News from William Davidson School Alumni

We are very proud of our William Davidson School alumni who shared the following professional achievements and brought us up to date on their roles.  If you have an update that you would like to share in the next issue, please reach out to Melissa Friedman, Director of Alumni Affairs at mefriedman@jtsa.edu.

Josh Ackerman is a hospice chaplain at Jewish Social Services Agency in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Mara Braunfeld is the Director of Children and Families at Hadar.

Mitchell Daar was named the next Head of School at Perelman Jewish Day School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and will assume this new role effective July 1, 2022.

Michelle Dardashti will become the next spiritual leader of Kane Street Synagogue in Brooklyn effective July 1, 2022.

Adam Engle joined the Chicago Community Trust as its Director of the Fund for Equitable Business Growth.

Ronit Goldstein is the Early Childhood Director at Temple Beth Torah Sha’aray Tzedek in Tamarac, Florida.

Shayna Golkow will be returning to Park Avenue Synagogue as Assistant Rabbi. 

Ron Koas became the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth El, Norfolk, Virginia, in July 2021. 

Hillel Z. Konigsburg recently transitioned to Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning at B’nai Torah in Atlanta, Georgia.

Glenna Lee is President of the sisterhood at her synagogue, Westchester Jewish Center, as well as the liaison for USCJ Sulam leadership program there. 

Rachel Alexander Levy was recently named Executive Director of Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut

Joshua Lookstein will be the next Associate Head of School, Rabbinic Leadership, Jewish Life and Learning at the Ramaz School in New York City.

Adra Lustig will become Camp Havaya’s Director of Camper and Staff Experience in summer 2022.

Myra Meskin became the Associate Director of the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys at the American Jewish University (AJU) last summer. Myra also serves as the Director of BCI, an immersive summer program for Jewish young adults, and she oversees the AJU Community Mikveh and Marriage for Life programs.

Orlea Miller returned to JTS as an Assistant Dean of List College in January 2022.

Sarah Montag is the Director of Teaching and Learning at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford in West Hartford, CT.

Leah Nagarpowers is transitioning from teaching third grade at Yeshiva of Central Queens to pursue her work in UX Design.

Adam Pollack is the Chief Program Officer at 18Doors (formerly InterfaithFamily).

Davey Rosen began work as a rabbi with Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network in January 2022 and was ordained by AJR in April 2022.

Leila Roiter is a professor at Dawson College in Montreal where she teaches courses that she has designed in Jewish studies, Hebrew, and arts and culture. Additionally, Leila supports curriculum development and recently created new courses for the Jewish studies department at Herzliah High School in Montreal.

Shirah Rubin is an artist, educator, and consultant working from a studio in Boston. The closing showcase of her Wisdom Exchange Project, funded by Combined Jewish Philanthropies and the Brookline Commission for the Arts, took place at the Brookline Art Center at the end of May.  Learn more at  https://wisdomexchangeart.com

Sion Setton is the Principal of Yeshiva Prep High School in Brooklyn.

Mollie Sharfman will be enrolling in Johns Hopkins in the fall to pursue a Master of International Public Policy (MIPP). Mollie was awarded a Public Service Scholarship to support her graduate studies.

Leor Sinai recently joined RootOne as Senior Director of Israel Education.

Jennifer Singer contributed to “Narrow Places: Liturgy, Poetry, and Art of the Pandemic Era,” a collection of poetry, liturgy, and art co-created during the first 18 months of COVID-19, by Bayit’s Liturgical Arts Working Group, a pluralist group of rabbis, liturgists, and artists.

Terri Soifer is the Director of Strategy at Makom in Philadelphia.

Bradley Solmsen is the new Director of Congregational Education at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City.

Stephanie Tankel was accepted into the first cohort of Mandel Leadership Fellows, specifically with a focus on education/vision.

Judith Weiner recently joined Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as Administrative Assistant for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

Julia Lustig Weiss is the Recruitment & Engagement Associate at Camp Ramah Darom.