Jackie Loren
Jackie came to Judaism as a young adult and formally converted in 2000. She and her husband, Adam, have three daughters: Rachel, Emma and Sasha. Jackie and her family have been members of TST since 2016 and a member of the TST choir since 2018. The entire Loren family were drawn to TST because of the passion of the clergy, the dedication of the educators, and the welcoming spirit of the community.
Harry Merkin
Harry is a career marketing professional, having worked for several technology companies and currently for Cedar in the healthcare space. He and his wife Debbie, daughter Rachel and son Adam joined TST in 1994. They have all experienced many family milestones at TST over the years, including the B’nai Mitzvah of both children, Debbie’s adult B’nai Mitzvah under the tutelage of Rabbi Blumberg, having Cantor Hollis marry Rachel and her husband Will Welt a few years ago, and the passing of Debbie’s parents and Harry’s Mom. The Merkins reside in Wellesley.
Rebecca Chasen
Rebecca Chasen is a Partner at Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP and is the Strategy & Alliance Leader for the Accounting and Internal Audit Offering. Rebecca has more than 25 years of experience in accounting and financial experience that covers a wide range of services including auditing of public and private companies, assisting companies with accounting standard implementations and financial reporting and investigating various aspects of fraud. Rebecca is happily married to Allan and they are parents to two boys Noah and Sam. Rebecca and her family have been members of Shir Tikva for 8 years and they love the fact that the TST blends Jewish traditions with modern day life. They enjoy being part of such a warm and welcoming community.
Michael Cohn
Mike is a Principal in Risk Management Services and Director of the Strategic Management Services for Wolf & Company, P.C. He’s responsible for leading the strategic and actively participates in client engagements including Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), ESG, Virtual CRO, board training, and others. With over 25 years in the banking and technology industries, he has extensive knowledge in strategic planning, corporate governance, technology strategy, and fintech management issues. Mike regularly presents strategy, ESG and climate risk, and ERM trends and techniques at conferences and for industry professionals.
Mike is an avid extreme adventurer, enjoying snowboarding, rock climbing, and acting as a high mountain alpine guide. When not fulfilling his role as a “soccer dad,” he tries to convince his teenage children that Mom is really going ice climbing on the family vacation.
Jane Horne
Jane lives in Wayland with her husband Jonathan and their four sons, Noah, Joseph, Benjamin, and William. Their family has been members since 2014. She is a partner at the law firm of Peabody & Arnold LLP in Boston. Her service on the Board of Trustees means a lot to her as it is a way for Jane to still feel connected to the community, despite the demands of work and a very busy household.
Roy Lurie
TST has been a key part of Roy’s family life for many years. He has had many roles on the board over the last 10 years and is currently focused on governance, leadership, and strategy development. Roy holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and has worked at MathWorks as the head of MATLAB engineering for almost three decades. Originally from South Africa, Roy now lives in Natick with his wife, Mary Beth Rettger, and their two children. Their children have grown up in the TST community and their family has built strong relationships there. As an interfaith family, Roy appreciates the welcoming community they have found at TST. In his spare time, Roy kayaks, reads science fiction, flies drones, and creates things using 3D printers.
Richard Kaye
As an engineer, working for an Israeli software company, Richard has put his technical skills to good use, supporting the temple’s A/V and technology needs to ensure that services, High Holy Days, B’nei Mitzvot, and other events. Richard, his wife Leslie, and children Melody and Sam, joined TST in 2013, when they moved to Wayland from the Philadelphia area. Being close to their new home, Shir Tikva was the first temple they visited, and immediately felt at home – between the wonderful music, the people, and the modern approach to Judaism, TST just “felt right.” Being part of the TST community – both as a member, and now on the Board – really has made Wayland feel like home. When not working on TST projects and his “day” job, or with his family, Richard can often be found out on his mountain bike, or playing his electric guitars.
Jay Lieberman
Jay has been a member of TST since 2019, along with his wife Nurit, daughters Maya (12) and Hannah (9), and guinea pigs Cocoa and Princess (who love their kosher hay!). They have lived in Framingham for the past 17 years. Jay earned his MBA from Northeastern University with a dual concentration in Marketing and Management. Currently, he works as a Senior Copywriter for Examity in Newton and has his own freelance company named The Better Writer. Previously, Jay has worked in various marketing roles at a variety of companies, including WGBH, Unilever, and KPMG. As a new trustee, he is most excited about letting the world know about all of the amazing things that TST has to offer, while, at the same time, keeping the TST community engaged and informed.
Ginny MacDowell
Ginny has been a member of TST since the very beginning, as she and her family are founding members. She is well-established in the Boston Jewish community- serving in most Jewish organizations in the Greater Boston area. She is married to Roy and has 5 children, 13 grandchildren, and two adorable dogs. Ginny looks forward to continuing her role as the Development Trustee and the privilege of supporting the TST community through philanthropy.
Shana Kaplan
Shana Kaplan has worked as an employment attorney for over 15 years before deciding to pursue her master’s in social work, with an eye towards working with individuals and families dealing with serious health issues and medical crises. Shana, her husband Josh, and their three daughters became members of TST in 2011. They were drawn to TST by its warm spirit and its inclusive community, and it has been a joy to watch Judaism become a part of their children’s lives over the years. Shana is honored to serve as the Trustee of Teen Education and Development and is excited to work on ways to support teens continuing to build their Jewish identities as they develop into more independent people on the road to adulthood. In her free time, Shana loves to practice yoga, knit, and try out new recipes.
Jill Abend
Jill has been a member of the Temple Shir Tikva community since 1993 when joining as a young family. She has a financial background working in the leasing and mortgage industries. Jill has been active in many aspects of the temple participating in a variety of committees. Recently, her focus at TST has been adult engagement, including Sisterhood, Reyim, and now ACE (Adult Community Engagement). TST has been a big part of her life and she considers it her second family. The most important aspect is the sense of community and the long-lasting friendships.
Sasha Tulgan
Sasha has been a member of TST since she moved to Wayland two years. She grew up in Weston, attended (along with sister Rachel) West Area nursery school (earlier iteration of the TST Early Learning Center) and sang in the TST choir in high school. A lawyer with a background in commercial litigation, Sasha now works at Harvard Law School. She and her husband Adam have two sons, Ben and Sid, both of whom attended the Early Learning Center after moving from Rochester, New York. Sasha is an avid skier and fan of acappella and karaoke.
Jonathan Zarkower
A member of Temple Shir Tikva since 1997, Jonathan Zarkower is a first-time board member, but has been recognizable to many as a prayer and song leader and a member of the TST Players. Jonathan also taught music in our religious school for 15 years, co-directed our youth choir, Shir Yeladim, and has served as bandleader and participant for many Purim spiels. By day, Jonathan is a senior product marketing manager for ThousandEyes/Cisco Systems. Jonathan has two beautiful daughters, Rebecca and Samantha, and lives in Framingham with his wife Rhonda and their dog, Mojo. Jonathan is excited for the opportunity to collaborate with our clergy, spiritual lay leaders, other board members and congregants on making Shir Tikva’s worship services and other spiritual activities accessible, inclusive, meaningful and thoroughly joyful for our entire community.
Michael J. Wadness
Michael Wadness joined TST back in 2013 after his family was invited to a Friday night Shabbat service and has never looked back. Michael is exceptionally proud of the social justice work that TST has done from the simple food drives all the way up to the complex work for the homeless and its partnership with our neighbors at the Islamic Center. As trustee for Social Justice and Community Connections, Michael looks forward to TST taking Tikuun Olam (repairing the world) to its most literal meaning in its work with the environment and the numourous advocacy positions that include anti-racism, fighting voter suppression, and transgender rights.
Professionally, Michael Wadness has a doctorate in science education and teaches high school physics in Medford. Michael has been a national leader working as a fellow for QuarkNet bringing particle physics into classrooms across the world and a lead ambassador for StepUp Physics, a grant funded program which trains teachers to address the problem of under-representation of women in physics.
Tara Sagor
Tara Sagor has been a member of Temple Shir Tikva since 2017. Tara is a licensed mental health counselor specializing in working with children and families impacted by trauma. She is currently the Director of Training and Trauma Response for Justice Resource Institute, where she has worked for 19 years across many roles. In addition, Tara is an adjunct professor at Lesley University in their graduate department of counseling psychology. Most importantly, Tara is a mother of 3 to Eliana, Isaiah, and Noah. She was raised Catholic and is raising her children in the Jewish faith, with her husband, Joshua Sagor. She was especially drawn to TST for the inclusiveness and welcoming of interfaith families and the social justice driven mission.
Beth Cohen
Beth joined Temple Shir Tikva in 2015, when her children enrolled in the ELC. Beth is a physician, specializing in adult endocrinology, and is beginning a new job in September. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Adam, their two children, Julia (9) and Brandon (7), and their COVID puppy, Dexter. Being part of a large, vibrant Jewish community, one with many young families her children would grow up and attend religious school with, is important to Beth and her husband. Thanks to the connections she has made through social programs, the religious school/ELC, weekly Shabbat services, in conjunction with the warmth and talent of the amazing clergy, Beth feels fortunate to be a part of the TST community. It is an honor for her to be the New Membership Trustee on the Board.
Rachel Welt
Rachel has been in tech marketing for over a decade. She has built multiple customer marketing programs from the ground up, focusing on product activation, brand advocacy and community building. Currently, Rachel is expanding the reach of customer marketing at BetterCloud, a SaaS operations software company based in New York City. Rachel is a child of TST and has returned to put down her own family’s Jewish roots at Shir Tikva. She is excited to continue to build and cultivate Shir Tikva’s thriving community. In her free time she enjoys traveling, gardening and adventuring with her husband Will and daughter Sophie.
Julie Kniznik
Julie is a Career Coach who recently left her former employer to go out on her own. She has been a member of TST since the mid 1990’s and served as president from 2014 – 2016. Her passions have been working to build a relational culture for TST membership and social justice. She is married to Dan Schneider and they have two grown sons, Paul and Ben, and three rescue animals – 2 cats and a dog. Some might say she lives in a zoo!
