Dalia was born in Vilna, Lithuania, moved to Israel as a baby where she grew up until she moved to New York as a teen. She lived in Forest-Hills, Queens; graduated from Queens college with a BA in French and then got her law degree from The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Dalia practices general corporate law in Woodmere.  She is also a certified yoga and RYC teacher. She lives in Hewlett, Long Island, with her husband, Dorian, 4 children and chocolate Labrador.

My name is Irena Kopach, I’m a wife and a mother of 4. We take great pride in our Jewish identity and we raise our family with strong Jewish values with strong ties to our homeland, Israel. I look forward to joining JPA and taking the knowledge we acquire to inspire and teach our kids as well as spread the message within my social and professional circles.

Irina moved to the USA with her family as a teen from Chust, Ukraine. Both of her paternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors so she grew up in a family that kept Jewish traditions. Currently she lives with her husband, 3 children, dog and bunny in Hewlett. Irina believes it is important to know her roots and is excited to join JPA to deeper understand her Russian and Jewish heritage and to give back to her Jewish community.

Eddie's family immigrated to the United States from Tashkent in 1989, when he was 14. He graduated from St John's University with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and has over 25 years of experience in leading, managing and building financial software for asset management firms in New York. Together with his wife Eleonora and their children, the family resides in the Five Towns. Growing up with a limited exposure to Judaism in the former Soviet Union, Eddie is passionate about ensuring his children have a meaningful connection to their Jewish identity and Israel. He is thrilled to become part of the JPA program and looks forward to engaging with individuals who share similar perspectives and aspirations.

Inna Kern is a Marketing Executive at ESPN. She has been a strong advocate for Jewish education within her community and an active board member of various Jewish community organizations. A proud graduate of the Wexner Heritage Foundation RSJ cohort where her resolve for community leadership was strengthened. She resides in Woodmere with her husband and three children. Inna attended Beer Hagolah for high school and Brooklyn College graduating in 1996.

Vadim Kern is the COO and founder of a digital signage company called Zignage. He resides in Hewlett, NY with his wife and three children 17,12 & 10. A Brooklyn native who graduated Murrow high school in 1991 and attended NYU. His passion for Judaism runs deep and is exited to begin a journey of learning with his friends and neighbors!

Born in Ukraine Karpatian region, Andrey immigrated to the US in 1991. He currently lives in NY with his family

Vlad was born in Kiev, Ukraine, and immigrated to the United States in 1989. He learned Judaism in Sinai Academy HS, along with other immigrants from the former USSR. Vlad obtained a BS in CS from Polytechnic Institute of New York University, and an MBA from the NYU, Stern School of Business. He has passion for technology and programming, and is currently working as a programmer in the financial industry.

I grew up in Russia and as a teenager I moved to US with my family. I went to Stony Brook University and graduated with the major in Business Management with Minor in Finance. Upon graduating I decided to start my career in Insurance industry because of my passion to help people protect things they love and value. As mother of two I actively participate and organize different education, fun and creative events for children to learn and grow. I am very happy to get involved in this program to learn more about Jewish history traditions and culture.

I’m a father of four beautiful children, a lucky husband to a beautiful loving wife (Irena). After completing high school I served in the US military as a paratrooper for 4 years. With multiple overseas deployments, I’ve been fortunate to come home. I now have the opportunity to serve as a PA specializing in orthopedic surgery. I enjoy my free time with family and friends. I’m grateful for this opportunity and happy to be here. Thank you!

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.

I was born in Tashkent and immigrated to the United States at the age of 10. I finished Sinai Academy for high school, so Judaism has always been an important part of my life. My professional life is centered around finance; I earned an Executive MBA from NYU and am currently director at a healthcare focused boutique investment bank. I grew up in Brooklyn and currently live in Hewlett, LI with my wife and two kids.

I was born in Lvov, Ukraine and immigrated with my parents to Detroit, MI in 1994. After graduating from U of Michigan I moved to NY where I became an Ezra US Madricha, leading birthright groups to Israel and organizing programs and events for the Russian Jewish youth movement. One of the many birthright success stories - I met my husband through Ezra and we have two beautiful kids together. With my family I live in Hewlett, LI and work in Finance. I love to read, travel (and especially to plan our future trips!), enjoy all the culture NY has to offer and spend time with my family and friends. Looking forward to being part of this program and especially our LI cohort.

I am the mother of a 12-year-old girl. We reside in Long Island City along with our 3-month-old puppy Teddy. I was born in Moldova and immigrated to the United States at the age of 6 where we first resided in Queens, NY and then for many years in NJ. For the past 12 years, NY has been our home. I am a Speech Pathologist by profession and own a practice that provides mobile diagnostic swallowing evaluations to residents of nursing homes. I am also an author and public speaker in my field. As a child, my parents placed me in Yeshiva in the 3rd and 4th grades, and we practiced Judaism the best we could, particularly by celebrating the high holy days. I have had a strong desire pulling me toward re-incorporating the Jewish religion in my and my daughter's life and have placed her in Jewish sleep-away camps for the past two years. I am very excited to join this cohort and learn more about the Jewish culture and faith.

Diana was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Her parents emigrated from Ukraine to Brooklyn, NY in the late 70's/early 80's. She attended public school in Brooklyn and went to CUNY Hunter College . Diana earned her CPA in 2010. She identifies herself as Ukrainian Jewish.

She is a mother to two children, ages 6 and 3. They recently moved to Five Towns. At home, they speak Russian, and follow basic Jewish traditions. Diana loves working as an Accounting Manager at Egon Zehnder. Diana is a co- admin for our Buy Nothing Nassau County, is an avid theater enthusiast, enjoys talking finance and daydreaming about travel.

Diana is looking forward to a culturally and socially stimulating experience at JPA.

Originally from Ukraine, Eleonora and her family relocated to New York in 1989. Now residing in Five Towns with her husband Eddie and two young children, Eleonora was drawn to the neighborhood for its diverse community, particularly the significant Jewish presence. With a degree from Baruch College, she has over 20 years of auditing and accounting experience in the financial services industry. Eleonora looks forward to becoming part of the JPA community, eager to deepen her understanding of Jewish traditions, actively engage in the community, and connect with like-minded individuals.

Igor was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and was raised in Tel Aviv where he lived until coming to New York at the age of 16. In Israel he was a champion rower and upon coming to the US, he was accepted to join the crew team at Syracuse University where he pursued a degree in Finance, Accounting & Economics. He has worked in the field of finance and bank compliance for the last 18 years and currently works as an internal auditor for Boston Consulting Group.

Igor lives in Hewlett with his wife and 4 kids- Michelle, 11, Evelyn, 9, Rebecca, 6 and Daniel, 3.