Staff and Board

Education Director — Zehava Dahan
Contact educator@orshalom.org

Zehava Dehan has worked as a Jewish educator in the Bay Area for 25 years, both as a classroom teacher and as an administrator. “For me," she says, "the most exciting aspect of working in a congregational school is the creation of a warm environment through a wide partnership of teachers, parents, and students." Her goal is to use that partnership to develop inquisitive, engaged, caring and happy children who will become lifelong learners and compassionate human beings. This, she says, is "essential and central to the mission and vision of Or Shalom.”

Zehava has worked as department head of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Francisco and as a preschool teacher, as well as a classroom teacher to first- through eighth-graders.

"I learned much from my teachers, more from my colleagues, and most from my pupils." (Yehuda haNasi, in Ta’anit 7a)

Administrator — Lillian Markind

Contact admin@orshalom.org

Originally from the Philadelphia area, Lillian has lived in a variety of places including Los Angeles, Pittsburgh PA, Manhattan, San Francisco, and rural Wisconsin. She returned to the Bay Area in 2014 and landed in Brisbane, just a few miles down the road. Formerly in biotech, she took many years off from the professional workforce and became heavily involved in school volunteering, teaching Zumba, and becoming a substitute teacher. She is currently on the boards of Brisbane Dance Workshop, BEST/PTO, and successfully ran for public office in 2016 to be a Trustee of the Brisbane School District in which she is currently the President of the Board.

She shares her home with her husband Mike Lelivelt, who works for a start-up Biotech company.  Together, they have David who became a Bar Mitzvah in May of 2017 and is a Freshman in high school.  Naomi, their youngest, is 13 and in 7th grade. She is busy in dance, gymnastics, and attending Bet Sefer at Or Shalom!

Administrative Assistant/Social Action Fellow — Ezra Leventhal

Contact assistant@orshalom.org

Ezra Leventhal is originally from San Jose. She graduated from UC Davis in 2015 with degrees in Political Science and Religious Studies. After college, she worked in the corporate world while taking volunteer positions furthering her true passion for Judaism and social justice. In her time as a Jeremiah Fellow with Bend the Arc, she met Ben Cohn, who recommended her as his replacement when he left Or Shalom. Ezra was thrilled to leave the cubicle life and make her passion her profession.

In addition to her position at Or Shalom, Ezra teaches Hebrew School and serves as Clergy Assistant at Congregation Beth El in Berkeley. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to too many musical soundtracks and queer/feminist text study (everything from Torah to bad TV!). 

Board of Directors

The Board meets monthly to make the decisions that guide our community. The Executive Committee is comprised of the President, Vice President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, and Treasurer. To place an item on the Board's agenda, contact a member of the Executive Committee.

Or Shalom Board of Directors

FY20, July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020

Officers (Executive Committee)

Janet Jacobs,President    

Judy Olasov, Past President   

Debbie Benrubi, Treasurer

Shelley Levine, Secretary  

Members

Barbara Bernstein, Membership Outreach Committee Chair

Jonathan Denholtz, At Large

Scott Falcone, At Large  

Jurate Raulinaitis, Adult Education Committee Chair

Rachelle Resnick, Chesed Committee Chair

Leslie Roffman, Personnel Committee Chair  

Joel Rubinstein, Minhag Committee Representative

Matt Rudoff, Religious School Committee Chair  

Sue Schechter, Membership Engagement Committee Chair

Wendy Thurm, Tikkun Olam Committee Chair  

Seraph White, Fund Development Committee Chair  

Staff Attending Board Meetings

Rabbi Katie Mizrahi

Lillian Markind, Administrator