Brandeis Magazine

Renee Beth Edelman is rabbi at Monmouth Reform Temple, in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. She previously served as rabbi at Temple Sha’arey Shalom, in Springfield.

Debra Messing discussed her Jewish faith and the fight against antisemitism in an interview published in the June 2-8 issue of the Jewish Journal.

In March, Rabbi Andrew Vogel’s 18 years of leadership at Temple Sinai in Brookline, Massachusetts, was celebrated by a Shabbat service and a program featuring songs and tributes.

David Cohen is president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, in Pennsylvania.

Laurie McMillan is dean of Kutztown University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She previously served as the college’s interim dean and associate dean.

Sean Minnihan, IBS MA’92, is managing director and head of financial technology on the global technology investment banking team at Oppenheimer & Co.

Former U.S. ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro is now the U.S. State Department’s senior adviser for regional integration, overseeing American efforts to deepen ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

Bankruptcy attorney Michael Sweet is president of the California Bankruptcy Forum for the 2023-24 term.

Jay Kim was included in the Charles River Regional Chamber’s 2023 list of the 50 Most Influential Business Leaders of Color. Jay is executive director of the Foundation for MetroWest, a regional philanthropic hub serving more than 30 communities in Massachusetts.

Janine Steiner-Jovanovic is the CEO of LeaseLock, a real-estate insurance platform.

Scott Tobin and Jennifer Wilen Tobin ’93 received honorary doctorates from Reichman University, in Herzliya, Israel, in recognition of their support for basic research in the field of synthetic biology. The couple, who live in Israel, have five sons.

Erika-Marie Geiss is a state senator in Michigan. She earlier served in the state’s House of Representatives.

Samuel Skura is president of Baystate Medical Center, in Springfield, Massachusetts; vice president of hospital operations at Baystate Health; and a member of the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association board of trustees.

Bobbi (Brachfeld) Bittker is completing a master’s degree in Holocaust and genocide studies at Gratz College, in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania. In April, she delivered a TEDx Talk at Brandeis titled “You Have the Power To Prevent Genocide.”

No Class Notes submissions this issue.

Rabbi Maccabee Avishur is principal of the Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School and the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy. Both schools are located in Livingston, New Jersey.

Joshua Gordon, P’13, is the University of Oregon’s Woodard Family Foundation Fellow, senior instructor of sports business, and faculty athletics representative. The co-author of “Strategic Negotiation: Building Organizational Excellence” (Routledge, 2023), he is also a FIFA mediator, an international arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and chair of the USA Track & Field Safe Sport appeals committee.

Rabbi Joshua Hoffman is president and CEO of the Academy for Jewish Religion California. He has written his first book, “The Holiness of Doubt: A Journey Through the Questions of the Torah” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023).

Jumana Schmuhl is a vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, overseeing its data privacy office, records and information management, and the Federal Reserve System’s privacy program. She previously worked at U.S. Bank and the World Bank Group.

Dory Black is chief legal officer at financial-technology company Momnt, based in Atlanta. She was previously general counsel at Angel Oak Companies.

Alan Ilagan is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his personal blog/website (www.alanilagan.com), which he uses as a daily diary and a repository for his writing and photography. A number of posts over the years have focused on his memories of Boston and Brandeis.

Michael Saivetz is president of Richloom Fabrics Group, in New York City. He previously served as the firm’s chief operating officer.

Attorney Alexander Heckler, managing partner at the Miami-based consulting firm LSN Partners, has been appointed by President Joe Biden to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.

Branden Kornell and his wife, Simona Gokhin, are the founders of BKSG Consulting, a boutique analytics and data visualization firm. They specialize in helping scientific, pharmaceutical, and health-care companies derive more value from their data.

Shail Mehta is senior managing director at Guggenheim Securities, the capital markets and investment banking division of Guggenheim Partners.

David S. Weiss, a professor at the Emory Vaccine Center and the Emory University School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases, is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

A. David Lewis’ graphic-novel adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” was published in June to coincide with the poem’s 100th anniversary.

Andrew Warren received the American Bar Association’s Curtin-Maleng Minister of Justice Award, given to prosecutors who seek to attain justice, not merely convict. In August 2022, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Andrew from his state attorney position after he refused to enforce restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming care.

Jessica Yanow, president of the Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers, has been elected to a three-year term on the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation board.