Funding Panel
Nelson France
Nelson France has worked in nonprofit management for nine years. Nelson serves as Director of National Initiatives with Jewish National Fund (JNF), and recently served as Director of Campus and High School Affairs. Prior to joining JNF, he worked in key management roles with Israel on Campus Coalition. A native of New York City, Nelson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and a Master of Public Administration degree from West Virginia University.
Cindy Rogoway
In May 2014, Cindy Rogoway became the new Executive Director of Hebrew Free Loan, the first woman to assume this role since the agency was founded in 1897.
For the past 30 years, Cindy has worked in fundraising and non-profit management within the San Francisco Jewish community. She joined Hebrew Free Loan in 2003 when she was hired as the agency’s first Development Director. In that capacity, she managed both fundraising and marketing activities for the agency, expanding Hebrew Free Loan’s reach into the community so that more people could have the opportunity to become self-sufficient and realize their dreams.
Josh Dubell
Josh Dubell is currently the Regional Director for Masa Israel Journey in the UK, Netherlands and Scandinavia and is also the Head of Young Adult Engagement at UJIA. He has previously worked in the Jewish community for 12 years. He has worked on the Birthright Israel programme. He was also a Regional and Education Director the Union for Reform Judaism in Toronto, Alyth Synagogue Communications Manager and was a movement workers for RSY & LJY-Netzer. He is a proud alum of Shnat Netzer Gap Year programme and was a madrich for Israel Tour and three Birthright groups.
Counselors Panel
Phyllis Folb, Moderator
Phyllis Folb is the Founder/Executive Director of the American Israel Gap Year Association, and author of the Find Your Right Direction: The Israel Gap Year Guide. Ms Folb has 30 years of professional experience in the Jewish community. Since founding AIGYA in 2013, she has dedicated herself to advocating for the Israel Gap Year as a post-secondary educational necessity across the denominational spectrum. She is committed to finding the right direction for students’ Gap Year in Israel through counseling and Gap Year events that will bring them closer to this life changing experience.
Laura Miller
Laura Miller has been a College Guidance Director for 21 years. She currently serves as the Director of College Counseling at The Leffell School (formerly Solomon Schechter School of Westchester) in Hartsdale, New York since 2018, and prior to her tenure at Leffell, headed the College Counseling departments at The Frisch School in northern New Jersey, the North Shore Hebrew Academy High School in Long Island, and the Out-of-Door Academy in South Florida. Laura is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (majoring in English as an undergraduate student, and social work as a graduate student), where she served as an alumni interviewer on behalf of Penn's Secondary School Committee (what inspired her to enter the field of college counseling).
Cari Cohen
Cari Cohen, currently a college counselor in private practice and former Associate Director of College Counseling at SAR High School, in Riverdale, NY.
Shira Hershoff
Shira Hershoff, Director of Hebrew Guidance at YULA Girls School Los Angeles. She taught at 3 seminaries before moving from Israel to take her position at YULA which she has held for 20 years.
Rafi Joseph
Rafi Joseph, 6th Form (16-18 year olds) Jewish Studies Coordinator, JFS (Jewish Free School) in London, the largest Jewish day school in Europe.
Parents Panel
Jim Rosenberg
Jim Rosenberg has been with JUF since 2000, holding a variety of key leadership positions, culminating in his becoming Chief of Staff in 2012. In this role, Jim works with the President, senior staff and volunteer leadership on alignment, strategic direction, project management and organizational health, while also working to build a strong culture and experience for the employees of JUF.
Previously, Jim served as JUF’s Vice President, Financial Resource Development, overseeing multiple aspects of the Annual Campaign and supplemental giving. He has spent considerable time focused on understanding donors and designing paradigms for donor engagement. Before coming to JUF, Jim worked at the Jewish Federations in Cleveland and Detroit.
Marni Heller
Marni Heller is the Director of Engagement at Jewish National Fund and is a parent of an alum from Bar Illan XP
Debi Damesek
Debi Damesek is a parent of a participant on Frontier Israel.
Jonny Ritz
Jonny Ritz is a parent of an alum from World Bnei Akiva.
Alumni Panel
Barri Miller
Barri Miller goes to Temple University and participated in Aardvark Israel.
Nicole Brinkman
Nicole Brinkman is originally from Los Altos, California and is currently a student at Boston University studying Hospitality administration. She participated in Aardvark Israel 2018-2019. She is now a Masa Intern.
Samuel Berg
Samuel Berg is a Masa Intern and currently, a freshman studying business management at Temple University in Philly. He loved Israel and last year he went on USCJ’s Nativ gap year program.
Leeor Savin
Leeor Savin is currently attending Yeshiva University, class of 2023- and he participated in Bar Ilan XP.
