Jeremy Ben-Ami, Executive Director. Jeremy comes to J Street from a 25-year career in government, politics and communications, here and in Israel. Jeremy has served in a number of senior government positions including as President Bill Clinton’s Deputy Domestic Policy Adviser and Policy Director on Howard Dean’s Presidential Campaign. Jeremy was most recently Senior Vice President at Fenton Communications. He also has served as the Communications Director for the New Israel Fund and started the Israeli firm Ben-Or Communications while living in Israel in the late 1990s. Jeremy’s father was born in Tel Aviv, and much of his family lives in Israel.
Rachel A. Lerner, Chief of Staff. Rachel Lerner joins J Street after working for the Jewish community for close to 10 years. Most recently she was Director of Strategic Community Planning Initiatives at the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto. Prior to that, Rachel was Director of the Israel Advocacy Initiative at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs in New York. Rachel graduated with BA in Literature from SUNY Binghamton and a Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, where she focused her studies on the role of religion in public life. Rachel has been deeply passionate about Israel and social and political justice since she can remember. She spent her freshman undergraduate year in Israel at Bar Ilan University, a summer at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem, and countless trips traveling the country. Rachel is a native New Yorker. She lives in Washington, DC.
Daniel Kohl, Political Director. Dan joins J Street after working for nearly two decades in business and non-profit management. A leader in the organized Jewish and political communities, Dan is the outgoing President of the Milwaukee Jewish Day School, served on Barack Obama's National Finance Committee, and ran for the Wisconsin State Assembly in September 2009. Prior to joining J Street, Dan spent fourteen years working for the Milwaukee Bucks NBA basketball team, most recently as Assistant General Manager, and served as the SEED Foundation's Wisconsin Director of New Schools Development. Dan is a graduate of Brown University and holds a law degree and master's in history from the University of Wisconsin. Dan and his family recently moved from Milwaukee to the Washington, DC area.
Hadar Susskind, Director of Policy and Strategy. Hadar comes to J Street after more than a dozen years of experience working in the American Jewish community. Most recently, he was Vice President and Washington Director for the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). Previously, Hadar held positions at a number of other Jewish organizations including the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and the Israel Policy Forum. He has served on the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Initiatives Task Force on the Environment, as well as the Board of Directors of the Coalition on Human Needs. Hadar was recognized by the Forward newspaper as one the Fifty Most Influential Jews in America for 2008. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland and holds the rank of Sergeant First Class in the Israel Defense Forces. He lives in Maryland with his wife and two children.
Isaac Luria, Campaigns Director. Isaac joins J Street after 4 years of experience in online organizing and consulting, 2 years of which he spent at the online marketing firm Donordigital in San Francisco. Isaac received his Bachelors degree in American Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. During 2007-2008, Isaac lived in Jerusalem, Israel as a Dorot Fellow. Isaac lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Sara, who is studying to become a Reform Rabbi.
Sarah Beller, Director of Programming and Education. Sarah joins J Street after earning her Masters degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution at American University. Previously, she taught in public schools and directed the Music and Literary Festivals at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center, after graduating from Harvard University with a degree in social anthropology. Trained in experiential education, facilitation, evaluation, and trauma response, Sarah has conducted research for Encounter and designed a training program for the Jewish Dialogue Group. A recipient of the U.S. Department of State's Critical Language Scholarship, Sarah studied Arabic in Cairo, Egypt and has traveled throughout Israel and the West Bank. Ever since growing up in New Haven, CT, Sarah has been deeply involved in Jewish communities across the religious spectrum. She lives in Washington, DC.
Jesse Greenberg, Midwest Regional Political Director. Jesse joins J Street having run a freelance public affairs and communications consultancy where he manages and advises candidates running for state and local office. A Chicago-area native, Jesse began his career working with local Jewish communities on communications and community relations strategies with the Israel Advocacy Initiative a tthe Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Jesse also worked at the Chicago Jewish Community Relations Council and Jasculca/Terman Public Affairs while completed a Masters of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University. He formerly played college baseball before transferring to the University of Wisconin - Madison. Jesse and his wife, a native of Petach Tikvah, Israel, live in Chicago.
Janette Hillis-Jaffe, New England Regional Political Director. Janette Joins J Street with over a decade of advocacy, development and marketing experience. While living in Jerusalem from 1999 to 2004, Janette served as a development consultant to Israeli non-profits while her husband pursued independent Orthodox rabbinic ordination. Previously, as director of the Massachusetts Child Hunger Initiative, Janette led a successful statewide advocacy campaign to increase state food aid to low income families. Janette began her career in public health and has a Masters of Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health. She spent five years as a social marketing consultant, with projects in Boston, Brazil, and Northern Pakistan. Janette currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband, David, and their two sons, who attend the Maimonides School in Brookline.
Steven Krubiner, Assistant Director of Government Affairs. Steven comes to J Street after working for the Initiative for Inclusive Security where he managed the Middle East program, designing policy recommendations on promoting inclusive peace and security processes with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Previously, he spent 3.5 years in Jerusalem working for Search for Common Ground in the Middle East, managing their media projects and coordinating the Madrid+15 conference, which brought together officials and civil society leaders from the Middle East, Europe, the US, and the UN to strategize on launching a regional comprehensive peace process. A trained mediator, Steven holds a bachelors degree from Tufts University in International Relations and a masters degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Middle Eastern Studies.
Barbara Lahav, Pacific Northwest Regional Political Director. Barbara joins J Street with over two decades of political activism in pursuit of Middle East peace. Barbara currently serves on the National Board of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom and is a founding member of the interfaith group Find Common Ground. A graduate of Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem, Barbara lived in Israel for more than 16 years, working in design for the Israel Museum as well as administration for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Before moving back to the Seattle, Barbara was the managing editor of the local Jerusalem newspaper Kol Ha’Ir. In the Seattle area, Barbara worked for the Jewish Federation and for ten years as the program director for the largest Conservative congregation in the area. For the past eight years, Barbara worked as an administrator and consultant for a variety of non-profit organizations. Barbara now lives on Mercer Island with her husband Eli, a native of Tel Aviv.
Carinne Luck, Deputy Field Director. Carinne has worked in the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement for over six years. She was one of the founding staff members of J Street, and the first Organizing Director at Brit Tzedek v'Shalom. She has worked as an organizer, consultant, trainer, mentor, and peace educator with a variety of peace and social justice groups, including Amnesty International, CitySeed, and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, and is a founding board member of 500Genders, a feminist writing and arts organization. Carinne received her MA in Humanities and Social Thought from NYU's Draper Institute and a certificate in curriculum writing from Columbia's Teachers College. She was born in Israel, raised in London, and now lives in Brooklyn and Washington, DC.
Andrew Meyerson, Development & Communications Associate. Andrew joins J Street after serving as the Associate Director of what is now J Street U. Previously, he spent over 2 years as a youth development specialist with the United States Peace Corps in Morocco, serving as the Educational Director of a rural youth center with 400 students. He received his B.A. & M.A. in Islamic & Mideast Studies from Brandeis University in 2004 & 2005, respectively, where he was an editor at the Brandeis Justice newspaper and captain of the Brandeis men's rowing team. A former intern at Seeds of Peace, he speaks Moroccan Arabic and is proficient in Classical Arabic and Modern Hebrew. Andrew grew up in Baltimore, MD and now lives in Washington, DC.
Daniel Rosove, Research and Program Assistant. Daniel joins J Street after spending years as an activist in the pro-Israel student movement at the University of Oregon. After graduating in 2007 with a Bachelors of Science in Political Science, Daniel spent 8 months living and traveling in Israel. He attended five months of ulpan Hebrew immersion at Ulpan Akiva in Netanya while also teaching English at an inner city elementary school. Daniel then spent two months volunteering as an ambulance medic with Magen David Adom Ambulance Service in Nazareth. In Washington, Daniel worked for five months as an intern for the House Committee on Foreign Affairs where he worked on Middle East issues. A native of Los Angeles, Daniel now lives in Washington, DC.
Amy Spitalnick, Press and New Media Associate. Amy joins J Street after serving as Deputy Communications Director on a nationally covered 2008 Congressional campaign. Previously, she worked on Congressman Anthony Weiner's 2005 New York City mayoral campaign and at Mary Fifield Associates, a Boston-based strategic communications firm. A 2008 graduate of Tufts University, Amy was awarded the 2008 Dutko Fellowship for Public Policy and holds a bachelors degree in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies. She spent a year studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and served as President of Tufts Hillel. Amy is originally from New York and currently lives in Washington, DC.
Rachel Streitfeld, Legislative Liaison. Rachel comes to J Street with 3 years of experience on Capitol Hill as an aide to a leader in the Democratic party. She has worked on several political campaigns across the country and most recently, she worked in the Florida Headquarters of Obama for America. Rachel earned her Bachelor of Arts in 2007 from The George Washington University, where she studied Arabic and double majored in Middle Eastern Studies and Political Science. She also spent a semester living in Egypt and studying at The American University in Cairo. Social justice and human rights were the pillars of her upbringing in a Reconstructionist Jewish community. Born and raised in South Florida, Rachel currently lives in Washington, DC.
Zachary Teicher, Development Associate. Zachary joins J Street following his position as Assistant Director of the Annual Fund at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Previously, Zachary served as a Field Organizer on the Hillary Clinton campaign in New Hampshire, Missouri, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania. A 2007 graduate of Macalester College, Zachary holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, History, and Classics. He spent two summers working on an archeological dig at Omrit in Israel, near Kiriyat Shmona. In addition to being an active member of the Macalester Jewish Organization, Zachary helped to create the Macalester Multifaith Council. A native of Westchester County, New York, Zachary currently lives in Washington, DC.
Adee Telem, New York Regional Political Director. Adee joins J Street with a decade of experience in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution space. She previously served as the West Coast Director for the OneVoice Movement, helping to double the organization’s funding over eighteen months and driving area network, foundation and corporate partnerships. She has worked in development, policy and research positions at Israel Policy Forum, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the U.S. Institute of Peace. Adee is the Co-Founder and Director of The Social Investment Consultancy, an international corporate engagement, philanthropy and fundraising services firm. She has been named one of 65 American-Jewish Leaders by the Center for Leadership Initiatives and was recently selected as one of 25 Emerging Leaders in Conflict Resolution by the U.S. Department of State and the Washington-Ireland Program. Adee was born in Israel and raised in Baltimore, Maryland.
Julia Terlinchamp, Programming Associate. Julia joins J Street following a year of experience as an aide to a California Congressman. Prior to working on Capitol Hill, Julia completed a Fulbright Scholarship to Sofia, Bulgaria. Her studies focused on the sociopolitical implications of the nuclear energy sector while Bulgaria prepared for EU accession. Having graduated from Pitzer College in Claremont, CA, she majored in International Studies, with a minor in Environmental Studies. Julia grew up in Seattle and now lives in Washington, DC.
Dylan J. Williams, Deputy Director of Government Affairs. Dylan joins J Street after serving as Counsel for Foreign Relations, Trade and Immigration to U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME). Dylan brings nearly a decade of experience advising U.S. Government officials and private clients on international affairs and law. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Dylan is a member of the New York Bar and holds a law degree and bachelors degree in government from Cornell University.
