Maurice Abrams, Vice President

Susan Berger, President

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.

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
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, Secretary
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.

Jim Sinkinson, Treasurer

Abro Sutker

Rick Zarlow
Rick came to Chochmat’s High Holiday celebrations some time ago and loved the spiritual authenticity. He particularly digs Captain Zohar’s music, and loves letting his legs fly on Shabbes. Since retiring from civil service Rick spends most of his time developing his spiritual life, and has found an eclectic path that includes outdoor sports, shamanic practice, and community service. Rick is a construction professional, who sees a spiritual connection to his work, and likes to take on big projects. Last year he volunteered to take on major structural repairs at CHL in an effort to symbolically heal our community and to re-connect our spiritual home to the earth in a graceful and respectful way.