Our Leadership - Mercaz Seattle

Rabbi Avi Rosenfeld

Rabbi Avi graduated with a BA in Jewish Studies from the University of Washington in Seattle. Avi spent many years in Israel, learning at Yeshivat Bat Ayin and The Hebrew University before attending Yeshivat Chovevei Torah where he was ordained. While at YCT, he interned at the Hebrew Home in Riverdale, Brown University Hillel, The Sixth Street Community Synagogue in the East Village, and Beth David Synagogue in West Hartford, CT. Avi is certified in the shechita of ofot. Upon ordination, Avi returned to Seattle along with his wife, Rachel, and 4 kids. Avi is a staff chaplain at Evergreen Hospital and Hospice in addition to his work for Mercaz. Avi enjoys frisbee, bringing people together without screens, playing music, singing nigunim, learning Torah, and making space for awareness of Hashem.

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.

Kayla Higgins

BOARD MEMBER

Kayla Higgins grew up in New York City and moved to Seattle in 2018 to live with her husband, a Seattle native. She is a Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Snohomish County, but also has experience in immigration law, civil litigation, and federal appellate law.

She lives with her husband, daughter, and their dog in North Seattle and enjoys spending time with friends and family, dancing, going to stand-up comedy shows, and searching for delicious baked goods.

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.

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.

Jane Becker

Past Board Member

David Curtis

Past BOARD MEMBER

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