BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Leora Raikin
Executive Director
South African-born lecturer and speaker, Leora Raikin is an educator, artist and author. As the Executive Director of the David Labkovski Project (DLP), she co-developed an educational program to teach students about Eastern European life before, during and after the Holocaust through the art of Lithuanian-Israeli artist David Labkovski (1906-1991).
Leora served as the keynote speaker for Chapman University’s Holocaust Remembrance Evening. Past speakers have included Elie Wiesel and Judea Pearl.
Leora Raikin lectures throughout the United States, addressing a wide variety of topics including the Diaspora Jews of South Africa, The Life and Art of David Labkovski, Using Art as a Tool to Document and Educate, and Tribal Arts through African Folklore Embroidery. Raikin also serves on the Council for Judaic Arts and on the teaching faculty at American Jewish University and Camp Ramah.
As the founder of African Folklore Embroidery, she focuses on educating both teachers and students about tribal art. Leora served as artist in residence at Temple Aliyah in 2016, and has spoken at Skirball Cultural Center, Ford Amphitheater, Merage Jewish Community Center (Irvine), LAMOTH, Temple Eitz Chayim, Chabad West Hills and Pomegranate conferences. She was featured artist for the city of Temecula in 2015.
Leora has a Business Science and a Masters in Research from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Leora served at Vice President of NATO (North American Testing Organization- 1999-2004) and prior to that as Senior Research Consultant at Robert Charles Lesser & Co. While living in South Africa, Leora was Marketing Director for Broll Property Group and founded Strategic Property Research.
Leora served as the keynote speaker for Chapman University’s Holocaust Remembrance Evening. Past speakers have included Elie Wiesel and Judea Pearl.
Leora Raikin lectures throughout the United States, addressing a wide variety of topics including the Diaspora Jews of South Africa, The Life and Art of David Labkovski, Using Art as a Tool to Document and Educate, and Tribal Arts through African Folklore Embroidery. Raikin also serves on the Council for Judaic Arts and on the teaching faculty at American Jewish University and Camp Ramah.
As the founder of African Folklore Embroidery, she focuses on educating both teachers and students about tribal art. Leora served as artist in residence at Temple Aliyah in 2016, and has spoken at Skirball Cultural Center, Ford Amphitheater, Merage Jewish Community Center (Irvine), LAMOTH, Temple Eitz Chayim, Chabad West Hills and Pomegranate conferences. She was featured artist for the city of Temecula in 2015.
Leora has a Business Science and a Masters in Research from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Leora served at Vice President of NATO (North American Testing Organization- 1999-2004) and prior to that as Senior Research Consultant at Robert Charles Lesser & Co. While living in South Africa, Leora was Marketing Director for Broll Property Group and founded Strategic Property Research.
Stephanie Wolfson
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Carole Eglash-Kosoff
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Laura-Beth SholkoffLaura-Beth Sholkoff is a marketing consultant currently working as Director of Marketing Communications for the American Jewish University's Whizin Center. She spent 18 years in the banking industry in marketing, advertising, and product management, the last several as Senior Vice President for Union Bank. She serves on the Parent Ambassador Council of University of Michigan Hillel and for many years, was a Tempe Aliyah Board member. She is a long time student at the Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning and is active in Temple Aliyah's Community of Caring. Laura-Beth is the daughter of a child survivor of the Shoah.
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Jennifer LopataJennifer has a degree in sociobiology from UCLA and a Masters in Social Work from USC. She is the founder and owner of Synergy Academics, a tutoring and test preparation service. Jennifer has over twenty years of experience in education and child development.
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Rabbi Beth LiebermanRabbi Beth Lieberman is a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) and the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, Rabbi Lieberman serves as executive editor of the CCAR Press and director of Shomrei Torah Synagogue’s Growing in Wisdom Initiative. She is an alumna of the Academy for Jewish Religion California and Barnard College. Raised in the Bronx, she now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two teenagers.
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Connie MarcoConnie has a BA from UCLA and an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute. She is the daughter of two Holocaust survivors. Connie has been involved at the LA Museum of the Holocaust from its establishment, and is currently a docent. She is part of the Kalt Group, a real estate development and management company. Connie served on the Alonim Advisory Board of American Jewish University from 2011-1012.
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Lisa LainerLisa, a San Fernando Valley native, has been active in Los Angeles Jewish life for many years. She is a longtime board member of the Bureau of Jewish Education and has been involved with the Jewish Federation for over thirty years. Lisa attended the University of Pennsylvania and received her MBA from UCLA. She is also a graduate of the Wexner Heritage Program at Valley Beth Shalom Synagogue. Lisa is a CFO at Selective Real Estate Investments. She has been researching her family's roots in the US, Latin America, Lithuania, Poland and the Ukraine for over thirty years. Lisa gives lectures about her family history research.
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Laura Leve CohenLaura Hogan received a BA from Rice University, and an MA in theology from St. John's Seminary in Camarillo. She has lectured and written on a range of topics pertaining to theologies of suffering, transformation and joy. Her fields of interest include Pauline spirituality and Carmelite studies. She is also an attorney with a JD from UCLA School of Law, and has published articles regarding issues in criminal law.
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Nadine LavenderNadine studied in San Diego, Boston and Israel. She has her Masters in Counseling Psychology a Masters in Social work, both from USC. She is very involved in philanthropy.
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Avlyn KottonAvlyn Kotton, MA. BCET, a Board-Certified Educational Therapist, is the director of of the Kotton Educational Therapy Center in Los Angeles. Avlyn Kotton has over 30 years of experience working with a wide range of learning disabled students. Avlyn has taught in public and price school settings and was the Resource Teacher at Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School. She has served on the board of the Association of Educational Therapist. She has also lectured at national conferences.
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