YOUNG LEADERSHIP BOARD
Rick Goodman
Yehudis Gottesfeld
Yehudis is a chemical engineer with a background in nuclear engineering and environmental engineering. She conentrates her work in the energy sector and has a conducted chemical engineering and environmental engineering research in various roles at Columbia University and The City College of New York. Yehudis has volunteered her time helping others with through multiple non-profits organizations for over 10 years.
Heath Hartman
Heath is from Westchester, New York and has lived in New York City since graduating college in 2017. Heath graduated from The University of Michigan with a BBA from the Ross School of Business. Heath currently works at One Madison Group as an Investment Associate where he is responsible for the sourcing, due diligence, and deal execution of new investments, as well as portfolio management of current investments. Before joining One Madison Group, Heath spent four years at Citi in Investment Banking. Heath is most passionate about supporting JOIN's Literacy project.
Moti Iluz
Thomas Isaacs
Thomas is currently a management consultant at Boston Consultant Group (BCG) in their NYC office. Prior to BCG, Thomas was a management consultant at PwC, advising private equity and corporate clients through mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Thomas received a BS in Business Administration from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University. Thomas was born in Sydney, Australia, grew up in Las Vegas, NV, and currently resides in downtown Manhattan. Thomas is most passionate about supporting JOIN's Hot Lunch project.
Brien Klein
Adam Koeppel
Adam was born and raised in New York City and has lived there ever since graduating college in 2019. Adam graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Public Policy and a minor in Social Entrepreneurship. Adam currently works at J.P. Morgan, where he is responsible for the due diligence and manager selection of private equity, credit and real estate fund investments.Adam is most passionate about supporting JOIN's Big Brother project.
Aryeh Rephun
Aryeh Rephun is the CEO and founder of Aryeh & Co, a bespoke diamond jewelry company renowned for its craftsmanship and personalized service. Under his leadership, Aryeh & Co has become a trusted name within the Jewish community in the tri-state area. Aryeh's background includes a strong foundation in both religious and secular studies, having attended Yeshivat Mevaseret Zion in Israel and Queens College in Queens, New York. His unique blend of cultural knowledge and business acumen has helped him build a company that caters specifically to the needs and preferences of his clientele.
Aryeh’s involvement with the Young Leadership Board reflects his dedication to advocating for Israel and building a vibrant, inclusive future for the Jewish people worldwide. Aryeh is passionate about JOIN Israel's project, JOIN Big Brother.
Melissa Sussman
Melissa Sussman, DO, MPH is currently a Family Medicine Resident Physician at Mount Sinai South Nassau. Melissa attended osteopathic medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), where she had the opportunity to spend time working in private and public hospitals and villages in Mumbai, India. She also spent a research year working at The Dr. Oz Show as a Medical Student Researcher from 2020-2021 where she covered breaking COVID-19 news, provided medical research for health, public health, and nutrition topics as well as participated in live segments on the show. Melissa has a recently published paper in the Hindawi Journal of Case Reports in Psychiatry and is currently working on manuscripts in Dermatology, and Lifestyle Medicine. Melissa graduated with a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she studied Theater and Psychology.
Following college, Melissa performed in Off-Broadway shows and commercials in NYC and also had a background in breast cancer research at the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. Melissa transitioned her career back into the field of science by working as a Head Biotech Analyst at Actin Biomed, an Orphan Disease therapeutics investment firm. This job inspired Melissa to learn more about the FDA, regulatory process, policy and public health. Melissa then obtained her Masters of Public Health at the CUNY School of Public Health prior to medical school. Melissa is thrilled to be joining an organization which focuses on helping those in need in Israel.
Zachary Tanenbaum
Zachary Tanenbaum is a dynamic entrepreneur, currently running his own startup specializing in automated integration testing and managing a hedge fund focused on trading biotech stocks. With a rich background, he has previously worked at tech giants like Google and Amazon, as well as Forex and crypto hedge funds. He holds a Master’s degree with a focus on AI/ML and an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. Zachary is passionate about continuous learning and values education highly.
Liora Zaidner
Liora was raised in Jerusalem, did national service at Nefesh B’Nefesh and then a Bachelors in Computer Science at Bar Ilan University. Liora started working at Google as a student and relocated to New York City.