I moved to the US at age 4 and was the first grandchild to receive a degree here from St. John's University. I work as chief PA in Urology department at Elmhurst Hospital. I have three beautiful children who are attending Yeshiva this year. They are learning so much and teaching us daily. I hope to learn as well from the JPA, so I could reflect the knowledge back to them of what it means to be a Russian Jewish parent in America today.

Oksana was born in Namangan, Uzbekistan and raised in the city of Tashkent before moving to New York at the age of 6. She identifies as a Bukharian Jew and was able to engage herself in many Jewish organizations including JCCA's Bukharian Teen Lounge, Bukharian Jewish Organization of Youth (BJOY), Hillel, Birthright and her local Chabad. During her college years, Oksana went on to become the president of BJOY and organized events for youth in her community. Oksana graduated from Queens College with a bachelors degree in psychology and shortly after, from New York University with a nursing degree. She currently resides on Long Island with her husband and two children.

Marina, emigrated with her family from Odessa, Ukraine, in 1989, when she was 5 years old. Marina went on to receive a doctorate in physical therapy. She now works in the aesthetics industry. Judaism has always been extremely important to Marina and she raises her family to this high standard. Marina married her husband Steve in 2009, welcomed their first child, Matthew in 2010, and a second child, Mikayla, in 2011. It is important for Marina and her husband to raise their family with a strong awareness of Judaism and all of its cultural traditions.

As a first generation American in her family, Tammy understood the significance of that responsibility. Her grandparents emigrated from Tashkent , Uzbekistan in the fall of 1979 with her nine-year-old mother and four-year-old uncle.
Tammy was born in Queens, NY but spent her early childhood growing up in Aventura, Florida.
At the time, she was one of the few Jewish students in the school-let alone Russian speaking. She craved a sense of community and belonging, and therefore started her own NASH JEW Teen Club in Brooklyn, NY when she moved there as a Sophomore in High School.
In different points of her life, she took it upon herself to create opportunities to unite Russian speaking Jewish people.
Today Tammy lives in Manhasset, Long Island with her husband and two daughters Olivia and Sophia. She recently started a "Russian Speaking Jewish Moms of North Shore Group" and has been organizing events for both parents and children.
Her motive in doing so, is to foster an environment in which children are part of a strong Jewish community that will instill a sense of belonging - rather than assimilation into a monolingual non-Jewish culture.
Tammy has her Masters in Speech Language Pathology and currently works as a Private Speech Language Pathologist with both adults and children.

George was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and immigrated to New York with his family at the age of 3.
He attended Yeshiva Primary until high school and credits his yeshiva upbringing for his love and pride of Judaism.
George graduated from Hofstra University Law School in 2011, but shortly after realized that he had other interests at heart. George co-founded Phigora, a luxury watch shop that he takes pride in.
He currently resides in Long Island with his wife and two daughters.
He looks forwards to being a part of the JPA community and attaining knowledge he can bring home for the success of raising his daughters .

Born and raised in New York City, Paul's connection with the Russian-speaking Jewish community began over 20 years ago when he first met his now wife, Rada. Welcomed and embraced by Rada's family, Paul has learned quite a bit about the traditions of the community. Now, raising a family with three children, Paul sees the JPA cohort program as a way to gain a deeper understanding of the community's history and identity, and as a way to help further these traditions with his own family.

Along with her parents, Rada emigrated to the United States from Leningrad in 1989. After graduating from Baruch College in NYC, Rada began her career in financial services where she met her husband, Paul. Now raising three children in a multi-cultural family, Rada feels it is important to honor the culture, history and accomplishments of the Jewish community, and to make sure the traditions are carried on by her children. Rada hopes the opportunities and knowledge gained via the JPA program will help her achieve that goal.

Louisa Goldenberg is a business professional with over 15 years of experience in corporate business development, finance, and investment. She holds a BS from New York University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. In addition to her corporate experience, Louisa is currently the owner of three Club Pilates studios in South Brooklyn. Louisa has also been actively involved in various charitable causes, including serving as President of the Jewish Business Student Association at Columbia, and being a board member of Aish NY and Ilona Melyokhin Memory Fund. Louisa lives in Great Neck, NY with her husband, three kids.

Co-President & CFO at National Debt Relief

Lily immigrated to the United States at the age of eleven from Baku, Azerbaijan. Majority of her teen and young adult years took place in Brooklyn, New York, where she graduated Brooklyn College with Bachelor's Degree in History and Philosophy. She later went on to complete her masters in history and urban studies in Queens College. She currently lives in Long Island and is a stay-at-home mom to four children.
Lily is a grandchild of WWII survivors and believes in the importance of retelling of Jewish experiences to future generations. She believes and hopes that if we unify and pass on our stories, we can further preserve our Jewish identities.

I've been an entrepreneur since my early teens with a degree in Chinese Medicine and a business background that includes fashion, hospitality / nightlife and most recently building a luxury beauty brand. Networking has always played a role in my success; I'm the ultimate connector and love introducing like minded people on a professional and personal level.

Anna Kleyner was orn in Kiev, Ukraine. She emigrated to United States in 1990 with parents and older sister. She attended Brooklyn Tech High School followed by Pace University. Anna and her husband met in college. Currently they have two children and live in Plainview.

My name is Diana Kopach, and I am a proud Bukharian Jew, wife, and mother of four incredible children. I also happen to be a holistic and integrative dentist at Mineola Dental Wellness, where I get to treat truly wonderful individuals. I am looking forward to being a part of this JPA cohort and learning more about our rich culture.

My name is Nikolay Kopach. I am a proud father to four awesome children and one beautiful dog. I practice acupuncture, massage therapy, and am a personal trainer, helping individuals attain their health goals, and achieve a mind-body balance. I look forward to learning more about our wonderful Jewish history.

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Anna moved to New York from Leningrad at the age of 20. Currently, Anna lives in Great Neck, NY with her husband and two children. Anna works at Northwell Health System as part of the oncology research team.

Roman is VP Senior review appraiser at BankUnited, N.A.

Evelina was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and immigrated to New York at 14 years of age with her parents, grandparents and brother. She attended Shalsheles Bais Yaakov High School, followed by SUNY Stony Brook for Undergraduate studies and Dental School. Evelina has been a practicing dentist for the past 17 years. Outside of work she loves spending time with her family and traveling. Evelina currently lives on the North Shore of Long Island with her husband and 3 children. She is looking forward to being a part of the 2022 JPA cohort.

Mariya was born in Bobruisk, Belarus and immigrated to the United States in 1992 together with her family. She received her Finance degree from Pace University, and Masters degree in healthcare administration from LIU.
Mariya resides on the North Shore of Long Island together with her husband and three children. She enjoys traveling, shopping, reading, attending concerts and theater, spending time with friends and family.
She is excited to be a part of Jewish Parent Academy.

lona was born in Odessa, Ukraine. When Ilona was seven years old, her family immigrated and arrived in NY in 1978. They settled in Forest Hills, Queens where Ilona attended Solomon Schechter, Cardozo HS and then NYU. After graduating NYU, Ilona worked for a fashion PR firm. Once married, she left to become a full-time mom. Ilona is a proud mom to three amazing boys. She currently resides in Great Neck.
Ilona is very involved in grassroots philanthropic organizations, PTA and multiple Jewish organizations.
Ilona loves people, enjoys spending time with her family, reading and learning daily. Ilona and her husband are very connected to our Jewish heritage. They study weekly and host an array of lectures.
Ilona recently re-joined the workforce as an executive for the Nassau Board of Elections responsible community outreach.
She looks forward to playing an active role in North Shore JPA.

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My name is Daniel and am originally from Tashkent. I am 37 years old, married with three amazing kids. I have two barbershops. Recently, I became more religious and sent my kids to Yeshiva hoping it would help them not to stray from our heritage and religion. I'm looking forward to learning more from the JPA.

Julie Yakubov immigrated from Uzbekistan with her family to the USA in 1989 . She was raised in New York and presently resides with her family in Great Neck. Julie comes from a household where culture and tradition is fostered. Judaism is an important foundation to her identity and lifestyle. Julie, along with her family, play active role in multiple charities.

Julie completed her undergraduate degree in Speech Language Pathology and Psychology at Queens College and her Masters at St. John's University. She has extensive experience working with preschool and school-age children with speech or language delay/disorder. Currently, Julie is working in a private practice with students on their speech and language development. In addition, she is embarking upon a career in real estate. She is a leader and strong advocate for healthy lifestyle and educating others on mindfulness and spiritual connection. Her biggest accomplishment is her family: husband and three children.

Julie is delighted to be part of Jewish Parent Academy as she has a love of learning. She is honored to be amongst great individuals and scholars. She sees tremendous value in learning about the Jewish heritage and staying connected as a Russian-speaking community. Knowledge gained at JPA will benefit the generations to come and preserve the understanding of who we are as Russian-speaking Jews.