Our Common Destiny, A roadmap for the future of the Jewish people

Gennady is chairman of Genesis Philanthropy Group, a foundation created to promote Jewish identity among Russian-speaking Jews worldwide and is a member of the Taglit-Birthright Israel Planning Committee. He actively supports Jewish life in Zhytomyr, the city in Western Ukraine where he was born, and is a founder of the Gazin Family Fund.

Laurie serves on the Board of Directors for the Birthright Israel Foundation, an organization that raises funds in the United States to support Birthright Israel. Laurie previously ran the nonprofit division at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company as Executive Director of Non-Profit and External Affairs in New York City. During this time, Laurie was a member of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission, a cultural advocacy body mandated by the City Charter that has advised the Mayor, Cultural Affairs Commissioner and other City officials on critical cultural issues for over 25 years.

Marcos serves as Director of Grupo Traxion, S.A.B. de C.V. He is a shareholder, vice president and General Counsel of GIM Desarrollos and of Hogares Unión, a group of leading companies in Mexico dedicated to the design, construction, commercialization and operation of all types of real estate developments. Marcus is the President of the Steering Committee of the Israelite Sports Center.

Debbie held the position of Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of the Besen Family Foundation for 19 years before moving into her current role as Chair of the Besen Family Foundation. Debbie is also part of Australian Jewish Funders (AJF), a network of mindful funders driven by Jewish values that aim to provide a space to enhance and nurture strategic philanthropy, explore philanthropic best practice and encourage innovation amongst like-minded funders. A Founding Member of the AJF, Debbie held the position of Chair for 10 years.

Yisrael serves as the Euro-Asia Desk Director for the Jerusalem Foundation, is a nonprofit foundation that promotes the development of the city of Jerusalem, by raising funds for social, cultural and beautification projects. Since its founding in 1966 by West Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek, the Jerusalem Foundation has completed over 4,000 projects.

Tiffany is a trilingual expert on international relations, policy, and public affairs specialist. As the student community manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Tiffany provides students all over the world with comprehensive building skills in cloud technology. Her work focuses on programs that strengthen the capacities of individuals in developing countries to enhance their quality of life.

Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman is President of the Shalom Hartman Institute and holds the Richard and Sylvia Kaufman Family Chair. He is author of the highly regarded 2016 book, Putting God Second: How to Save Religion from Itself.

Donniel is the founder of some of the most extensive education, training and enrichment programs for scholars, educators, rabbis, and religious and lay leaders in Israel and North America.

He is a prominent essayist, blogger and lecturer on issues of Israeli politics, policy, Judaism, and the Jewish community.

He has a Ph.D. in Jewish philosophy from Hebrew University, an M.A in political philosophy from New York University, an M.A. in religion from Temple University, and Rabbinic ordination from the Shalom Hartman Institute.

He is the author of The Boundaries of Judaism, co-author of Spheres of Jewish Identity, and co-editor of Judaism and the Challenges of Modern Life.

He is currently working on his next book, which is entitled, Who Are The Jews?

Hubert Leven has led the Rashi Foundation as President since its establishment in 1984 until October 2018. He also serves as Vice-President of Alliance Israelite Universelle and as a member of the Board of KIAH (Kol Israel Haverim). In his professional career, Hubert was CEO of a Parisian brokerage firm and served on the executive board of Source Perrier. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from Ben-Gurion University and the Technion in Israel.

Itamar is the president of the Israel Institute (Washington and Jerusalem). He was Israel’s Ambassador to the United States in the 1990s and former chief negotiator with Syria between 1993 and 1996, and the former president of Tel Aviv University (1999–2007). Currently he is professor emeritus of Middle Eastern History at Tel Aviv University, distinguished global professor at New York University and a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Judith is a leading entrepreneur and a social activist who devotes herself to strengthening and empowering Israeli society. She is the founder and chairperson of the Gandyr Group. In 2004, together with her late husband, Dr Israel (Rolly) Yovel and their three daughters, Judith founded a family philanthropic foundation called “The Gandyr Foundation.” The Foundation aspires to assist in the process of strengthening and empowering Israeli society by supporting and cultivating civil society organizations.

Schlomo serves as the founder and Chancellor of Ohr Torah Stone, a network of high schools, colleges, graduate programs, seminaries and rabbinical schools in Israel. Schlomo is also the founding Chief Rabbi of Efrat, West Bank, and has been since he immigrated there with his family in 1983.

Lord Rothschild is a British investment banker and a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family. He is also honorary president of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research. He is Chairman of RIT Capital Partners plc, one of the largest investment trusts quoted on the London Stock Exchange with a net asset value of about £2 billion.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020) was an international religious leader, philosopher, award-winning author and respected moral voice, Rabbi Sacks was awarded the 2016 Templeton Prize in recognition of his “exceptional contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension.” Rabbi Sacks was a frequent and sought-after contributor to radio, television and the press both in Britain and around the world. Since stepping down as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth – a position in which he served for 22 years between 1991 and 2013 – Rabbi Sacks held a number of professorships at several academic institutions including Yeshiva University, New York University and King’s College London. Rabbi Sacks was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 2005 and made a Life Peer, taking his seat in the House of Lords in October 2009.

Rivka is a philanthropist and art collector. Based in New York and Tel Aviv, she serves as a chairman of Sotheby’s Israel, and the founder and board chair of Artis. In 2004, she founded Artis, a non-profit supporting Israeli artists and introducing them to global audiences. In 2013, Rivka was named one of the top 10 influential people in Israel’s art scene by the newspaper Haaretz.

Barbara is an academic and philosophy lecturer, who is the founding director of Paideia, the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden, a non-denominational academic institute established in 2001. To date the Institute has achieved international recognition for empowering 700 Europeans in 40 countries – teachers and lawyers, artists and journalists – all committed to Paideia’s combination of academics and entrepreneurial activism in the service of the Jewish people.

Judy is a prominent philanthropist alongside her husband Larry, Canadian businessman and chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). She is also involved in various charities and philanthropy work including being a Founding Member, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and Co-Chair, Tomorrow Campaign. Judy and Larry founded the Lawrence and Judith Tanenbaum Family Foundation, which has donated millions to various philanthropic causes throughout Canada.

Mark served as the 19th president of the University of California from 2008-2013. He is now president emeritus and professor of law emeritus at the UC-Berkeley School of Law. He also served as former chancellor of the University of Texas System from 2002-2008 and former president of the University of Minnesota from 1997-2002.

Lior is a researcher, keynote speaker, advisor and author of the bestselling book, Mindsharing – the art of crowdsourcing everything. Mindsharing has been translated to many languages and was listed by Inc. Magazine as one of the best books for entrepreneur leaders, along with books by Richard Branson, Elon Musk and Tony Hsieh. Lior worked for fourteen years at Microsoft. His last role was vice president of marketing for consumer and online services.

Éliette Abécassis is a French writer of Moroccan-Jewish descent. She is also a professor of philosophy at the University of Caen Normandy. Her first book, Qumran, was released in 1996 after three years of research, and has been translated into eighteen languages.

Yaarah is the President of Oranim, a teacher training college in northern Israel. Her research and numerous articles focus on women’s lives, feminist theory, micro-history and social thought. Previously Yaarah was Deputy President of Academic Affairs at Bezalel, Academy of Arts and Design (2004-2012), the head of the Kremnitzer-Shenhar (Jewish Studies and Civil Education) Committee at the Ministry of Education (1999-2001), emphasizing both civic practical education and cultural (non-religious) studies of tradition.

Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander is President and Rosh HaYeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone (OTS), an Israel-based Modern Orthodox movement committed to illuminating the relevance of Judaism in the modern world. OTS is effecting a transformative impact on Jewish life, learning and leadership worldwide through its 27 educational institutions, social projects, outreach programs and leadership development initiatives for men and women.

Prior to making aliyah in July 2018 and taking on the mantle of OTS, Rabbi Brander was Vice President for University and Community Life at Yeshiva University (YU), taught rabbinics at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and served as the inaugural David Mitzner Dean of Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future. He served as the senior rabbi of the Boca Raton Synagogue from 1991 to 2005, overseeing its explosive growth from 60 families to more than 600 families. Rabbi Brander is a 1984 alumnus of Yeshiva College, received his ordination from RIETS as well as a special ordination from Machon Puah center of medical ethics in Israel, and from then-Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, in the field of medical ethics, reproductive technology and halakha. Rabbi Brander holds a Ph.D. in general philosophy and comparative literature.

Sharon is a leading voice in reanimating religious life in America, working to develop a spiritual roadmap for soulful, multi-faith justice work in Los Angeles and around the country. She is the senior and founding rabbi of IKAR, which was started in 2004 and has become a model for Jewish revitalization in the US and beyond.

Silvina serves Kehilat Beth El, the first Conservative congregation in Latin America, and she is in charge of the Schlichei Tzibur School, a national program of the Argentine Jewish Communities Association. Chemen is a Communications Sciences graduate who has publicly defended the legalization of abortion, women’s rights and diversity in Argentina, and analyzed anti-Semitism in the country.

Gali is the President & CEO of Leading Edge, an organization formed in 2014 by foundations and federations to influence, inspire and enable dramatic change in attracting, developing and retaining top talent for Jewish organizations. Gali’s professional experience spans the public, private and nonprofit sectors. In 2016, she was named one of the Forward 50, an annual list of the top 50 Jews influencing American life, for her efforts to build the next generation of leaders.

Elliot sits on the Chancellor’s Cabinet of JTS and on the Editorial Board of Conservative Judaism. A member of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly, he is also an officer of the New York Board of Rabbis and a member of the Board of UJA-Federation of New York. He serves as Rabbinical Advisor on Interfaith Affairs for the ADL and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Hillel at the University of Michigan and on the National Board of Governors of Hillel at the University of Pennsylvania

Mike is the social media manager for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Germany, a liberal-conservative political party in Germany. Mike is native to Berlin, Germany, and serves on the Board of Directors of CDU’s Moabit branch. He is also chair of the Makkabi Deutschland eV. Makkabi Germany is the only Jewish gymnastics and sports association in Germany and part of the global Maccabi sports movement. Mike was honored last year in TIME Campus’s 2019 30 Under 30 list for his leadership work for the public relations of the Jewish Community in Berlin as a council member for the Berlin Jewish Community Council and his advocacy for a harder crackdown on anti-Semitism online.

After studying in rabbinical seminaries in the U.K., U.S., and Israel, Pini began his rabbinic career in Russia as the Assistant Rabbi at Moscow’s iconic Choral Synagogue. He later served as a rabbi in London, and in 1998 presided over the launch of the innovative Saatchi Synagogue for young Jewish professionals in London’s West End. Since 2011, Pini has lived in the U.S., where he is the Senior Rabbi of Beverly Hills Synagogue in California.

Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum is the founder of ZION: An Eretz Israeli Congregation in Jerusalem; and co-founder of the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis at the Hartman Institute and Ha Midrasha at Oranim. Her work spans and links tradition and innovation, working toward Jewish spiritual-ethical renaissance through the renewal of community life in Israel and the struggle for human rights. She served as Rabbi of Congregation Magen Avraham in the Negev; as a congregational Rabbi in the New York suburbs alongside Rabbi Gordon Tucker, co-editor of the Mashiv Haruach Jerusalem poem anthology (2014), co-author of the Lev Shalem commentary for Pirkei Avot (2018). In 2010 she was named by the Forward as one of the five most influential female religious leaders in Israel for her work promoting pluralism and Jewish religious freedom.

Yuval is Ono Academic College’s Dean of the Faculty of Law, which is Israel’s largest law faculty. He joined Ono, first as faculty and then as Dean of Social Development responsible for managing the institution as a multicultural campus, responsible for the development and management of the institution’s social initiatives and the structuring of social responsibility as part and parcel of the professionalism of the institution’s students in all areas of study.

Daniel is dean and professor of Jewish Studies and Education at the Hebraica University in Mexico City. He was educated in Buenos Aires, Jerusalem, and the National Autonomous University of Mexico where he received his PhD. He served as dean of the Latin American Rabbinic Seminary MT Meyer, was the executive director of the Board of Jewish Education of Argentina, and is currently a visiting professor and lecturer in many institutions in Latin America, Europe, the United States and Israel.

Gina is the founder and executive director of Mensch, a Jewish South African community organization and network, which works to engage SA Jews in the co-creation of positive change and transformation for all. Previously she was the communications and social change manager for the Cape South African Jewish Board of Deputies.

Gal is a journalist, the host of a TV news magazine and a documentary filmmaker. Previously, she worked as a reporter and anchorwoman on Channel 2 News. Since 2008, she has hosted the TV news magazine program, Osim Seder, and launched the investigative documentary series Vacuum. In 2018, she joined the army’s radio station, Galei Tzahal as a commander.

Rachel is the co-founder & CEO of NEXUS, the leading international network of next-gen philanthropists and impact investors, with 5000-plus members from more than 70 countries representing families with a combined net worth of over $650 billion. She worked closely with Vice President Biden to create the “It’s On Us” campaign to stop sexual assault on campus, was Executive Director of PVBILC Foundation, launched the “Media for Social Impact Summit” at the UN and Co-Founded the IMPACTHAUS program at the Sundance Film Festival. Rachel Co-Founded The Survivor Initiative to raise awareness and funds for Holocaust survivors living below the poverty line in NY & DC and successfully catalyzed over $15 million dollars for the cause.

Pinchas has been the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Russia since 1993 serving at the Moscow Choral Synagogue. He also founded and heads the Moscow Rabbinical court of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) since 1989, and since 2011 serves as President of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER) which unites over seven hundred communal rabbis from Dublin to Khabarovsk.

Micah is a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He is a leading voice on Judaism, Zionism, the Bible and the challenges and opportunities facing Israel and contemporary world Jewry. Micah is the author of several Israeli bestsellers on canonical Jewish texts. Micah was one of two recipients of the Marc and Henia Liebhaber Prize for Religious Tolerance in 2014, along with leading Israeli musician Ehud Banai.

Yitz is an American scholar, author and Modern Orthodox rabbi. He has served as the president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. He has served as chairman of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s governing body and president of Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt Foundation.

Robert is professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages at The Jewish Theological Seminary, teaching courses in biblical literature and commentary, particularly medieval Jewish biblical exegesis. Robert is an expert in the history of medieval biblical exegesis.

Delphine is France’s third female rabbi, and (as of 2012) editor-in-chief of the quarterly Jewish magazine Revue de pensée(s) juive(s) Tenou’a. She leads a congregation in Paris, and is currently co-leading the Liberal Jewish Movement of France, a Jewish liberal cultural and religious association affiliated to the World Union for Progressive Judaism, which she joined in 2008.

Tal is an American-born Israeli entrepreneur and financier and the founder of Clarity Capital, a New York and Tel Aviv based investment management firm. He is a proponent of the vision of Israel as a major exporter of financial services, and has served in different policy forums in pursuit of this goal, including the 2007 Ariav Commission, a Bank of Israel-Finance Ministry task force on creating a global financial center in Israel.

Mordechai is the Founding Director of Tech Tribe, which he started with his wife Chana in 2014. Tech Tribe is a community of young Jewish doers and thinkers in the world of tech and digital media based in Brooklyn, New York. Mordechai is also currently the social media editor at Chabad.org, and previously served as director of social media and senior staff writer for Lubavitch.com, the official website for Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters.

Harold joined Temple Israel as a rabbi in 1971 in Detroit, MI and is one of two recipients of the Federation’s William Davidson Lifetime Achievement Award. Harold is the rabbi at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in the country.

Erica is the founder/editor-in-chief of Asian Jewish Life – a journal of spirit, society and culture. This international print magazine celebrates the diversity of the Jewish experience in Asia. She is also a columnist for The Jewish Press in New York as well as a freelance writer for a number of international publications.

Yaakov is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi, co-Rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, and a lecturer in Tanakh, gemara, and Jewish philosophy. He was a partner in drafting the Gavison-Medan Covenant, a proposed constitution for the State of Israel

Eliezer is an Israeli Orthodox Rabbi and the Rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Bracha, Rabbi of the community Har Bracha, and author of the book series Peninei Halachah. In the Yeshiva, Melamed teaches a daily class in Halachah, gives classes in Emuna, and guidance in public and private matters.

Yehuda is the chair of AIPAC’s Baltimore executive council and politically active in Baltimore’s Orthodox Jewish community. A graduate of Ner Israel Rabbinical College, Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Law School, and Executive Vice President of American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, Neuberger was appointed as the lay Chairman of the Orthodox Union’s Institute for Public Affairs.

Tracie is CEO at the Australian Jewish Funders (AJF), the network of Jewish funders that inspire strategic philanthropy and strengthen community. Since joining AJF in 2011, Tracie has spearheaded initiatives that raise awareness and address the big issues facing the Australian Jewish community, with a major focus on innovation in Jewish life and Jewish community building across the generations.

Zoya Raynes is a Managing Director in the Senior Relationship Management Group of Bank of America, a group of professionals who are responsible for enhancing and driving relationships between Bank of America and key institutional investor clients. In addition to her responsibilities as President of JCF, Zoya is very active in the nonprofit and philanthropic community and is board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), Jewish Heritage Program (JHP) and Congregation Shearith Israel (the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue).

Alex was recognized by the Globes Business newspaper in 2018 as one of the 20 most influential Israeli female activists, and the Yediot Ahronoth media group named her one of Israel’s 50 social heroes. Her crowd-funded poetry book, ‘Silly Girl of the Regime,’ won the Matanel award for Promising Young Jewish Poet and the Bourgeoning Poets Award from the Ministry of Culture. Alex immigrated to Israel from Ukraine in 1991 at the age of five. As a “Generation 1.5” (90’s young immigrants) child, who was bullied at school due to her dual identity, she has made it her life’s mission to make social diversity accepted and celebrated in Israel.

Rabbi Sabath is a well-known American-Israeli rabbinic leader, author, and public speaker. Ordained at HUC 25 years ago, Rabbi Sabath also holds a doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). Currently, she serves as a senior fellow at the Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood, as a scholar of Our Common Destiny, and serves Ohavay Zion Synagogue in Lexington, KY as Visiting Rabbi. Prior to these recent roles, Rabbi Sabath served as Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought and Ethics and led a four-campus team at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC).  Prior to her role at HUC, Rabbi Sabath served as Vice President of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.

Jonathan is the director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University. He is also a Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University. He served as the president of the Association for Jewish Studies from 2011 to 2015. He is also a member of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute’s Academic Advisory Board.

Bat-Galim Sha’ar is an activist and mother of a teen who was killed by Hamas in 2014. She honors the memory of her son through programs such as Global Connection Competition, which raises ideas for strengthening the inter-Jewish connection, and the “Sweet-Gilad Project.”

Originally from Ethiopia, Rabbi Shalom Sharon is a popular Rabbi and intellectual in Israel. He has talked about his dramatic escape from Ethiopia and the challenges acclimatizing to life in Israel as a 9 year old orphan. He recently founded the International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry and is a senior lecturer at Ono Academic College, teaches at Bar Ilan University, and serves as the Rabbi of the “Kdoshei Israel” community in Kiryat Gat. He is also a published author and speaker.

Gil is an American presidential historian and a popular commentator on politics and other issues. He is a professor of history at McGill University and a 2015 visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution. Gil is the author of nine books, and the editor of two. He has been a Shalom Hartman Center Research Fellow and helped found the center’s Engaging Israel Program.

Zsofia is a professor of ethnology at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest. She has co-authored books on literature and has two single authored books: tradition, memory, identity, the Foundation Myth of Exodus and Return to the Tradition.

Amos is a former general in the Israeli Air Force (IAF), Israel Defense Forces military attaché to Washington, D.C. and was head of the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman). Upon his return to Israel, Yadlin was named head of Aman, the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate. After his retirement from the IDF in November 2010, Yadlin joined the Washington Institute for Near East Policy as the Kay Fellow on Israeli national security. In November 2011, he was appointed director of Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies.

CEO

Sandy is a Senior Advisor to Lynn Schusterman and Stacy Schusterman. He served as President of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation for 25 years, from 1994-2019. He has written for the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Jerusalem Post and JTA and is currently on the board of the National Center for Family Philanthropy and the Chair of Leading Edge, a partnership helping to build a robust talent pipeline for Jewish organizations.

Project Director

Sivan serves as Project Director for Our Common Destiny, and is based in New York City. Before joining the project, she served as Advisor to the Consul General of Israel in New York, in which capacity she conducted external communications on behalf of the Consulate with senior officials in the US and Israel. Previous experiences include serving as Director of Public Diplomacy for the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs based in New York, working for Israel’s National Radio Station, and working with international missions to Israel.

Originally from Newton, MA, Tom serves as the Project Manager for Our Common Destiny. Previously, Tom worked at Masa Israel Journey, the Consulate General of Israel to New England, and at AIPAC in Washington, DC. He sits on ADL’s Next Generation Board in NYC, and is a member of the Brooklyn Track Club.

Rhoda has spent a 30 year career passionately devoted to developing talent and leadership development in the workplace, at all levels.  She advises and coaches individuals to be values driven and lead with authenticity utilizing their highest potential.  Rhoda champions organizations to hire, train, retain and leverage their best talent, and transform their community impact through innovative program design and facilitation.  She has been at the forefront of innovation for the Jewish community, developing the field of engagement and leadership growth as the Chief Creative Officer at Hillel International. She was the founding director of Hillel’s groundbreaking Jewish Campus Service Corps, the Professional Leaders Project, Dean of the AJU Graduate School for Nonprofit Management among other roles, whose alumni today are leaders in the Jewish and social sectors around the globe. With gratitude, Rhoda’s clients include Our Common Destiny, American Red Cross, Fundamental Inc, M2, Hillel International, Leading Edge, the Jewish Education Project  among others. 

David is the Principal of Immersive1st, a consulting business that specializes in the not-for-profit sector. The firm focuses on areas of impact such as program development & implementation, fundraising, governance, strategic analysis, talent acquisition & retention, coaching and acute organizational challenges.  He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a Master’s Degree in Social Work focused on community organizing and development. He has a British sense of humor and is not afraid to use it!  David is married to Karen and they have two children – Natie and Hope. His not so secret passion is football – the real one!