NAOMI BRUNNLEHRMAN is the Co-Founder of JDRC and has been a volunteer advocate for the rights of Jews who communicate in ASL for over thirty years. She has her MA from JTS and is a pioneer in the field of Hebrew to ASL Interpreting. She has been described by many as "Chazan of the Deaf."
ALEXIS KASHAR is a civil rights and special education attorney. She holds a B.B.A. and a J.D. from the University of Texas and is licensed to practice in New York, D.C. and California. She is active in several local organizations. Ms. Kashar through her volunteer work with JDRC inspired the creation of the UJA-Federation of NY's first ever Jewish Community Deaf Interpreting Fund. She is the current President of the Board of Trustees for the New York School for the Deaf in White Plains and the chairperson of the Civil Rights committee for the National Association for the Deaf. Alexis lives in Scarsdale with her husband and their three children.
CAROLE LAZORISAK, MA is a tenured professor of American Sign Language (ASL) at LaGuardia Community College, CUNY. She holds a Professional Certificate from American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA) and has won numerous awards for her work both nationally and abroad as an educator and advocate. She is also a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) by Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, and has worked in many settings including synagogues.
MARLENE POST is a director and founding board member of Birthright Israel. She is a past president of Hadassah, a women's Zionist organization and has been an advocate for those seeking access for most of her life. She was instrumental in setting up JDRC as a 501(c)3 non-profit national organization.
PAUL WARHIT is the Past President of Temple Israel of New Rochelle, President of the New Rochelle Jewish Coalition, Vice President of the Westchester Jewish Council, President of the American Jewish Historical Society and the Lay Advisory Chair of the Westchester SYNERGY Council. He and his wife Ilissa Warhit along with their family reside in New Rochelle.
PAMELA PALAT WEXLER began her career as a corporate attorney. She received a B.S. in Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and her J.D. from Albany Law School, having participated in a six-year Management-Law Program. Pam is proud to have spent the past twenty years working on behalf of her community. She is a lay leader and a member of the Board of Directors of UJA-Federation of New York, holding various positions in leadership, and is also a Board member of National Women's Philanthropy of the Jewish Federations of North America. Pam is a member of the Advisory Group for J-Teen Leadership, an innovative community service leadership development initiative led by and for Jewish high school students. Pam lives in Scarsdale, New York with her husband and two children.
ERICA BRETT SILVERMAN Erica Brett Silverman was raised in Woodstock, NY and received a BS in Computer Science from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. The National Technical Institute for the Deaf exists on the campus of RIT and it was there that she developed an appreciation for the Deaf community and a love of sign language. Erica lived on and later served as a resident advisor for an integrated floor of hearing and hearing-impaired students while also working as a note taker and part-time interpreter. Erica is married to Jerry Silverman, current President and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America, and they reside in Newton, MA where they have lived since 1994 with their 5 children. Erica is currently the Business Manager of Camp Ramah in New England and is the Honorary Chair of Women's Philanthropy of Combined Jewish Philanthropy of Boston.
MARIANNE GLUSZAK BROWN , a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), has been involved in the Deaf Community her entire life. Professionally, she has taught ASL credit classes at Pace University, Lehman College, and LaGuardia Community College. She is the co-author of the popular book, "The American Handshape Dictionary", published by Gallaudet University Press. She is currently working as a certified interpreter and is also the owner of an interpreting referral agency, Deaflink. Marianne has had a lifetime of involvement in interpreting many aspects of Jewish life culminating in her recent conversion to Judaism. She lives in Rockland county with her husband, Morrie and son, Ben.
