Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is the governing body of Jewish Federation Los Angeles. Comprised of dedicated community members, the Board works in partnership with our professional staff to provide vision, oversight, and strategic direction, guided by our shared Jewish values and commitment to creating safe, joyful, and connected Jewish life — locally, in Israel, and around the world.

Our Board Officers

Daniel Gryczman

Daniel Gryczman is Chair of the Board at Jewish Federation Los Angeles. 

The grandson of four Holocaust survivors who profoundly shaped his values and commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel, Daniel brings a deep sense of purpose and personal connection to his community leadership. Before becoming JFEDLA’s Chair, he led its Strategic Planning/Distribution, Community Engagement, and Israel & Overseas initiatives, among others.  

Daniel’s dedication to the Jewish future also includes engagement beyond JFEDLA. He currently serves as a Governor of The Jewish Agency for Israel, a board member of Camp Ramah in California, an AIPAC pro-Israel political activist, and a founder of the California Jewish Action Network. Previously, he was a board member at Bet Tzedek Legal Services and Temple Beth Am Los Angeles and is an alumnus of the Jewish Federations of North America’s National Young Leadership Cabinet.  Civic engagement outside organized Jewry also plays an important role in Daniel’s commitment to community. Such responsibilities have included appointment as a commissioner and election as Chair of the City of Los Angeles Rent Adjustment Commission, as well as leadership with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce as an executive officer.  

One of the things Daniel is most proud of is being a product of Jewish Los Angeles. From formal education in its schools, to informal learning in USY and residential summer camps, Daniel credits the vibrancy of this Jewish community for the strong foundation that he relies on every day. In this vein, he is immensely grateful to the many Jewish educators and lay leaders whose selfless devotion to Jewish life, Jewish literacy, and tzedakah have greatly influenced his life.   

Daniel is an honors graduate of UCLA and the NYU School of Law, a former judicial law clerk at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and a guest lecturer in real estate development and land use at UCLA Law School. Prior to managing his family office investments, he was responsible for the development of thousands of acres of residential, hospitality, and commercial real estate projects across the Southwestern United States, and practiced land use and regulatory law with a prominent national firm. 

Daniel and his wife, Joelle, are the proud parents of two daughters and a son — their greatest joys. They are also deeply grateful to continue to have living parents, each of whom exemplifies the timeless values of Torah, Avodah, v’ G’milut Chasadim that have built and sustained Jewish life against all odds for generations. 

Jordan Bender

Jordan is a managing director in Private Wealth Management (PWM). He serves on the PWM Leadership Council and the Investment Experience Committee. Previously, Jordan served as regional manager for PWM in the Los Angeles office and later was co-head of global recruiting for the Investment Management Division. Prior to assuming this position, he helped lead the Institutional Equities effort in Los Angeles, where he had primary client relationship responsibilities for some of the firm’s key institutional accounts. Jordan joined Goldman Sachs in 1986 as an institutional equities salesperson and was named managing director in 2001. 

Jordan sits on the Board of Directors of Jewish Federation Los Angeles, serving as co-chair of the General Campaign. He also serves on the Advisory Board of The Riordan Programs at the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Jordan previously served as president of the Northstar-at-Tahoe Team Foundation and on the boards of Martis Camp, Brentwood School, Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, and Early Childhood Center at Cedars Sinai Hospital. 

Jordan earned an undergraduate degree from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA. 

Jonathan Elist 

Jonathan Elist serves as a Vice Chair of the Board of Jewish Federation Los Angeles. Jonathan co-chairs the Financial Resource Development Committee and previously co-chaired the Y&S Nazarian Initiative. He is an alum of the Rautenberg New Leaders Project, has been active with LA Couples and the National Young Leadership Cabinet, and serves on the Jewish Campus Life Committee. Jonathan is also active as a Big with Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles. An L.A. native, Jonathan is a graduate of Princeton University, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Harvard Kennedy School. Jonathan runs a medical device company and has served as a consultant for Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and government agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Jonathan is married to his beautiful wife Shirin and is blessed with three daughters. 

Josh Fein

Josh Fein is a Vice Chair of the Board of Jewish Federation Los Angeles and Co-Chair of the Strategic Planning and Distribution Committee. He chairs the Major Investment Task Force and serves on the Executive and Investment Committees. Josh is also an alumnus and former Los Angeles Co-Chair of the National Young Leadership Cabinet. Beyond JFEDLA, Josh is active with Wilshire Boulevard Temple and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he serves on the Board of Governors Leadership Cabinet. Josh is an investment consultant to family offices and private investors, specializing in real estate investment strategies. Josh and his wife, Lauren, are the proud parents of two children.

Moshe Sassover

Moshe currently serves on the Board of Directors of Jewish Federation Los Angeles as well as its Executive Committee. He serves as Chair of JFEDLA’s Unistream Committee. Moshe is also a member of the Board and Executive Board of the Beverly Hills Synagogue, and serves on the Board of a local Jewish summer camp.  

He is the Co-CEO of Thrifty Oil Co., and previously practiced law for approximately 10 years with a specialty in taxation. Moshe received his B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago, J.D. from University of Wisconsin, and a post-graduate law degree (LLM in Taxation) from New York University. Moshe and his wife Helen have four children, and one recently arrived grandchild. 

Allison Rosenthal

Allison has been active in Jewish Federation Los Angles for approximately 10 years. She has served on and currently chairs the NuRoots Committee. Allison participated in The Jewish Federations of North America’s (JFNA) Jewish Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (JEDI) training and is a member of our Federation’s JEDI committee, where she is committed to instilling these principles in the entire organization. She is also a member of JFNA’s JEDI Committee. Allison serves on the board of the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) Foundation, the charitable operation of the LAFC. Allison was a member of the Parent Association at Sinai Akiba Academy and the Parent Guild at The Windward School.

Born and raised in New York, Allison has been an Angeleno for the last 25 years. She graduated from Tufts University and Penn Carey Law, the University of Pennsylvania’s Law School. She and Bennett Rosenthal have been married for 27 years. They are the proud parents of Brooke, Miles, and Tess. The Rosenthals reside in Beverly Hills, California.

Karen Getelman

Karen is deeply involved in Jewish communal leadership and philanthropy in Los Angeles and nationally. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Jewish Federation Los Angeles and is a member of National Women’s Philanthropy and the Jewish Federations of North America. A proud Lion of Judah for more than 20 years, Karen also serves as Co-Chair of the Forever Lions and is on the Leadership Advisory Committees of Sylvia Weisz Women’s Philanthropy (SWWP). She is a Board Member of Valley Beth Shalom (VBS) and Co-Chair of the Diller Teen Fellows Parent Board. In addition, she supports individuals and families across Los Angeles by helping secure critical grant assistance as a Community Change Agent with The Change Reaction.

Karen previously served as JFEDLA’s Chair of  Caring for Jews in Need Strategic Initiative and Co-Chair of SWWP, as well as a Vice President of VBS.

Raised in Miami, Karen has lived in Los Angeles for nearly 30 years, where she and her husband, Mark, brought up their family. She is the proud mother of three children — Nicole (Yaron) Kariv, Zachary (Emily) Getelman, and Jayme Getelman — along with their beloved four-legged family member, Riley.

In her free time, Karen enjoys staying active, skiing, traveling, Jewish learning, and spending time with friends and family.

Melissa Held Bordy

Melissa Held Bordy is the Chief Financial Officer of Held Properties. Prior to joining Held Properties in 1987, she served as Vice President of Asset/Liability Management for California Federal Savings and Loan Association, Vice President of Financial Administration for Beverly Hills Savings and Loan Association, and assistant treasurer for R & B Enterprises. She serves on Honeymoon Israel and Alma Backyard Farms boards and as both entities’ finance chairs. She is a member of the Advisory Board of The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation. Melissa holds an MBA in Finance and Real Estate from the University of California, Berkeley, and earned her BA in Economics from the University of California, Irvine. 

Alan Rosen

Alan Rosen serves as JFEDLA’s Treasurer and co-chairs both the Finance & Administration and Governance Committees. He is also Vice Chair of the Budget Review Committee. Alan has been deeply involved in JFEDLA leadership for over three decades. He is a long-time member of the Board of Directors and has previously served as Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of the Budget Review Committee, Chair of the Valley Alliance, Chair of the Planning and Allocations Committee, and as Campaign Vice Chair. In addition, he serves on various other committees, including the Executive Committee, and he is a repeat mentor for JFEDLA’s Community Leadership Institute.

Alan was raised in San Diego, attended UCLA (where he received his BA and JD), and recently retired as a corporate banking lawyer, having specialized in bank formations, mergers and acquisitions, securities, regulatory relations, and corporate matters. Alan and his wife, Judy, now focus their free time on their five grandchildren.

Orna Wolens

Orna currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federations of North America as well as National Women’s Philanthropy.

She serves on JFEDLA’s Campaign Cabinet, the Strategic Planning and Distribution Committee, and is a Community Leadership Institute mentor. Orna has chaired the NuRoots Committee, Ensuring the Jewish Future Committee, Jewish Campus Life Committee, and the Hineni Dinner. In addition to her Federation leadership, Orna enjoys her involvement with the art world. She is on the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art Board of Directors, a member of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Contemporary Acquisitions Committee, and the Hammer Circle. She is active as a Friend of both the Israel Museum and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Orna graduated from Bryn Mawr College and received her law degree from Loyola Law School. Orna and her husband Keenan have four children.

2026 Board of Directors

2026 Board Observers