Maurice Abrams, Vice President

Susan Berger

Russ Cashin

Inette Dishler
Inette has been a member of Chochmat since shortly after moving to California 7 years ago, and has been on the Board for 3 years. She has been very involved in the strategic planning process, serving on both the Strategic Planning and Transition committees. She is also a member of the Personnel committee. She brings a background in organizational development from her work doing training and organizational development at Cal.

Janet Falk, President
Janet Falk has been a member of Jewish Renewal synagogues since 1985. She started attending services at Chochmat four years ago and joined the board nearly three years ago. She is now President of the Board. In addition to participating on the Executive Committee, Personnel Committee, and Finance Committee of the Board, Janet attends the Monday night meditation group as well as classes. Janet has been on several nonprofit boards and has worked in affordable housing development for the past 30 years.

Hal Feiger

Lainey Feingold

Jeff Fry
Jeff Fry first became a part of the Chochmat community thorugh the year-long Jewish Spiritual Leadership training program in 1996, and (despite large gaps when he was not in the East Bay) it's been his primary spiritual home ever since. Through Chochmat, Jeff has developed a nourishing Jewish spiritual practice and deepened his relationship to the Holy One. He appreciates and is fed by opportunities to give back to Chochmat HaLev as a volunteer, including serving on Chochmat's Board of Directors. Outside of Chochmat, Jeff is a founding member of Hidden Creek Cohousing in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood, works as a software test engineer, and loves to spend time in the backcountry.

Nan Gefen
Nan Fink Gefen was the co-founder of Chochmat HaLev with Avram Davis in 1995. Over the next twelve years she taught many classes on Jewish meditation and spiritual practice; led meditation sitting groups; and organized the three-year training program for Jewish meditation teachers. She is the author of Stranger in the Midst: A memoir of Spiritual Discovery (1997) and Discovering Jewish Meditation (1999). Nan has been on the Chochmat board since its founding and served as its president 2002-2006.

Dolores Leavitt

Nancy Newman, Secretary
Nancy joined Chochmat in 2000 after coming to a Kabbalat Shabbat and realizing she'd found the community she'd been looking for for many years. SheI attended services, meditation, classes and co-lead Heart to Heart. Nancy joined the board in 2004, where she now serves as the Secretary and attends executive council meetings. She's also on the Membership committee. Nancy continues to come to services, meditation, classes and depends on Chochmat for her well being and happiness.

Jon Rosenfield
Jon Rosenfield began attending CHL services in 2000. These were the first Jewish services he had ever attended and he was (and continues to be) drawn by the strong sense of community and ruach he found there. His spiritual path is one of several described in: Journeys to a Jewish Life, by Paula Amann (Jewish Lights Pub.). A Ph.D. evolutionary ecologist, conservation consultant, and outdoor enthusiast, he believes the experience of wilderness is integral to jewish practice and philosophy. Jon recently co-created a Sukkot shabbaton on the organic CSA farm with which Chochmat has partnered; he is currently co-creating a Pesach retreat to the California desert for the CHL community.

Grace Schoeniger
Grace Schoeniger taught college for 10 years and previously ran EEO internship and scholarship programs. She now works for the federal government. A member for 3 years, she is coordinator of Chochmat's Family Groups Program.

Abro Sutker

Rick Zarlow