Board of Trustees

Andrea Feirstein

Board Member

Donald Fishbein

Board Member

Donald has been a member of BJ since 1977. Don had a career in the biopharmaceutical industry primarily in strategy, new product planning, marketing, and operations. After leaving the corporate side of the business he has worked independently as a business advisor and investor for emerging companies and has co-founded a research-based company. He lives in Westfield, NJ commuting regularly to BJ for Kabbalat/ Shabbat. He has an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Economics from The George Washington University. He has no children.

Michael Geller

Vice President and Secretary

Josef Goodman

Board Member

Elizabeth Greenstein

Board Member

Elizabeth (“Liz”) joined BJ in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she was a daily participant in “Zoom-Shul.” Liz is chief of staff of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations (HRO), where she has helped lead the City’s response to Hurricanes Sandy and Ida and prepares for future disasters. Liz is chief of staff of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations (HRO), where she has helped lead the City’s response to Hurricanes Sandy and Ida and prepares for future disasters.

Joel Kazis

Board Member

Joel and his wife, Sara Nathan, joined BJ in 1993, with their then-young sons, Josh and Saul. BJ has been their spiritual community ever since. Joel and Sara each served six years on the BJ board of trustees and executive committee. Now retired after 18 years at Nasdaq, Joel enjoys spending time with Sara, his sons, daughters-in-law, and his two grandchildren.

Ellie Krupnick

Board Member

Alex Margolies

Board Member

Jenny Mariaschin-Rudin

Board Member

Jenny Mariaschin-Rudin joined the BJ board in 2025, having been connected to B’nai Jeshurun since her early 20s. Jenny served as cochair of the Early Childhood Committee 2023-2025, when she helped launch Parent-Led Initiatives (PLIs), in partnership with BJ FLAL leadership, to foster deeper community family engagement.

Ellen Metzger

Board Member

Rachel Park

Board Member

Rachel joined BJ in 2018, along with her husband, Seth, after moving to the Upper West Side in 2017. She is a skilled strategic facilities planner. Her expertise is leading discussions and developing analyses to inform strategies and business operations and people-oriented decision making. She has a career’s worth of experience within major corporations and architecture and engineering firms. Currently, she is enjoying retirement and finding fun ways to fill her days. 

Yosef Riemer

Vice President and General Counsel

Ilene Rosenthal

Chair

Dava Schub

Board Member

Beth Siegel

Board Member

Beth and her husband Scott Weiner have been members of BJ since 2008. Beth has been a regular volunteer in the BJ soup kitchen for the Judith Bernstein lunch program since 2008 and since 2019 has led this volunteer effort. Beth is currently a member of the finance committee and has participated as a committee member for BJ’s capital campaign, fundraising galas, and Social Justice Leadership committee.

Leah Silver

President

B’nai Jeshurun has been central to Leah Silver’s life from childhood through adulthood. She joined the Board of Trustees in 2021 and became president in July 2026. Prior to serving as president, Leah served as first vice president for three years and chaired both the Nominating Committee and the Rabbinic Search Committee, guiding an extensive and thoughtful process to identify BJ’s next rabbinic leadership.

Carol Smokler

Board Member

David Stern

Board Member

David has been a member of BJ since 2004. He met his wife, Alexandra Ackerman, at BJ, and together with their four children—Isabel, Zelda, Harrison, and Rebecca—they have been active members of the community. Alexandra has served on the Board, and David was a member of the COVID task force.

Dana Trobe

Vice President

Gary Wingens

Board Member

Ira Wolfman

Board Member