Our Leadership
Rabbi
Cantor
Officers
Board of Trustees
Honorary Board
Past Presidents
Rabbi Laurence Sebert
Since becoming T&V’s head Rabbi in 1991, Rabbi Sebert has engaged and inspired his congregants to climb the ladder of Jewish commitment. He inspires through his warm personality and non-judgmental style as well as the power of his intellect and his creative approach to the study and practice of modern Conservative Judaism. A rock and roll drummer, Rabbi Sebert is beloved by the community as someone who never takes himself too seriously, but takes people very seriously. He has the rare capacity to make each person feel special and validated, and to help and inspire them to find their own way to a more committed Jewish life, sometimes in small, yet important steps.
Cantor Shayna Postman
Cantor Shayna Postman has been Hazzan and choir director since 1998. A featured singer at Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, Mann Auditorium in Israel, and at the White House, she uses her beautiful voice to transport our members and to inspire them to sing out together in prayer in ever more active and participatory services. She directs the synagogue’s choir, which is featured at T&V’s annual concert and at High Holiday and select Shabbat and Festival services. Her passion, though, is our Hebrew School students and the youngest members of our synagogue community, teaching them the joyful melodies of our liturgy while encouraging them to embrace their Jewish identities and explore their musical talents.
Executive Director, Esther Schwalb
Esther Schwalb started in August 2012 as our first Executive Director. She previously worked as a Senior Project Manager/ Environmental Planning Manager at Parsons Brinckerhoff, a consulting planning & engineering firm in New York. At the same time, she was active in her children’s schools and served in the lay leadership at the Park Slope Jewish Center for a decade, ultimately becoming president in 2010. During her term, she oversaw a capital campaign, a construction project, and fundraising efforts and supervised many other aspects of typical shul operation. Her managerial competence, good humor and compassion will serve us well as we move toward a more professional operation in support of our growing kehillah.
Rabbinic Intern, Mikie Goldstein
Mikie is a fourth-year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, where he is also studying toward an MA in Talmud. Since making aliya from the UK in 1989, he has worked and volunteered in the non-profit sector, including at the Masorti (Conservative) Movement in Isreal and the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance. During his studies, Mikie has interned as a hospital chaplain and at the New Israel Fund; was responsible for implementing a new synagogue innovation and skills program at JTS; and participated in the University of Cambridge’s Inter-faith Summer School.
PROGRAM LEADERS
JAHSS, Susan Richter
Susan Richter, LCSW, joined our staff last January as the The Jack and Helen Somers Seniors (JAHSS) Program Coordinator with funds generously donated by the Somers’ children. It’s been rewarding for all of us to connect better with our seniors and help them stay connected to synagogue life. We are currently working on expanding the program to serve more of their interests and welcome your ideas and participation. Susan has worked in the field of aging since 2000 when she was hired by DOROT as the director of a NORC, a naturally occurring retirement ommunity on the Upper West Side. In 2005, she was promoted to Director of DOROT Westchester when the organization expanded their services to Westchester County. Her work there includes program development, strategy, management, and fundraising. Susan received her Master’s Degree in social work from NYU and studied further at the William Alanson White Institute. She is also a certified child/adolescent psychotherapist.
20′s & 30′s, Rory Katz
Rory Katz is the program coordinator for the 20s and 30s events at T and V, which include monthly Friday night dinners, happy hours, volunteering opportunities, and more. She is excited to contribute her experience in both volunteer
coordination and community building to such a wonderful organization. An alum of AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, Rory brings a particular interest in Jewish social justice work. When she is not planning programs for T and V, Rory studies Talmud and Tanakh at Mechon Hadar, an egalitarian yeshiva on the Upper West Side. She enjoys playing frisbee, singing, and hanging
out with plants.
20′s & 30′s, Arielle Segal
Arielle Segal is a Masters of Social Work student at NYU. She is currently doing her year long internship at the Jewish Board of Family and Children Services. As part of her intern responsibilities, she devotes part of her time to the 20s and 30s program. Arielle’s role is to help with leadership development and foster the growth of this program. She is involved in the leadership committee, where she works with other leaders to plan programs and events for the 20’s and 30’s cohort at the synagogue.
Arielle is very excited to be apart of the young adult team and is looking forward to planning programs and events of interest to this age cohort.
Board Chair: Jacqueline Berkowitz
President: Dr. Louise S. Sherby
Vice Presidents:
Susan Abramowitz
Leon Ashner
Sanford Cohen
Nina Lehman
Treasurer:
Yakov Zvi
Associate Treasurer:
Andrew Koopman
Financial Secretary:
Stephen Smith
Secretary:
Jonathan David
Honorary Vice Presidents:
Dr. Milton Adesnik
Sharon Steinberg
Honorary Chair: Dr. Hugh Pollack
Vice Chair: Helena Ross
Jodi Balsam
Junior Bazzey
Mark Berger
Miriam Best
Stanley Broadwin
Lee Cohen
Sara Corello
Miriam Fridman
Victoria Friedman
William Gross
Sarah Gurwitz
David Issroff
Samuel Kuckley
Daniel Labovitz
Dr. Sheldon Moline
Steve Nesselroth
Marianna Mott Newirth
David Pasteelnick
Phillip Riese
Phyllis Rifield
Dr. Patricia Rosof
Cynthia Moss Terracina
Robert Winograd
Abby-Gail Adler
Beatrice Beder
Helen Grayson
Sidney Haimo
Dr. Arthur Miller
June Schofield
Francis Unger
Claire Zuckerman
Harold Levine
Dr. A. Herbert Fedder*
Mortimer S. Schofield*
I.E. Abrams*
Sylvan Freeman*
Bertram Field*
Locke Grayson*
Howard Dressner*
Morris S. Gottesman*
Joseph S. Karp*
George Bosin
George Shenitz
Seymour J. Beder
Irving Heisler
Florence Friedman
Samuel Ehrenpreis*
Justin Colten*
Dr. Lewis S. Freedman
William Huebsch
Dr. Hugh I. Pollack
Howard Rubin
Beth M. Mann
Fred Karp
Carol J. Green
Dr. Roselyn Kolodny
Jacqueline E. Berkowitz
Helena Ross
* Deceased
