LFT Program Facilitators
Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT) is American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) education and advocacy program for teens, which empowers young Jews to speak up for Israel and the Jewish people. The LFT program is taught by AJC staff professionals who receive extensive educational and facilitation training. Below you will find a full roster of AJC's LFT facilitators and staff. For questions about the LFT program, please email LFT@ajc.org.
Atlanta
Camellia Heart-Katz is the AYL Alexander Associate for AJC Atlanta. Camellia earned a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs from the University of Georgia and a Master's of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. Camellia began her clinical social work career working as a therapist in community mental health and substance use, went on to become the intake coordinator at a methadone clinic, and finally, worked with families in need in a NICU. Camellia decided to transition to the Jewish non-profit world after October 7th. She is the daughter of Israeli immigrants, a proud Sephardic Jew and Zionist. She is driven by her passion for human rights, democracy, and love for people.
Tamara Kaplin is a Senior Associate of Young Leadership for AJC Atlanta. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design with a minor in Media Creative Advertising from Indiana University. With a foundation in creativity and design thinking, Tamara brings a unique perspective to leadership development and community engagement. During her time at Indiana University, Tamara was an active member of Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority and the Indiana University Dance Marathon. She spent many summers as a camp counselor, where she discovered her passion for mentoring young people and cultivating future leaders. Drawing from her diverse experiences, Tamara is committed to building inclusive, impactful programming that inspires the next generation of changemakers.
Chicago
Yogev Ben-Yitschak is a Consultant with CCS Fundraising, a firm that partners with nonprofits to drive transformational change and fundraising strategy. In this role, he assists mission-driven organizations in expanding their impact through strategic planning, fundraising, and community engagement. Before joining CCS, Yogev worked at the Jewish United Fund, where he developed leadership programs for college students that focused on Jewish identity, community building, and civic responsibility. He holds a degree in business from the University of Wisconsin. Originally from Avtalion, Israel, Yogev grew up in Milwaukee and now lives in Chicago. In his free time, he volunteers at a local food pantry, plays soccer, and bikes on the Lakefront Trail.
Detroit
Amy Sapeika is the Community Director for AJC Detroit, bringing experience in Jewish communal leadership, law, communications, and politics to her advocacy for the Jewish community and Israel. She previously worked as a commercial litigation attorney and as Director of Communications at Hillel Day School. An active volunteer leader, Amy has served with Hadassah as part of the inaugural Evolve Leadership Fellows, contributed to its national Branding Committee, and held the role of Marketing Vice President for the Greater Detroit Region. She holds a J.D. from Wayne State University Law School, where she was President of the Jewish Law Student Organization, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan.
Renee Liberman is a dedicated Jewish educator and community leader in Metro Detroit, with over 15 years of experience in the classroom. She currently teaches middle school English and Jewish Literature at Hillel Day School, where she explores important topics including Zionism, antisemitism, and Jewish identity. Renee is a fierce advocate for Israel, having recently participated in the March for Israel in Washington, D.C. Her leadership has been recognized with honors, including being named a 2022 Detroit Jewish News “36 Under 36” honoree and serving as a JDC Entwine Community Representative in 2020. She is passionate about empowering teens to have meaningful conversations and become strong voices for the Jewish people.
Kansas City
Rachel Kaseff is the Education and Programs Coordinator at JCRB/AJC Kansas City. She earned her B.A. in Religious Studies with a minor in Judaic Studies from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. Her senior thesis explored the intersection of religion and politics in America. Before starting with JCRB/AJC in March of 2024, Rachel was a preschool teacher at Rhyme and Reason Preschool of the Arts in Brookside.
Alexa Summers is a professor of web development based in Overland Park, Kansas. She holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree in computer science from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, as well as a graduate certificate in college teaching and career preparation. She also earned an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in Digital Leadership from Fort Hays State University. Alexa has served for several years as a madricha (trip leader) for Taglit-Birthright Israel, guiding young adults in exploring their connection to Israel and Judaism. In addition to leading trips, she has contributed to various initiatives with Birthright and is a proud alumna of the Birthright Israel Fellowship. She participated in the Birthright Educators Forum Cohort in Israel following October 7th, and has attended numerous professional development opportunities in Jewish education throughout the U.S. and Israel. Her work blends a passion for teaching, Jewish identity, and meaningful cross-cultural connections.
Los Angeles
Noah Schlossberg is the Alexander Assistant Director of AJC Los Angeles. In this role, Schlossberg oversees programming and recruitment for LFT in L.A. as well as AJC’s young professional group, ACCESS. Schlossberg graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.A. in Family and Human Services, with a focus on social-emotional and outdoor education. During his undergraduate studies, Schlossberg served as the BBYO City Director of Eugene for two years, in addition to being an active member of the AEPI fraternity. Schlossberg currently resides in Los Angeles but remains a loyal fan of the Oregon Ducks.
Alissa Bernstein is the Assistant Director of AJC Los Angeles, where she oversees the region's political outreach, legislative advocacy, and interfaith and intergroup coalition building. In her role, she is responsible for deepening and expanding the office's political relationships at the local, State, and federal levels, and supporting ordinances that protect and empower the Jewish community and Israel. Alissa is also responsible for building coalitions with other cultural and religious groups in the region, including the Black, Latino, AAPI, LGBTQ+, and Indian communities, among others. Alissa is also a contributing author to the Z3 Project’s book, Young Zionist Voices. She is passionate about combating antisemitism at home and abroad through education, policy, and fostering long-term relationships.
Long Island
Ira Glasser is the AJC Director of K-12 Education Strategy, New York. Ira comes to AJC after an extensive career in Jewish educational leadership, most recently serving as the CEO of Hillel at Binghamton. Previously, he was the Director of Jewish Life and Learning at the Rodeph Sholom School in New York City, where he also taught middle school history and Jewish Studies. He has published and presented at national conferences on Israel and Jewish education. Ira has planned and led over 25 transformative Israel experiences throughout his career, including the capstone 8th-grade Israel trip at Rodeph Sholom School, JNF’s Alternative Spring Break, and Taglit-Birthright Israel. Ira holds a Master’s Degree in Adolescent Education with a focus on Social Studies from Hunter College and is a graduate of the iCenter Graduate Program in Israel Education at George Washington University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Judaic Studies from Binghamton University. He resides on Long Island with his family and holds a license as a New York City sightseeing guide.
Daniel Small is a Senior Associate for AJC Long Island. In his role, Small strengthens and builds relationships with community leaders and elected officials. He has extensive experience in government and politics, having previously served as Chief of Staff to a Nassau County Legislator. Small holds a B.A. in U.S. History from the University at Albany and an M.A. in Urban Affairs from Queens College. Additionally, Small volunteered as the Financial Secretary for the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America in Forest Hills, NY. As a native New Yorker who grew up in Queens and on Long Island, Small is a lifelong Mets fan who, in his free time, enjoys hiking and running.
Miami
Maia Kofman is a Senior Associate of Young Leadership for AJC Miami. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2022 with her Bachelor of Science in Animal Biology. Throughout her time at UF, Maia was very involved with the Hillel on campus, having been given the opportunity to spend two months in Israel through Birthright and Onward. Her pro-Israel involvement on campus led to her being invited as one of five pro-Israel student leaders on Fact Finders, a mission trip designed to take non-Jewish student leaders to Israel to better understand the Israel/Palestine conflict. When Maia graduated, she decided to pursue further studies at NYU to earn her master’s degree. While at NYU, she encountered an unprecedented amount of antisemitism that only got worse post-October 7th. Her experiences at UF and NYU led her to follow a career in her passion for Jewish activism and creating pro-Israel sentiment.
Joseph Levy is an educator, builder, entrepreneur, and community organizer who loves engineering solutions to complex problems that impact communities. Born in Miami to a Colombian family, he studied Industrial Engineering at Georgia Tech and later earned an M.S. in Analytics. Since 2017, he has developed scheduling and optimization models for sports tournaments, utilities, universities, manufacturers, and warehouses, and created a platform that helps summer camps across North America design unforgettable Summers. For the past eight years, Joseph has led leadership programs in an international youth movement, frequently speaking about leadership, group dynamics, and experiential education. During the school year, he teaches AP Statistics in Aventura, FL, where his classroom doubles as a lab for creative learning. Joseph is excited to help bring LFT to the David Posnack JCC, an organization with which he has been working for nearly a decade.
New England
Aaron Gordon is a Senior Associate of Operations and Education Development for AJC New England. He has worked at AJC since 2021 and has facilitated the Leaders for Tomorrow program since he started. In his current role, he manages regional events, educational programming, and office operations. Aaron holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies from Brandeis University and is passionate about Jewish education and developing the next generation of Jewish leaders.
Coree Dovev is an Alexander Assistant Director for AJC New England. In her role, she facilitates LFT and manages Young Leadership initiatives, including the ACCESS program. Before joining AJC, Coree worked as a Special Education teacher in both California and Massachusetts. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Master’s Degree in Education. Coree lives in Marblehead with her husband, two children, and their Yorkshire Terrier, Milly. She enjoys spending time at the beach with her family.
San Diego
Kelsey Greenberg Young has been dedicated to combating antisemitism and bias since 2016. As Education Director for ADL San Diego, she partnered with parents and educators to challenge prejudice and bullying in schools through interactive programming, school-wide initiatives, and student mentorship. Since 2022, she has focused on creating and facilitating activities that empower students and educators to stand up to antisemitism, including co-facilitating AJC San Diego’s first Leaders for Tomorrow cohort in 2024–2025. Kelsey holds a B.A. in Communication from UC Santa Barbara and previously managed community and project work for San Diego-based mobile app companies. A proud patrilineal Jew, she is passionate about celebrating Jewish diversity, welcoming interfaith families, and approaching antisemitism education through an anti-bias lens. She recharges by teaching and practicing yoga, hiking with her husband and dog, and reading as many books as possible.
Sara E. Brown, Ph.D., is a non-profit executive, educator, and leading expert on genocide studies. She earned the first Ph.D. in comparative genocide studies from the Strassler Center at Clark University and has led and advised organizations including the USC Shoah Foundation, the United Nations, Aegis Trust, and Common Circles. Sara’s career spans academia, research, and humanitarian work, with experience in Israel, Rwanda, and refugee camps in Tanzania. She has taught courses on history, human rights, and mass violence at San Diego State University, Kean University, and Worcester State University, and her writing has been widely published in academic journals and major news outlets. She is the author of Gender and the Genocide in Rwanda: Women as Perpetrators and Rescuers and co-editor of the Routledge Handbook on Religion, Mass Atrocity, and Genocide.
Washington, D.C.
Emily Jacobson is an Alexander Assistant Director for the Washington, D.C. regional office. In her role, she manages the region's young professionals’ network, ACCESS, in addition to facilitating LFT. Currently, she is working on growing ACCESS D.C.’s already thriving community and fostering future advocates through programming that reflects AJC’s mission. She received her Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs with a minor in Spanish from Indiana University in 2018 and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in International Affairs at American University, with a focus on Global Governance, Politics, and Security.
Daniel Rosenthal, Ph.D., is the Assistant Director of Academic Affairs at AJC’s Center for Education Advocacy and a facilitator for the Washington, D.C. Leaders for Tomorrow program. He previously chaired the Jewish History Department at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, where he also helped lead the Center for Excellence and Engagement in Jewish History. Daniel has taught at Western University, the University of Haifa, where he held a postdoctoral fellowship, and the University of Toronto, where he earned his Ph.D. in History with a focus on Polish-Jewish society after World War I. His scholarship includes publications on Jewish identity and responses to suicide in interwar Eastern Europe, and he has worked as a curatorial intern at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Westchester/Fairfield
Derek Grossman is the Assistant Development Director of AJC Westchester/Fairfield, where he works to grow AJC’s fundraising efforts and impact on the Jewish community. Previously, Derek worked in development roles for the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. He has a Master’s degree from Colorado State University and a Bachelor’s from The Ohio State University (Go Bucks!). Derek lives in White Plains with his wife and is an avid runner, sports fan, and environmentalist. He serves on the board of directors for Hillel at Baruch College.
Lauren Hollander is the Office Coordinator at AJC Westchester/Fairfield and is thrilled to begin her first year as a LFT Facilitator. She graduated from Binghamton University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Judaic Studies. During her time at Binghamton, Lauren was deeply involved in Jewish campus life, serving as President of Hillel in her senior year. She was also a group leader for Hillel's Perspectives Interfaith Trip to Israel, which aimed to educate students about the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Following graduation, Lauren became the Director of Teen Programming at Temple Shaaray Tefila of Northern Westchester, where she led two advocacy trips to Washington, D.C. in partnership with the Religious Action Center. Passionate about community engagement and leadership development, Lauren is excited to bring her experience and enthusiasm to the LFT program and to be part of the AJC community.
The Sophie and Bernard Gould LFT Program in New York City
Hannah Vorchheimer is a Senior Associate in AJC’s Center for Education Advocacy, where she spearheads program development and implementation, including in-person summits and virtual programs, to ensure educational institutions understand Jews and Jewish identity and refuse to normalize antisemitism in any form. Hannah also supports Dr. Laura Shaw Frank, CEA’s National Director, as well as the teams addressing academic, campus, and K-12 affairs. Born and raised in New York City, Hannah graduated from Barnard College with a B.A. in Religion and Jewish Studies, as well as a minor in Middle Eastern Studies/Arabic Language. Prior to attending university, she studied for a year at the Stella K. Abraham Beit Midrash for Women in Migdal Oz, Israel.
Molly Pritchett is a Development Coordinator for AJC New York. In her role, Molly works on expanding our outreach to lay leaders to engage them in AJC's priorities, which include combating antisemitism, securing Israel's place in the world, and promoting diplomatic values and human rights. This includes monitoring the numbers of the New York campaign and planning interesting events throughout New York City. Molly has also worked part-time with the Diller Teen Fellows Program at the Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest for the past two years and is excited to bring her experience in teenage Jewish enrichment to the Gould LFT program. Molly is originally from Scotch Plains, New Jersey, and graduated from the University of Delaware in 2022, where she studied International Relations with a regional focus in the Middle East, as well as Arabic and Spanish. In her free time, you can find her scuba diving, experimenting with new recipes, trying new restaurants around the city, and planning her next trip to a new country.
National Virtual Cohort
Ben Goodman is a Senior Associate for AJC’s Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs (BILLA) in Washington, D.C. Responsible for the operational management of BILLA’s international missions, D.C.-based programs, and BILLA’s annual Strategic Forum, Ben also advances BILLA’s engagement with emerging leaders, both domestically to strengthen Latino-Jewish relations and globally to cultivate the next generation of Ibero-American Jewish advocates. Before joining BILLA as a Program Coordinator in 2022, he analyzed demographic datasets at the employment law firm NT Lakis LLP. Ben holds a B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he majored in International Political Economy, minored in Spanish, and grew his passion for Jewish advocacy as President of Georgetown Israel Alliance. Though he loves to travel, Ben proudly defends his New Jersey origin story while playing tennis and watching nearly every sport on the planet.
LFT Administration
Aaron Bregman is AJC’s Director of High School Affairs. At AJC, he oversees the Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT) program, empowering Jewish teens to advocate for Israel and combat antisemitism. Previously, he taught Jewish history at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, where he chaired the department, co-founded the Center for Excellence in Jewish History, and led initiatives promoting Israel engagement. Aaron also trains educators nationwide and frequently presents on Jewish identity and advocacy through AJC's Center for Education Advocacy (CEA). His educational philosophy blends historical depth with a strong commitment to student identity, belonging, and advocacy. He holds a B.A. in History with concentrations in American foreign policy and Jewish studies, an M.A.T. in Secondary Education from American University, and a Post-Master’s Certificate in Educational Leadership from The George Washington University. Originally from Boston, he lives in Washington, D.C., with his family.
Corey Minkoff is a Senior Associate of AJC High School Affairs. In his role, he supports the department in developing the LFT curriculum, leading training sessions and seminars for local high school students and faculty, and assisting regional offices with recruitment for high school leadership programs. Before working in High School Affairs, he served as the Alexander Associate for AJC Chicago, managing the regional ACCESS chapter, AJC's young professional division, and facilitating the Chicago LFT cohort. Before joining AJC, Corey worked for two years at Hillel at the University of Vermont as a Springboard Innovation Fellow, where he designed programming to enhance Jewish life and strengthen Jewish community on campus. He is a passionate advocate for the value of experiential education and the benefits of people-centered, creative problem-solving. Corey holds dual bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Journalism from the University of Kansas and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Education from George Washington University.
