School Board

List of 20 members.

• 

  Robert Galperson 

  Bio

  Rob Galperson is Chair of the SAA School Board and was previously the VP of Education for Sinai Temple. He is a member of the Temple Board’s Executive Committee and has previously served as both VP of Development and VP of Membership. Rob is also a member of
  the Mt. Sinai Memorial Parks Cemetery Management Committee. Prior to joining the School Board, Rob was a member of the SAA Recruitment and Retention Committee, the SAA Development Committee, and led the 100-Person Challenge initiative, which introduced and highlighted Sinai Akiba Academy to the broader Sinai Temple and Los Angeles communities. Rob was born and raised in Los Angeles and is a second-generation member of the Sinai Temple community. He attended Sinai Temple Religious School, had his Bar Mitzvah at Sinai, and continues his family’s long-standing dedication to the Sinai Akiba and Sinai Temple community.
   
  Rob is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in Communications. He is the Senior Vice President of Sales and Merchandising for a consumer product company. He and his wife, Jennifer, have twin boys, Jonah and Brandon, who are Sinai Akiba alumni, and currently in high school.
• 

  Mayrav Gaslin 

  Bio

  Mayrav Gaslin is Vice Chair of the SAA board. She is a communications strategist and content consultant, working primarily in the health care industry. Mayrav hold a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from Northwestern University.

   

  Mayrav is also a tireless volunteer, particularly for Sinai Temple and SAA. She is a former Executive Board member of Sinai Temple and has served many volunteer roles at SAA, including being a "Room Mom" since the stone ages (give or take a few years). She currently serves as School Board Vice Chair.
• 

  Samantha Auerbach 

  Bio

  Samantha Auerbach is a proud SAA alum. She grew up in Los Angeles, and attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she received a B.A. in Psychology and History. Samantha's roots in education run deep. She holds an M.A. in Inclusive Elementary Education from Columbia University Teachers College, and is passionate about shaping young minds at SAA and beyond.
  
  

  Samantha taught at public schools in New York City in East Harlem and Brooklyn, as well as at Rodeph Sholom School in New York, and Brawerman Elementary School in Los Angeles. She has served on the Board of Directors for Camp Ramah in California, currently serves on the PK-12 Board of Jewish Federation, and is a former Douglas Family ECC Board Chair. Samantha has also held many other SAA volunteer titles over the years, including Alumni Committee Chair and Recruitment Chair. Most importantly, she is the proud mother of Ryan, Noah, Jordan, and Sawyer.
• 

  Sheiva Hendifar 

  Bio

  Sheiva Hendifar and her husband, Andrew, joined Sinai Akiba Academy in 2014 and have four children that attend or have attended SAA.  Sheiva is currently the PA Chair of Parent Education, which includes the PA Speakers Series and the SAA Parent Book Club.  She also serves on the Development Committee and the Education Committee.  Over her last 10 years as a proud SAA parent, Sheiva has also volunteered as a room parent and served as a member of the Community Engagement Committee.

   

  Sheiva received a B.A. in Communication Studies from UCLA, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and was selected as a Regents Scholar.  Subsequently, she earned a JD from the University of Southern California.  As a law student, she was an Editor for the Southern California Law Review, served as the President of the Middle Eastern South Asian Law Association, and worked in the LAC-USC Domestic Violence Clinic.  Upon graduating, Sheiva practiced real estate transactional law at Pircher, Nichols & Meeks before becoming in-house counsel at the Los Angeles based real estate development and management company, JADE Enterprises.   

   

  For Sheiva and her family, SAA has become a home away from home, and she looks forward to her continued service to the school.
• 

  Rona Heifetz 

  Bio

  Rona Heifetz is an active member of SAA's Development Committee. Over the years, she has become extremally involved across the Sinai community, and has served in leadership roles at SAA, the Sinai Dor Chadash Program, and on other SAA committees.
• 

  Sarah Kamrava 

  Bio

  Sarah Kamrava is PA Chair. Sinai Akiba holds a special place in Sarah's heart. When her family moved to the US in 1987, she was able to attend the school for 2nd and 3rd grade. She attributes her love of English to her ESL teacher at the time. From there, Sarah attended public school, UCLA for her Bachelor's degree, and graduated from USC Dental School. She has been practicing dentistry for over 15 years, including in the D.C. area while her husband Mitch completed his residency at the NIH.  

   

  Choosing Sinai as their family's religious and educational home was an easy decision, and Sarah and Mitch have enjoyed being a part of the community since their oldest, Sophia, was 2. They are so proud of the education and values she has, and feel so lucky to have this school as a partner. Their son, Asher, has grown up in these halls too. He  started in The Elaine & Gerald Wolpe Parenting Center and has grown to love his teachers and friends. Both Sarah and Mitch have been involved with the school, Sarah as a member of the ECC Board when Sophia was in preschool, and again as a room mom, and as a member of both the Retention & Recruitment and Development committees. She is excited to chair the ECC Committee for the second year in a row, and to be the Vice Chair of the Board Development Committee. She looks forward to continuing her involvement, and to working alongside the faculty, administration, and families in making SAA an even stronger school and community.
• 

  Rebecca Kekst 

  Bio

  Rebecca Kekst is SAA's Immediate Past Chair, and concluded her role as Chair in June 2022. She has been an incredibly active member of Sinai Temple since she and her husband, David, joined the synagogue in 1999. 

   

  Rebecca was a founding member of Dor Chadash and has held many roles in the synagogue, the Douglas Family Early Childhood Center, and Sinai Akiba Academy. She has served as Sinai Temple Gala Co-Chair, co-chaired the Shabbaton for three years, and chaired the Catering Committee.

   

  While a parent in the ECC, Rebecca served as PA President and then chaired the ECC Board. During her time at Sinai Akiba Academy, she has chaired the PA, Development Committee and 50th Anniversary Campaign and Celebration. Rebecca also serves on the PK-12 committee for the Jewish Federation and has served on the Camp Ramah board for many years. Rebecca and David have three children, all of whom attended Sinai Akiba Academy.
• 

  Aaron Leibovic 

  Bio

  Aaron Leibovic is the Managing Attorney of Leibovic Law Group, LLC, as well as the founder and president of Health Advocates LLC, a California based Healthcare Revenue Cycle Management company. He has served on numerous boards and committees of Jewish organizations over the past 35 years.

   

  Aaron and his wife, Sheila, have been members of Sinai Temple since 1987. He was a member of the Temple Board of Directors, serving on the Executive Committee as well as Temple Treasurer and VP of Education.  Aaron has always taken a special interest in Jewish education and served on the Sinai Akiba Academy Committee as well as the Milken Community School Board for many years. He served as Chair of both SAA and Milken.

   

  Aaron and his wife, Sheila, live in Brentwood and have three daughters who are proud Sinai Akiba Academy alumnae. They continued their Jewish education and are graduates of Milken Community School.
• 

  Mayer Nazarian 

  Bio

  Mayer Nazarian and his wife, Meital, are proud parents of two Sinai Akiba students who began their journey in the ECC and are now entering 6th and 8th grade.  

   

  He has been fortunate to be a part of the Sinai Temple community since moving to Los Angeles from Iran in 1980 and he is honored to serve on the SAA Board and the SAA Budget Committee.
• 

  Eszter Neuman 

  Bio

  Eszter Neuman was born in Budapest, Hungary and moved to the United States when she was five years old. Her family was fortunate enough to join a wonderful Conservative Jewish community in Pasadena, California, and Eszter has fond memories of attending Hebrew School, completing Confirmation, and getting involved in the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization.

   

  Eszter graduated from Brandeis University with a Bachelor's Degree in Politics, and from Indiana University with a JD. After returning to Los Angeles, she began a career in healthcare regulatory law and now serves as Chief Compliance Officer for some of the largest, long-term care facilities in Southern California. Eszter is passionate about the Sinai Akiba Academy community and has held various volunteer roles including Room Parent, Parent Ambassador, Community Builder and Co-Chair of the Wellness Committee. Eszter and her husband, Ariel, who is active in the Sinai Dads group, have three children at SAA.
• 

  Elian Ohebshalom 

  Bio

  Elian Ohebshalom is Chair of the Community Engagement Committee. She is an attorney and currently works with a team of financial advisors at Morgan Stanley, where she leads the team's trust and estate planning, legacy planning, and charitable gifting strategies.
  
  

  Prior to Morgan Stanley, Elian pursued her passion of non-profit work as the Director of Engagements at United Way of Greater Los Angeles. While there, she focused on issues of homelessness and education for children in underserved communities. She also worked closely with community leaders and board members on policy initiatives to bring about change.
   
  Elian is also the Co-Chair of the Vantage Group's Women's Initiative - an educational and networking series with an emphasis on breaking down gender barriers and helping advance women economic empowerment. At SAA, she has been a member of the Speaker Series and Pier Night committees, Co-Chair of the Community Engagement Committee for the past several years, and is currently a member of the Education Committee. She and her husband, Dan, have three children at SAA, Madison, Grant, and Taylor, all of whom will hopefully become change-makers one day! 
• 

  Ayelet Rosen 

  Bio

  Ayelet Rosen is Chair of SAA's Development Committee and serves on the Education and Budget Committees. She is the founder of JEM Advisory LLC, where she advises specialty finance companies on capital markets, corporate strategy and operational efficiency.

  
  Ayelet began her career in New York in the Investment Bank at J.P. Morgan, originating asset-backed securities and warehouse facilities for companies in various industries. She subsequently worked on principal transactions in a real estate special opportunities team. After J.P. Morgan, Ayelet served as VP of Capital Markets for a financial technology company in Los Angeles specializing in small-ticket equipment.
  
  

  While in New York, Ayelet held leadership roles at UJA-Federation NY, including as a Vice Chair of the Young Wall Street Division and a member of the Synagogue Outreach and Engagement Committee, as well as some of the organizations supported by the federation. She has transferred that experience to the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.

  
  Ayelet holds a B.A. in Economics with Distinction from the University of Pennsylvania. She has three children who attend Sinai Akiba Academy.
• 

  Mehrzad Roshan 

  Bio

  Mehrzad Roshan is Sinai Temple President. She and her husband, Mansoor z'l, joined Sinai Temple in 1986. Their children, Negeen (Pedram), a real estate attorney, Parisa (Eric), a real estate developer specializing in affordable housing and housing for veterans, and Matin, Vice President of Capital Markets in the commercial real estate finance industry, all attended Sinai Akiba Academy. Negeen, Parisa, and their families are also members of Sinai Temple.

  
  Mehrzad has served on several committees at Sinai Akiba, where she
  founded and chaired the Holiday Boutique and the Unity Committee.
  She has been a member of Sinai Temple's Board of Directors since 1998
  and has been actively involved in many committees including Budget,
  Bylaws, Barad Hall, Contracts, Development, House and Grounds,
  Nominating, Personnel, and Ritual. Mehrzad also served as the VP of
  Membership, where she started and led many new membership
  engagement and retention programs.

  Mehrzad manages commercial and residential real estate and is the
  founder of Arte Botanica, a landscape design and installation firm for
  commercial and residential properties.
• 

  Tamara Schweitzer 

  Bio

  Tamara Schweitzer has served the SAA community in a variety of leadership roles, most recently as the Vice Chair of the Development Committee for the past two years. She has been a Room Parent and Community Builder for both of her children’s classes, and has been part of the Recruitment and Parent Education Committees as well. 

   

  Tamara’s background is in writing and communications. She received a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan and went on to earn her Master’s Degree from Columbia University Journalism School. She began her journalism career as a business reporter for both Inc. and Fast Company magazines highlighting the stories of entrepreneurs and covering innovation in business. She also has experience with non-profit communications and marketing and worked for a New York-based non-profit that helped high-net-worth individuals make impactful charitable donations.

   

  In 2023, Tamara became a certified book coach and is now focused on guiding aspiring authors through their book-writing process. She is currently working with Sinai Temple’s own Rabbi Sherman on developing and writing a proposal for his book idea. In-line with her passion for all things literary, Tamara chaired the Sinai Akiba Book Fair in the spring of 2024 and is looking forward to taking on that role again for the upcoming school year. 

   

  She and her husband, Zev, have 2 children (current 3rd and 5th graders) who started at SAA when they were toddlers. Tamara is grateful to support SAA to embody its mission and values in the years ahead. 
• 

  Mark Shpall 

  Bio

  Mark H. Shpall is in his 7th year as the Head of School at de Toledo High School in West Hills, CA (previously known as New Community Jewish High School), where he began his educational career in 2002. At
  NCJHS/dTHS, Mark has served as the Dean of Students, Director of Community Programming, AP Government teacher, 11th/12th Grade Dean, Accreditation Coordinator, Director of Experiential Education, Shabbaton Director, Head Girls’ Basketball Coach, and Assistant Wrestling Coach.

   

  Mark received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California in 1994, after which he worked as a civil litigator for almost 9 years before entering the field of education. In 2008, he earned
  his Master’s in Education at Pepperdine University and is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary/Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education Day School Leadership Training Institute (DSLTI).
• 

  Brad Smiedt 

  Bio

  Brad Smiedt has been highly involved at SAA for many years, and is passionate about Jewish education. 

   

  Brad is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Rivonia Road Capital, a Los Angeles-based alternative investment firm focused on the financial services industry. He is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of The Fundworks, LLC a software-enabled alternative lender. Before co-founding The Fundworks, Brad sourced, structured and oversaw private equity investments with Lightyear Capital and Fenway Partners. He holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and an AB from Stanford University.
• 

  Jessica Smiedt 

  Bio

  Jessica Smiedt is Chair of SAA's Education Committee. She is a former elementary and middle school teacher who is currently the Head of Family Engagement at Temple Isaiah Preschool, as well as the coordinator of the parent-and-me programming. 

  Jessica holds a BS from the esteemed University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education and a MA from Middlebury College in Vermont. Her teaching experience spans across several grades in both public and private settings. In Milton, Massachusetts she spent 4 years as a public middle school teacher to 8^th grade students in a French Immersion Program during which she taught French language/literature as well as French humanities, all in the target language. In New York, Jessica worked for 3 years as an English/Language Arts teacher in grades 2-5 at the Lyçée Français de New York, and completed a similar role at the Lyçée here in LA, focused solely on 3^rd grade.  

  For the past 8 years, Jessica has been working with one- to two year olds and their parents as they navigate the joys and challenges of toddlerhood. Jessica is a proud graduate of the First 36 Project, a fellowship powered by the Simms/Mann Institute, in collaboration with the Builders of Jewish Education and the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles.   This fellowship provided her with exclusive, research-focused curriculum, enabling her to better support parents during the critical years of zero to three. 

   

  In addition to being passionate about education, teaching, and child development, Jessica is married to Brad Smiedt and is mom to two children, Jonah, (SAA alumnus) and Arielle (7th grade). 
• 

  Anna Tenenblatt 

  Bio

  Anna Tenenblatt is a former Sinai Temple President (2022-24), current Oversight Committee Chair, and has been a member of Sinai Temple since 1984. She has been actively involved in Sinai Akiba Academy and Sinai Temple since 1987, serving variously as Sinai Akiba Committee Chair and Temple Vice President of Education, Administration and Finance. She is currently an active member of the Board, participating in the Contract, Budget and Cemetery Management Committees.

   

  Anna and her husband Bill are the parents of Daniel (Doreen), an attorney, and Karen (Yoni), a pediatrician, both of whom attended Sinai Akiba Academy.
• 

  Ashley Waterman 

  Bio

  Ashley Waterman has served on the Sinai Temple Board since 2021, and is excited to join the SAA Board. Ashley is VP of Education on the Temple Board and also serves on the Executive Committee and Clergy Succession Committee. Her eldest son, Ethan, is in 6th grade at SAA and her sons, Noah and Liam, attend Sinai Temple Religious School.

  Ashley’s earlier career focused on strategic partnerships and community engagement within the Los Angeles Jewish community. She is the Founder & President of the Cohen Syndrome Research Foundation and currently works in healthcare advocacy supporting families of children with disabilities. Ashley holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Emory University and a Master’s Degree in Health Education from Columbia University.  
• 

  Tamara Weston 

  Bio

  Tamara Weston is Community Engagement Chair. She is a digital producer and journalist. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tamara graduated from Sinai Akiba Academy and then Harvard-Westlake School. She earned her B.A. in Comparative Literature from Princeton University. Tamara is a second generation Sinai Temple member, and current SAA parent. She and her husband Arturo have two children, Jack and Mila, who are both SAA students. Tamara has served as Room Parent and ECC Co-Chair of Community Builders, and looks forward to serving her SAA community in her new leadership role.