Sara Bloom, Board Chair
Sara Bloom is the founder and the chair of the board of directors of Hebrew Public. From 2004 to 2008, she was a weekly columnist for The New York Sun focusing on raising children in New York City. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, OneTable, the Jewish Food Society, and the Areivim Philanthropic Group. She works as a mediator at the Long Island Dispute Resolution Center, and in a private practice specializing in family disputes. Ms. Bloom lives in New York City.
Adam Semler, Treasurer
Adam Semler is the treasurer of the board of directors. Adam has a background in finance and accounting, and spent the majority of his professional career at York Capital Management, retiring in December 2011, after having joined the firm in 1995. He had various roles during his tenure at York, mostly as Chief Financial Officer, and then as Chief Operating Officer. He was a Partner at the firm and was primarily responsible for all of their financial operations. Adam also served on the Management Committee, as well as holding other positions in affiliated York entities. Prior to York, Adam served in accounting and operations positions at Granite Capital International Group and was a senior accountant specializing in the financial industry at Goldstein, Golub, Kessler & Co. Adam is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.B.A. from Emory University. He and his wife Jill currently reside in Chappaqua, New York.
Jon Rosenberg, Secretary (ex officio)
Jon Rosenberg (ex officio) is Hebrew Public’s President & CEO and serves as the Secretary of the board of directors. Jon is an experienced social sector leader, education program developer, and civil rights lawyer. He has served as CEO of Repair the World, Executive Director of Roads to Success, and in senior staff roles at Edison Schools Inc., The Children’s Aid Society, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Jon began his legal career as a public defender at The Legal Aid Society. Jon has served on the boards of Ascend Learning, the Center for Learner Equity, and the National Coalition of Diverse Charter Schools. He is a past chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Education and the Law. A graduate of Columbia Law School, he holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Reverend Karim Camara
Reverend Karim Camara is a trustee of the board of directors. He is a spiritual teacher/pastor, author, speaker, and coach dedicated to helping individuals and organizations discover their purpose and reach their potential. He currently serves as Pastor of Abundant Life Church, Brooklyn, New York.
In addition to serving as a Pastor, he is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Camara Strategies International (a Brooklyn-based personal and organizational development company, and MayByrd Media, a digital marketing agency.
Karim is a John Maxwell Certified Coach, Speaker, and Trainer. With over twenty- years of experience in human development, Karim Camara is passionate about helping individuals and organizations reach their highest potential. Karim and his endeavors have been seen on major, nationally known news outlets.
Karim served in the New York State Government for 17 years as an elected member of the New York State Assembly (2005-2015) and the Executive Director, the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services (2015-2022).
Amy Feinblatt
Amy Feinblatt is a trustee of the board of directors. She is currently a SoLuxe Printing Services representative in New York City. Previously, she worked in production for a women’s apparel manufacturer. Amy graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a BA in retail and consumer science. Amy has been a consistent supporter of Hebrew Public’s work and has volunteered at Harlem Hebrew and Hebrew Language Academy.
Allyson Galishoff
Allyson Galishoff is a trustee of the board of directors. Allyson is currently a Mental Health Counselor in private practice at NYC Counseling. She has a background in palliative care social work and was previously an Oncology Social Worker at The Mount Sinai Hospital. Prior to this, she worked as a school counselor at Inwood Academy for Leadership from 2010-2014. A passionate philanthropist, she has held fundraisers such as Tunnels to Towers Climb to support first responders and service members as well as for Jeffrey Model Foundation, a non-profit geared toward funding research for early diagnosis, treatment, and ultimately cures for Primary Immunodeficiency. She is married to Alan Galishoff with whom she has two children.
Hillary Leibowitz
Hillary Leibowitz is a trustee of the board of directors. For the past two decades, Hillary Leibowitz has been involved in The Chabad of The East End. She and her husband Daniel generously donate to many of the hospitals in the New York metropolitan area. Hillary is on the Weill Cornell-New York Presbyterian’s Women’s Health Symposium Executive Steering Committee. She is a stay-at-home mom to her three children, Austin, Caroline, and Eliza. Prior to parenthood, Hillary worked as a teacher at the Stephen Gaynor School and Birch Wathen Lenox, both private schools in Manhattan. She received a master’s degree in special education from Hunter College and a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Sam Mark
Sam Mark is a trustee of the board of directors. Sam is the Senior Portfolio Manager at Poetic Group, an investment manager focusing on residential real estate credit opportunities. Mr. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University. He currently resides in Englewood, NJ with his wife and two children.
Lynette Tulkoff
Lynette Tulkoff is a trustee of the board of directors. She is the founder of Hudson Park Realty, a New York City real estate development, and consulting firm, focused on commercial real estate opportunities.
With over 30 years of experience, Lynette has worked on a diverse range of transactions in New York and Washington D.C., as well as her native South Africa. Lynette graduated cum laude with a BA from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and has a master’s degree in Theater from New York University and is a Fulbright Scholar.
Meredith Verona
Meredith Verona is a trustee of the board of directors. Meredith is a partner in a three-generation family business that owns, develops, and manages residential and commercial properties in New York. Born and raised on the Upper East Side of Manhattan where she still resides with her family, Meredith is an alumnus of The Dalton School, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University Teachers College where she received her master’s degree. After which, she taught high school English in both private and public schools in Manhattan. Meredith’s passion for education and working with children has kept her active in child advocacy, Charter Schools around the country, and NYU’s Hasenfeld Children’s Hospital.
Thom Waye
Thom Waye is a trustee of the board of directors. Currently, he is Chief Strategy Officer for Chabad on Campus. Previously he was managing partner at Sigma Capital Partners, and prior to that, he worked at ComVest Venture Partners, AIG Capital Partners, Motorola, and Unisys. He is the former staff head of the Recanati-Kaplan Foundation. He has been a major and consistent advocate and connector for Hebrew Public. Thom has a background in business, finance, strategy, and philanthropy. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Judy Winitzer
Judy Winitzer is a trustee of the board of directors. She is vice president of brand management at Live Nation Entertainment. She previously served as vice president at Global Merchant Services, leading an account management team that builds network-wide relationships with the largest global hotel chains in the US. Additionally, Judy served as Director of Travel Partnership at American Express. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Barnard College and a master’s degree in marketing from Yale University.
Noemi Zibuts
Noemi Zibuts is a trustee of the board of directors. She was born in Lithuania and spent her high school years living and studying in Israel. Upon her return to Lithuania, she taught Hebrew at a Vilnius Elementary School, which she reflects upon as a tremendously rewarding experience. After her family immigrated to the U.S., she pursued a career in finance and is currently serving as Managing Director in Markets at Citibank. Throughout her professional career, she has been a champion for diversity and inclusion. Noemi joined the board of Hebrew Public in 2016 and is looking forward to dedicating her energy, and professional experience, and leveraging her network to further the growth and success of Hebrew charters nationwide.
Our Founders
Michael Steinhardt’s financial career began when he graduated from the Wharton School of Business in 1960. He worked as research associate, staff writer, and securities analyst in various firms. He formed his own money management firm in 1967, named Steinhardt Partners L.P., where he experienced unprecedented success. In his memoir, No Bull: My Life In and Out of the Markets, published in 2001, Mr. Steinhardt shares his life’s journey and the private and public experiences that have shaped his career.
He is married to Judy Steinhardt. They live in New York and have three children and 13 grandchildren. Michael Steinhardt founded The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, of which he serves as chair. He is also co-founder of Birthright Israel, a transformational program to bring young Jews to Israel for immersive 10-day visits.
Sara Bloom is the chair of the board of directors of the Hebrew Public. She is also the chair of the board of trustees of the Hebrew Language Academy Charter School in Brooklyn. From 2004 to 2008, she was a weekly columnist for The New York Sun focusing on raising children in New York City. She has been a regular guest on CBS Morning News and FOX News, as well as a frequent guest lecturer at local schools and community centers throughout the city. Before this, she was the Features Editor, and then the News Editor at the Forward,America’s national Jewish newspaper. From 2002 to 2005, Ms. Bloom chaired the board of one of the eight centers of the 92nd Street Y, the Makor/Steinahrdt Center. She also currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, the Board of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and the Board of Trustees of the Areivim Philanthropic Group. She graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University, where she studied history. Ms. Bloom lives in New York City with her six children.
The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life was founded in 1994 by Michael H. Steinhardt to strengthen and transform American Jewish life so that it may flourish in a fully integrated, free society.
Since then, the foundation has disbursed over $100 million to various educational, cultural, and service causes, including starting and/or funding the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education in 1997.
In 1999, The Steinhardt Foundation initiated one of its signature programs, Taglit-Birthright Israel, to provide young Jews, the opportunity to tour Israel for the first time.
Founded in 2005 under the leadership of Michael Steinhardt and the late William Davidson, the Areivim Philanthropic Group is a unique consortium of major North American philanthropists committed to developing and supporting transformational projects. Areivim works to significantly impact the next generation of Jews through formal and experiential Jewish, Hebrew, and Israel education.
The Working Group on Modern Hebrew Language developed the Hebrew at Camp/Kayitz Kef Program in 2013. Kayitz Kef gives American Jewish youth the ability to converse in Modern Israeli Hebrew and to own contemporary Israeli culture as part of who they are. An independent evaluation of the project has shown that returning campers are able to regain the language ability achieved during the previous summer after only two weeks and are then able to grow to even higher levels of proficiency. Beginning with one pilot program at Camp Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, New York, during the summer of 2013, Kayitz Kef served 625 campers in 2019 in the following communities: Cleveland, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Palo Alto, Washington, DC; Toronto, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Columbus, and two sites in New York. We are on the path to engaging over 2,000 children by 2024.
Other projects that Areivim endorses and works with include Onward Israel, OneTable, TAMID Group, and the Jewish Food Society.
Past Board Members
Beryl P. Chernov
Karen W. Davidson
Diana Delgado
Wendy Fisher
Simone Friedman
David Gedzelman
Caroline Greenwald
Amy Holtz
Jason Muss
Richard A. Schuster
Adam Smolyar
Dorothy Tananbaum
Diane Troderman
Eli Wiess
