Meet Our Team

With his extensive experience of World wisdom traditions, Rabbi David brings a unique depth and breadth of understanding to his rabbinic work. He is deeply committed to comparative religious studies and to integrating into Judaism practices which consistently prove effective in opening a connection with the Divine.

Email: david@romemu.org

Rabbi Dianne was the first woman from the Syrian Jewish community to be ordained as a Rabbi. She graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1995, where she was awarded several fellowships and a prize for academic excellence. Since that time she has served as an educator, scholar-in-residence, and administrator for multiple organizations in the Jewish world, including CLAL, the Bronfman Youth Fellowship, The Curriculum Initiative and UJA Federation. In 2007 she was named one of fifty top rabbis by the Washington Post online. Besides leading education efforts at Romemu she currently co-teaches the Arts Beit Midrash at the Skirball Institute with Tobi Kahn, teaches courses at UJA Federation a nd writes and speaks regularly on Torah, Jewish values and family life, Jewish ethnicity and Judaism and disabilities. Rabbi Dianne and her journalist husband Larry live on the upper west side of Manhattan and have three children.

Email: dianne@romemu.org

Shimon Smith is the cantor and director of music and youth and family at Romemu of Manhattan.

Having grown up in Israel, Shimon served as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces for five years where he received the presidential award for outstanding soldier. After his service, he became a Jewish Agency shaliach in the U.S. for two years and, upon his return to Israel, he studied music at the Rimon School for Music and Jazz. Shimon holds a bachelor’s in history and Jewish studies, and became a full member of the Cantors Assembly in 2024.

In Israel, Shimon was a leader in the pluralistic Jewish world, leading music in rallies and protests for a more egalitarian Jewish society together with the IMPJ, Women of the Wall, and other Jewish pluralistic organizations. He was the cantorial soloist and head of the b’nai mitzvah program at Beit Daniel Tel Aviv for 13 years before moving with his family to the United States, where he spent a year as an artist in residence at Temple Emanuel in Westfield, New Jersey, before moving to New York City.

Shimon is a celebrated Jewish rock radio artist. His original songs are featured in many transcontinental music publications and can be found on Spotify and other streaming services. Shimon also dubs voices for characters in the Israeli versions of cartoon movies and TV shows and has been the Israeli voice of characters such as Scar, Thanos and Hefty Smurf. He is also one of the Israeli voices of Waze.

Shimon lives on the Upper West Side in Manhattan with his wife Rebecca, daughter Lily, and dog Lucy.

Email: Shimon@romemu.org

Jeff has been passionately involved in Renewal Judaism for over 20 years, serving on the board of Aleph: The Alliance for Jewish Renewal, studying in the Aleph Seminary, and participating as a founding member of two Jewish Renewal congregations. Jeff has served on the Board of Romemu since our inception, and co-founded and chaired our Seekers Holistic Hebrew School, and our first Financial Development committee.  Jeff believes that Romemu is on its way to becoming a world class center for Renewal Judaism and plans to do whatever he can to help make that happen.

Jeff has 30 years of experience managing non-profit and for-profit organizations of all sizes. Most recently, he was the Director of Development of Young Judaea Global, the largest pluralist Zionist youth movement, and before that was a Development Director at UJA-Federation of New York, the world’s largest local philanthropy. Previously, while living in the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years, he founded, grew, and sold the high-tech internet company, Netpulse. He has also worked at Intel, AT&T Bell Labs, and the Israeli telecom company, Telrad. A long time ago, Jeff got a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell, and a Masters from Stanford.

Jeff is madly in love with his wife, Shelley, and his three kids, Simon, Isabel, and Sinai.

Email: jeff@romemu.org

Eden Sidney Foster is passionate about Jewish practice and transformation, justice, and service. She comes from a creative background in filmmaking and theater, with years of experience in hospitality and the Jewish world. She feels privileged to bring her skills to bear to contribute to connection and evolution in the Romemu community.

Natasha Marder has spent the last 5 years as a director at Habonim Dror’s Camp Gilboa designing and coordinating youth and young adult programming. Her work focuses on youth leadership, critical thinking, and fostering community. Natasha also studied Sociology and Dance at Wesleyan University and is always looking for ways to bring creative expression into her work.

Email: Natasha@romemu.org

Growing up between Atlanta, GA, and a kibbutz in northern Israel, Sela was always drawn to music, spiritualism, and event production. He started playing the piano at the age of 6, and participated in cross religion workshops and projects through Israel, India, and the United States. While at the kibbutz, Sela worked as a Cultural Manager, producing events, holidays and musical gatherings for all ages.

During his Bachelor’s degree at Tel Aviv University Sela continued to produce musical theater shows and live musical poetry events, and during his Master’s at NYU he produced live music concerts, recording sessions and had his music recorded with a full orchestra.

After graduation, Sela founded his own music label, where he produced countless songs, music scores, and live music performances.

Sela currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two kids.

Mara Jill Herman is a Jewish activist and award-winning artist who endeavors to abolish antisemitism, advocates for gender equity, and helps protect human rights. Her work has been featured on CBS Mornings, NPR, New York Jewish Week, Moment, and more.

As an Event Producer, Mara orchestrates theatrical plays, benefit concerts, company launch parties, and panel discussions. Affiliations include: 92nd Street Y, Museum of the Moving Image, SheNYC Arts, Queens Theatre, The Tank, The Cell, The Green Room 42, and ART/NY.

Mara made her Carnegie Hall debut in We Are Here: Songs From The Holocaust and put her Hebrew vocals to work developing The Band’s Visit. She is a proud native New Yorker and alumna of Birthright Israel. Mara formerly sang in Temple Judea’s youth and professional choir for High Holiday services and is delighted to cultivate Jewish community with Romemu Brooklyn.

Adam Huttel, LMSW, is a valued social worker at Jewish Community Services of The Jewish Board, specializing in facilitating bereavement support groups, providing short-term individual counseling, and delivering on-site support at several community institutions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Queens College and a Master’s in Social Work from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Adam’s deep passion for his work and his essential contributions to The Jewish Board underscore his commitment to making a meaningful impact in the community. Adam is excited to be joining the staff at Romemu and is passionate about serving the community. ahuttel@jbfcs.org