Who is Who

As arzenu’s lead employee, Dekel Houmash is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organisation. She joined arzenu after previously working for the Jewish Agency for Israel where she was responsible for the shilchim to URJ summer camps. Born and raised in Israel, Dekel Houmash holds an MA in Jewish Education from Hebrew University.

Shoshana Dweck serves on the Advisory Council of The Jewish Agency for Israel – North America, having begun her connection with The Jewish Agency as a part of the Global Emerging Leaders Forum in 2009. A second-generation activist in the world of Reform Zionism, Shoshana has served as vice president of ARZA, the constituent of ARZENU in the United States, and vice chair of the United Israel Appeal, as well as on the Tribunal of the American Zionist Movement. An engineer and lawyer and proud mother of three sons, she is a former local Federation President and immediate past-chair of the New York Says Thank You Foundation and its healing arts work. She currently is Vice President (Social Justice) of the Women of Reform Judaism.

Harry Levy is the current Chair of the Israel Leadership Network of the URJ, past chair of the 2020 Reform Movement Get out the vote effort for the WZC elections, delegate to the most recent World Zionist Extraordinary Congress, the 2020 Virtual Congress, and the 2015 Congress. Harry was Treasurer of the Union for Reform Judaism(URJ), is member of the URJ’s North American Board, the Executive Board, Vice Chair of the URJ, and past Chair of the camping commission for the URJ. Harry is a past Chair of the San Antonio Jewish Federation and has been active with the Federation for several years. He is currently the US Chair of the Partnership Consortium to Western Galilee. He was President of Temple Beth-El in San Antonio from 2000-2002. A life-long resident of Texas, he is married since 1982, has three grown children, all products of NFTY and the Greene Family Camp. He runs a highway construction company that performs work in the central and south Texas area.

Rabbi Jordan Helfman is the Senior Rabbi of the South West Essex and Settlement Reform Synagogue,  where he has served for nearly two years. Previously he was the Associate Rabbi at Holy Blossom  Temple, in Toronto. For eight years, Rabbi Helfman served on the World Union of Progressive Judaism’s executive board,  with the specific responsibility for the Youth and Young Adults movements, and co-chaired the 2021  Connections conference. He has taught on the history of the Progressive movement, and has an  upcoming book on the unique Torah interpretations of the first generations of Progressive Jewish  teachers. He currently lives with his wife and four children in Barkingside, Ilford, UK.

Paulo Kulikovsky is a long-time member of Congregação Israelita Paulista – CIP, the largest progressive community in Brazil. He has been serving at the board of CIP since 2012, where he also served as the Vice-President and Finance Director from 2019 to 2023. Paulo has also served at the Executive Committee of UJR (União do Judaismo Reformista), the arm of WUPJ for Latin America. Paulo is an independent consultant in finance and operations, and previously held executive positions such as COO in Stake, an Australian brokerage, Acesso, a Brazilian neobank. Paulo is a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania and completed the OPM from the Harvard Business School. Paulo is married and has 3 children, and is currently living in London, UK.

Susan C. Longo is President of Making Auditors Proficient (MAP), which provides consulting services to industry and CPA practices throughout the United States and Canada.  She has been associated with national, regional, and local practices in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan and Texas.  She has expertise in compliance auditing for nonprofit organizations, governmental entities, employee benefit plans, HUD, financial institutions, broker-dealers, CIRAs and contractors.

Jay holds a degree in Accounting from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is a CPA (retired) and retired partner from Ernst & Young where he was the Americas Markets Leader for Business Tax Compliance and Reporting.

Jay has been a member of the North American Board of the URJ since 2017. He has served on the Audit Committee, New Congregations Committee and the lay leader for the URJ Marketplace. Jay is also a congregational mentor and an active member of the Israel Leadership Network.

Jay currently is the president of Temple Shaarei Shalom in Boynton Beach, Florida.

Roberta Franco Glick, a member of ARZA – the Association of Reform Zionists in America, is a Human  Resources Manager for a law firm in New York. She received her Executive Masters in Jewish Education  from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Region as well as being a participant of the iFellows  Master’s Concentration Program in Israel Education. She has had the opportunity to attend the 125th  anniversary of the First Zionist Congress in Basel (August, 2022) and the Extraordinary Congress (April,  2023). Roberta also sits on the the Union for Reform Judaism’s Executive Board and is a member of  Kehilat Kol HaNeshama in Jerusalem and Temple Chaverim in Plainview, New York.

Miriam Pearlman is an active lay leader in the Reform Jewish Community. Miriam served on ARZA  Canada Board from 2004, President 2015-2020, currently immediate past president. She serves on  several boards including RJCC (Reform Jewish Community of Canada), VP of CZF (Canadian Zionist  Federation), URJ committees, WZO (Va’ad Hapoel delegate). Miriam has represented the Canadian  Reform movement in Israel at World Zionist Congresses, WUPJ Connections, IMPJ Biennial and much  more. Miriam’s professional career in public education culminated as Superintendent of Education in a large  urban school board (Toronto). Her expertise includes strategic thinking, governance, people and project  management, communication and innovation. Miriam has an Honour B.A. in Mathematics, M.Ed. in  Education Leadership and Administration, University of Toronto. She and her husband enjoy spending  time with their children and grandchildren.

Rabbi Mühlstein first attended the Zionist Congress in 2006 as a representative of the World Union of Jewish Students. Having served a term as vice-chair of arzenu, she was the international chair from 2017-2023. Born and raised in Germany, Rabbi Mühlstein was ordained from Leo Baeck College in 2012. She works as a full-time pulpit rabbi at The Ark Synagogue in London, UK.

Yaron Shavit has served as the chair of arzenu’s faction in the Zionist Institutions since 2010 and served as arzenu’s legal consultant. In 2021, he was appointed as Vice Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel. He is one of arzenu’s representatives on the Executive Committee of the World Zionist Organization. He is an active attorney and a colonel in reserve within the IDF Central Command. Yaron Shavit is the former chair of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism.

Gusti Yehoshua-Braverman represents arzenu as the chair of the Department of Irgoon and Israelis Abroad in the World Zionist Organization since 2021. She previously served as the Chair of the Diaspora Department. Her current department oversees the activities of Zionist Federations around the world and works with Israelis living abroad. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the WZO. Previously, Born and raised in Israel, Gusti Yehoshua-Braverman served as the Associate Director of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism.

Yair Lootsteen represents arzenu as a vice-chair on the board of directors of Keren Kayemeth Leyisrael. He is also the Chair of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ). A lawyer, Yair Lootsteen served in the IDF’s Military Advocate General Corps for 23 years, completing his term of duty in 2007 with the rank of Colonel.