Rabbi Will Berkovitz
Will Berkovitz is a rabbi and the CEO of JFS Seattle. He is responsible for the vision and strategic direction of the 130 year old social service organization; program oversight; and the mobilization of philanthropic, volunteer and advocacy support to meet the needs of vulnerable Jewish and non-Jewish individuals and families in the Puget Sound region. Will is a graduate of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and is a contributor to The Seattle Times and The Washington Post among other news outlets.
Rivy Kletenik
Rivy Poupko Kletenik, a 2002 Exceptional Jewish Educator Covenant Award Winner, completed her sixteenth year and final year as Head of School at the Seattle Hebrew Academy. During her tenure she has transformed the school academically; dramatically enhanced its position in the community and created a school overflowing with warmth, meaning and belongingness. Shaping its mission, core values and direction, Rivy is proud of the work that she was able to lead together with the staff and school community.
Born in Pittsburgh, Rivy moved to Seattle in 1994 together with her family. Having studied at Michlalah, Touro College, Yeshiva University, University of Pittsburgh and Hebrew University, Rivy is a sought-after lecturer of all things Jewish. She has an enthusiastic love of Torah and passion for the nuances and craft of pedagogy and thrill at the expert delivery of a lesson well-taught.
Rivy is an enthusiastic writer and lover of poetry and literature. Her column “What’s Your JQ” appeared for years in the JT News and then “Jewish in Seattle Magazine”. She was awarded the Simon Rockower American Jewish Press Association Excellence in Commentary. She has enjoyed traveling across the country as a scholar-in-residence, a Limmud presenter and teacher in the Mussar Institute’s Kallahs.
Rivy has an insatiable curiosity for Jewish history and has devoted time to learning, training, and teaching about the Holocaust, participating in Centropa, Yad Vashem and March of the Living. Her trips to Europe in a search for family roots have been deeply meaningful as reflected in her articles, “Following in My Father’s Footsteps” and “Opening Chapters,” unpack the emotional nature of these experiences.
Maxima Patashnik
Maxima (Max) Patashnik serves as the Director of the JCRC and Government Affairs for the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, a role that she has been in since 2015. In this role, Max supports numerous Jewish institutions in the Puget Sound Region and leads the intergroup relations, coalition building, grassroots advocacy, and lobbying work of the JCRC and Federation. She believes in honoring the diversity of our Jewish communities to deepen understanding and respect. Prior to her current role, Max was with the Washington State Legislature for six years.
In 2023, Max completed the Mandel Executive Leadership Program. In 2020 she received the Pamela Waechter z”l Jewish Communal Professional Award. And, in 2016, she completed the ADL’s Glass Leadership Institute and the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Diplomatic Seminar for Young Jewish Leaders. Max holds a degree in International Studies and French from Willamette University. She is a fourth-generation Seattleite and currently lives in the Othello neighborhood with her husband, two little kids, and cat.
Rabbi Daniel Weiner
Senior Rabbi Daniel Weiner believes passionately in building Judaism for the 21st century and in healing the world through social justice. Temple De Hirsch Sinai has grown to more than 5000 members and 1,600 families in two campuses in Seattle and Bellevue since he took charge in 2001.
He has served congregations in five states and his innovations in worship include producing “rabcasts” on video, streaming services on the internet, and leading a rock band in popular Rock Shabbat services. He tweets @rocknrabbidanny.
He has also served on numerous boards, including national Jewish organizations, participated in various committees of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and chaired local rabbinic board.
Rabbi Weiner cherishes teaching as one of his most critical rabbinic roles. He has taught at various colleges and universities, with a special emphasis on his role at Seattle University as instructor, member of various advisory committees, and a catalyser in the creation of the Center for Religious Wisdom and World Affairs.
His rabbinate places a special emphasis on interfaith and ecumenical efforts, working closely with the Episcopal and Catholic Dioceses, and creating bonds of partnership and faith with local African American churches. His columns have appeared in The Seattle Times, The Forward, and Haaretz.
