Board of Directors

Parent of Shmuel ’18, Avigayil ’16, Shoshana ’14, David ’12, and Michal ’10 Raphael is a CIO at Allianz Global Investors (formerly RCM). Prior to joining RCM, he spent 20 years with Alliance Capital Management in both New York and San Francisco. He has an AB in History from Columbia College and an MBA from New York University. Raphael has served on the board of directors since the founding of JCHS and has been active in a broad range of Jewish communal and educational institutions in the East Bay over the past 20 years. Raphael lives with his wife Leslie. All five of their children attended JCHS; Michal (class of ‘10), David (class of ‘12), Shoshana (class of ‘14), Avigayil (class of ‘16), and Shmuel (class of ‘18)

Parent of Gabi ’17, Ethan ’20, Mia ’24

Ellen Finestone has been fully immersed in Jewish education since she moved to the Bay Area from Cincinnati with her family eleven years ago.  She currently sits on the JCHS Governance Committee & is part of the the Jewish Community Federation Day School Culture of Belonging Cohort.  Ellen was the JCHS Parent Association Chair for 5 years. Ellen also served on the Brandeis Hillel Day School Board of Trustees where she sat on the Committee on Trustees and was part of the Marin Working Group that established Brandeis Marin as an independent school.  She recently ended her board service to Brandeis Marin where she sat on the Advancement and various other committees.  Ellen is on the board of Camp Young Judaea Midwest where she chairs the Alumni Committee and is involved in Achim L’Chaim (Brothers for Life) and Cycle For Survival.  Ellen received her B.A. from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (Go Blue!) and is the proud mom of Gabrielle ’17, Ethan ’20, and Mia ’24.  Ellen and her husband Barry love to take long walks, Peloton, go the the farmer’s market, travel, eat delicious food and, most importantly, spend time with family and friends.

Frayda has been an educator and researcher in the Jewish community her entire career. She is currently Managing Director at Rosov Consulting, a professional services research and evaluation firm that supports foundations, federations, government, and NGOs in Jewish communities around the world in making data-informed decisions that enhance their impact.

Frayda served as the first female Orthodox Congregational Intern at the Hebrew Institute of White Plains, worked in informal Jewish educational settings, including summer camps, Birthright, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and was a founder of Kevah, an organization dedicated to helping adults organize small Jewish learning groups. Frayda was a third-grade Jewish Studies teacher at Oakland Hebrew Day School and is now a proud parent of three OHDS students and one alum. She has been an active parent volunteer there and serves on the Head of School support and evaluation committee. Frayda has been part of the rabbinic family with Rabbi Yonatan Cohen of Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley since 2006.

Frayda has a BA from McGill University and pursued advanced Jewish learning in Israel at Midreshet Lindenbaum and Nishmat, and participated in Drisha’s Scholar Circle Program in New York. She completed Masters and Doctoral degrees in Education at Mills College and was selected as a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar. When she has free time, Frayda enjoys cooking, Peloton classes, hiking, and reading.

Andrea is a lawyer at BraunHagey & Borden in San Francisco. She has had over twenty years of experience representing clients in a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, entertainment, and cryptocurrency, as well as in a number of pro bono matters. Andrea received her BA in English and Jewish Studies from Tulane University, with a one-year stint at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and her JD from the University of Chicago. Andrea has been involved with a number of local organizations, including serving as the advancement coordinator for Oakland Boy Scout Troop 202 and as co-chair of the Parents’ Coordinating Committee for her children’s K-8 school, GATE Academy. Andrea is a member of Temple Sinai and lives in Oakland with her husband, Steve, and their two children, Nathan (JCHS class of 2021) and Jonah.

Parent of Isley Douglas ’23

Melissa brings more than twenty years of development experience in the nonprofit world to the JCHS board. A native of New Jersey, she earned her BA from Brandeis University and her JD from Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. She has served on a variety of boards and committees for school, community, and Jewish organizations in the East Bay. Melissa is a member of the Board of Temple Sinai in Oakland, where she serves on the development committee and was instrumental in leading the Temple’s capital campaign. She has also served on multiple rabbi search committees. Melissa lives in Oakland with her husband, Steven Douglas, and their 6th generation Bay Area children, Sandler and Isley (JCHS class of 2023), as well as their Newfoundland, Cobalt.

Parent of Emunah ’23 and Akiva ‘26

Lev has been a practicing attorney for 24 years in the areas of bankruptcy, restructuring and litigation. He earned his BA from UC San Diego and has a juris doctorate from UC Berkeley School of Law. After law school, he spent a year in Israel as a fellow on Project Otzma, where he was inspired to deepen his Jewish learning and practice, and later studied at Bat Ayin yeshiva in Gush Etzion, Israel. He provided legal services and advice to the Berkeley and Oakland Jewish communities in connection with the establishment of their respective eruvim. He previously served on the board of directors for the Beit Midrash Ohr HaChaim, a Jewish learning center in Berkeley that offered weekly and holiday prayer services. As an educator with the Berkeley and Contra Costa Midrasha programs, he taught Jewish education to middle school and high school students. He lives in Berkeley with his wife Sarah and his children – Batyah (Class of ‘21), Emunah (Class of ‘23) and Akiva (Class of ‘26).

Parent of Ilan Kalika ’26

Yan was born in Moldova in 1970 to a family of Jewish parents who struggled to raise both he and his sister. In the midst of very anti-Semitic environment, both of his parents were not able to get an education.

Yan grew up playing chess professionally while living in a very rough neighborhood and was the first in his family to get accepted to University.

In 1989 he and his family immigrated to the United States. Shortly after attending community college to learn English he was accepted to UC Berkeley and had to work full time while going to school. He worked at Genentech for a year and later was able to be accepted to Harvard University followed by residency at UCSF.

In San Francisco he took a Jewish leadership course through the Federation and got involved in forming Russian Speaking Jewish Community, serving as a president for many years.

He has served on a few health care companies’ boards as well as UCSF dean’s council, and is hoping to bring all of my experiences into being involved with Jewish Community high school in San Francisco.

Robert grew up in Manhattan Beach, CA and attended UC Berkeley, where he studied political science and business administration. Since graduating from Berkeley, Robert has worked in the investment industry and FTV Capital, a growth equity firm in San Francisco. Prior to joining FTV, Robert worked for JBG SMITH (formerly The JBG Companies) in Washington, DC and Hellman & Friedman and Hall Capital Partners in San Francisco. Robert has also been a member of the Berkeley Hillel board of directors, AIPAC’s national council and JFCS’s program and planning committee. Robert has also staffed several Taglit-Birthright Israel trips and is a Birthright Fellow.

Parent of Leah ’25

Jessica has been involved as a volunteer in the Jewish Community and in Philanthropic work since she signed up to volunteer at Hillel the first week of college. She is a board member and immediate past President of Oakland Hebrew Day School, where her children attend school. Her commitment to the Jewish community has led her to serve on the board of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund. Jessica has been active with AIPAC for over 15 years and is incoming Chair of their Northern California Leadership Council. Jessica is a native of Berkeley, and a Principal at The Minkoff Group, an Oakland based real estate development firm, focusing on ground up development. She is responsible for design and management of the firm’s multi-family housing and mixed-use projects. Jessica attended the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, the latter where she met her husband. Jessica is married to Dan Minkoff, and together they have six young children: Leah, Noah, Zoe, Yossi, Amalia, and David. She enjoys skiing, reading, travel, cooking, and spending time with her synagogue community, Beth Jacob Congregation of Oakland.

Joanna was born and raised on the East Coast and grew up as an engaged participant in Kadima and USY, traveling to Israel during high school for the Alexander Muss High School in Israel and USY Poland Pilgrimage. She moved to the Bay Area in 2004 because she believes it is the most beautiful place in the world. A lawyer by training, she has worked as a technology recruiter since 2006. She founded her own recruiting agency, JOALT LLC, in 2009, specializing in the growth of venture-backed software and hardware startup companies from the ground up. She previously served on the Board of Directors of the Mission Minyan, and she is currently a member of Beth Jacob Congregation in Oakland. She cares deeply about the inclusion and support of children with disabilities in all Jewish educational venues. She currently lives in the East Bay with her husband Tomer, daughter Shira and dog Meydl.

Parent of Daniel ’16, Isaac ’12, and Hannah ’10

Michael recently retired after twenty-nine years as a bond trader and salesman for investment banks where he focused on global bond markets for institutional money managers. He is a member of Beth Jacob Congregation in Oakland, a member of AIPAC Northern California Board and the AIPAC National Council. He has co-chaired the East Bay Federation’s Shalom Hartman Leadership Development Program, and is a graduate of the Wexner Heritage Program. Michael has served on the JCHS Finance Committee for several years.

After retiring, Michael spent two months studying at Yeshivat Orayta in the Old City. Michael has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Clemson University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

He currently lives in the East Bay with his wife Deborah, and has three children who graduated from JCHS; Hannah (class of ‘10), Isaac (class of ‘12), and Daniel (class of ‘16).

Parent of Jacob ’20, Jonathan ’17, Rebecca ’11

Deborah has a passion for serving the Jewish community. She has served on the Boards of Brandeis Marin, Jewish Family and Children’s Services and the Advisory Board of URJ Camp Newman. She has been a member of the Executive Grants Committee for the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation, as well as various other Federation committees. Deborah is a past president for the Osher Marin JCC and a past Board member for Congregation Kol Shofar. She has four kids, Joshua, Rebecca (class of 2011), Jonathan (class of 2017) and Jacob (class of 2020). Deborah lives in Marin, is married to Larry, and spent 20 years working in market research.

Ted has been a practicing attorney for 30 years; for 20 years, until the sale of the company in the Fall of 2017, he was Senior Vice President of Business Development and General Counsel of Round Table Pizza, Inc. Ted has sat on the Helsing Group Board of Directors, an employee owned company, and has been Board Secretary of the Mountain Zion Health Fund. He is a past Director of Round Table Pizza, Inc. and Temple Emanu-El Boards. He earned his JD from Berkeley Law, his MA in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from U.C. Berkeley, and his BA from Columbia University. Ted lives in San Francisco with his wife Jaimie Sanford; they have 3 children. Both Ted and Jaimie are natives of San Francisco.

Lisa has been working professionally in the Jewish Community for over 25 years. She has been the Senior Director of Philanthropy in the East Bay for the Jewish Community Federation for over two years. Prior to that Lisa was in various development and philanthropic advising roles, including professional titles in Leadership Development and Young Adult Engagement. She has a double masters degree in Jewish Communal Studies and Non Profit Management from Brandeis University and a BA from UC Berkeley. Lisa has been active at both Temple Beth Abraham and at Oakland Hebrew Day School. She lives in Oakland with her husband Jeffrey Lipsett and two children. Lisa and Jeff are native San Franciscans.

Sarah is a mental health professional focusing on complex family systems. She sees individuals, couples and families in her San Francisco based private practice. Sarah was raised in San Francisco in a large community focused complex Jewish family.

Sarah received her BFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts, majoring in textiles. Sarah’s first career was as a founding member of the Club 18 teen program, created to serve Bay Area adolescents through the Jewish community. Sarah returned to graduate school to receive her MFT from the University of San Francisco with the goal of continuing her work with adolescents and their families. Sarah completed the bulk of her clinical hours at the St. Luke’s women’s clinic, where she supported pregnant women and their families through their birth and early childhood process. Sarah also spent two years working as a counselor at the Head Royce school in Oakland, focusing on supporting the mental health needs of the teachers, staff, students and their families.

Sarah values her long standing working relationship with many Bay Area schools and mental health serving agencies. Sarah’s work in the larger community has developed to include working with companies and organizations to develop their mental health focused systems and policies.

Sarah’s passion project is directing Camp Be’chol Lashon, a Bay Area based multicultural Jewish residential camp for kids ages 8-18 with leadership training for teens and young adults ages 16-25. Sarah founded and remains the senior director at CBL where she provides leadership and training for multicultural Jewish youth and staff.

Sarah is the proud mom of two amazing teenage boys, and the grateful member of a big, beautiful complex family system of her own. Sarah loves serving the community she was raised in and is always open to exploring new ways to use her skills to support community serving agencies in the Bay Area.

Nancy came up with the idea for JCHS in the spring of 1997. During her Wexner Heritage Foundation class, she realized that the one missing major Jewish educational immersion experience in the Bay Area was a Jewish community high school. Her dream became a reality with the help and support of many. Nancy graduated from the Wexner Heritage Foundation (WHF) Class of 1998. From 1999-2001, she worked for WHF as leadership liaison, acting as a conduit  and support for WHF graduates. As executive director, Nancy led the Jewish Community Youth Orchestra through its first season. Nancy has served on multiple boards and committees including JCHS (executive vice president), Congregation Rodef Sholom and its School Board (president), Bureau of Jewish Education, The Brandeis School (marketing committee), Jewish Community Relations Council, and Jewish Community Foundation’s Young Adults Division. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 1984. Since 1995, Nancy has run her art business, Silkheart, which creates hand-painted silk tallitot. She spends half her summer as artist-in-residence at URJ Camp Newman running her program “Building Jewish Identity through Art.” Most recently, Nancy has earned her master of science in counseling psychology. In her present business, Glass Half Full, she acts as teacher, curriculum developer and counselor, where she holds space for growth and change using creative, mindfulness, and strength-based practices. She lives between Maui and Marin County with her husband. They have three grown children.

Parent of Robbie ’08, and David ’05

Noah, founding president of JCHS, has long been involved in the Bay Area Jewish community. He previously held board positions at Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley, and the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a BA in economics, Noah also attended the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem. He founded Noah’s New York Bagels, the largest kosher retailer in the United States at that time, as well as six other ventures, including the grocery store company Bread & Circus. Noah is currently a consultant, dynamic motivational speaker and the author of Business Mensch, Timeless Wisdom for Today’s Entrepreneur. Noah lives in Berkeley with his wife Hope. Their eldest son, Jesse, was the creator of the JCHS award-winning gourmet/vegetarian lunch program. Their son David (JCHS Class of 2005) owns Radicle Herb Shop in Brooklyn, NY and their youngest son Rob (JCHS Class of 2008) is a high/tech sales executive in San Francisco.