Shedding New Light on Jewish Traditions

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

BARRIE GLASBERG MITTICA - President  

Barrie, her husband C.J. and her two children, Sami and Ayla were joined Or Hadash in the Fall of 2020 and could not be happier with the community!  Barrie and her family live in Lafayette Hill where they can frequently be seen outside riding bike, playing on the swings or walking with their dog Kali. Outside of the home, Barrie is the Director of Engagement at Kaiserman JCC. Before that, she was the Senior Regional Director of South Jersey Region BBYO. Over the summer, Barrie ventures to the outdoors at JCC Camps at Medford (NJ) where she serves as the Gesher LIT (leaders in training) Director. Barrie earned a Mster of Arts degree in Nonprofit Management from Gratz College. She is excited to be part of the leadership team of Or Hadash and give back to this wonderful community.

PHIL ROSENBERG - Immediate Past President  

Contact Phil at PastPresident@OrHadash.com.

Phil and his wife, Penny Levin, have been members of Or Hadash since 1988.  Phil has been active in lay leadership at Or Hadash since the early 1990s.  He served as Vice President, Membership in 1996-2000, and 2006-2008; and as Vice President, Administration in 2013-2015.  Phil was responsible for a number of initiatives that have enriched our synagogue community, including the creation of the Community Life committee and the introduction of Havurot to Or Hadash in the 1990s.  Phil has contributed his musical talents to the congregation over the years.   Professionally, Phil is a marketing research consultant with the UK-based firm Research Partnership, serving clients in the pharmaceutical, biotech and healthcare industries.  He holds degrees in journalism and communications from Northwestern University, and an MBA in Marketing from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.  His wife, Dr. Penny Levin, is a psychologist in clinical practice.  They have two adult daughters, Sarina and Brenna, who are both graduates of the Or Hadash religious school.  

STEVE LEBERSTIENExecutive Vice President   

Steve Leberstien has been part of the OR HADASH community since 2009 when he reconnected with his high school sweetheart, Sandy Saull. He officially became a member in 2018, the year he and Sandy were married by Rabbi Josh.

Steve is a proud graduate of Philadelphia’s Central High School, and has a background in engineering. He held various engineering and marketing positions with DuPont and Bayer before moving to the publishing industry as Director of Operations for U.S. Tech, a trade journal for the electronics industry. Steve now owns a property management company and was previously Building & Grounds chair and VP of Finance at Temple Beth El, a reconstructionist congregation in Newark, Delaware. Steve is honored to have been asked to take a board position at OH, which has been so warm and welcoming.

STEPHEN STARR - Vice President for Administration

STEPHEN KUPERSMITH - TREASURER

JENNIFER HOAGLAND - SECRETARY


CAROLYN SAVITZKY - Spiritual Life Chair Co-Chair

Carolyn has been actively engaged at Or Hadash since she and husband Martin became members in the mid 1990’s. Their daughter Robyn, celebrated becoming both a Bat Mitzvah and a confirmand at Or Hadash. Carolyn immediately became involved in the community and during her first two years served as co-chair of the Publicity Committee and sat on the Board.  Shortly after, she began teaching in the religious school. She has also served on the Board as an at large member and as co-chair of Development. Over the years, she was involved in two long-range planning committees, was a member of the community life, chesed, ritual and membership committees and performed in many Purim Spiels. She has enjoyed both the social and spiritual aspects of belonging to and participating in the Or Hadash community. Outside of Or Hadash, Carolyn currently serves as the Chairman of the Bux-Mont Kehillah, is a life member of Hadassah and is presently President of the Raoul Wallenberg Chapter. Carolyn not only teaches at Or Hadash but also tutors B’nai Mitzvah students and teaches at Temple Sinai


CHERYL BERSON - Spiritual Life Chair Co-Chair


JEN LAVENBERG - Education Steering Committee Co-Chair

Being an active member of a community is of paramount importance to me. Beyond the classroom, I'm actively involved in shaping the school's trajectory. As a proud member of the OH Educational Steering Committee (ESC) and a contributor to the Board, I play a role in guiding the school's educational direction. Outside of education, I'm an enthusiast for maker spaces, a devoted environmental advocate, and an avid nature lover. Whether I'm engaging in exhilarating STEAM challenges or finding tranquility in crafting, I find pure joy in the journey. My cherished moments also include spending quality time with my wonderful husband, our two amazing kids, and our beloved dog.

SARA POPKIN - Education Steering Committee Co-Chair


Committee Chairs

Manny Rosenberg - Adult Education Committee Chair


WARREN YOUNG - Buildings and Grounds Committee Chair


STEVE BURNS - Finance Committee Chair

Steve and his wife Arlene Golbin Burns have been members of Or Hadash for more than 30 years.  Their son David had the first bar mitzvah in our then new building in 1995 and daughter Samantha had her bat mitzvah three years later.  Steve served as Treasurer in the 1990’s, inheriting a financial record-keeping system maintained on a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet (and multiple floppy disks).  For you younger members, Lotus was the predominant spreadsheet application used before Microsoft took over the world.  Steve converted the financial management system to Quickbooks during his term.  After two years as Treasurer, he served as Chair of the Finance Committee for two years.

Steve is a retired business and corporate attorney.   He served for 16 years as the elected Finance Officer of Cheltenham Township and as Township Controller, retiring in 2018.


WENDY ELLIOTT-VANDIVIERInclusion Committee Chair

Wendy Elliott-Vandivier is a certified SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) with a diverse background in government civil rights enforcement, managing human resources in private industry, and community advocacy. Wendy has been a leader in the disability civil rights community for over 30 years.  In her professional work, she has successfully managed human resources, employee relations, EEO, Affirmative Action and Diversity issues for several large businesses.

Before joining the private sector, Wendy worked for nine years for the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, where she managed the agency’s Regional Technical Assistance Staff.  She played a lead role in the implementation of federal civil rights statutes in a six-state region.  

Wendy's strong commitment to enhancing opportunities for women, minorities and people with disabilities extends beyond her professional experience.  She is a former Board Member of the American Association of People with Disabilities, and the former Chair of the Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities, where she advised the Mayor and Assistant Deputy Mayor with respect to existing and proposed policies, programs, and services for people with disabilities, and informed the public at large about the needs of the disability community.  She was also the Co-founder of MOM Center (Making Options for Motherhood) at Thomas Jefferson University.  

Wendy has a BFA from Temple University, Tyler School of Art. Her paintings explore issues of family, memory and experiences as a disabled woman. Her autobiographical cartoons focus on attitudinal barriers and stereotypes regarding disabilities, and some of the micro-aggressions that disabled people experience while living normal, un-inspirational lives.  She is also a photographer of micro-scale monuments in nature, and is often inspired by close-up images that people often do not notice in daily life – tree bark, dead leaves, flower anatomy, and water.


CAROL MUELLER BELL - Publicity Committee Chair

Carol and her husband, Barry Bell, have been members of Or Hadash since 1995. Their daughter, Alyssa, became bat mitzvah at Or Hadash in 2003. Over the years, Carol has served on various committees, participated in Or Hadash's annual Purimspiel and has performed with the Makaylah for 20 years. She also plays accordion and sings with Or Hadash's klezmer band, The New Klezmaniax. After a decade as a newspaper editor and writer for the Newhouse Newspapers in Central New York, Carol relocated to the Philadelphia area and became a sole proprietor marketing and public relations counselor. Now semi-retired, Carol has served as Or Hadash's Publicity Chair for the past four years.


SHELLEY SANDERS - Social Action/Tikun Olam (SATO) Co-chair

Warren Young, my husband of 45 years, and I joined Or Hadash so that we could celebrate Judaism with our daughter, Mackenzie Learn, her husband John, and most importantly their children, Sherri and Howie.  We also have a son, Craig, who lives in Atlanta with his wife, Uli, and their children, Sam and Zoe. 

I spent too many years to count as a social worker, mostly in the adoption field.  Apropos of my degree, I am chair of the Social Action Tikun Olam Committee.  Previously, I was chair of Chesed, another role well-matched with a social worker, and co-chair of   Community Life.  With Sue and Stu Rosenthal, I was one of the founders of the Empty Nesters.

Currently, my favorite role is that of Savta to four wonderful children.  When they are not available, I play Mah Jongg, read, go out to lunch, and shop. Please let me know if there are projects or causes in which the synagogue should be involved.


VIVIEN KANE - Social Action/Tikun Olam (SATO) Co-chair

I joined Or Hadash with my family many years ago. Both of my adult children, David, and Sarah, became B’nai Mitzvah at Or Hadash and I was part of the Adult B’nai Mitzvah class here . I have been a member of the Adult Study Havurah for many years, giving talks on the High Holidays on a variety of subjects. I served on the Holocaust Memorial Committee from its inception and currently serve on its continuation, the Holocaust Education Committee.  In fall of 2018 I joined Shelley Sanders as a co-chair of Social Action Tikkun Olam.  I am also active on the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. I enjoy coming to Torah Study on a regular basis. I am a physician, recently retired from Radiology practice, finding retirement very busy.

 

The Board of Directors is nominated by the Leadership Development Committee and elected into office by the members of the congregation. 

Board meetings are held the fourth Thursday evening of each month and are open to all members. Contact office@orhadash.com for the link or log into the member page of this website.

The Executive Committee consists of the president, executive vice president, vice president for administration, vice president for membership, secretary, treasurer, and the chairpersons of the spiritual life, marketing & communications, and education steering committees. These members are joined on the board by the past president, up to 6 at-large members, and the chairpersons of the adult education, community life, building and grounds, publicity, finance, development, social action/tikun olam [SATO], inclusion and Israel committees. Each executive committee member is responsible to report to and from the committees that reside within their portfolio, as indicated on the governance structure chart.

In addition, Rabbi Alanna and Rabbi Erin actively participate in both Exec and Board meetings.

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PDF icon Governance Structure rev 8-2019.pdf72.39 KB