"JDRC's unparalleled contacts and experience have proven tremendously valuable as New York's Town & Village (T&V) Synagogue has endeavored to serve our Jewish Deaf neighbors. We've been fortunate to have worked so closely with them in the past few years and look forward to continued fruitful collaboration for many more yet to come"
BOARD MEMBERS
Susan Cohen, President
Susan Cohen, originally from Brooklyn, New York, was born Deaf to hearing parents and raised in a Conservative Jewish household. Her siblings had the bar and bat mitzvahs that she did not have because such opportunities were not available to her as a deaf person. Inequities such as these inspired her passion to increase communication access in the wider Jewish community.
When Cohen and her husband joined a synagogue in Maryland, they founded its Deaf Access Committee and Interpreter's Fund. Their advocacy made it possible for the synagogue to provide access to Deaf and Hard of Hearing members and visitors.
Eager to begin her Jewish journey, Cohen participated in her synagogue's Adult B'nai Mitzvah program, complete with ASL interpreters. She also served on her synagogue's Program Director’s Search Committee as well as its confirmation class committee when her two daughters were completing the program.
Cohen was elected president of JDRC in February 2021. She believes that the JDRC has given her a platform to forge partnerships with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community and the wider Jewish community to increase communication access through education and advocacy.
She is an immediate past president of The Washington Society of Jewish Deaf (WSJD).
Cohen was a librarian for Montgomery County Public Libraries and coordinated the new Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library, the first of its kind in a public library system in the state of Maryland. She retired in 2020.
Ms. Cohen has been integral in the collaborative initiative of a national ASL Shabbat Coalition which was founded in April 2020 shortly after the onset of the pandemic, when four Jewish Deaf organizations created an online ASL spiritual community.
Susan is JDRC's third president.
When Cohen and her husband joined a synagogue in Maryland, they founded its Deaf Access Committee and Interpreter's Fund. Their advocacy made it possible for the synagogue to provide access to Deaf and Hard of Hearing members and visitors.
Eager to begin her Jewish journey, Cohen participated in her synagogue's Adult B'nai Mitzvah program, complete with ASL interpreters. She also served on her synagogue's Program Director’s Search Committee as well as its confirmation class committee when her two daughters were completing the program.
Cohen was elected president of JDRC in February 2021. She believes that the JDRC has given her a platform to forge partnerships with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community and the wider Jewish community to increase communication access through education and advocacy.
She is an immediate past president of The Washington Society of Jewish Deaf (WSJD).
Cohen was a librarian for Montgomery County Public Libraries and coordinated the new Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library, the first of its kind in a public library system in the state of Maryland. She retired in 2020.
Ms. Cohen has been integral in the collaborative initiative of a national ASL Shabbat Coalition which was founded in April 2020 shortly after the onset of the pandemic, when four Jewish Deaf organizations created an online ASL spiritual community.
Susan is JDRC's third president.
Dr. Stephen F. Weiner, Vice President
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Dr. Stephen F. Weiner was provost, or chief academic officer, of Gallaudet University. In this role, he provided leadership for all academic units at the university, including its pre-college, undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs. He also oversaw the offices responsible for enrollment management, student affairs, academic technology, the university library and archives, American Sign Language diagnostic and evaluation services, student support services, academic quality and planning, assessment, and institutional research.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Weiner earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Gallaudet, and his doctorate from American University. He has served as administrator of two non-profit organizations and as dean of a school for deaf students. At Gallaudet, he held several administrative posts, including director of the Career Center and dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies. |
Steve Lovi
Steve Lovi was raised in the Chicago area and grew up in a predominately Jewish neighborhood with several Deaf Jewish peers. Temple and JCC life were major cornerstones during Steve’s youth. With family support and advocacy, he received his Bar Mitzvah and Religious School confirmation through Temple Beth El. Steve also participated in High Holy holiday services at Congregation Bene Shalom for the Deaf. He was an active member of the Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical Institute for the Deaf (RIT/NTID) Hillel group and holds a bachelor’s degree in social work.
Steve has worked in the non-profit management sector for 25+ years and served on several local, state, and national boards including eight years with the National Association of the Deaf. Currently he is an Executive Director for a small Deaf non-profit based in NYC/FL and Vice President of the Empire State Association of the Deaf (NY).
Steve has worked in the non-profit management sector for 25+ years and served on several local, state, and national boards including eight years with the National Association of the Deaf. Currently he is an Executive Director for a small Deaf non-profit based in NYC/FL and Vice President of the Empire State Association of the Deaf (NY).
Rabbi Rebecca L. Dubowe
A native of Los Angeles, California, Rabbi Rebecca L. Dubowe was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and has served several synagogues in different cities, including Thousand Oaks, CA, Hollywood, CA, and New Brunswick, NJ. Currently, she is the rabbi for Moses Montefiore Congregation in Bloomington, IL. Since her arrival during the summer of 2015, Rabbi Dubowe has played an active role as the spokesperson on behalf of the small but vibrant Jewish community in Bloomington. She serves as the co-chair of the Faith and Outreach committee associated with the Not In Our Town organization, a grassroots movement focused on stopping hate, addressing bullying, and building safe, inclusive communities for all.
In addition, Rabbi Dubowe co-founded the McLean County Interfaith Alliance, which promotes interfaith dialogue and fellowship within the greater Bloomington Normal faith communities. In 2016, Rabbi Dubowe was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Delaware Valley University, PA, and in 2018, she received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. An avid learner of theology, Rabbi Dubowe’s most recent essay was included in Because My Soul Longs for You: Integrating Theology into our Lives, a book recently published by CCAR Press (Central Conference of American Rabbis).
Besides serving the rabbinate full- time, Rabbi Dubowe also offers her time to the greater Jewish Deaf Community, including teaching the first-ever Introduction to Judaism in ASL in partnership between the Union of Reform Judaism and the Jewish Deaf Resource Center. This community has a special place in Rabbi Dubowe’s life as she is the first female Deaf rabbi ordained in the world. Rabbi Dubowe has spoken at numerous synagogues throughout the country, written various articles, and led webinars on the importance of inclusion within the Jewish community.
In addition, Rabbi Dubowe co-founded the McLean County Interfaith Alliance, which promotes interfaith dialogue and fellowship within the greater Bloomington Normal faith communities. In 2016, Rabbi Dubowe was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Delaware Valley University, PA, and in 2018, she received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. An avid learner of theology, Rabbi Dubowe’s most recent essay was included in Because My Soul Longs for You: Integrating Theology into our Lives, a book recently published by CCAR Press (Central Conference of American Rabbis).
Besides serving the rabbinate full- time, Rabbi Dubowe also offers her time to the greater Jewish Deaf Community, including teaching the first-ever Introduction to Judaism in ASL in partnership between the Union of Reform Judaism and the Jewish Deaf Resource Center. This community has a special place in Rabbi Dubowe’s life as she is the first female Deaf rabbi ordained in the world. Rabbi Dubowe has spoken at numerous synagogues throughout the country, written various articles, and led webinars on the importance of inclusion within the Jewish community.
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Marcie Stern
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Marcie Stern, a Baldwin, Long Island, NY, native, received a BS in Business Information Systems from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. An active member of The Washington Society of Jewish Deaf (WSJD) for years, often volunteering as leader of the food committee. Marcie is married to Jeffrey Buxbaum who is the current president of WSJD.
Lorraine Gold Appel
Ms. Lorraine Gold-Appel is a CODA to two Deaf, Jewish parents. She has
worked as a freelance ASL interpreter for most of her adult life and has
her RID and NAD certifications. Lorraine currently works at New York
School for the Deaf, her father’s alma mater, as a Staff ASL Interpreter
and Coordinator. Lorraine has two children that she adores – Liana and
Wesley.
worked as a freelance ASL interpreter for most of her adult life and has
her RID and NAD certifications. Lorraine currently works at New York
School for the Deaf, her father’s alma mater, as a Staff ASL Interpreter
and Coordinator. Lorraine has two children that she adores – Liana and
Wesley.
Roxanne Baker
A Maine native who graduated from the Governor Baxter School of the Deaf, Roxanne Baker has degrees in Theatre Arts and Psychology from Gallaudet University. She has been employed as an American Sign Language /Deaf Studies Instructor at the University of Southern Maine and other schools for 25+ years.
She enjoys promoting the beauty of ASL and Deaf Culture. She has worked as ASL Coach for both the Portland Stage Company and Penobscot Theatre Company which offer ASL interpreted performances. She is an advocate/activist serving on the school board at her alma mater where she continues to fight for early language acquisition and an improved learning environment for Deaf/Hard of hearing children.
Roxanne has a background in acting. Her first acting break happened with a United Way commercial when she was a young girl. Her latest project include "My Hands Remember," based on and inspired by the first hand account of a Deaf Jewish Women's escape from the horrors of Nazi Germany. It premiered at the Wheelock Family Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2001. She also presented "The Promised Hands: Coming Home to Jewish Roots," which was based on her experiences growing up as the only Deaf Jewish student at the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf, at both Bowdoin and Colby Colleges, in Maine.
Roxanne enjoys taking classes related to Judaism through various Jewish Deaf organizations and participating in ASL Shabbat Coalition services, led by three Jewish Deaf organizations. These opportunities have enabled her to reclaim her Jewish identity and spirituality at a deeper level. She enjoys being the mother of her precious sons and being a Bubba, too.
She enjoys promoting the beauty of ASL and Deaf Culture. She has worked as ASL Coach for both the Portland Stage Company and Penobscot Theatre Company which offer ASL interpreted performances. She is an advocate/activist serving on the school board at her alma mater where she continues to fight for early language acquisition and an improved learning environment for Deaf/Hard of hearing children.
Roxanne has a background in acting. Her first acting break happened with a United Way commercial when she was a young girl. Her latest project include "My Hands Remember," based on and inspired by the first hand account of a Deaf Jewish Women's escape from the horrors of Nazi Germany. It premiered at the Wheelock Family Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2001. She also presented "The Promised Hands: Coming Home to Jewish Roots," which was based on her experiences growing up as the only Deaf Jewish student at the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf, at both Bowdoin and Colby Colleges, in Maine.
Roxanne enjoys taking classes related to Judaism through various Jewish Deaf organizations and participating in ASL Shabbat Coalition services, led by three Jewish Deaf organizations. These opportunities have enabled her to reclaim her Jewish identity and spirituality at a deeper level. She enjoys being the mother of her precious sons and being a Bubba, too.
STAFF
Naomi Brunnlehrman
Co-Founder & Executive Director
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Naomi Brunnlehrman is a 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 interpreting Jewish prayer from Hebrew to ASL. She has been described by many as "Chazan of the Deaf."
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