BOARD of DIRECTORS
Fred Kramer, Chairperson
Hello. My name is Fred, and I'm an IKAR-holic. I knew the moment I showed up for my first Kabalat Shabbat at Roxbury Park that I had found something very special in the world. IKAR is a manifestation of everything I always thought should be possible in a Jewish community, but seemed to be lacking wherever I went. Elements of simple spirituality, soulful davening, social justice and a legitimate path to Tikkun Olam (fixing a broken world) are present in everything the community does. IKAR has introduced me to the most dynamic, engaging crew I've come across anywhere, reinvigorating the practice of Judaism in ways I had long thought impossible. Serving on the board of an organization that offers such amazing opportunities for humankind is both an honor and responsibility - the type that I had always hoped I'd be capable of.
When I'm not shilling for IKAR, I spend my time as the President and General Manager of Withoutabox, a division of IMDb.com.
David Alpern
Having spent my first few years in Los Angeles as an inspired IKAR congregant, I am thrilled to now be part of the board of this dynamic, engaging community. IKAR represents the richest, most authentic and relevant Jewish experience I have ever encountered (and there's nothing quite like attending Shabbat services on Friday nights in jeans and sneakers).
Professionally, I spend my day and nights as a Principal with Aurora Capital Group, a Westwood-based middle-market control private equity investment firm, where I concentrate on the Firm's healthcare investment activities and serve on the Board of Directors of Aurora's NuCO2 Inc. and RecoverCare investments. Outside the office, I am a husband to Lisa Alpern, father to Noa Alpern, companion to Moses Alpern (our family's Puggle), and a Board member at both Jumpstart and the Board of Visitors of Western Reserve Academy (Hudson, Ohio). I am a graduate of the University of Michigan (BA) and the Harvard Business School (MBA).
Jami Bachrad
I am thrilled to join the IKAR board in a time of tremendous opportunity. In my first few years navigating the Jewish kaleidoscope that is Los Angeles, I synagogue hopped ad nauseum and had almost given up on finding a meaningful and truly inspiring Jewish niche outside of Israel. Finally, I was blessed to find just that at IKAR. Over the past several years, IKAR has become a true home to me and my husband Jordan, where our spiritual, social, and worldly passions collide.
I also serve as Chairperson for the board of Jumpstart and am active in the Jewish Communal Professionals of Southern California and the Professional Leaders Project. In my spare time, I work for the Jewish Federation, where I assist philanthropists in funding innovative projects throughout the Jewish and greater communities, with a focus on Taglit-Birthright Israel. I'm always up for a soy latte and a spinning class (not necessarily in that order), and I look forward to working with a talented and committed lay and professional team at IKAR to continue growing our beautiful home together.
Lynn Harris
I am as surprised to find myself sitting on this board as I am to find myself a member of a community as vibrant and exciting as IKAR. I was raised in a secular home, a child of alien immigrants (aka German Jews), had no formal Jewish education and temple-hopped for a few of my adult years before giving up entirely. Then I walked into IKAR and suddenly felt that I'd come home. My husband, Matti Leshem, and I were married by Rabbi Brous last year and we are both committed to the future of IKAR. I have two amazing stepkids, 16 year old Kaley and 11 year old Nathaniel (an enthusiastic Limudim student), both of whom look forward to services and festivities at IKAR. And two adorable dogs, Hank and Coco, who look forward to IKAR house parties where they greet guests and steal snacks.
In addition to my board activities, I am an Executive Vice President at Warner Bros. where I've worked for the past six years shepherding movies both large and small. Prior to coming to Warner Bros, I spent a decade at New Line Cinema and started my career in television. I'm a graduate of UC Berkeley and sit on the board of the Entertainment Industry Foundation.
Julie Hermelin
Ikar is the manifestation of an idea, that there can be a place where Judaism is soulful, relevant, engaging and passionate. Where repairing the soul and the world are not mutually exclusive but intricately intertwined. Where individuals can nurture community and community can nurture the individual to the elevation of all. It was a fortunate bit of fate that I was able to participate in those early conversations where stale notions of practice were challenged and fresh ideas were given breath.
For me, Judaism is my compass, somehow in it’s endlessly contradicting opinions of ancient tales and text I am able to find my north.
Judaism is my engine, driving me to act, to engage, not just for myself, but my family, my community and my world.
Judaism is my soul, it is a source of joy, introspection, heartache and strength.
I am honored to serve on the board of this remarkable community.
I share my life with a wonderful husband, Mitchell Frank, and three little monkey boys, Chaz, Dex and Theo. I also serve on the board of Reboot. Prior to children I was a television director, after children I am mostly a mom and sometimes a director.
Ellen Hoffman
I had been on the hunt for a Jewish community for a long, long time. While I have historically felt some level of identity with other Jewish people, I had yet to find a place where I felt fully comfortable and able to be myself. And then, in 2008, it all changed; I experienced IKAR. I was immediately drawn to the dynamic, youthful, and vibrant community, felt inspired by Rabbi Sharon and her passion for social justice and building an open and vigorous Jewish space, and simply felt welcome from the first moment I stepped in the front door. I immediately got involved. I joined the Board of Trustees, offered my help any time I could, all with an open heart to serve those who serve so many. I feel honored to be on the Board of Directors, I have also been an integral part of American Friends of The Israel Museum, MOCA AND LACMA.
By profession, I am an interior designer. For me, design is about helping my clients articulate a vision for their physical space and making it come to life. And in this process, I so thoroughly enjoy getting to know their tastes, what makes them comfortable, and what gets them excited. I see my participation at IKAR in the same way. What our community is offering the larger Jewish community is something quite unique. It is a clear vision of a present and a future that excites us, inspires us, and encourages each of us to get involved. It gives me great joy to offer my service, my creative mind, and my love for this special place to help move us closer and closer to seeing our vision come to life.
I am very grateful to Rabbi Sharon and Melissa for sharing their dreams and dedicating their lives to build this beautiful future.
Todd Kessler
As a suburban Jewish kid from New Jersey, I grew up with a remote
sense of post-Holocaust guilt that if I did not attend to my Judaism,
it would be a slap in the face to all those who came and perished
before. But like many of our generation, my temple membership was, at
best, a social affair and at worst, an alienating experience. I
always believed that modern Judaism had a "marketing" problem that
failed to attract a younger, more intellectually-demanding Jewish
community. I was wrong. When I tried out my first ikar service, I
realized that what most congregations were lacking wasn't a marketing
approach, but a core of relevant meaning and intention; I liked Rabbi
Brous's word for it - kavanah. Somehow, the experience felt both
modern and ancient at the same time. Three years later, ikar has
stripped away my misconceptions about our religion's potential. I am
not the most devout, nor well-school Jew in the crowd, but I am always
surprised to discover my presence in services rewarding me with a
sense of gratitude and purpose... and that's a lot more constructive
than guilt.
Outside of ikar, I am a television writer/producer, married to Sharon Hall, a television executive, and we have two boys, Levi and Jack, who both love challah and television.
Annie Lainer
About a month after I moved back to Los Angeles after ten years in New York, I attended Shabbat b' Yachad at IKAR. Rabbi Brous spoke about the rabbinic concept of "shinui makom, shinui mazal," which means, "change your place, change your luck." I thought to myself, well, I'm ready for my luck to change. That night at dinner, I sat with the some of the most incredible people I've ever met -- young people who were exploring their passions, curious about the world, and determined to experience what life offered them. These were people who, whether it be through politics, academics, art, or just overall friendliness, were out to make the world a better place. These people, who embodied the spirit of justice, creativity, and welcoming that animates IKAR, are just a handful of the wonderful people I've met in the past two and half years that I've been part of the IKAR community. I feel that IKAR has been an important part of my "change in luck" that I've experienced the past few years. For me, IKAR is the perfect Jewish community -- creative, spiritual, rigorous, welcoming, intergenerational, and 100% committed to justice and not afraid to show it.
I attended college and law school at Columbia University, with some extra years in between and after, living and working in New York and New Jersey. I returned to Los Angeles to be a legal aid lawyer and currently live in Santa Monica with my fabulous boyfriend Jonathan.
Adam Miller
In many ways, IKAR is the realization of a dream for me. For many years, I've yearned for a place that could recapture the spirit of Judaism, break down the walls of denomination, encourage social action, and provide a close community for us to reconnect. More recently, I also wanted to find a place where our children can learn from a rabbi with real kavenah.
Even without a permanent location, IKAR is that place. So now I spend my days working to help build IKAR and my nights with my awesome wife Staci and our son Hayden. In my spare time, I run an enterprise software company called Cornerstone OnDemand.
Scott Minkow
I can't really decide if I found IKAR or if IKAR found me. I didn't even know I was looking for a spiritual community until I walked into Roxbury Park in 2004 and discovered a space that was vibrant and resonant with meaning and excitiment. For the first time, I wasn't simply going through the motions and paying lip-service to the words I had memorized from years of religious school and bar mitzvah training. IKAR makes a demand upon me -- as a Jew, as a member of the multi-cultural community of Los Angeles, and as a concerned global citizen -- and it is refreshing to grapple with how to respond to this demand. The call was always there, buried deep within -- but I am so thankful to Rabbi Brous, the leadership, and the staff for providing the space and the guidance for me to think about the words of our Sh'ma and what it means to truly listen.
Professionally, I manage the grant-making programs at The Jewish Federation and help others think about the best way to thoughtfully fulfill their philanthropic wishes. I was blessed to marry my partner-for-life Bill Deliman on July 4, 2008 after countless years of waiting.
Richie Rothenberg
I am honored to be joining the board of IKAR and look forward to helping continue the growth of our congregation and the fulfillment of our mission and vision. I was raised to believe very strongly that social activism and the pursuit of social justice was an integral part of being Jewish. I still believe that passionately and I am so happy to be part of the IKAR community where that is essential to our mission.
My son Oliver and my daughter Martha love Limudim!
When I am not at IKAR, I work as Managing Director of 1st Century Bank, a private commercial bank located in Century City, where I work extensively with Senior Management and the Private Banking Team to identify and develop customers. I work closely with and oversee the relationship management of key customers and participate in the strategic growth, direction and development of the company.
Kim Rogoff Silverstein
I cannot imagine the last three years of my life without IKAR. Despite having worked professionally in the Jewish community, I had never able to find the right niche for a personal Jewish connection until I found IKAR. I continue to be inspired by and learn from Rabbi Brous, my fellow board members, and the rest of the IKAR community who share treasured values and a commitment to spirituality and justice, and I feel so blessed to have made many wonderful new friends. My soul has grown in ways I never dreamed possible.
I have a Masters in Social Work from Boston University, and am a proud alumna of the University of Pennsylvania. Three year ago, I returned to my native southern California from the east coast. I recently left my professional Jewish role after nearly six years and decided to try my hand in the secular non-profit world – I am a Development Associate at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. I am married to Mike Silverstein and we could not be more thrilled to have IKAR as part of our lives.
Mark Taylor
I am have been married to my wife, Barbara Dalton-Taylor, for 28 years and we are blessed to be the parents of twin daughters who have been attending Limudim, Ikar's educational program for children, since its inception. IKAR has provided and nurtured an enriching environment for our children's religious studies and b'not mitzvah preparation while simultaneously exceeding my wife's and my needs for a thoughtful religious community that is committed to values which we share.
I come from a family of Jews who has lived in Los Angeles since 1912. I grew up in Beverlywood, on a street with 52 kids on the block, then in Westwood, and became a bar mitzvah at Temple Emmanuel in Beverly Hills. While I always identified strongly with my Jewish heritage, I never took organized religious life too seriously, until we participated in an egalitarian minyan led by Rabbi Richard Levy many years ago. I was also actively involved in the Jewish Federation Council for many years through the Young Men's Leadership Cabinet and sat on the board of several agencies.
When our daughters were born 13 years ago we moved to Santa Barbara to raise a family out of the city and we joined the Isla Vista Minya, led by the UCSB Hillel Rabbi Steve Cohen. In that community, we experienced religious study, ritual and joyful celebration that we wanted to find when we moved back home to Los Angeles a few years later.
We joined a new synagogue every year for four years, aware of what we wanted and needed, but unable to find it. Our wandering came to an end when we discovered IKAR 3 years ago at their first High Holyday season.
I currently sit on the Board of Dirctors of IKAR and serve on the finance and development committees, and when I am not attending to the needs of my family and IKAR, I run a food brokerage and trading business (Taylor & Associates) in Los Angeles.
BOARD MEMBERS EMERITUS
Joshua Avedon
*see founder bio
Melissa Balaban Founding Board President
*see founder bio
Julie Bergman Sender
Julie Bergman Sender is an experienced film producer and movie executive. She has produced major feature films while working for Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Company and Universal Studios. She has also become known as an innovative media strategist and political consultant, bringing together the best of traditional and new media to build out memorable and impactful content and campaigns. These efforts have reached over 100-million viewers and listeners on television, radio, in print and on the web, helped register millions of new voters and garnered millions of dollars in free and earned media.
Julie Bergman Sender began her career in 1982 as a film Executive at Warner Brothers and for the next two decades worked with some of the best-known and respected figures in the film business. She worked as an executive and film producer for director Sydney Pollack's Mirage Enterprises; and partnered with Jodie Foster in the formation of Foster's Egg Pictures. She has produced a dozen films including: the Agneiszka Holland directed "Washington Square" starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Albert Finney, Maggie Smith and Ben Chaplin; The Ridley Scott film "G.I. Jane" Starring Demi Moore; and the Harrison Ford movie "Six Days, Seven Nights."
Currently, Ms. Bergman Sender and her husband Stuart Sender, an Award winning journalist and Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker, have their own Media consulting and production firm, Balcony Films.
Balcony Films content and public service campaigns often feature some of our best-known actors and performers, including: Will Ferrell, Jason Alexander, Helen Hunt, Felicity Huffman, Rosario Dawson and Stevie Wonder. Balcony Films has produced media for clients that include ACT (America Coming Together), the Communications Workers of America, Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club and The Apollo Alliance. Current campaigns they are working on include two for leading environmental non-profit organizations Forestethics and Rain Forest Action Network.
Ms. Bergman Sender was part of the leadership team that ran National Voice and Wieden & Kennedy's non-partisan NOVEMBER 2 voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaign, a coalition of over 1000 organizations that were responsible for registering five million new voters during the 2004 election cycle. And Balcony Films recent "Remember Your First Time" PSA campaign for Women's Voices, Women Vote (aimed at registering 20-million unmarried women) was featured on Good Morning America, Fox News, CNN, ABC News, radio, in the Washington Post, NY Post and on the internet. The success of these campaigns has also made Ms. Bergman Sender a sought-after speaker on the subject of new and emerging media.
A complete reel of Balcony films short films, ad campaigns, long-form documentaries and flash films can be sent upon request.
Ms Bergman Sender lives with her family in Los Angeles.
Celia Bernstein
*see founder bio
Jonathan Diamond
Our family came to Ikar for the first time in 2005. We’d been in Los Angeles for five years, been through the adjustment of the dramatic transition from New York, the birth of our son, the adoption of our daughter from Ethiopia, career changes. And through it all there was the matter of finding the right Jewish community. The right place was one that satisfied the needs I had as someone who’d grown up in a Conservative home and an Orthodox shul and who, since my marriage to Sandy Itkoff in 1998, had been looking for that right mix of egalitarian davening, thoughtful conversation about Torah, about secular life and, ideally, how they intersected. At the time, I was immersed in the politics of Los Angeles, more aware than ever of the depth of the problems that needed to be solved here. What we found, as a family, when we came to Ikar was a place that not only shared our world view, but one that created a space for prayer that was accessible, sincere – and fun.
In between Shabbatot, I’m a journalist and editor and now student, having recently enrolled in UCLA’s Master’s in Public Policy Program.
Lesley Hyatt
At a friend's house one Shabbat evening over a year ago, I spoke with Rabbi Brous of my dream for a Jewish community that married spiritual & ritual practices with concrete action for social justice. For me the desire for such a community was deeply personal: My husband and I observe our Judaism quite differently. In general, I am more observant than Bernard. Yet we both believe equally in working toward social justice locally & globally. We both strive to find ways to act in support of our beliefs. And so, when not long after that Shabbat dinner conversation, Rabbi Brous told us about the burgeoning lightning rod that has become IKAR, I responded with all the support I could muster in the final weeks before my son was born. This past year has been a miracle of growth for my family & for IKAR. Given my own revolution - baby, homeowner, managing dual residency here & in Chicago - I'm delighted, finally, to become a more solid member of the IKAR community. I am currently Nathaniel's personal Mommy, a part time writer, & a maker of miraculous lentil soup.
Ross Levinson
*see founder bio
Paulette Light
*see founder bio
Dan Messinger
Professionally, I'm a freelance television producer and writer. Originally
from Philadelphia, I graduated from Akiba Hebrew Academy before heading off
to the University of Michigan. Following college, I spent a year working as
a JCSC Fellow at the University of Connecticut before moving to Los Angeles
to pursue a career in entertainment. Upon reaching LA, my first two years
were spent entertaining kids and teens as the youth director at Sinai
Temple. I've performed my stand-up comedy act at colleges across the
country as well as locally in LA and currently spend my days producing the
hours of television that must be made to keep up with the hundreds of
channels that cable offers.
Robert Mickelson
*see founder bio
Ari Moss
Ari Moss came to IKAR for the chaggim in 2004 and immediately fell in love with IKAR's clarion call to justice, IKAR's devotion to authentic spirituality, and IKAR's serious engagement with theology. Ari has been coming to IKAR ever since bringing his parents, grandparents, and sisters. Ari is involved in the Professional Leaders Project a national Jewish leadership program that brings lay and professional leaders together in conversation. In addition to being on the Board of IKAR Ari sits on the Board of the Shalom Institute in Malibu where he spent his summers as a child. Ari believes the Moshiach is coming but is took a wrong turn at Albequerque (much like Bugs Bunny) and Ari has the text messages from the Moshiach to prove it.
Ari Moss is a Taurus, he likes long walks on the beach, thai food, and bourbon. Ari has recently given up eating red meat but still enjoys the company of meat eaters.
David N. Myers
*see founder bio
Andrea Blaugrund Nevins
*see founders bio
Yazmin Ibarlucea-Peebles
*see founder bio
Greg Podell
My wife Justine and I have been searching for a community to call home and to be an example for our 16 month old son Jordan. In our search we have a found a community that is conscious of world issues, caring, nurturing, welcoming, and recognizes that there are people all over the world that should be appreciated and cared for. Rabbi Sharon Brous is someone that I look forward to my son looking up to like Justine and I do. She has helped build a vision that speaks to us as a family and not only succeeds in teaching the cultures and lessons of Judaism but also in teaching one human responsibility. I am proud to be a part of this wonderful board and have an opportunity to shape the vision. I have worked in the Jewish community for many years and it is a pleasure to be a participant in IKAR.
Sarah Raful
Sarah Raful is the Assistant Director of Wilshire Boulevard Temple
Camps. In May, 2005, she graduated from USC with a Masters in Public
Administration and from Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of
Religion with a Masters in Jewish Communal Service. Before going to
graduate school she worked for Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish
Campus Life for three years as the Student Life Coordinator for Hillel
at The George Washington University and as the Jewish Campus Service
Corps Fellow at University of Massachusetts- Amherst. She graduated
from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign in May, 2000,
with a major in Sociology and a minor in Judaic Studies. She was
active in Sigma Delta Tau and spent her junior year studying at Hebrew
University in Jerusalem. Sarah is originally from Los Angeles,
California, and grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. (GO HUSKERS!) Since moving
back to LA, IKAR has become her new home because she has finally found
a rabbi who inspires her, a vision of a prayer space she can connect
to, and a community with which she identifies.
Ed Redlich
Ed Redlich is currently a television writer/producer working for
Paramount Television. He was an Executive Producer on "Without
a Trace," "Felicity" and as a Producer on "The Practice."
Born and raised in Greenwich Village, New York, Redlich studied History and Literature at Harvard University, then attended New York University Law School. He practiced corporate law in Manhattan for a year and a day, before leaving the firm to try his hand at writing.
He and his wife, Sarah Timberman, serve on the Board of Directors of Death Penalty Focus, a state-wide abolitionist organization, and are active members of the I Have A Dream Foundation.
Ed's involvement with IKAR comes after several years spent flailing about in search of a relevant Jewish experience that could combine some kind of social activism and intellectual rigor with an accessible spirituality. Since he generally considers himself woefully inadequate in all three of these areas, he is looking for a religious community that can at least push him in the right direction.
He is not one of those people who hated his religious education as a child - YWHA and then the Prozdor high school program at JTS in New York - but it was always very academic, and he somehow never looked to Judaism for spiritual answers. For that, he looked to the Mets. Now with two small children, Zoe (3) and Noah (8), aging parents, the Mets three thousand miles away, and a willingness to explore Judaism in broader terms, he enthusiastically embraces the opportunity that IKAR presents to create an exciting new Jewish community in LA.
Daniel Sokatch
*see founder bio
Adam Weiss
On a dark Friday night after a long week of work, I arrived at the Westside JCC for the first time. What I saw and heard there blew me away. Over 150 people had come together for an egalitarian, traditional, energetic, Friday-night service led by a bright, articulate rabbi not much older than I. The spirit of the congregation and accompanying sound of the percussion were entrancing. The second I entered the room, I forgot all about the office I had just left, and simply smiled. I'm still smiling.
IKAR awakens the soul, challenges the mind, warms the heart, teaches Torah, and compels action, all at the same time. I am honored and privileged to play my small part in helping to build this dynamic community. During those rare moments when I am not at an IKAR event, on my way to or from an IKAR event, or talking about IKAR with friends and family, I practice law.
Adam Wergeles
*see founder bio
Brooke Wirtschafter
I was raised in a very active jewish family but I haven't been a member of a synagogue for the
last 10 years. Having children made me realize that I wanted to be more involved again and that,
especially living far away from our families, my husband Jonathan Golub and I needed a Jewish
community in which to raise our kids. We were looking for a synagogue that focused on social
justice issues and tikkun olam, and that had a spiritual commitment to serious engagement with
the tradition and with equality within that tradition. IKAR has been so much more than that for
us. First and foremost, it has been a welcoming home for us as a family. People we've met here
have become friends in just a few months and our kids love coming to synagogue, as do we. We've
found people who share our interests and our values, a community in which we look forward to
raising our children with peers we will be delighted for them to have as friends.
For the last four years I've been a full-time parent to our sons Leo, Ezra and Judah.
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