Presenters

During the daytime, Yulie’s solves puzzles of the complex healthcare ecosystem, helping health tech companies crystalize product/market fit and develop a go-to-market strategy for their innovative solutions. Her career has allowed her to live around the globe and work for both start-up and multinational companies. She now calls San Francisco home. She is a devoted wine enthusiast, educator, and Israeli Wine Ambassador at any other time of her life. She organizes wine tastings, composes wine pairings for sophisticated dinners, and gives wine talks. Her favored Sunday afternoon activity – a blind wine tasting with friends.

Alex Rozenfeld is the founder and managing partner of Freshwater Investments, a California-based private equity real estate investment firm. Founded in 2015, Freshwater Investments has established a real estate portfolio of $225M and raised over $95M from private investors. Alex is an experienced Real Estate and Finance professional with more than 17 years in the field. Prior to founding Freshwater Investments, Alex managed the annual financial planning process for multiple business units at Ubisoft Inc., a multinational entertainment company. He currently serves on the finance committee at the Jewish Federation of San Francisco and is an active AIPAC member.

His prior communal experience includes serving on the board of the Jewish home of San Francisco, completing the Jewish Leadership program for Young Adults, and serving as a member at large at Jewish Community Relations Council. Alex lives in Redwood City with his wife and three kids. He loves being in nature and is passionate about hiking, playing tennis, and traveling. 

Gera Sandler is an actor, stage director, writer, composer, voice talent, and TV personality. He was born in the Soviet Union in 1973 and raised in Israel, where he graduated from the School of Performing Arts “Beit Zvi” in 1997.

He performed in the Gesher Theatre in Don Juan by Molar and The Last Devil by Isaac Bashevis Singer. In addition, for 15 years, he has been one of the leading actors in the Yiddishpil Theatre in Israel. His prominent roles included: Nathan Rothschild in the American musical “The Rothschilds”, Hershel in “Simple Story” by Agnon, and “The Magician of Lublin” by Bashevis Singer. In the USA, he played in Covers, Knock, and Old New Year by Lost & Found Project. He is one of the lead members of the New Yiddish Rep Theatre. As a stage director, Mr. Sandler directed numerous productions, including operas, original (Old New Year) and classic (The Labor of Life & The Whore From Ohio by Hanoch Levin) dramatic plays, and kids shows.

Gera has appeared in over 30 movies and series in Israel, Russia, France, Germany, and Poland, including “Jellyfish” (winner of three awards at Cannes Film Festival) and “A Tale of Love and Darkness” directed by Natalie Portman. He played in more than 15 Israeli TV series, including in 5 season sitcom “Eighties.” He took part in American productions such as “Who will write Our History” by Roberta Grossman, “MINYAN” by Eric Steel, “A Holy Woman” by Emily Cheeger, and acclaimed Netflix series “UNORTHODOX”.

Gera is also an accomplished Russian / Hebrew voice-over talent. He is famous for portraying Bloo’s character in the Russian version of Cartoon Network series “Foster House for Imaginary Friends” and Dracula’s part in the Hebrew version of Adam Sandler’s acclaimed Columbia Pictures cartoon production “Hotel Transylvania”.

Rabbi Joey Felsen, Founder and Executive Director of the Jewish Study Network, hails from Toronto, Canada. Rabbi Felsen teaches classes at the JCCs in Palo Alto and Los Gatos, as well as a host of other venues. He is a regular columnist in the JWeekly of northern California. He is the founding Board President of Meira Academy and a recipient of the prestigious Grinspoon-Steinhardt National Award for Excellence in Jewish Education.

She has been performing theatre, film, and television for over 17 years. From Israel to New York. From Hebrew to English to Yiddish. From straight plays to clown shows to musicals to “Unorthodox.” Her experience with “Unorthodox” has been one of the most exhilarating and fulfilling experiences not only because of the richness of the material and the cast but also because of the inspiring women she got to work with. Ronit is involved in a number of projects and is happy to return to acting. 

Dorian is the founder of Body Vision Medical, a pioneer in the field of intra-body navigation. A medical device entrepreneur with over 18 patents that are used in commercial products, he is well known for his technical excellence and ability to propose simple, durable solutions to complex problems. Dorian served as Chief Technical Leader and Vice President of R&D at superDimension in the four years preceding its acquisition by Covidien. He has been recognized for his ability to build and develop highly motivated teams across the globe, capable of delivering products on time to complete customer satisfaction. Dorian holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Technion.

Before becoming a rabbi, Serena worked as a lawyer in the field of child welfare, including in the Bronx, in Oakland, and in west Africa.

She lived in Israel for several years and has five sons, ages 18-36.

Tova Birnbaum is the Director of Jewish Content at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto. She was born in B’nai B’rak in an ultra-Orthodox home and was one of the founders of the BINA Secular Yeshiva in Tel Aviv. Tova recently served as the Central Shlicha (emissary), and Director of the North America Region of the World Zionist Organization. She is a teacher of Talmudic Rabbinic Literature, a Judaic studies lecturer and a Theater Midrash workshop facilitator. She is also a Secular Jewish life cycle ceremonies officiant. Tova is an actress and a Jewish performance artist. She is an alumna of the inaugural cohort of the Mandel Executive Leadership Program, holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Jewish philosophy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a master’s degree in theater from Tel Aviv University. She lives in Palo Alto with her husband and daughter.

Eugene emigrated to California from St. Petersburg, Russia in 1999 after getting his MS in Mathematics from St. Petersburg State University. He worked for Facebook as a software engineer. Eugene is also actively involved with the Jewish community in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Lea Grossman is Vice President of Sales at Pyrus, a low code process automation software company, and the mother of five children: four girls and one boy. Lea was born in Israel and lived in Ohio, Georgia, and New Jersey. She earned her Masters in Business Administration from Kennesaw State University, near her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. She and her husband, Rabbi Dovy Grossman, relocated to the Bay Area five years ago to join the Jewish Study Network, where her husband is an educator. When not working or mommying, Lea serves on her children’s school board and volunteers as a speaker at the JSN. As a mother of four daughters, Lea believes that it is imperative for Jewish women to understand their unique role and power.

Shlomi Kofman began his appointment as Israel’s Consul General to the Pacific Northwest in August 2017. Over the course of his 20-year diplomatic career, Kofman has served as Israel’s Deputy Consul General in New York City, Chief of Staff to Ambassadors in Washington D.C., Deputy Ambassador in Thailand, and Deputy Consul General in Shanghai. His past domestic Foreign Ministry positions include: Director of North American Economic Affairs, Policy Advisor to the Deputy Foreign Minister, Diplomatic Advisor & Director of the International Department in the Parliament and Ministry of National Infrastructure, and the Head of the Northeast Asia sector. Prior to joining the Foreign Ministry, Kofman worked in the hi-tech industry representing the Israeli company Orbot in South Korea, as well as serving as a consultant to a leading Israeli company, ECI. Kofman holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations & East Asian studies from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a Master’s from Webster University – Shanghai University of Finance & Economics. He also holds an Associate’s engineering degree. Shlomi was born in Tbilisi, the capital of the Soviet Republic of Georgia and made aliya to Israel at the age of nine, after being refused an exit visa for three years by Russian authorities. He has been married for 20 years to Sharon and they have two children, Emma and Jonathan.

Masha Rumer is an award-winning journalist, freelance writer, and communications professional. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Moscow Times, Kveller, and elsewhere. Her nonfiction book, Parenting with an Accent: How Immigrants Honor Their Heritage, Navigate Setbacks, and Chart New Paths for Their Children, will be published this fall by Beacon Press/distributed by Penguin Random House. Combining research with interviews and personal stories, the book explores the many ways multicultural families tackle bilingualism, child-rearing traditions, acculturation, and more. Born in Leningrad, Russia, Masha holds graduate degrees from CUNY Graduate Center and Georgetown University. She currently lives in California with her family.