Aba Claman

Aba, together with his wife Pamela, founded Thank Israeli Soldiers, an NGO dedicated to educating, supporting, and empowering Israel’s soldiers. Claman’s experience led him to focus on the importance of assisting soldiers to successfully transition to civilian life on their discharge from the IDF.  An attorney, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Claman is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife Pamela and regularly hosts dozens of soldiers and guests for Shabbat meals.

Pamela Claman

Pamela is co-founder and leader of Thank Israeli Soldiers where she oversees programs dedicated to embracing, empowering, and educating IDF soldiers. Thank Israeli Soldiers reaches tens of thousands of soldiers a year to strengthen their connection to the land, their history, and values, shower them with gratitude, and give them the tools they need for a smooth transition to civilian life. Pamela, together with her husband Aba, regularly open their Jerusalem home to groups of soldiers and to Jews from around the world. The Claman’s Shabbat table is a place of unity, often complete with families visiting Israel for the first time, lone soldiers who are serving in the IDF far from their homes and families, long-time friends, diplomats, and government officials, and more! Pamela has been a dedicated supporter and treasured advisor of Momentum (formerly JWRP) for many years, which led to the creation of “The Pamela Claman Award” which is presented to an “international role model who has significantly impacted the Jewish world with inspired leadership.” 

Karen W. Davidson

Karen Davidson is a dedicated community leader and philanthropist working in metropolitan Detroit and the State of Israel. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the William Davidson Foundation, a private family foundation established by her late husband William “Bill” Davidson to advance for future generations the economic, cultural, and civic vitality of Southeastern Michigan, the State of Israel, and the Jewish community. Karen also serves as the chair of the Foundation’s Executive Committee. In addition to her work at the Foundation, Karen serves as a board member of several renowned philanthropic organizations including the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Start-up Nation Central. She is also a member of the University of Michigan’s President’s Advisory Group and is a supporter of both the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower at Hadassah Hospital and the Israel Antiquities Authority. Karen is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has an honorary degree from the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Karen is the widow of William ‘Bill’ Davidson, former President and CEO of Guardian Industries and former owner of the Detroit Pistons. She has three children and two stepchildren and is a proud grandmother of nine grandchildren.

Deborah Hochberg 

Debbie is an accomplished philanthropist and nonprofit professional who has guided Momentum’s mission since joining our board in December 2021 and has spearheaded our partnership work. We could not be more excited to announce her as Momentum’s board president-elect. A senior advisor at The Paul E. Singer Foundation, Debbie works with organizations and partners seeking to increase their impact. Debbie also serves on the boards of The Harold Grinspoon Foundation, OneTable, and the Jewish Food Society.

Prior to her nonprofit roles, Debbie served as Director of Investor Relations for Multex, Inc., where she built investor relationships and ran corporate strategy. She began her career at Merrill Lynch & Co. Debbie holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB in biology from Harvard College. She lives in Westchester County, New York, with Ben, her husband of 20 years, and their three children.

Michelle Leader

Michelle is an active volunteer in many Jewish and Israel-related causes. She previously worked as a registered nurse in the neonatal unit of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Michelle has served on many schools, synagogues, and Jewish organizational boards.

Michelle lives in the Washington, D.C. area. She has two children.

Andrea Mail

Andrea serves on multiple nonprofit boards and is a certified life coach. She previously served as Executive Director for the British Friends of Hebrew University. Andrea was a Rotary International Ambassadorial Fellow to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and then worked for the American Zionist Youth Foundation in New York City. Andrea received a bachelor’s degree in social anthropology from Harvard University, and a master’s degree in religious education from the University of London and the Leo Baeck Center for Jewish Education. She also studied at the Pardes Institute and was a Wexner Fellow at Hebrew Union College. Andrea lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband and three daughters. She grew up in a Reform Jewish home where Jewish values and Hakarat HaTov were modeled and embedded into every day. 

Steven Mail 

Steven is an independent investment management professional who was born in Scotland but grew up in London and Paris and now lives in Jacksonville, Florida. Was a Bond trader and became a Global Macro Hedge Fund Manager and Venture Capitalist. After growing up in a small orthodox community in Glasgow, he had both reform and orthodox weddings and now belongs to a conservative synagogue and considers himself “a little bit of everything.” Jewish family was very close and very involved in the community. Steven is currently the President of Florida Elite Soccer Academy. Steven & Andrea have three daughters. 

Andrea Dan-Hytman 

Andrea Dan-Hytman is the President of ADH Investments in Toronto and also co-owns Viventia Biotech Incorporated. Andrea’s father, Leslie Dan, got her into philanthropy at a young age and she continues his legacy through the Dan-Hytman Family Foundation. Andrea is a strong believer in Aish HaTorah, which she supports both locally in Toronto and internationally.  Andrea and her husband Stuart live in Toronto where they raised their 3 children. She has gone on two Momentum trips.

Manette Mayberg

Manette’s passions are her family and philanthropy. When asked if she works, she answers, “I invest in the Jewish people,” which has been the case since she traded working for a salary to volunteering her time for fulfillment 20 years ago. Mrs. Mayberg serves as a Trustee of the Mayberg Foundation, and in this capacity, she founded the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) in 2012 and MyZuzah in 2017. She is also a co-founder of Momentum (formerly Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project) and conceived and developed the annual Shalva Celebrity Chef event over a decade ago. Mrs. Mayberg is a national vice president of the Orthodox Union, and she serves on the Mosaic United Steering Committee. Mrs. Mayberg also sits on the executive committee of the Berman Hebrew Academy. As a thought leader in the Jewish philanthropic sector, Mrs. Mayberg has authored opinion pieces on Israel and Jewish education, published in eJewish Philanthropy, Washington Jewish Week, and Aish.com.

Jeanie Milbauer

A Momentum Founding President and former board member, Jeanie is a social entrepreneur and political activist. Along with her business ventures, including a soon-to-be-launched new endeavor, Jeanie has invested in women as a trustee of the Tikkun Olam Women’s Foundation, a women's impact fund investing in social change for women and girls. She helped launch Aura, a Washington, D.C. women’s networking group that connects Jewish women professionals to their heritage and to each other, and the new Women’s Impact Network of JWI. Jeanie sits on the board of trustees of Hillel at Cornell University and is an active participant at the university in other capacities, as well as a proud board member of Maccabi, USA and Women's Philanthropy at the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. She serves as trustee and advisor to organizations with national and global reach including The Hope for Henry Foundation, Kakenya’s Dream, and The Witness Institute, a leadership training program based on the teachings of Eli Weisel. A lawyer by training, but a creative at heart, the role she is most proud of is mother of Samantha, Bryan, and Ally. She is married to Bill Knapp. They live in Washington, DC. 

David Zalik

David is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GreenSky, which he founded in 2006. David works intimately with the Company’s product development team to drive innovation and strengthen GreenSky’s value proposition to its growing ecosystem of merchants, consumers, and bank partners. A serial entrepreneur, he built his first company, MicroTech Information Systems, at the age of fourteen while attending college at Auburn University. He was the recipient of the 2016 Ernst & Young National Financial Services Entrepreneur of the Year Award and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Businessweek, and Forbes. He’s served on the boards of a number of closely-held companies, along with not-for-profit organizations in the metro Atlanta area. David was born in Be’er Sheva, Israel, and lives in Atlanta with his wife, Helen, and their three daughters.

Helen Zalik

Helen is an attorney, philanthropist, and social entrepreneur who has been involved with Momentum since its early days. Inspired by her own Momentum experience, Helen helped Atlanta, Georgia become one of Momentum’s premier partner cities, making it possible for hundreds of women to experience the MOMentum Year Long Journey, infuse their lives with Jewish values, and take action in their community. Helen serves as president of Momentum’s Board. She is also the President of the Zalik Foundation, a Co-Founder of the Jewish Women’s Connection of Atlanta (JWC), and has served on numerous boards. Helen understands first-hand the enormous value of Jewish community. Born and raised in the Soviet Union, Helen’s family was able to successfully seek asylum, establish new careers, and attend college with help from local Jewish communities in the U.S. She currently lives in Atlanta with her husband and three daughters.

Dennis Berman

Dennis is a Real Estate Investor and joined his father, uncle, and cousin Gary at Berman Enterprises and his first job included property management of the family’s shopping centers, meaning everything from dealing with tenant issues to answering maintenance calls and picking up trash. Dennis’ father and uncle trained him and Gary about the importance of honesty, attention to detail, and maintaining strong connections. That philosophy continues today, employing a conservative strategy that Berman Enterprises acquires and invests with. His Philanthropic nature was inspired by his father when he was twelve years old. Rabbi’s in his community were always coming over to the house, and when Dennis asked his father why, his father told him that they were giving the rabbis tzedakah because, without the family support, Jews would disappear. That has been the anchor behind Dennis’ why and he and his wife continue to support the community through The Dennis Berman Family Foundation.

Louis Mayberg

Louis Mayberg’s career spans over 38 years in the financial services and investment industries. Currently, he is CEO of CyLogic Inc. a cloud computing infrastructure and endpoint protection provider. He is a co-founder and principal of ProShares and ProFunds, Exchange Traded Funds, and Mutual Funds where he served as president. In 1986, he co-founded National Capital Companies, LLC, an investment banking firm where, among other things, he managed its financial services hedge fund. Louis also spent more than a decade working on inner city urban renewal projects helping low-income working families purchase affordable homes.

A trustee of the Mayberg Foundation, Louis is an active community volunteer and philanthropist, serving on international, national, and local boards. Currently, he is a member of Aish Hatorah’s Amutah and Vaad and is Hillel board chair at his alma mater, George Washington University. As an entrepreneurial philanthropist, he counts among his most impactful initiatives Momentum, the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge, and the Mayberg Center for Jewish Education and Leadership.

Shmuel Katz

Dr. Shmuel E. Katz is a general surgeon in North Miami Beach, Florida. Dr. Katz's commitment to the Miami Jewish community is vast and includes many board appointments, pioneering philanthropic donations, as well as involvement in speaking opportunities, authoring publications, and educational films. Dr. Katz is involved with multiple charitable and educational organizations in the USA and in Israel including current and past leadership involvement with organizations like many Miami Jewish Day Schools, FIDF, Open Dor Media, and many more. Dr. Katz and the Katz family have been partners of StandWithUs, an international and non-partisan Israel education organization that inspires and educates people of all ages and backgrounds, challenges misinformation, and fights antisemitism, since its founding. The family funded and launched The Katz Education Center, which “is specially designed as a gathering place and to help visitors answer the question: If you were in a TV studio, faced with tough questions about Israel, could you answer them?”

Evelyn Katz

Evelyn is a passionate advocate for Israel and Judaism in the greater Miami area and throughout the diaspora. She is a dedicated and generous supporter of Jewish causes. Evelyn currently serves or has served on the Board for the Greater Miami Hebrew Academy, Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education, and Friends of the IDF Miami Chapter. She believes a strong, knowledgeable Jewish diaspora is paramount to supporting a Jewish State in the land of Israel. The Evelyn & Dr. Shmuel Katz Education Center is located in the heart of Jerusalem as part of StandWithUs to help connect visitors, tourists, and Jews to Israel. In 2018, Evelyn and Dr. Shmuel both received a Doctorate Honoris Causa from Bar-Ilan University in honor of their dedication to Israel and educating the diaspora. 

Debra Magerman

Debra is a dedicated and active philanthropist and Jewish community leader, particularly in the greater Philadelphia area. After living in New York for many years, Debra and her husband David relocated to Philadelphia, in part to be part of a stronger Jewish community. After experiencing Momentum in 2012, Debra and her husband dedicated themselves to growing what was then the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project presence in Philadelphia. Through her work, she has inspired hundreds more local women to join Momentum. Debra has served as a Momentum Madricha three times and also serves on the Board for the Kohelet Foundation. She and her husband David live in Philadelphia with their four children. Together, they support numerous Jewish organizations, including the Raymond & Ruth Perelman Jewish Day School, Jack M Barrack Hebrew Academy, Partners in Torah, Yeshiva High School and others. 

Steve & Beatrice Rosedale

The Rosedales are dedicated donors and leaders of many Jewish community organizations including Cincinnati Hebrew Day School, JNF, Halom House, Association of Jewish Outreach Professionals (AJOP), and the Council of Jewish Life and Learning. Steve was the founding President of the Cincinnati Community Kollel and Sarah’s Place, a unique national program for women. Professionally, Steve is Chairman of the Board and CEO of CommuniCare Health Services, a multi-faceted family of healthcare companies operating in Ohio, Missouri, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Steve and Beatrice divide their time between their homes in Cincinnati and Jerusalem and enjoy spending time with their five sons and many grandchildren.

Dr. Mary Ellen Weissman 

Dr. Mary Ellen Weissman is a Harvard-trained child psychologist in private practice in Philadelphia, where she provides assessment and psychotherapy services to children, adolescents, and their families. In addition to her private practice, Dr. Weissman was Director of Assessment and Psychology at the Kingsbury Center, in Washington D.C., and was a consultant to The Department of State, The Madeira School, Mercersburg Academy, and Miss Hall’s School.​ She has been on multiple Momentum trips and loves kayaking and doing yoga in her free time. Dr. Weissman’s husband, Dr. Drew Weissman, co-created the mRNA technology that became the critical technology used in some of the COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccines. The Weissmans are the parents of three daughters.