the leadership of Zumwalt Acres, a Jewish farm and communal land project. Stephanie grew up in the Boston area as an active member of their reform synagogue. Stephanie is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, where they studied mechanical engineering, environmental studies, and gender studies. They are a co-facilitator of the Bronfman alumni LGBTQ+ group.

Daphna Ezrachi (Amitei Bronfman ‘05) is a Senior Project Manager at NYC’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Upon joining HPD, Daphna completed her Masters in Urban Planning from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service. Before pivoting to urban planning and housing policy, Daphna was an educator in Jerusalem, where she grew up. Daphna has worked in numerous educational programs, including serving as mancha (educator) for Amitei Bronfman’s 2016 cohort. She received a BA from Hebrew University in European History. In her spare time, she volunteers at her synagogue, the Fort Tryon Jewish Center; and for climate change activism. She lives in Washington Heights with her husband (also a Bronfman alum) and their two sons.

Andy Katzman ’93 is the Chief Philanthropy Officer of Willoughby Capital and the Executive Director of The Jane and Daniel Och Family Foundation. Prior to joining the foundation, Andy was a partner at The Bridgespan Group. At Bridgespan, Andy focused on building new platforms to direct philanthropic capital as well as the role technology can play in social sector organizations.

Prior to Bridgespan , Andy spent eight years in the technology sector as a business development and sales executive at Twitter, Facebook and Yahoo. Before working in the technology sector, Andy spent five years at McKinsey & Company. In addition, he previously served as a Press Secretary for NY Senator Charles E. Schumer.

Andy has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BA from Yale University, and currently lives in New York City with his wife and two sons.

Elliot Mamet (’10) is a political scientist currently serving as a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. His research has focused on advancing ideals of democracy and democratic equality, and his writing has appeared in venues including Political Theory, American Political Thought, State Politics & Policy Quarterly, and The Washington Post. Previously, Elliot served on the legislative staff of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow. He holds a Ph.D. from Duke University and a B.A. from Colorado College.

Dr. Kira Sheinerman (Bronfman parent ’17) is the co-founder and CEO of DiamiR, a life sciences company developing blood-based diagnostic solutions for brain health diseases. She is also a Managing Director, Investment Banking at H.C. Wainwright & Co. where she works on financial and strategic transactions for growth biotech companies. Kira serves on the Board of Directors of the Boyce Thompson Institute, an affiliate of Cornell University, and as the senior strategic consultant to Aptorum Group (NASDAQ: APM). From October 2015 through December 2018, Kira served as the co-chair of Alzheimer’s Association Business Consortium. Kira received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Mount Sinai School of Medicine for her work on molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease. She also holds an Honors MBA from the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College/CUNY. Kira lives in NYC with her husband and two daughters.

Hilary Caplan Somorjai is Director, West Coast Admissions, at Harvard Business School. She has worked for HBS since 2003. Prior to working for HBS, she worked at Oracle Corporation in the education line of business focusing on strategy and marketing. She currently serves on the Silicon Valley Advisory Council for Common Sense Media and has been active in teen initiatives for the San Francisco Jewish Federation. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Business School.

She and her husband John live in the Bay Area. Their son Ben, a recent college graduate, works at a technology startup in the Bay Area. Diana (Bronfman 2019) is currently a sophomore at Amherst College.