Leadership and Staff

We're proud to have an outstanding team of lay leaders and professionals guiding our congregation as we pursue our mission. To contact any of our staff, please call our main office at (323) 606-0996 and use the extensions below. You may also click any name to send an email. 

 

Tel: 323-606-0996     Fax: 323-606-0997      Facebook      Twitter      Instagram
1200 N. La Brea Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90038

 

 

I wish to stand for election as Co-President of Kol Ami with Leonard Slutsky. I’ve been an engaged member at Kol Ami for 6 years and on the Board of Trustees for 4 years, serving alongside Leonard. Kol Ami is going through significant changes and facing financial challenges. At the same time, there is much to celebrate in our diverse community, and I see this time as being full of opportunities for our congregation to shape what we want Kol Ami to be in the future. In leadership roles both at work and in volunteering, I have experience delivering projects and initiatives in conditions of uncertainty. I will be honored to lead our talented Board of Trustees alongside Leonard and to engage with our congregation to shape our direction for the next few years.

 

I am one of the founding members of Congregation Kol Ami. I am a scientist by training and currently hold the position of Associate Director of the Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai. During the first 30 years or our temple, I have had the honor of serving on its Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, and I have actively participated in many of its committees, including Ritual, Membership, Budget/Finance, and Development. Through this involvement, and with the guidance of my temple community and learned teachers such as Rabbi Eger, I have grown comfortable with my Judaism and the Jewish ethical and moral principles which guide my life. I am proud of all that Kol Ami has done for its members and its community near and far, and I am proud to have helped get us to this moment. Now we are about to enter a new phase in the life of our temple. With the retirement of Rabbi Eger, Kol Ami will need to navigate some uncharted waters, and this uncertainty can be challenging. I believe the broad experience from my past years of service to our congregation may be of value as our community moves forward into its next 30 years. I humbly offer myself to be considered for the position of At-Large Member of the Board of Trustees.

 

I have been a member of Congregation Kol Ami for almost seventeen years now, joining just after the High Holy Days in 2006. That was a challenging year for me, and Rabbi Denise Eger provided the comfort and counseling I then needed—while the shul provided a community of support. Through the shul, I learned about Jewish Big Brothers and have been a Big Brother to a fatherless Jewish boy for nine years. I have volunteered for nearly twenty summers as a Theater Manager at Outfest, an LGBT film festival. As Kol Ami moves to a new era with the search for a new rabbi, I hope to help our shul navigates the challenges ahead and find a path forward so that it remains a strong and vibrant community and a second home for some many Jewish Angelenos of so many diverse backgrounds.

 

I have been active with Congregation Kol Ami since 2018 and a proud member since 2019. During that time, I have been first a member of, and then a leader of the Open Yad Project which serves the young-adult community at Kol Ami. I have also been an active participant in our last 4 Purim Spiels, either as a performer or behind the scenes. Additionally, I successfully hosted our 3 most recent annual galas, both virtually and in person. Most recently I was proud to serve on the search committee that successfully found and nominated Rabbi Barry Lutz for the position of interim rabbi. Over the years I have come to treasure this community, whose clergy and congregants alike have made me feel fully at home in our progressive, celebratory, and groundbreaking synagogue. It is my sincere hope to be afforded this opportunity to give back to our sacred community, which has given so much to me. I hope to provide what support, perspective, and guidance I may to help steer our beloved synagogue forward into its next chapter.

 

I was one of the original founding members of Congregation Kol Ami and served as a Member of the Board in the Board's first term. Kol Ami has been a very meaningful part of my life and is where my husband and daughter were converted to Judaism, where my daughter had her bat mitzvah, and where recently a Memorial Service was held for my late husband. I know the importance of  continued support and inclusion that Kol Ami provides its congregants and the greater community. My goal as Board Member is to support efforts to keep Kol Ami as a vibrant congregation, with amazing clergy and services. I fully support a transparent and fiscally responsible Board. I understand the Board will have a challenging job in this time of transition, I am committed to doing my share to sustain Congregation Kol Ami.