Salam Al-Marayati, Muslim Public Affairs Council

Nationally recognized for his commitment to improving the public understanding of Islam and policies impacting American Muslims, Salam is president and co-founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. He oversees MPAC’s groundbreaking civic engagement, public policy, and advocacy work.

He is an expert on Islam in the West, Muslim reform movements, human rights, democracy, national security, and Middle East politics. He has spoken at the White House, Capitol Hill and represented the U.S. at international human rights and religious freedom conferences.

Because he believes that community development is essential to fully integrating Muslims within America’s pluralism, Salam has facilitated hundreds of civic engagement workshops around the country—from rooms of five people to conference halls of hundreds.

Salam is an adjunct faculty member at Bayan Claremont, a board member of the Muslim Reform Institute, and an advisor to several political, civic, and academic institutions seeking to understand the role of Islam and Muslims in America and throughout the world. Deeply involved in interfaith activities, Salam was co-chair of the Interfaith Coalition to Heal Los Angeles, which formed in the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles uprisings.

Reena Arya, JFCS East Bay

Reena Arya, is the Director of Immigration Legal Services at JFCS East Bay, where she brings a wealth of experience and a heartwarming spirit of empathy to her role. With a deep commitment to serving our immigrant and refugee community, Reena possesses a Master of Advanced Studies in International Law in Armed Conflict, graduating Summa Cum Laude from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. She also holds a Doctor of Law degree from Penn State Dickinson Law.

Reena’s journey as an advocate for justice includes impactful roles at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, UNHCR, Human Rights First, KIND, and HIAS where she advocated for immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees.  In addition to her work in advocacy, Reena was an asylum officer at the San Francisco Asylum Office and a Staff attorney with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Her dedication shines through in her work as an advocate in various settings both domestically and internationally.

Heidi Beirich, Global Project Against Hate and Extremism

Heidi Beirich, Ph.D., is an expert on the American and European far right, including white supremacist, anti-immigrant, antigovernment, and other extremist movements. In 2020, Beirich co-founded the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) to monitor and counter increasingly transnational hate movements, particularly in areas of the world where capacity is limited to combat far-right movements that threaten human rights and democracy.  

Beirich has testified in Congress on issues related to extremism in the military and among veterans and on the dangers of accelerationist and neo-Nazi movements. The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol sought her testimony on the threat posed by the extremist Proud Boys and on the history of the rise of white supremacy in the U.S. Government agencies and tech companies have sought her advice on policies to combat hate speech, hate crimes, and domestic terrorism.  

Beirich has written extensively on far-right movements and is the author of numerous academic publications on extremism. She co-edited Neo-Confederacy: A Critical Introduction, published by the University of Texas Press. A frequent speaker at conferences on combating hate and extremism, she has been interviewed by hundreds of outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, The Guardian, BBC, NPR, WIRED, and the Financial Times. She regularly appears on major television networks, in documentaries, and on radio programs focused on the dangers and growing threat of far-right extremism to democracy and human rights.  

Beirich earned a Ph.D. in political science from Purdue University, specializing in European fascism and far-right movements. She holds M.A. degrees in political science and economics. Before co-founding GPAHE, Beirich led the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, the premier organization tracking hate and antigovernment movements in the United States. 

David Bocarsly, Jewish Public Affairs Committee

David Bocarsly is the Executive Director of the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC), the voice of California’s Jewish community to the State Capitol, and the largest single-state coalition of Jewish organizations in the nation. JPAC is composed of 41 leading Jewish community organizations – including Jewish Federations, Jewish Community Relations Councils, Jewish Family Service agencies, and others – and advocates in Sacramento on behalf of the Jewish community’s concerns and broadly shared values. Since David assumed leadership in 2022, JPAC has secured over $460 million in state funding for Jewish priorities and advocated for 57 successful bills, including AB 715 – a first-in-the-nation bill to address antisemitism in California schools. 

Previously, David served as the Director of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, curating and implementing legislative and advocacy efforts for its 18 elected officials. In that capacity, he created an annual Tikkun Olam–Repairing the World bill package, guided the Caucus’s efforts to establish a widely-accepted statewide Ethnic Studies curriculum, and helped increase nonprofit security grants from $2 million to $50 million annually. 

David has worked for elected officials and campaigns at every level of government, including U.S. Congressmember Jerry Nadler. He is a former Coro Fellow in Public Affairs, was UCLA’s first kippah-wearing Student Body President, and earned his Master of Public Policy degree from USC with a Certificate in Social Justice. 

He is an alumnus of several distinguished fellowships, including the New Leaders Council Institute, Schusterman Foundation’s ROI Community, Jewish Federation’s New Leaders Project, and America Indivisible’s Public Leaders for Inclusion Council. 

David’s professional journey through the intersection of Judaism and politics stems from his Jewish upbringing in Los Angeles. His experiences in Camp Ramah, United Synagogue Youth, Nativ, and UCLA Hillel shaped his belief in justice as a core Jewish value – and political activism as a powerful tool for achieving meaningful change. 

In his spare time, David enjoys dancing, backgammon, LA sports, and scenic overlooks. He is on Twitter at @davidbocarsly.

Leslie Dannin Rosenthal, Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Leslie Dannin Rosenthal is the Board Chair of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). She is a past president of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, NJ, having chaired its Annual Campaign and served as president of Women’s Philanthropy. Leslie is honored to have been appointed to the New Jersey Israel Commission by Governor Phil Murphy.

Leslie also is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Mack Ness Fund Council. She currently serves as the Development Chair at Golda Och Academy.

Leslie has a life-long involvement in volunteer opportunities. She is a past president of Oheb Shalom Congregation located in South Orange, NJ, and is the Board Chair of the Jewish Community Legacy Project, which assists small congregations in creating legacy plans. A graduate of Smith College and Boston University School of Law, Leslie served as a deputy attorney general in the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Law.

Barry Finestone, Jim Joseph Foundation

Barry Finestone is President and CEO of the Jim Joseph Foundation. The Foundation supports Jewish education for youth, teens, and young adults in the U.S., with more than $490 million granted in its first 11 years of operation. Prior to the Jim Joseph Foundation, Barry was Executive Director of the Lisa and John Pritzker Family Fund. He moved to the Bay Area in 2010 to become CEO of the JCC of San Francisco, where he oversaw dramatic growth and built it into the second largest JCC in the country. Earlier in his career he served as executive director of the two-campus Isaac M. Wise Temple, transforming its information technology systems and earning the Harris K. and Alice F. Weston Award for Outstanding Leadership. Barry’s first job out of college was at a residential summer camp director in Waupaca, Wisconsin for Young Judaea. Barry says he never would have hired himself for that job, but the experience was invaluable in helping him learn how to run and operate an entity. His philosophy in work is to have a vision, start going there, and then hire the best people you can and get out of the road! A Scottish native with 25 years of experience in the Jewish nonprofit world, Barry holds a degree in Community Education from Jordanhill College in Glasgow, Scotland. He and his wife, Ellen, have three children – Gabrielle, Ethan and Mia. children—Gabrielle, Ethan and Mia.

Tyler Gregory, JCRC Bay Area

Tye is a California LGBTQ+ Jewish community leader and serves as CEO of JCRC Bay Area and Executive Director of Bay Area Jewish Action (BAJA). Under his leadership, JCRC and BAJA advance a just world where Jewish identity is embraced and all people can thrive. Tye works closely with elected officials, law enforcement, and K–12 and higher education leaders to ensure the Bay Area and California remain places where Jewish communities can live openly and safely. In recent years, JCRC has become a leading Jewish organization addressing the rising threat of antisemitism in the Bay Area through public education, media engagement, and advocacy, as well as coalition building on issues of social justice and shared values. 

Previously, Tye served as Executive Director of A Wider Bridge, an LGBTQ+ Jewish organization combating antisemitism, homophobia, and transphobia while advancing equality in Israel through international cooperation. He began his career at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). 

Naama Haviv, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

Naama Haviv is MAZON’s Vice President of Community Engagement and brings more than a decade of experience in social justice advocacy, coalition-building, and international development. Prior to joining MAZON, she served as Executive Director of Panzi Foundation USA, supporting its mission to end sexual violence against women in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and provide holistic healing services to its survivors. Naama also served as Assistant Director at Jewish World Watch, where she directed policy, programming, and partnerships both in the US and with organizations in Chad and Eastern Congo in its work to address genocide and mass atrocities worldwide. She has created and managed educational programs for Relief International, connecting students from the US to students in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, and the West Bank, and she held research positions with the Institute for the Study of Genocide, the Middle East Media Research Institute, and the American Anti-Slavery Group. She earned her M.A. from Clark University’s Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and graduated summa cum laude from Clark University with a B.A. in History. 

Ilana Kaufman, Jews of Color Initiative

Ilana Kaufman is the Chief Executive Officer of the Jews of Color Initiative. Guided by contemporary research and the experiences of Jews of Color, and leveraging strategies such as grantmaking, research, and community education, Ilana is a prominent thought leader advancing the communal field for Jews of Color and, by extension, the U.S. Jewish Community. 

A recognized voice on issues of race and Jewish identity, Ilana has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and Code Switch, with writings in eJewishPhilanthropy and The Foundation Review. Ilana’s Eli Talk, “Who Counts: Race and the Jewish Future,” has garnered over 50,000 views, and the research she catalyzed is referenced in non-profit organizations and university departments both nationally and internationally. Across all her work, Ilana is dedicated to advancing conversations on Jewish community, community relations, and philanthropy. 

Prior to founding the JoCI in 2017, Ilana held the role of Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Director, East Bay, at the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council. Recipient of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs prestigious Tikkun Olam Award, Ilana enjoys exploring themes of equity and justice within Jewish texts. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from California State University-Humboldt and an M.A. in Educational Pedagogy from Mills College.

Rabbi Eliana Kayelle, Keshet

Rabbi Eliana Kayelle brings a deep love of education and community as the Keshet Bay Area Education and Training Manager. They hope to inspire people to think about how Jewish texts and traditions relate to them here and now — and how they can be used while working for an equitable future. Eliana is originally from Long Island, NY where they’ve worked as a theater-maker, Jewish educator, and community organizer. They received rabbinical ordination as part of the first cohort of Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary in 2021 and moved to the Bay Area shortly after. You can read their words in HeyAlma, Lilith, The J- Jewish News of Northern California, the Forward, and the Keshet blog. Through their role at Keshet, Eliana works with the Jewish communities across the bay area working for the full equality and belonging of LGBTQ+ Jews in Jewish life.

Shawn Landres, JCPA

Shawn Landres has built a multi-decade track record of leadership across the social good sectors – nonprofit, philanthropic, academic, and public alike. An award-winning civic leader who bridges multiple communities, his research and impact in social innovation and community development have earned attention in the U.S., Europe, and beyond. Since the early 2010s, Shawn has served on and led numerous local government commissions in Southern California, where much of his work has focused on nurturing public access to and trust in government and strengthening diverse and inclusive democratic civil society, including as the co-designer and volunteer lead for the Los Angeles Jewish Federation’s CIVruta initiative, which was awarded the Lippman Kanfer Prize for Applying Jewish Wisdom to Democracy and Civic Engagement. In early 2022, Shawn founded a multinational grassroots volunteer humanitarian network providing responsive case management for Ukrainians and Ukrainian refugees, and subsequently to Israelis after October 7 as well.

A UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Senior Fellow since 2016, Shawn currently is Chair Emeritus of the Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Commission and a member and past chair of the City of Santa Monica Planning Commission. Currently JCPA’s Board Secretary, he serves on the Public Policy Advisory Committee for SoCal Grantmakers and is a past board member of the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California.  The co-founder of Jumpstart Labs and co author of groundbreaking research on the Jewish innovation ecosystem as well as on religion and household charitable giving, Shawn holds degrees in religious studies and social anthropology from Columbia, Oxford, and UC Santa Barbara, where he earned a PhD. He and his family live in Santa Monica, California, while also maintaining strong ties in the Slovak Republic.

Abby J. Leibman, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

Abby J. Leibman has been President & CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger since 2011, a national nonprofit organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds. She oversees the implementation of MAZON’s mission, including the organization’s program work and operations. During her time at MAZON, Ms. Leibman has conceived and led numerous innovative programs including This is Hunger, an immersive education experience about who struggles with hunger in America, and The Hunger Museum, a virtual exploration of the history of hunger in America, its causes and the strategies that almost eliminated hunger in America. Ms. Leibman works with the Board of Directors and leads the organization inestablishing and implementing MAZON’s priorities, including its advocacy, programmatic, and developmental goals. 

Ms. Leibman also has a distinguished record of community leadership and currently serves on the Los Angeles County’s Citizens’ Oversight Advisory Board for Measure H, which generates funds to address homeless services and short-term housing in Los Angeles. 

Ms. Leibman served as adjunct faculty at UCLA and the Graduate School of Management at American Jewish University. 

She has a J.D. from Hastings College of Law and graduated magna cum laude from UC San Diego with a B.A. in Political Science. 

Kyra Lilien, Van Der Hout, LLC.

Kyra S. Lilien is Senior Counsel at Van Der Hout, LLC, an immigration law firm based in San Francisco. She served as Immigration Judge for two years until the Trump Administration terminated her from that position in July 2025. As a judge, Kyra served on the San Francisco and Concord immigration courts. Prior to taking the bench, from 2021 to 2023, Kyra was the director of immigration legal services at Jewish Family & Community Services – East Bay in Concord, California. From 2016 to 2021, she served as staff attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. From 2013 to 2016, she served as asylum officer and interim training officer at the San Francisco Asylum Office, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security. From 2010 to 2013, Kyra was the immigration program director at Centro Legal de la Raza in Oakland, California, where she represented noncitizens before EOIR and USCIS. From 2007 to 2010, she was an associate attorney at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in San Francisco, where she handled immigration cases on a pro bono basis. Kyra has prior experience with international human rights and war crimes prosecutions at both the International Criminal Court in The Hague and the Special Court for Sierra Leone in Freetown, Sierra Leone.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1996 from Smith College and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. For seven years she taught Asylum & Refugee Law at UC Berkeley School of Law. Kyra is a member of the State Bars of California and New York.

Rabba Rori Picker Neiss, Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Rabba Rori Picker Neiss serves as the Senior Vice President and Rabbi in Residence at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). Prior to that she was Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis, an organization committed to a vibrant and secure Jewish community in a thriving and just St. Louis region, after previously serving as a member of the clergy team at Bais Abraham Congregation, a Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue in University City, Missouri. Rori is one of the first graduates of Yeshivat Maharat, a pioneering institution training Orthodox Jewish women to be spiritual leaders and halakhic (Jewish legal) authorities. She is a David Hartman Center fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, a CLAL Rabbis Without Borders fellow, and co-editor of “InterActive Faith: The Essential Interreligious Community-Building Handbook”. She serves on the Board of Directors for HIAS and the Parliament of the World’s Religions. Rori is married to Russel Neiss, a software engineer, and they have three children. 

Paula B. Pretlow, Weinberg Foundation

Paula B. Pretlow has built a career helping company leaders maximize shareholder and stakeholder value—negotiating hundreds of millions in revenue across her career. She is a former senior vice president of The Capital Group, a $2.6 trillion privately held investment management firm. While there, she headed the firm’s public fund business development and client relationship group and was also responsible for large client relationships. 

Pretlow is a trustee of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, where she serves as board chair. In addition, she is a board member of the ADL (National board); Northwestern University; and The Kresge Foundation. In the corporate sector, she has served on a number public and private company boards and currently serves as an independent director of Greenlight Financial Technology. 

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration in finance and economics from the University’s Kellogg School of Management. She is a 2017 fellow of Stanford University’s Distinguished Careers Institute and has co-taught design thinking at the University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (the “d.school”) and guest lectures at the Graduate School of Business. 

Pretlow has been recognized with numerous awards, including The Women’s Legal Defense & Education Fund’s Aiming High Award; The National Council of Jewish Women’s Outstanding Humanitarian Award; and the Northwestern|Kellogg Alumni Award. She has been a featured speaker at JFNA’s General Assembly and at JFN conferences. Other speaking appearances include Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences convocation; and Groundbreakers: Women in Leadership Summit, where she shared the stage with Gloria Steinem and Ali Wentworth.  

Pretlow continues to write stories about her life and finds great joy in spending time with her grandchildren (and their parents) and travelling the world. 

Brandon Rattiner, JCRC Colorado

Brandon Rattiner is the Senior Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), the public affairs arm of the Colorado Jewish community. Rattiner comes to the JCRC from a career in law, where he focused on climate change and environmental issues. He has deep expertise in advocacy and community outreach. Prior to attending law school, he served as Senator Mark Udall’s Denver Metro Area Regional Director and worked at various civic and philanthropic organizations. He is a past international President of BBYO and an alumnus of countless local and national Jewish organizations. As a lifelong and stereotypical Coloradan, he can usually be found somewhere outside on any given weekend. 

Amy Spitalnick, Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Amy Spitalnick is the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the national convener of Jewish coalitions working across communities to build a just and inclusive American democracy. 

A nationally recognized leader on countering antisemitism, hate, and extremism and protecting democracy, Amy previously served as Executive Director of Integrity First for America, which won its groundbreaking lawsuit against the neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and hate groups responsible for the Charlottesville violence.  

Amy has extensive experience in government, politics, and advocacy, including as Communications Director and Senior Policy Advisor to the New York Attorney General and spokesperson and advisor to the New York City Mayor. She serves on the Boards of Directors of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Tufts University Hillel, and the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University, as well as on Tree of Life’s Academic Advisory Council and Bedrock’s National Leadership Council.  

Amy frequently appears in national media and has been awarded various fellowships and honors, including being named a Women inPower Fellow at the 92nd Street Y, a Truman National Security Project Fellow, a City & State 40 Under 40 Rising Star, and a NY Jewish Week 36 Under 36 Changemaker. She graduated from Tufts University. 

Ben Suarato, Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Benjamin Suarato has almost 20 years of communications, legislative, and advocacy experience with Capitol Hill, the Biden Administration, and the nonprofit sector. Prior to rejoining JCPA as the Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs, Benjamin was the Spokesperson and Press Director at the U.S. Agency for International Development where he worked with Administrator Samantha Power to advance America’s development and diplomacy goals around the world. He also brings almost a decade of experience on Capitol Hill, first with Rep. Michael McNulty (D-NY) and then for eight years as the Communications Director for Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) where he built an award-winning social media presence, worked extensively with the Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses through the Tri-Caucus, and helped lead communications around movements like #StopAsianHate. He also served as the legislative and policy advisor for foreign affairs. In addition to experience in government, Benjamin also has years of organizing and advocacy experience through his time leading communications at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC), Dream.Org, and his work with the JCPA from 2010-2014, when he helped create the communications department and organized efforts around foreign aid, poverty, climate change, and gun violence.  Benjamin is a native of upstate New York who graduated from Colgate University. 

Kara Wilson, Project Shema

Kara Wilson (she/her) leads our organizational strategy, operations, and culture, and brings a rare blend of systems thinking, facilitation skill, and deep values-based leadership. With a Master of Public Health focused on program management and evaluation, and a background spanning higher education, pharma communications, and health-focused nonprofits, she brings both rigor and real-world insight to her work. Kara is also currently pursuing rabbinical studies at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, which further informs her thoughtful, grounded approach to building communities of justice and belonging. We’re fortunate to have her leading this session.