Muslims and Jews Inspiring Change Advisory Board
Jewish Communal Advisory Board Members
Rabbi Sarah Bassin, co-chair NewGround
Rabbi Sarah Bassin serves as the Executive Director of NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change. She traveled to Iran in November 2008 as part of a civilian diplomacy delegation. From 2009-2011, Sarah served as the program manager at the Center for Muslim/Jewish Engagement where she implemented the first comprehensive survey on Muslim-Jewish relations in the United States. She received a certificate in Jewish Non-Profit Management in August 2010 and was ordained as a rabbi in May 2011 by Hebrew Union College.
Merrill Alpert, United Synagogue Youth
Merrill Alpert is the Regional Youth Director of Far West United Synagogue Youth. She received her degree in Jewish Studies from UCLA and returned to Valley Beth Shalom, her childhood synagogue to serve as the youth director for 18 years. Merrill a masters in Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College before accepting the position as regional director where she now oversees more than 1600 students. She is the mother of four.
Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels, Congregation Beth Shir Shalom
Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels serves as the rabbi of Congregation Beth Shir Shalom in Santa Monica. He is known for his stng personal commitment organizations that deal with interracial, interfaith, and homelessness issues. He has chaired the Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition and the Interfaith Holocaust Service and also serves on the boards of the Western Region of the Jewish Federation Council and the Westside Interfaith Council. A graduate of UCLA, Rabbi Comess-Daniels was ordained in 1979 at the Hebrew Union College. He is married and has two children.
Sara-Jean Lipmen, Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills
Sara-Jean Lipmen is the regional advisor for the Southern California region of the National Federation of Temple Youth where she oversees the Reform Jewish movement’s teen initiatives.
Rabbi Michelle Missaghieh, Temple Israel of Hollywood
Rabbi Michelle Missaghieh has served as Temple Israel of Hollywood’s Associate Rabbi since her ordination from HUC-JIR in 1996. Rabbi Missaghieh also holds a BA in Art History and Women’s Studies from University of Michigan (1989) and a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education from HUC-JIR, LA (1994). She enjoys teaching people of all ages and empowering them to participate in Jewish living. In the greater community, Rabbi Missaghieh serves on the board of LA Family Housing, the Executive Board of the Sandra Caplan Community Bet Din (the only pluralistic Bet Din in the United States) and the Southern California Muslim Jewish Forum. She is also on the Rabbinic Advisory Board of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and a member of the ARZA Rabbinic Counsel.
Mindy Tauberg , UC Irvine
Mindy Tauberg began thinking about issues of identity in 4th grade, when a teacher at her Jewish day school asked her to write about whether she was a Jewish American or an American Jew. In her undergraduate honors project, Mindy researched the effects of interfaith marriage on Jewish identity. Interviewing two students who had one Jewish parent and one Muslim parent piqued Mindy’s interest, and she began to learn more about Islam. In 2012 she began working towards her Ph.D. in Anthropology at UC Irvine. Mindy’s primary research interest is the interaction between participation in interfaith youth groups and Muslim American identity.
Cantor Richard Schwartz, Temple Beth David
Cantor Schwartz received his Bachelor of Arts in vocal performance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and subsequently studied with cantors Samuel Kelemer, William Sharlin and Nathan Lam to prepare for a career in the cantorate. He is a commissioned and invested member of both the American Conference of Cantors (Reform) and the Cantors Assembly (Conservative) and a fellow of the Institute of Jewish Spirituality having completed their Cantorial Leadership program in 2005. In 2011 Cantor Schwartz received a Masters of Arts in Education and Bachelor of Hebrew Letters from American Jewish University in Los Angeles.
Rabbi Ron Stern, Stephen S. Wise Temple
Rabbi Ron Stern of Stephen S. Wise Temple is originally from Morristown, New Jersey. He graduated cum laude from the University of Rochester and was ordained at Hebrew Union College in New York. He also attended HUC in Los Angeles. Rabbi Stern joined the clergy staff at Stephen S. Wise Temple in 1998 after serving as Associate Rabbi at Temple Ahavat Shalom in Northridge. Rabbi Stern serves on the Executive Committee of the Southern California Board of Rabbis and the Interreligious Affairs Council and the Energy Independence committee of the American Jewish Committee. He is also a pioneer member of the award-winning Jewish Family Service Rabbi-Social Worker Roundtable and a member of the Council on the Environment and Jewish Life`s “Kitchen Cabinet” of religious leaders engaged in community advocacy to fight global warming.
Zvi Smith, Teacher at Yeshiva University of Los Angeles
A magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University with a degree in Politics, Zvi is fluent in Hebrew and Arabic and has a wealth of community organizing experience including in Lebanon and Libya. A doctoral candidate in Politics at New York University, Zvi was awarded the MacCraken Fellowship. With a background in mediation and facilitation, Zvi Smith serves as the co-facilitator for MAJIC along with Samia Bano.
Muslim Communal Advisory Board Members
Marwa Abdelghani, MAJIC Alumni Representative
Marwa Abdelghani, a recent graduate of Crescenta Valley High School, is pursuing a double major in Political Science and Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine. Abdelghani has held multiple leadership positions both at her high school and as a part of the Muslim Youth Group (MYG) at the Islamic Center of Southern California (ICSC). In her junior and senior years, she was the president and founder of her Muslim Students Association and the vice president and co-founder of the My Generation club. Abdelghani served as the MYG’s Spiritual and Educational Director in her last year of high school. She is currently the MYG’s summer interim coordinator, working as the director of the youth group under the leadership of the ICSC. Abdelghani was one of the first council members of Muslims and Jews Inspiring Change (MAJIC).
Samia Bano, King Fahad Mosque
Samia Bano oversees the youth group at King Fahad Mosque in Culver City. She is a long-time interfaith activist and an alumna of the NewGround Fellowship for Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills and King Fahad Mosque.
Halim Dhanidina, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge
Halim Dhanidina, is the first Muslim-American judge appointed in California. In the past, he has served as a deputy district attorney in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 1998. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College. He fills the vacancy created by the conversion of a court commissioner position.
Karim Gowani, Aga Khan Ismaili Council
A graduate of California Lutheran University, Karim Gowani holds a Masters of Business Administration in Finance, and works for the Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Investments & Trust Department as a manager. He is part of the team, which is responsible for managing various retirement plan assets and investment vehicles totaling over 45 billion in assets, including defined benefit plans, defined contribution/401(k) plans, and global pooled investment funds. He has been a Community Ambassador and volunteer for the Aga Khan Ismaili Council for the Western United States for over 10 years. Karim supports and directs I-CERV (Ismaili Community Engaged In Responsible Volunteering), the Ismaili community’s service initiative. In addition, as part of a focus on community bridge-building, he supports numerous outreach activities of the Ismaili community in California.
Edina Lekovic, Muslim Public Affairs Council
As MPAC’s Director of Policy & Programming, Edina leads the MPAC team of staff and volunteers on strategic initiatives in government relations, media outreach and interfaith collaboration, while also coordinating the organization’s approach to domestic and international affairs. Additionally, Edina acts as a spokeswoman for the American Muslim community to media outlets, government officials, interfaith leaders, academic institutions, and community groups. From 2004-2010, Edina served as MPAC’s Communications Director. Edina has appeared on national media outlets, including CNN, BBC, and MSNBC. Since joining MPAC, Edina’s work has also been featured in several leading newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, Chicago Tribune, and Los Angeles Times. Named one of the Top 500 Influential Muslims in the World in 2009, Edina is a proud graduate of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute, and has participated in conferences hosted by the United Nations as well as the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
Imam Rushdan Mustafa Mujahid-Deen, Bilal Center
Imam Rushdan is the associate imam of Masjid Bilal Islamic Center. From 2001-2005, he worked with the National Young Adult Association (NYAA) as the Western Sectional representative and vice president. As a member of the NYAA, he was invited to be a part of the World Council of Religion & Peace national discussion on global youth issues. In 2005, he moved to Gary, Indiana and enrolled in Imam W Deen Mohammed’s class located in Hazel Crest, IL., where he studied Qur’anic Arabic, Islamic Studies, and Comparative Religion. Imam Rushdan currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. and is active in community outreach for Masjid Bilal Islamic Center.
Jihad Turk, Bayan Claremont
Jihad Turk serves as Dean of Bayan Claremont, an Islamic graduate college designed to educate Muslim scholars and religious leaders. He is also a founding Board Member of Claremont Lincoln University, a multireligious graduate school. Jihad has served as the Director of Religious Affairs at the Islamic Center of Southern California, the oldest and largest mosque in the Los Angeles area. Jihad actively engages in interfaith dialogue with Jewish and Christian communities and serves on the boards of several interfaith peace organizations. Additionally, he was featured in the Los Angeles Times, and in films and documentaries on Islam and has appeared on CNN and the History Channel representing Islam. His current interests also include identity formation in the American-Muslim community, interfaith relations, Islamic reform movements, and community leadership and development with a focus on youth.
Soha Yassine, Islamic Center of Southern California
Soha Yassine is the Youth and Volunteer Coordinator at the Islamic Center of Southern California. In her capacity as Youth Coordinator, she oversees the Muslim Youth Group of the ICSC and fulfills her personal commitment towards cultivating strong young leaders to serve as ambassadors for the American Muslim experience. She received her BA from UCLA in the Study of Religion in 2005, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Claremont Graduate University in 2011. Soha is an amateur photographer and the happy aunt of five nieces and nephews.
Community Advisory Board Members
Anthony Marsh Interfaith Inventions
Anthony Marsh is the Executive Director of Interfaith Inventions. A graduate of Stanford University, he holds a Masters of Arts in Religion from Princeton University. He is a National Mellon Fellow and has completed advanced studies at the Fielding Graduate University in Organizational Development in Santa Barbara. From 2001 to 2004, he directed community relations and college counseling at Pilgrim School and coordinated the 90th Anniversary National Conference for the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the largest peace organization in the United States.
Joumana Silyan-Saba City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission
Joumana Silyan-Saba is a Policy Advisor for the City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission with a focus on Community-Government Relations as it pertains to addressing areas of discrimination and exclusion. Ms. Silyan-Saba works directly with communities to promote healthy inter-group relations. Prior to that Ms. Silyan-Saba was a Program Director for Community and Inter-group Conflicts at the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center. Ms. Silyan-Saba completed an M.A in Negotiation and Conflict Management at California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in December 2002. She has since taught graduate courses at CSUDH on conflicts management and peace building.