Leadership Coordinating Council

The Leadership Coordinating Council (LCC) was created in 2020 under revised Temple Bylaws. It is composed of representatives of Brotherhood, Beth El Women, and all committees and task forces from across the Temple community. Below is a list of current representatives. LCC meets 3-4 times each year, joined by a clergy representative, the executive director, and one or more Board officers. The Council forms an important conduit for dialogue, information, and exchange of best practices to ensure that our policies, investments, and activities best align with our needs. For additional information, reach out to Marla Becker, Chair of the Council.

Mission Statement:

To advance the shared Jewish values and goals of the Peninsula Temple Beth El community through coordinated activity and transparent communication among the Affinity Groups, committees, task forces, lay leadership, clergy, and staff.

Vision:

The members of the Leadership Coordinating Council will build on the existing strengths of the PTBE community by engaging in open, constructive interaction.

• We will create opportunities for Participants to educate, inform and support each other regarding activities and matters of common interest.

• We will respect the distinctive functions of the LCC members, and while the LCC is neither a policy making body nor does it have oversight responsibility over the any of the respective Participants, we will make a constructive contribution to the policy making process in our congregation.

• We will promote and encourage meaningful collaboration among the LCC members.

• We will engage in thoughtful and respectful communications and messaging among each other and with the congregation.

Our work will result in a more active and engaged community.

Current Membership:

Marla and her husband, Daniel, and their children, Lucas (24) and Ellis (20), joined PTBE in 2009. Marla is a co-founder of Rodfei Tzedek and continues to serve on the leadership team, and began BE Mitzvah tutoring at PTBE in 2017. Marla and her family participated in the Gesher Family Education program, and her kids subsequently participated in a variety of PTBE’s educational programs, including Rishonim, BE Mitzvah, Confirmation, and the Tikkun Fellowship. Marla joined the PTBE Board of Trustees in 2023.

Marla has worked in the field of Public Health for over 30 years. She is the founder of the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, and works as an Independent Nonprofit Consultant. Marla also serves on the board of Health Connected, a local sexual health education nonprofit, and volunteers with Second Harvest. She earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health from UCLA, and a Bachelor’s Degree in English and General Literature from Binghamton University in New York.

Michael relocated to San Francisco from New York in the late 70’s. Engaged in the construction industry as a commercial general contractor all his working life he retired in February 2023. Michael served on the PTBE Board of Trustees from 2002-2007 (three years as treasurer, as well as stints as chair of the security and buildings and grounds committees). More recently, Michael co-chaired the Temples Design & Construction Committee, which shepherded the $9M renovation, was a member of the Senior Rabbi Search Committee, and co-chaired the Associate Rabbi Search Committee. He presently co-chairs the Development Committee.

Michael’s past and present Jewish Community Agency roles (and secular non-profits too) include Board, Board Officer, Committee, and advisory positions with The Jewish Home of SF, Jewish Senior Living Group, TKCJL, Moldow Family Residences, Kehillah Jewish High School, SFJCF, Camp Newman, NPJCC, NP Chabad, Ronald C. Wornick School, Coastal Repertory Theatre, and Crystal Springs Uplands School.

Since 2000, Michael and his wife Martha have lived in Half Moon Bay. Their two children, Sarah and Hannah, presently live on the east coast, in New York City and Washington D.C., respectively.

Judy joined PTBE with her husband Brian soon after their infant son began attending Ganon. Their children, Jeremy and Jessica, grew up at PTBE in the education program, later becoming B’nai Mitzvot and then Madrichim during their High School years. Judy served on the Education Committee and has held various BEW leadership positions including President. She believes that her involvement in various volunteer roles has enriched her experiences and connections within the PTBE community.

Judy is currently co-chair of the North Peninsula Yom HaShoah Commemoration Planning Committee. Professionally, she worked in the Jewish Community for over 18 years. She is currently in a finance role at Peninsula School in Menlo Park.

Judy looks forward to working alongside the newly emerging BEW Leadership Team to engage PTBE women in a variety of programs and to foster meaningful connections with one other.
Website: https://www.ptbe.org/community-beth-el-women

Marc is excited to lead Brotherhood with in-person social events and involvement in a variety of temple activities.

He joined PTBE in 2011, along with his wife, Amy, and children (Elana and Noah).  He is a real estate attorney on the Peninsula, and has been the chairman of several sections of the San Mateo County Bar Association.

Marc met Amy on a Jewish ski trip at Cal Berkeley.  He grew up in Los Angeles and became a Bar Mitzvah at Temple Sinai on Wilshire Blvd.

He lives in Foster City and is an avid cyclist.
Website:  https://www.ptbe.org/community-brotherhood

Hillary joined PTBE in 2015 with her husband (Pete) and two children (Shayna and Noah). Hillary became involved with Sunday Sandwich Hevre (SSH) during Covid. She enjoyed making meals at home with her family and loved how SSH offered a meaningful way to stay connected and give back. Hillary started co-leading SSH with Deena Bertolina in January 2023 and is passionate about making meals with our awesome PTBE community and feeding our neighbors in need.

Hillary is a Southern California native and has called the Bay Area home since 2000. She studied at UC Santa Cruz and after graduating spent a year teaching and providing community service in Israel on Project Otzma. Hillary leaned into her Jewish identity in Israel and worked for Hillel at UC Santa Cruz upon her return. Hillary's professional focus has been environmental education. Hillary was the Director of Volunteers for Environmental Volunteers, a nonprofit based in Palo Alto providing natural science education and field trips to schools in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. In 2008, Hillary founded Wonderbug Adventures and began offering hands-on natural science exploration to toddlers and their families in San Francisco and Burlingame. During Covid, Hillary stopped teaching and now spends her time volunteering, hiking with her dog, learning with her Rosh Chodesh group and playing pickleball.

The PTBE Rodfei Tzedek (Pursuing Justice) team believes that together we can become an increasingly powerful force to implement the values of Tikkun Olam and social justice in our congregation, our local community and in our country. As a result of a temple-wide listening campaign, our top priority issue is Climate Justice. Our leadership team is composed of Marla Becker, Nancy Bott, Jessica Rosenberg, Nancy Schneider, and Rebecca Schwartz. This is not just a committee, this is a PTBE-wide movement. Come join us! Website: https://www.ptbe.org/rodfei-tzedek

Sherry grew up in New Jersey. After graduating from SUNY Stony Brook with a BA in Economics, she worked for ten years as a bond broker on Wall Street. Then she happily relocated to the Bay Area after meeting her husband Brian on a Jewish singles ski trip in Big Sky, Montana. Sherry currently works as a Clinical Research Coordinator, conducting Clinical Trials for Allergy and Asthma drugs.

Sherry’s sons, Josh, Adam, and Jonah, all became bar mitzvah at PTBE. Sherry has been a parent and supporter of the Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School, as well as a previous board member at PTBE. Sherry is also a proud co-chair on the planning committee of the North Peninsula Yom HaShoah annual commemoration. Passionate about building and nurturing community, Sherry is honored and excited to co-chair the Engagement Committee with Jessica Rosenberg.

Michelle is a New York transplant who has spent the majority of her adult life in California, including the last 12 years in San Carlos.  Michelle and her family joined PTBE six years ago and have enjoyed PTBE’s warm and welcoming community and inspirational services.  She has two children, an 8th grader and a 5th grader, who have both attended PTBE education programs from a young age. Her oldest son had his Bar Mitzvah this past spring and her daughter just received her date for spring 2025!  Michelle recently served on the synagogue’s search committee to hire our new assistant rabbis. She is excited to expand her leadership role at PTBE by chairing the Education Committee.

Professionally, Michelle has been committed to improving public schools for the last two decades. She began her career as a high school English teacher; she helped to start a charter school from scratch; and since receiving a Phd in Education Policy in 2010, she’s worked with school districts nationwide to understand how to successfully implement new policies and programs, as well as to shift administrator and teacher practices to support all learners. In her last role, she led a research collaborative between Stanford University and nine San Mateo County school districts to develop and execute research projects that were rooted in region-specific problems of practice. In addition to her professional roles, Michelle served for 4 years on the San Carlos School District Board of Trustees, including a year as Board President. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University, a single-subject teaching credential from Cal State, Northridge, and a Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Southern California.

David grew up in Dallas, Texas, and moved from Texas to the Bay Area in 1976. He initially attended the University of Texas in Austin, but earned his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in political science from San Francisco State University in 1978 and 1980, respectively. He made his career as a software engineer, retiring in 2021.

David and wife Theresa met in San Francisco and were married in 1985. They moved from San Francisco to San Mateo in 1992 following the birth of their son Wesley, and joined PTBE in 1994, enrolling him in the pre-K Sunday school. Wesley became a Bar Mitzvah in 2004. David served a 3-year term on the Religious School Board with Rabbi Lezak in the early 2000’s. He joined the Interfaith Friendship Committee in 2022. With IFC, David has helped organize various events with our partner congregations, including inviting guests for our holiday celebrations at PTBE, for special interfaith Movie & Midrash events, and events in our currently ongoing “12 Months By The Bay” program.

David still lives in San Mateo, and loves hiking, reading, and movies.

Steve grew up in Montville, New Jersey and became bar mitzvah at the Pine Brook Jewish Center. He attended a Jewish summer camp in Pennsylvania and participated in a seven-week Jewish teen leadership program in Israel. The trip included three weeks of living and working on Kibbutz Or HaNer, travelling throughout the country for three more weeks, and finally one week of educational training in Tel Aviv. Steve attended the University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate degree, worked in lingerie manufacturing in Hong Kong, and then graduated from Harvard Business School before moving to the Bay Area. Steve is an owner of San Francisco Soup Company and Ladle & Leaf restaurants. Currently, he is also on the board of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association and the California Restaurant Association. You can find his matzoh ball soup at Mollie Stone’s and Piazza’s.

Steve is married to Erica Park, who is a clinical scientist at Genentech, and has four children — Sam, 21, who became bar mitzvah at PTBE in 2016 and attends Rice University; Zachary and Jacob, 19, who became b’nai mitzvah in 2018 and attend Rice University and Brandeis respectively; and Eliana, 17, who became bat mitzvah in 2020 and attends Design Tech High School. Steve enjoys skiing with the kids in the winter, playing tennis with them in the summer and, of course, cooking with/for them all year.