Our Synagogue Leadership
Executive Committee
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Jackie Kabot, Co-PresidentJackie Kabot has been affiliated with Community Synagogue of Rye much of her life. She grew up here with her parents and joined with her own family in 2009. She lives in Rye Brook and has a daughter Carly. She is a graduate of Syracuse University and received her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University. Jackie completed the ATID program, was a member of the CJL committee and the cantorial search committee before joining the Board in 2011. She has since chaired the Raising The Bar Task Force and served on the Executive Committee as Vice President of Social Action for the past six years. Jackie enjoys spending time with family and friends and mobilizing positive change in her community.
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Josh Broitman, Co-PresidentJosh Broitman and his family have been members of Community Synagogue of Rye since 2005. He completed the synagogue’s ATID leadership training program in 2019 and has served on the Board of Trustees since then, most recently spending the last year on the Executive Committee as Co-Executive Vice President. Josh also actively participates in several synagogue committees and task forces, including the High Holy Day Task Force, the COVID Re-Opening Task Force, the HR Committee, the Nominating Committee, and the House Committee, and enjoys the continued Jewish learning opportunities and welcoming community feeling the synagogue provides. Josh is a shareholder at Ostrager Chong Flaherty & Broitman P.C., a boutique intellectual property law firm in New York City, where he counsels a wide variety of organizations and individuals concerning the development, protection, enforcement, and defense of their patent, trademark, and copyright assets. He received a BS in electrical engineering from Northwestern University and a JD from Hofstra University School of Law. Josh lives in Rye Brook with his wife Shelly. They have two children Jack and Jamie, who both attended the CJL and became b'nai mitzvah at CSR.
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Michael Foreman, Executive Vice President
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Danielle Rudolph, Vice PresidentDanielle Rudolph grew up at Community Synagogue of Rye, joining with her parents when the family moved to Rye in 1977 and then affiliating with her own family in 2004. CSR is home for Danielle and her family! She previously served one term on the Board of Trustees and is a graduate of the synagogue’s ATID leadership training program. Danielle has served on numerous committees over the years including the Communications Task Force, High Holidays Task Force, Ways and Means and cantorial search committees along with hands-on experience setting up for many Women’s Seders, CJL events and as a former choir member. Danielle is Senior Director of Marketing and Communications with Xylem, a global water technology firm based in Rye Brook. She received a BA from Barnard College and an MBA from London Business School. Danielle lives in Cos Cob, CT with her husband Richard Cohen and sons Aaron and Micah, who are both involved in synagogue youth education and activities.
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Pam Kerlan, Vice PresidentPam Kerlan has been affiliated with Community Synagogue of Rye since 2007 when her family moved to Rye. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Columbia Business School and is currently an Adjunct Professor at Berkeley College in NY. Pam is a member of the Alternative Space B’nai Mitzvah task force, and previously served on the Vegas Night Fundraiser committee and the committee for the celebration honoring Rabbi Rothman. She lives in Rye with her husband, Mike, and two children, Eli and Charlotte.
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David Kalson, Vice PresidentDavid and his wife, Tracy, have been members of CSR since 2005 when Tracy became a Bat Mitzvah. David participated in ATID and has been on several CSR committees and projects. He currently serves on the Reopening Task Force, enjoys singing in CSR’s choir, and is very excited to have recently started a CSR birding group. Outside of CSR, David is a communications consultant and media trainer with a particular focus on crisis preparedness and management, a subject he teaches at Fordham U’s Graduate School of Business and the International Crisis Management Conference. David particularly enjoys engaging with his fellow congregants and CSR clergy on Saturday mornings during our always-fascinating Torah discussions.
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Jeff Moroch, TreasurerJeff Moroch has been affiliated with Community Synagogue since 2010. He also serves on the Real Estate Council of UJA-Federation of New York. Jeff is a Managing Director at Avison Young (f/k/a The Singer & Bassuk Organization) arranging debt and equity financing for property owners and developers. He received a BS from Columbia University and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. Jeff lives in Greenwich with his son, Bryan, and enjoys skiing, cycling, running and baseball.
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Seth Rosenfield, Financial SecretarySeth Rosenfield and his family have been affiliated with Community Synagogue of Rye since October 2005. Raised in Poughkeepsie, NY, Seth resides in Rye with his wife Shoshana and two children Jason and Hallie. Seth is currently Financial Secretary and has been heavily involved in the synagogue as co-chair of the Education Committee, member of the Kadima Campaign, active in multiple search committees as well as a member of the Board of Trustees. Seth has a BS and MBA from NYU and is currently a Managing Director at Petsky Prunier, an investment banking firm based in New York City.
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Michele Fredman, Recording SecretaryMichele Fredman and her family have been affiliated with Community Synagogue of Rye for over 30 years. An active community volunteer, she has sat on the Rye Brook Planning Board, Rye Brook Zoning Board of Appeals, and had various leadership roles for the Blind Brook Enrichment Program and the Blind Brook PTA. Before joining CSR’s Board, she spent 10 years collaborating on the assignment of b’nei mitzvah dates, participated in a rabbinic search committee and co-chaired our last two cantorial search committees (putting her undergraduate degree in music to use). Holder of a JD from St. John’s University School of Law, she is the managing member of Wertheimer Fredman LLC, a boutique law firm with offices in White Plains and New York City, specializing in estate/trust and real estate law. Michele enjoys golf, skiing and attending a variety of musical performances and is a member of the synagogue’s T’filah Band with her husband, Neil. Their children, Daniel and Ariele, became b’nei mitzvah and confirmands at CSR, and good-naturedly return to CSR to enjoy the occasions when the Cantor and T’filah Band present Rock Shabbat services.
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Irene Metz, Immediate Past PresidentIrene and her family have been affiliated with Community Synagogue of Rye since moving to Rye Brook in 1997. She has served on several committees in various capacities and has been a member of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee for many years, most recently as CSR’s Congregational President. She says her presidency was a personal growth experience and fulfilling, even during a pandemic. Irene resides in Rye Brook with her husband Jonathan. They have 2 adult children, a daughter-in-law, and a little grandson. After a long career working in children’s publishing, Irene now works at Temple Beth Abraham in Tarrytown as their Clergy Coordinator with two synagogues becoming important in her life. She enjoys studying Judaism, attending Broadway performances, gardening in the summer, and spending time with family and friends. Community Synagogue of Rye has become her home; a place of spiritual awareness and growth, learning opportunities, and friendships.
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Board of Trustees
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Rhonda BarnatRhonda Barnat lives in Rye and is Senior Counselor at Abernathy MacGregor in New York. She has two grown children and a young grandson. Her daughter Dara and family live in Israel. Her late father, Harold Katz was a longtime member. Her mother, Lee Katz, is a longtime member and celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at Community Synagogue in 2020, at age 90. Rhonda also writes crime fiction under the pen name Rona Bell.
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Katelin Berkowitz
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Monica BrennerMonica Brenner and her family have been affiliated with Community Synagogue since 2010 when they moved to Rye and enrolled their children at the Early Childhood Center. Since joining the synagogue, Monica has co-chaired the Gala, sat on the J-Life Committee and participated in the ATID program. She has been involved in numerous local not-for-profits and currently serves on the Board of the Rye Youth Council. Monica is a graduate of Colgate University and is the director of PlaySmart Academy, a free, one-week leadership and sports camp for under-served youth in the area. Monica lives in Rye with her husband, Tom, and their three children. She enjoys tennis, reading and spending time making memories with her family. Monica most enjoys feeling spiritually connected to members of all ages at the synagogue.
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Felicia DePaolaFelicia DePaola and her family have been affiliated with Community Synagogue of Rye since 2006. A graduate of the ATID program, she is currently a co-chair of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Date Committee and was a member of the B’Nei Mitzvah Task Force. A graduate of NYU and St John’s University School of Law, she is an active member of the JDRF Westchester Fairfield Chapter and a former Co-President of the Blind Brook PTA. Felicia was raised in Rye, lives in Rye Brook with her husband, Bruce, children Tucker and Emma, and her Bearded Collie, Muffy.
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Andrea Atkins HessekielAndrea Atkins Hessekiel is a freelance writer and writing coach who has been a member of Community Synagogue for 20 years. She and her husband David raised their daughters, Kira and Sophie, in Rye and in the synagogue community. She has been editor of the synagogue bulletin and involved in various committees.
She teaches a writing class at SAJE, and is very happy to be part of the community that makes up Community Synagogue, a place where she can always find a friendly face and inspiration. |
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Brian HuffordBrian is married to Wendy Hufford and, together, they are the parents of eight children, all of whom have been involved in the CSR from a young age through high school, including active participation in COSY. Six of his children became bar or bat mitzvahs at CSR (while two did so during a period the family lived in Ohio before they returned to Rye). Wendy and Brian also both went through adult b’nai mitzvah services at the Synagogue. Brian is a partner at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, in New York City, where he heads up the health insurance practice. In his work, Brian represents patients and health care practitioners in disputes with insurance companies over coverage and reimbursement issues. https://www.zuckerman.com/people/d-brian-hufford Brian grew up in Dodge City, Kansas, and obtained a B.A. and a Masters of Urban Affairs from Wichita State University, before attending the Yale Law School, where he met Wendy.
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Adam Jonas
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Abby KatzAbby Katz lives in Purchase with her husband Jason Fishkind and three daughters, Piper, Scarlet, and Scout. Abby was born and raised in San Diego, California. She received her BS from Northwestern University and her Masters degree from Teachers College at Columbia University. Abby has been an educator for 20 years and is currently the Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Greenwich Academy in Greenwich, CT. Abby and her family joined CSR when they moved to Westchester County from Manhattan in 2008. She completed the ATID Leadership Program, has served on the CJL committee, J-Life Committee and most recently on the Raising the Bar Task Force. Abby has always been actively involved in the Jewish community and appreciates the spiritual atmosphere and warmth of Community Synagogue of Rye.
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Lloyd Mallah
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Sarah OverbaySarah Wimmer Overbay has been affiliated with Community Synagogue of Rye since moving from NYC to Rye in 2013. Sarah participated in the Atid program, is a part of the Development Committee, and three of her four children are graduates of the ECC. Sarah is Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director of North Island, a private investment company, and the Hutchins Family Foundation. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Squash Haven, a youth enrichment organization. Sarah received a BA from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs and a MBA from Harvard University. Raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Sarah has happy memories of growing up at Beth David Reform Congregation in Gladwyne, PA. Sarah lives in Rye with her husband, John, and their four children, John Parkin, Maisie, Walker & Davis
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Deborah Rosenberg
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Kahleen RozowskyKahleen Rozowsky and her family have been affiliated with Community Synagogue since moving to Rye in 2008 from North Palm Beach, FL. Kahleen participated in the Adult B’nei Mitzvah Program from 2014-2016 and is a 2017 ATID graduate. Kahleen has been an active volunteer since joining the CSR community. Kahleen is currently a co-chair of The Hesed Team and is a member of the Tzedek council. She previously served on the New Members Committee and assisted in interviewing candidates for the CSR Director of Youth Engagement position. After graduating from college, she worked for fifteen years designing custom homes in South Florida. Kahleen founded a residential interior design firm in 2000, specializing in high-end construction and design. Kahleen lives in Rye with her husband, Trevor, and three sons, Julian, Baron, and Colin, who all attended CJL, COSY, were bar mitzvahed, and currently participate in the CSR teens program.
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Karen RuddyKaren and her family have been affiliated with the Community Synagogue of Rye since 2010. Both of her children attended the Early Childhood Center and are part of the Community Synagogue’s teen program. Karen is a graduate of the University of Vermont and has her Masters in Social Work from New York University. For the last four years, she has been teaching preschool at the Westchester Jewish Center in Mamaroneck. Karen lives in Rye with her husband Jeff and their two children. She enjoys skiing, tennis, reading, and spending time with family.
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Jacey Taub
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Cindy Valk-DanishCindy Valk-Danish has been affiliated with Community Synagogue of Rye since 2003. She has served on various synagogue committees over the past years, including the Religious School Committee, two Cantorial Search Committees, House and Grounds, and recently, the Kadima Campaign.
Cindy served on the Board of Directors of Gilda’s Club Westchester for 10 years, most recently in the position of President. She lives in Rye with her husband Les, and together have 4 adult children and 1 grandchild scattered throughout the country. Cindy worked in the Entertainment Industry and then returned to school and received her MSW degree from NYU. She worked as a psychotherapist many years and is currently retired. Cindy has a strong connection with the synagogue and supports its missions. |
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Dana ZimmermanDana has been affiliated with Community Synagogue of Rye for most of her life. Having grown up in Rye Brook, her parents were members and she joined with her husband, Marc, and their three sons, Zachary, Jesse and Eli, in 2009. Dana and her family enjoy and value their connection to Community Synagogue of Rye and their relationships with its clergy and extended family. Dana participated in the ATID Leadership Training Program, served on the Raising the Bar Task Force and is currently the Chair of the Jewish Family Life Committee. Dana graduated from the University of Michigan and Fordham University School of Law and works as an Assistant Vice President and Counsel with Fidelity National Title Group.
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