Learn more about Kol Isha, an OFJCC Women's Leadership Program, here.
Julie Arnheim
Julie Arnheim lives in Los Altos Hills with her husband Buddy and their three daughters. She is a member of Congregation Beth Am and served on the San Francisco Jewish Federation Board for five years, overseeing $1 billion in endowment assets, as well as chairing the Board's Leadership Development Committee. In this role, Julie was responsible for capacity building programs to meaningfully engage and cultivate lay leaders and Board members. Prior to this, she participated in the Federation's Israel Impact Grant initiative where she reviewed and selected social venture enterprises in Israel for funding and mentoring.
Julie currently runs the Business Growth and Strategy Development for Pink Ribbon Girls, a nonprofit that provides meals and rides for women undergoing breast and gynecological cancer treatment. With experience in fundraising, grant making, business strategy and finance, Julie likes to apply the lessons she has learned in the corporate world to ensure that the nonprofits with which she is involved are poised for growth and sustainability. Creating community and building bridges are also extremely important to Julie. In her personal time, she enjoys watching movies, traveling, practicing yoga, reading voraciously and spending time outdoors with her family and friends. During her child-raising years, every Friday night was Shabbat and "movie night."
Ella Barlev
Ella is thrilled to join Cohort 3 of Kol Isha, bringing her rich heritage from Kishinev, Moldova, steeped in the vibrant traditions of the Bessarabian Jewish community. Raised as a Soviet Jew, she imbibed her ancestral legacy through tales from the Torah, traditional foods and a plethora of Yiddish nicknames. Relocating to Israel amid the complexities of immigration, she harnessed resilience, a trait honed further during subsequent moves to Canada and the Bay Area. With a career devoted to cancer research, Ella spearheads clinical trials, aspiring to revolutionize treatment for patients and families. Beyond her professional endeavors, she finds solace in exploring the diverse landscapes of US National Parks with her husband and two teenagers, all while nurturing her deep-seated passion for Jewish culture.
Beth Delson
Beth Delson spent her youth living in Israel's Negev desert and then in Palo Alto. She holds an MS from the University of Michigan in Natural Resource Management, and her career spanned co-founding an environmental nonprofit, working in tech and green start-ups, and in education. Beth taught middle and high school and directed the South Peninsula Jewish Teen Foundation for the SF Jewish Federation. She serves on the Board of Stanford Camp Kesem, a camp run by Stanford students for children whose parents have cancer. Beth is a mom to two competitive sailors, 18 and 21 (Hausner alums), and she enjoys nature travel. She's looking forward to meeting Kol Isha counterparts, meaningful conversations and making a positive impact.
Yudy Deng
In 2018, Yudy Deng and her two children relocated to Palo Alto from Bellevue, WA. Her vibrant background includes being a former fitness franchise owner and a group fitness instructor with a passion for running, dancing, climbing and playing sports like soccer, tennis and golf with her children. She also served on several city commissions and friends' boards.
Yudy has been an active participant in the Palo Alto community, recognized alongside her friends and family by the Palo Alto Parks & Rec Board, Friends of Palo Alto Parks and Palo Alto Weekly for her commendable effort in donating $10,000 to the Cubberley Community Center Track and Field Project in the summer of 2022. She is currently promoting the city-owned indoor recreational gym project.
In the nonprofit sector, Yudy has held prominent positions, including her current roles as co-president at Ohlone PTA, board member at ZGZG Chinese Cultural Events and US-China Chamber of Commerce in Silicon Valley, and board chair at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Alumni Association in Silicon Valley. These roles reflect her dedication to volunteering and leading various athletic, cultural, social and professional events that foster connections and support among the diverse Bay Area communities.
Yudy's vast experience in community engagement and service uniquely qualifies her to make a significant impact as an OFJCC ambassador. Her involvement in the Kol Isha and Chai Giving Circle programs will undoubtedly benefit from her extensive expertise, enhancing the programs' missions and fostering impactful connections.
Linor Eylon
Linor Eylon is passionate about Jewish day school education. From educator, program director, preschool founder and board member, she has devoted over 25 years to working with and supporting Jewish children. Linor proudly serves on the Board of Directors of South Peninsula Hebrew Day School (Sunnyvale) and has chaired many events for SPHDS and Kehillah Jewish High School (Palo Alto) raising millions of dollars for the local Jewish community.
Linor's childhood was spent on a Hashomer Hatzair kibbutz in Israel. She later moved to the United States where she attended an orthodox Jewish high school. She is the recipient of the prestigious Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award which honors outstanding Jewish educators throughout North America. Linor and her husband, Eyran, have lived in the Bay Area for the past 21 years and are the proud parents of three children all who are alumni of SPHDS and Kehillah Jewish High School.
Barbara Gottesman
Barbara has been an executive coach for nearly 20 years, specializing in women's leadership, team development and speaker training. She is a former attorney and authored How to Slay a Pirate: Lessons on Success from Sailing the Pacific based on a two-and-a-half year sailing adventure with her family (and on which she baked challah every Friday, celebrated Jewish holidays, boat-schooled her children in Jewish studies and Hebrew, and kept kosher).
Barbara has been connected to her Jewish roots her entire life, volunteering within the Jewish community in various capacities. She currently sits on the board of Shefa, dedicated to creating powerful pathways to the heart of Jewish wisdom, practice and community inspired by the contemporary psychedelic renaissance.
Lori Krolik
Lori Krolik is a parent/alumni of the OFJCC preschool, an active member in many of the OFJCC Giving Circles, a member of Congregation Beth Am, a volunteer for She-Can, and the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award Committee. She is the owner More Time For You, a full-service professional organizing company that works with residential and small business clients to create systems out of their most serious clutter challenges. When Lori is not helping people get organized, she loves to exercise, spend time outdoors and hang out with friends and family. Lori and her husband Rob have been Palo Alto residents since 2002, and have two adult children Hayley (25) and Jack (22).
Karina Milman
Karina Milman, originally from Ukraine, lived most of her life in Israel before settling in California with her husband, three kids and their beloved dog seven years ago. Passionate about problem-solving in the tech industry, she also finds joy in traveling the world and exploring diverse cultures and landscapes.
Jackie Miodownik-Aisenberg
Jackie Miodownik-Aisenberg is an internal medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente, with a background in research in biophysics and teaching medical school at University of Miami.
She was raised in Uruguay, attended a Jewish school and was actively involved in Maccabi Tzair, a Jewish youth organization, from a young age until college. She has deep connections in Israel, with many family members and friends from Uruguay and Argentina who have immigrated there. My husband and I initially moved to Miami, where he served as a community organizer for the Hispanic Jewish community. We've instilled Jewish values in our daughter, who recently graduated from Stanford after attending a Jewish day school and summer camp.
Karen Orzechowski
Karen Orzechowski moved to Menlo Park in 2018 from New York City, where she was a children's book editor, a school librarian and mom to her two daughters. She has been active in social justice and social action for many years through her synagogues and organizations such as the Ravenswood Education Foundation. She is excited to make more connections in the Bay Area Jewish community through the JCC and Kol Isha.
Shelley Rosenthal
Shelley Rosenthal is a native Los Altoan and was an RN for almost 40 years. Now retired, she became an ACE certified personal trainer six years ago and now works with women over 50.
Shelley is involved with volunteer work at the JFCS food pantry, spending time with friends and family, travel and keeping healthy through Pilates and hiking.
Her two daughters are a huge part of her life; one is finishing her third year of law school at Washington University in St. Louis and the other lives in San Francisco and works in the tech industry. Shelley and her husband Dan live in Los Altos with their (canine) daughter Stella Blue.
Susan Sims
Susan Sims is a seasoned broker associate for The Agency in Los Altos. She has served on several local boards including the Jewish Community Federation as Past President of the Women's Division. She is currently a producer for the Jewish Plays Project which is celebrating its 10th contest in Silicon Valley. Susan lives in Los Altos with her husband Ken and has three adult children living in Los Angeles.