Our Team

Passion for Jewish learning. Dedication to the Jewish people. Belief in Judaism’s power to improve the world. Every member of the Pardes team – wherever they are in the world – brings these values to life.

Board of Directors

Dammara Markowitz

Israel Chair

Dammara Markowitz

Israel Chair

Dammara is a dynamic Jewish educator and strategic leader, serving as Pardes’ Israel Board Chair and holding leadership roles with JFNA, UJA-NY, The Jewish Education Project, and Mem Global. An alumna of Pardes’ Day School Educators Program and a Wexner Heritage Fellow, Dammara was included in The Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36.” As the creator of Jewish Cocktails – an innovative project expressing Torah through mixology – and other initiatives that reimagine Jewish learning in a modern context, Dammara is empowering future generations to carry Jewish heritage forward with confidence.

Mark Freedman

North America Chair

Mark Freedman

North America Chair

A Pardes alumnus and North American Board Chair since 2021, Mark has 37 years of Jewish non-profit leadership experience. He previously served as Executive Director of the San Antonio and Nashville Jewish Federations and recently as Interim CEO of the Jewish Federation of Broward County. Mark’s career includes roles with the American Jewish Congress and American Friends of Tel Aviv University. He has lived in Broward County since 1992 and resides in Parkland with his wife, Leslie.

Israel Board of Directors

Dammara Markowitz

Chair

Nathaniel Jhirad

Treasurer

Fern Reiss

Secretary

Brad Grob

Immediate Past Chair

Alan Adler

Board member

Mark S. Cohen

Board member

John H. Corre

Board member

Michael Gillis

Board member

Brian Glenville

Board member

Hayim Herring

Board member

Morlie Levin

Board member

Sherwin B. Pomerantz

Board member

Audrey Kaplan Scher

Board member

Jonathan Tassoff

Board member

Denis Weil

Past Chair

Michael Swirsky

Founder

Richard Aron

Legal Advisor

North America Board of Directors

Mark S. Freedman

Chair

Michael Gordon

Vice Chair

Bryan Kocen

Treasurer

Karen Rivo

Secretary

Deborah Shapira

Immediate Past Chair

Thomas K. Barad

Driector

Deborah Denenberg

Driector

Jessica Fain

Driector

Rabbi David Gedzelman

Driector

Elaine Hochberg

Driector

Daniel Krasner

Driector

Jason Kravitz

Driector

David Kuney

Driector

Mark Levenfus

Driector

Suzanne Wachsstock

Driector

Libby Werthan

Driector

Melissa Werthan

Past chair

Executive Leadership

Leon A. Morris

President

Leon A. Morris

President

Leon is the first Pardes alumnus to lead the institution. Ordained by Hebrew Union College, he has served in numerous rabbinic and educational leadership roles across denominations. Leon is a regular contributor to the Jewish, Israeli, and American press, and also an editor of the Reform High Holy Day machzor Mishkan HaNefesh.

Joel Weiss

Executive Director, Israel

Joel Weiss

Executive Director, Israel

Joel holds a B.A. from Binghamton University and an M.A. from the Hebrew University’s Institute of Contemporary Jewry. He served in the IDF Tank Corps and spent years working in venture capital before transitioning to the nonprofit world. Ouside of work, Joel enjoys sailing and holds an international skipper’s license.

Joe Nadis

Chief Development Officer

Joe Nadis

Chief Development Officer

Joe holds a B.A. in History and Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. He brings extensive development skills — having helped raise and invest more than $150 million for nonprofit causes — to Pardes, where he appreciates being part of a team and institution whose core values resonate so deeply with his own.

Meesh Hammer-Kossoy

Rosh Beit Midrash for Year-Long Programs

Aviva Lauer

Chief Education and Educational Training Officer Gottesman Family Director, Pardes Center for Jewish Educators

Aviva Lauer

Chief Education and Educational Training Officer Gottesman Family Director, Pardes Center for Jewish Educators

Aviva has decades of experience in curriculum development, classroom teaching, and school administration. She holds a master’s in Jewish Studies with a specialization in Midrash, and served as the head of Immanuel College’s Jewish Studies department. Aviva is an avid Anglophile, and also speaks elementary Arabic and Yiddish.

Simone Katz

Chief Marketing Officer

Staff

Deborah Anstandig

Educational Director of Engagement

Deborah Anstandig

Educational Director of Engagement

Deborah holds degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Yeshiva University, and Hebrew College, where she also received rabbinic ordination. Her passion is teaching Torah that speaks to today’s challenges, most notably communal polarization. In her free time, Deborah enjoys biking, swimming, and singing.

Nechama Goldman Barash

Educational Director of Pardes Learning Seminar

Nechama Goldman Barash

Educational Director of Pardes Learning Seminar

Nechama holds a master’s in Talmud from Bar-Ilan University, and is a certified Yoetzet Halakha from Nishmat. She is also a faculty member at Matan and Midreshet Torah v’Avodah. Nechama is the author of Uncovered: Women’s Roles, Mitzvot and Sexuality in Jewish Law. She enjoys ice cream, meditation, and yoga.

Joanne Barth

Office Manager

Stephanie Baum

Director of Finance, North America

David I. Bernstein

Dean Emeritus

David I. Bernstein

Dean Emeritus

David holds B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from New York University, and studied at Yeshivat HaMivtar and Hebrew University. He has devoted decades to Jewish education and also leads Jewish heritage trips throughout Eastern and Central Europe. David’s preferred destination for recharging has always been the basketball court.

Aviva Blumstein

Marketing Manager

Aviva Blumstein

Marketing Manager

Aviva holds a B.Ed. in Judaic Studies, but has spent the past 18 years involved in marketing communications and strategy. Her work at Pardes is the ultimate merger of professional experience and passion. Outside of work, Aviva conveys Torah concepts through writing short stories, musicals, and works of non-fiction.

Tani Cohen-Fraade

Director of Alumni Engagement and Activation

Tani Cohen-Fraade

Director of Alumni Engagement and Activation

Tani is a Pardes alumnus who has taught and led Jewish day schools in Brooklyn and Greater New Haven. Passionate about integrating music into the teaching of tefillah and Jewish texts, he brings creativity and warmth to his educational approach. Tani enjoys hiking, playing music, and cooking for family and friends.

Simon Dick

Director of Operations, North America

Simon Dick

Director of Operations, North America

Simon holds a master’s in Ancient Judaism from JTS, an MBA from the University of Louisiana–Monroe, and is pursuing a J.D. at the University of Denver. He led Pardes’s major data systems transition to Salesforce. As a licensed ham radio operator, Simon enjoys spending his spare time on the airwaves.

Polina Dolgopolskaia

Executive Administrator

Rahel Dweck

Administrative Director of the Summer Program

Rahel Dweck

Administrative Director of the Summer Program

Rahel holds graduate degrees in Jewish Studies, Tanakh, Talmud, Philosophy, and Jewish Education. A certified yoga instructor, she brings a holistic, integrated approach to education, and is also deeply involved with Pardes’s programs for Jewish educators. Rahel enjoys running, swimming, homemade meals, and lifelong learning.

Michael Emerson

Director of Special Projects

Hila Fogel

Development Associate

Ilana HaCohen

Director of Global Engagement

Ilana HaCohen

Director of Global Engagement

Ilana is a Pardes alumna who holds degrees from Cornell University and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She helped create the Pardes Arts & Culture Fellowship, which continues to enrich the learning community. Ilana loves fresh blueberries in summer, almond tea in winter, and is studying to become a yoga teacher.

Zvi Hirschfield

Director of Summer Program

Zvi Hirschfield

Director of Summer Program

Zvi teaches Talmud, Halakha and Jewish Thought and is very involved in Pardes programs for Jewish educators, with a focus on tefilah in schools, modern Jewish thought, and Israel education. Zvi has studied at Columbia, Harvard, and Yeshivat Har Etzion. He received rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

Monica Kleinman

Assistant Director of Programs and Education, North America

Sefi Kraut

Director, Mahloket Matters

Sefi Kraut

Director, Mahloket Matters

Sefi leads fellowships and professional development training for educators, rabbis, and organizational leaders. She also co-created the Mahloket Matters Teens curriculum, which explores personal and societal challenges through Jewish texts and social-emotional learning. Outside of work, Sefi enjoys playing flag football.

Hodaya Levi

Registrar

Naomi Michlin

Director of Foundation Relations

Jess Minnen

Director of Faculty, North America

Jess Minnen

Director of Faculty, North America

Jess’s passion for transformative Jewish education has driven her work for Hillel International, Birthright Israel, OneTable, and Momentum. She has studied at Jewish institutions of higher learning in the USA, Israel, and Sweden, and holds ordination from JTS. Jess is mom to one amazing dog and one amazing human.

Carmella Rose

Assistant Director of Engagement, Israel

Carmella Rose

Assistant Director of Engagement, Israel

Carm manages engagement with potential candidates for Pardes‘s core immersive programs and organizes events for the Pardes community in Jerusalem. A big fan of the outdoors, Carmella is happy to chat with Pardes students and guests about seeing the best parts of Israel during their time here.

Jason Schwartz

Data Analyst and Systems Coordinator

Jason Schwartz

Data Analyst and Systems Coordinator

Originally from Santa Cruz, CA, Jason holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from San Francisco State University. He has studied Torah at Pardes and Shapells, and currently at the Mir Yeshiva. Prior to his involvement in nonprofit administration, he could be found working as a DJ and NYC public housing community organizer.

Miriam Sela

Marketing Operations Manager

Haim Shalom

Director of Israel Education

Haim Shalom

Director of Israel Education

Haim has rabbinic ordination from HUC-JIR, degrees in Jewish History, Middle Eastern Studies, and Jewish Education, and certification as a tour guide. He has held rabbinic and educational positions around the globe, from Poughkeepsie to Perth. Haim is a 7th generation descendant of founders of England’s Reform Movement.

Hadas Shams

Director of Finance, Israel

Hadas Shams

Director of Finance, Israel

Hadas is a CPA with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting and Information Systems. Her efforts to digitize many of Pardes’s systems have given Pardes teams the time to focus on work that truly matters. Hadas values the supportive, people-first environment that brings Pardes staff to genuinely want to give of themselves.

Miriam Souza

Digital Marketing Associate

Meet our teachers

The Pardes faculty are master scholars and educators devoted to the transmission of Jewish learning at the highest level. Meet the teachers whose scholarship and mentorship shape our global learning community.

View faculty members