Rabbi Avi Rosenfeld
Rachel Israel Rosenfeld
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Rachel worked in Jewish Education and General Education for 20 years. She has a BA in American Studies from Bard College and Masters’s Degree in Education from Mills College. She is passionate about bringing people together, building community, studying history, and learning people’s stories. In addition to running Mercaz, Rachel serves on the Northwest Yeshiva High School board of directors, volunteers for Seattle Hebrew Academy, and tries to keep up with her children’s schedules.
Mercaz Board
Dina Levitan
PRESIDENT
Dina is an entrepreneur and consultant with over a decade of experience in the tech industry. She moved to Seattle from California in 2017, where she lives with her husband and daughter. She loves tending to her garden and fruit trees and is always striving to cultivate an “urban kibbutz”. She loves being part of the Seattle Jewish community and is excited to contribute to our kehillah’s growth. Look out for her at the local pun slam!
Aliza Aivazi
VICE PRESIDENT
Aliza grew up in Teaneck, NJ and moved to Seattle in 2018 for (you guessed it) a tech job. She is passionate about community building and is excited to help Mercaz grow. In her spare time, she loves craft projects and taking advantage of Seattle’s beautiful nature. She lives in Bryant with her husband, Benny.
Daniel Zana
VICE PRESIDENT
Daniel is a Californian by birth who now calls Seattle his home. He has over 15 years of experience creating video, photo and audio content spanning television, film, and the web. He currently produces and edits video content for Microsoft and co-hosts the podcast “Jews on Film“.
In addition to editing, podcasting, and designing he also enjoys woodworking, baking sourdough bread, brewing beer and relaxing bike rides/jogs along the Burke Gilman Trail.
Ben Dershowitz
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Ben is a Seattle native who was born and raised in the neighborhood. He loves building community and has been honored to be part of Mercaz since its inception. When not at Mercaz, he enjoys spending time with his wonderful wife and five children! His day job is re-imagining the production system as a Senior Industrial Engineer for the Boeing company. One of his passions is cooking and baking and sharing food with others – he looks forward to sharing it with you!
Matthew Barr
TREASURER
Matthew grew up in Virginia, and moved with his wife, Terri Ash, and their (now) 9-yr old daughter to Seattle in 2020.
His day (and sometimes night) job is as an PE at Meta, after working at Oracle, Akamai, MarkitServ and Lehman Brothers.
He has lived in Ithaca, NYC, Boston, & Modiin.
Elisabeth Rosenthal
SECRETARY
Elisabeth grew up in Houston, Texas and moved to Seattle for graduate school in Biostatistics. As a board member, Elisabeth aims to ensure women play an active role in the community and Tefillah. She is also an active member of the security committee.
Ross Kling
BOARD MEMBER
Ross has served as Funeral Director for Seattle Jewish Chapel for over 25 years, supporting the Jewish community in times of loss and facilitating healing. He is also in private practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist with a focus on helping couples develop healthier communication. He is fortunate to have a loving family, including his wife Ruth, two children and four grandchildren, all residing in the Seattle area.
Dr. Jane Becker
BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Jane Becker moved to Seattle from New York with her husband Jason Kintzer to participate in a fellowship at The University of Washington Medical Center. She is currently on the Board of Mercaz Seattle, and has been involved in multiple Seattle Jewish Schools and synagogues over the years.
She lives in Northeast Seattle and enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling (not so much lately), writing and helping grow and nurture the Seattle Jewish community in the North End.
Dr. Yaakov Kimelfeld
BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Yaakov Kimelfeld, whose background encompasses Eastern Europe, Israel, and New York, has now made Seattle his home along with his wife and two daughters, who are all enthusiastic supporters of the Mercaz community. As an author and speaker, Dr. Kimelfeld explores the influence of media on societal values, particularly emphasizing the evolving field of AI and its alignment with Jewish ethical principles.
In his role at Mercaz synagogue, Yaakov plays a crucial role in blending Jewish tradition with modern technology. He is dedicated to ensuring that the community not only stays connected in the digital era but also discovers ways to enrich their Jewish practices through technological innovation. His work skillfully addresses the challenges and opportunities that technology brings to contemporary Jewish life.
David Curtis
BOARD MEMBER
David moved to Seattle from Massachusetts in 2019 and still pretends to be a Boston sports fan. For work, he is a privacy lawyer and advises clients on data licenses and other commercial contracts. David lives in Ravenna with his wife Adriana and their son, Isaac.
Emily Weg
Past Board Member
Paul Nacamulli
Past Treasurer
Isaac Cohen
Past Vice President
Jonathan Greene
Past Board Member
Shira Balint
Past Board Member
Ariel Greene
Past Board Member
Sara Gilman
Past Board Member
Danielle Reiss
Past Board Member
Trish Tuttle
Past Board Member
David Voluck
Past President