Meet our 2024 candidates!
This month we will elect a slate of officers and 4 at-large board members. We asked each candidate to share their personal background and how they hope to contribute to the management and growth of the shul.
Members-in-good-standing will receive a unique link by email to vote online. If you have not received a link and believe you should have, please contact Jonathan Abbett, Clerk, at jonathan@abbett.org.
board member at-large (3 year term)
yishai admanit
I have been a member of YIB for more than a decade, and a board member for more than two terms. In the past I have organized multiple Scholar in Residence events, and various activities related to Israel and Israelis. I have also embarked sporadic initiatives such as revamping the Hospitality program, and Inclusive Torah Reading.
In the next term I would like to focus on bridging gaps within the community.
KASSY AKIVA
Kassy Akiva became a member of Young Israel in April of 2023 after completing her conversion. During the process, she immersed into the YIB community and learned Torah with her sponsor, Rabbi Hellman. In March 2024, she stood under the chuppah in YIB’s sanctuary. Kassy’s affinity for YIB has led her to introduce several new young families and individuals to the YIB community.
Currently a video journalist for The Daily Wire and formerly working at outlets such as Fox News and Jewish News Syndicate, Kassy has experience in communications, event planning, and outreach. Kassy regularly lectures on the topic of antisemitism and has reported in conflict zones including on the Gaza border after October 7. Through her original reporting and established social media presence, she is regarded as a formidable defender of the Jewish people.
Kassy’s vision for joining the YIB board include ensuring everyone has a meal for Shabbat, establishing a more robust young professional presence at YIB, and assisting with efforts to stand up against antisemitism in the Boston area.
Tamar DAVIS Galper
Tamar Davis Galper has deep roots in the Young Israel of Brookline community. Living here since she married Allan in late 2013, Tamar grew up visiting her grandparents, Lotte and Erwin Katz, who were devoted community builders for both the YIB community and the Maimonides School. Tamar was born in Richmond, VA and moved to Hollywood, FL as a young child where her parents, Meira and Rabbi Edward Davis, became the leaders of the Young Israel community there. Stepmother to three children—Eitan (and Shana), Daniel, and Liana—Tamar and Allan also have two young children, Gabriel and Emma. Now the CEO of Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, Tamar continues to be an active volunteer, having previously served as a member of Gateways’ Board of Trustees and as Board Chair of YIB. Tamar currently chairs YIB’s Rabbinic Liaison committee, designs and prints the YIB Yizkor book, organizes deliveries for the YIB Mishloach Manot project, and pitches in as needed for the shul whenever possible.
Serving on the YIB Board is a privilege and an important act of service to the shul, and I served on the board during my first few years in this community (and was board chair for part of that time too). Typically, the chair of the Rabbinic Liaison committee is a board member, and as I am willing to continue in this position, I am running for a board seat to ensure proper lines of communication with the board as appropriate. I have been attending most board meetings this past year, and staying very connected to the underlying issues that have been surfacing with various individuals and groups in our community. I seek to be more effective in a consensus building role to help foster and strengthen unity in our community, ideally in partnership with the Rabbi and shul leadership.
Ithamar jotkowitz (incumbent)
Ithamar Jotkowitz his wife Tova and their 4 children have been members of YIB for nearly 15 years but have familial ties through Tova’s family back to the Shul’s inception. Ithamar grew up in Melbourne, Australia attending Mizrachi - a comparable Modern Orthodox, Religious Zionist shul. He believes that the shul should play a central role in our community and is a regular participant and chazan at weekday, Shabbat, Yom Tov and Yamim Noraim Davening.
Our shul is famously one of interlocking communities. You are just as likely to find singles and students present as you are Seniors who have been members for decades. Young families feel welcome to bring their toddlers and children to experience Jewish life first hand while Teens learn leadership and how to Daven. We famously have a strong Israeli community which infuses our community with a love of Eretz Yisrael and YIB’s legendary hospitality will always make guests feel welcome. Ithamar was initially elected to the Board in 2021 and at this crucial point in the Shul’s history and future, Ithamar stands for reelection to help steer YIB so it can continue to be a shul with a big heart and open doors, of ancient traditions in this modern world.
Tzvi Merczynski-Hait
I have been part of the community for just under a year and a half, and enjoy regularly attending YIB. I often step up to the plate for YIB religious duties: sometimes layning at the second weekday minyan, gabbaing the social hall High Holiday minyan, layning Megillah on Purim at short notice, suggesting ways to improve Kiddush sponsorship metrics, and (successfully) lobbying for improvements to Seudah Shlishit. Outside of shul I work as an Electrical Engineer doing analog integrated-circuit design.
As a new member of the board, and relatively new member of the community, I do not plan to come in and propose a slew of new solutions or changes to the way the shul functions.
What I do strongly believe I can provide this board is a new perspective: asking new questions, listening to others’ concerns, promoting increased transparency, and working to ensure we build structures and make decisions that solve the real problems the shul faces.
As humans we are very good at coming up with answers to questions, what we struggle with is knowing what the questions are in the first place (see: “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” by Douglas Adams). I see this in my professional life all the time, where we, as engineers, want to solve “the problem” but usually what’s critical is taking a step back and clarifying what problem we truly need to solve. I believe that by asking the right questions at board meetings, and by forming a board that asks ourselves the right questions, we fundamentally improve the shul’s management and future potential.
As for personal experience: as board member, and previously President, of the Philadelphia University City Eruv I brought the organization from approximately $0 in the bank, sections of the physical infrastructure in disrepair, and complete lack of clarity about who even was on the board—to a place where we’ve secured important institutional donors, have leadership & funding continuity, regularly review the financials, and keep the infrastructure in tip-top shape according to some of the most machmir Eruv opinions.
As we begin our 8th decade I want YIB to remain strongly positioned to be at the forefront of Modern Orthodox life in the Boston Area, and I believe I can best help the shul in that endeavor through a new perspective that remains committed to the shul’s storied past.
Peter Ofman
I’m Peter Ofman. My family and I moved from Brighton, MA a couple of years ago. My wife and I have 3 children, all 3 went to Maimonides K-12 except for 2004-2008 when we lived in Israel. I’m a practicing physician, a cardiologist (a cardiac electrophysiologist to be precise).
In the shul I try to organize night classes for those who work during the day. Currently I attend a class on Thursdays with Rabbi Polak and I am a founder/organizer of Tanach Monday night class with Rabbi Houben.
My potential future contributions to the shul in addition to classical Torah studies could be organization of special lectures connected to Tanach learning (for example, lectures about trips to Israel with “biblical” agenda) or possibly organization of such “traveling with the Bible” trips. I presented a couple of lectures about these topics at YIB as well as at other places including Boston Russian TV.
STEVE SPEAR (INCUMBENT)
Steve Spear and his family are long time residents of Brookline, with strong involvement in community organizations. Steve was co-chair of the Maimonides Kehillah over many years, was on the School’s board for about eight, and is a member of ADL’s NE regional board. He’s been on the YIB board for some years and has been chair of the rabbinic liaison committee. (Miriam has lent her professional expertise as an architect to Maimo, YIB, the Mikveh, and other local institutions.) Professionally, Steve’s had a long running practice as advisor to senior leaders at numerous enterprises—industrial, defense, healthcare and other social services, he is an awarded author of impactful books and articles, and he’s a long time senior lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He has a variety of degrees from various educational institutions.
Steve’s primary concern is fostering energy around membership growth through attraction and retention to Modern Orthodoxy, with YIB one of the institutions in the community to lead that charge. His enthusiasm about this is energized by reality that there are many locales in the world to have an observant lifestyle, and there are several to be on the very cutting edge of breakthrough science and technology, but in terms of places where people can define what it means to lead meaningful religious lives while being part of the cohort that defines the science of the 21st century and the norms around it, greater-Boston is unique. Therefore, across the institutions he’s served, Steve’s advocated for professional and lay leadership to be creative in expanding their institution’s vision of who they attract to their fold and how they make outreach. In terms of practical nitty-gritty, Steve’s advocated against passivity and for lay leadership energy in ensuring sound stewardship of institutions’ missions and the means by which those are pursued.
Rena Whisler
A native of Teaneck, NJ, I moved to Boston in 2013 because my husband was in school here when we got married. Yes, we did the long-distance dating thing! I was grateful to be so warmly welcomed by the people of YIB, and it has been our community ever since, and I look forward to becoming more involved in the shul. Outside of shul, I work as an inpatient Registered Dietitian at a local hospital.
Educational program planning has always been a passion of mine. During my graduate school years, I lived in Washington Heights, NY and was a member of the Education Committee at Mount Sinai Jewish Center, eventually becoming its chairwoman. Program planning ranged from Kristallnacht programs, to shul-wide YomTov meals, to annual health lectures sponsored by a local family in memory of a loved one, and much more. I value interacting and brainstorming with many different people in the community to plan a variety of programs that will be widely enjoyed. At Young Israel, I have begun working with a wonderful group of women to create more programming for women, including the Shabbat HaGadol seudah shlishit and women's Nach Yomi shiur with Professor Smadar Rosensweig. I look forward to continuing to work together to create meaningful events.
OFFICERS (1 year term)
PRESIDENT: Yitzi Ehrenberg (Incumbent)
Yitzi Ehrenberg has been a member of YIB since moving to Brookline from Cambridge in 2010. He and his wife Rahel have 4 daughters: Aderet (9), Yakira (7), Navah (5), and Aliza (6 months). He has been President of YIB since July 2022.
I hope to continue to promote balanced budgets and building upkeep, while maintaining and improving the shul's davening, learning, and social programming for all ages. Also, efficient Shabbos morning announcements.
CHAIR: Leah Solodokin (Incumbent)
Hi! My name is Leah Solodokin. I am from Brooklyn, NY, and joined the Brookline community in 2016. While I originally intended to shul hop until finding the right fit for me, after davening at YIB for the first time, I immediately felt an affinity to the shul and its warm community. I participated in several shul events and met so many lovely people at YIB, that I felt a calling to start giving back. Since 2016, I have become the Chulenteer Coordinator, Co-Chair of Project NaTaN, organizer of the annual blood and bone marrow registry drive, and have led and co-organized several other fun and meaningful events at YIB. Furthermore, I served on the YIB Board from 2018-2021, during which time I learned an incredible amount about the inner workings of the shul and the importance of preserving our place within the Jewish community, via creativity, teamwork, communication, and kindness.
This past year I served as the Chair of the Board – a daunting position, to say the least! I learned a vast amount about leadership, Rosenberg’s Rules of Order, being a steward of shul finances, and the value of respect and decorum. One of the most important lessons I learned is that as Chair, I am a representative of the congregation and must, therefore, lead and foster communication that is in the best interest of the collective. I am humbled to have been entrusted to serve as the Board Chair this past year and am hopeful that, with Hashem’s help and that of my fellow congregants, this coming year I can continue the work I have started to ensure that Board members feel heard and decisions are made prudently, transparently, collaboratively, and with respect. I love my community and am passionate about chesed initiatives that promote inclusivity and support. If elected, I would be honored to continue serving YIB with integrity, consideration, enthusiasm, and a growth-oriented, forward-thinking mindset.
TREASURER: BEN FELDMAN (INCUMBENT)
CLERK: JONATHAN ABBETT (INCUMBENT)
Jonathan has been a YIB member since 2003 and has served the shul continually over the last 21 years in several capacities, including as Programming Chair, Vice President, Associate Vice President of the National Council of Young Israel, and this past year as Clerk. Jonathan and his wife Sarah have 3 children who also volunteer at YIB with kiddush preparation, Shabbat morning groups, and Teen Minyan. During the week, Jonathan is Senior VP of User Experience at an education technology startup.
In the last year, Jonathan has established a new level of governance transparency by introducing a public "Good Governance" spreadsheet which tracks board roster, important documents, meetings, attendance, minutes, board votes, committee reports, and election dates. This transparency makes it very clear where our Clerk needs to do further work: visibility into National Council meetings & dues, ensuring all committees have chairs and vice chairs, and further smoothing the publication of minutes. In the coming year, Jonathan also plans to rebuild the Governance Committee so it becomes a pipeline of future potential Clerks committed to facilitating healthy consensus, predictable democratic operations, and general menschlichkeit. He also hopes to communicate to the community more proactively & directly about how the shul is managed.
CHIEF GABBAI: ZEV BLECHNER (INCUMBENT)
As Gabbai of the shul, I have the opportunity to meet out of town visitors and local non-members at the daily Minyanim. This affords me the chance to highlight some of our Shul’s unique qualities and to answer any questions that they might have. Meeting new people on Shabbos, both men and women, allows me to get to know people and then connect them with the membership and other committees. My goals this year are to continue to work with other committees such has House, Membership and Finance to help sustain financial stability of our Shul and to help the new administration succeed.
OPERATIONS OFFICER: MERV ALGE (INCUMBENT)
Merv Alge has been a member since the early 80s with wife Sharon and three children who have been part of Young Israel, experiencing meaningful tefillah, wonderful family milestones and friendships in the community
Merv's role on the board is to focus on building operations, technology, safety and security for the shul. This also includes daily communication with Young Israel's office regarding any maintenance and security needs. Likewise supporting the board and members, including Young Israel administration where ever possible.
Merv strives to continue to support Young Israel in this role for the upcoming year.
