Staff/Contact Us

Our staff is here to make your experience at BHS a warm and welcoming time. We look forward to meeting new members and invite you to contact us with any questions, interests, or for assistance.

If you have any initial questions or need to be directed to the right person feel free to give us a call 718-522-2070 or email us at office@bhsbrooklyn.org


Rabbi Serge Lippe
Senior Rabbi

Rabbi@bhsbrooklyn.org

Our much-loved spiritual leader and teacher came to BHS in 1997. Ordained in 1991 at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) he graduated with honors from the University of Chicago with a B.A. degree in Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Prior to joining BHS, he served for six years as Associate Rabbi at Temple Solel in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Rabbi Lippe has also served as faculty member at URJ Camp SWIG and Camp Eisner, and has been a regional rabbinic adviser to the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY). In May 2016, Rabbi Lippe was awarded his Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa, by HUC-JIR in recognition of his 25 years of service in the Reform rabbinate. He and his wife, Deb Speyer, are native New Yorkers and they live in the neighborhood with their three children.


Cantor Ayelet Porzecanski
Cantor

Cantor@bhsbrooklyn.org

Cantor Ayelet Porzecanski joined Brooklyn Heights Synagogue as the congregation’s first full-time Cantor in July, 2019. Cantor Porzecanski completed a Master’s Degree in Sacred Music and Ordination in 2008 at the Cantorial School in the Jewish Theological Seminary. Prior to JTS, she earned her Bachelor of Music in voice performance from the University of Toronto and received a Masters in Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. At Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, Cantor Porzecanski collaborates closely with Rabbi Serge Lippe to bring her extensive music training, her deep experience as a Cantor, and her focus on engagement to help shape the future of our growing BHS community. Prior to joining BHS Cantor Porzecanski served for eleven years as the Cantor at West End Synagogue in Manhattan. There Cantor Porzecanski grew the choir to become a professional level ensemble, enriched the musical life of the congregation through concerts and scholarly guests, and managed all aspects of the synagogue’s child and family programming as the Director of Family Engagement. She also served as visiting faculty at the Reconstructionist summer camp “Havaya” for five years. Cantor Porzecanski, her husband, Aric, and their four children are thrilled to be part of the BHS community.

Rabbi Bailey Romano
Associate Rabbi
Rabbiromano@bhsbrooklyn.org

Rabbi Bailey Romano grew up outside of New Orleans, LA. A Jew by choice, she received a BA in Religious Studies from Rhodes College, and an MA in Jewish Studies from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, specializing in American Jewish History. During Rabbinical School at HUC-JIR, she worked in a number of Jewish organizations and synagogues, including: Camp Daisy & Harry Stein in Prescott, AZ; Congregation Oheb Shalom in Sandusky, OH; Congregation B’nai Israel in Parkersburg, WV; and Isaac M. Wise Temple, Rockdale Temple, and Adath Israel in Cincinnati, OH. Rabbi Romano also holds an MA in Jewish Education Administration from Xavier University. She was ordained in 2019.

Among Rabbi Romano’s many wonderful qualities, what particularly resonated for the Search Committee, staff, and stakeholders who met Rabbi Romano during the interview process were her genuine desire to forge relationships, her empathy, and her ability to communicate caring.

Eden Anolick
Rabbinic Intern
Eden@bhsbrooklyn.org

Eden Anolick (they/them) is a 2nd year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion. Born and raised in Morristown, New Jersey, they earned their B.A. in Jewish Studies at Muhlenberg College, with minors in Women’s and Gender Studies and Creative Writing. They previously served as a full-time Jewish educator at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, N.Y. Eden has acted as a faculty member at URJ 6Points Creative Arts Academy and has participated in the URJ JewV’Nation and the New Israel Fund Elissa Froman Social Change fellowships. They love incorporating joyful, project-based experiences into their educational programs. They are passionate about creative arts, nature, social justice, and Jewish learning. In their spare time, Eden can be found writing speculative fiction, testing new recipes in the kitchen, or participating in live-action role-play (LARP) events.

Sarina Elenbogen-Siegal
Cantorial Intern
sarina@bhsbrooklyn.org

Sarina Elenbogen-Siegel (she/her) is a third year-cantorial student at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. Before her cantorial studies, she graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor’s in Jewish Studies in their Jewish Sacred Music pre-cantorial program with a minor in Hebrew. At IU she served as the director of award-winning Jewish a cappella group “HooShir”. Sarina has served as a teacher and song leader at Beth Emet the Free Synagogue, Temple Am Shalom, and several other Chicago communities. 

Since her time in cantorial school, Sarina has served as the student cantor at Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, Maryland and is a Tisch-Star fellow. When she’s not singing and dancing in community, Sarina enjoys writing songs and studying chassidut. She is thrilled to be joining the amazing team and congregation of Brooklyn Heights Synagogue. 

Isabel Benebgui-Montilla
Executive Assistant to the Clergy

Clergyassistant@bhsbrooklyn.org

We’re delighted to introduce our new Executive Assistant to the Clergy at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, Isabel Benebgui-Montilla! Isabel has worked for several synagogues in an administrative capacity for the past seven years assisting rabbis and cantors. She has also taught online English as a Second Language to Spanish speakers and Hebrew to beginners. She is originally from Spain but a New Yorker at heart. Isabel has also lived in Dublin, Ireland, Netanya, Israel and Miami, FL. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, reading, volunteering at animal shelters, walking through the streets of New York, and listening to live jazz.


Linda Harvey
Executive Director

Lindaharvey@bhsbrooklyn.org
We are excited to welcome our new Executive Director Linda Harvey who joined us in July 2021. Linda has a breadth of professional experience in administration and operations. She held a variety of senior-level management positions at Brooklyn Law School for more than two decades., including Chief Operating Officer, Chief of Staff, and Dean of External Affairs. As COO, she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Law School, maintenance of the academic and living facilities, and the information technology, public safety, communications, community affairs, and events departments. She led several multi-million-dollar construction projects that enhanced the student, faculty, and staff experience. She managed an annual budget of $40+ million and 70 staff members and made significant achievements in ensuring collaboration among all departments to maximize efficiencies. She maintained relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders to advance the mission of the organization. She oversaw the institution’s integrated marketing and communications strategy and was responsible for hundreds of academic and alumni events, community and alumni outreach, and deepening connections with these constituencies to support the Law School. Earlier in her career, Linda served as the Deputy Coordinator for the New York State Law Enforcement Council and was a Management Analyst with the federal courts.

Linda holds an MPA from New York University and a BA from SUNY at Buffalo. She is a lifelong New Yorker and currently lives on the Upper East Side with her husband, Larry. She loves to travel and enjoys spending time with her family, including her two daughters, Alyson and Elizabeth. Linda felt a deep connection to the Synagogue’s welcoming community, and she is looking forward to meeting and working closely with BHS’s members to continue BHS’s tradition of excellence.


Lisa Kopel
Director of Membership Engagement and Programming
Lisa@bhsbrooklyn.org

We are excited to announce that Lisa Kopel, who has been serving in the role of Interim Director of Membership Engagement and Programming, is our permanent Director. In the few months that Lisa has taken on new responsibilities, she has proven to be a natural in this role.  Lisa’s many years in the Early Childhood Center – where she grew the opportunities for engagement with the youngest members of our community and their families – are invaluable in her larger role as Director of Membership for all our members. In addition, Lisa taught in the Religious School for many years, so she is familiar with an additional cohort of our community.

Lisa is excited to bring her energy and enthusiasm for fostering a rich love of Jewish life and traditions, expanding our programming, and ensuring that all members find meaningful value in their affiliation with BHS. Prior to her professional experience at BHS, she worked in book publishing, marketing, and promotion and as a literary agent. Except for the four years she spent at Brandeis University, Brooklyn has always been her home. She lives in Brooklyn Heights with her husband. Both of their sons attended BHS’s Preschool and Religious School.

Lauren Broggini
Executive Assistant
Adminassistant@bhsbrooklyn.org

Lauren is the Executive Assistant to Linda Harvey at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue. She provides support in administrative functioning, financial operations, and communications, serving as the point-person for News & Notes. She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and has worked in the non-profit space for over five years, carrying out her passion for mental health and community initiatives. Outside of BHS, Lauren enjoys photography, reading novels, traveling, and exploring the healing arts.

 

 

 

Pam Karlin
Director of Early Childhood Education

Pam@bhsbrooklyn.org

Pam Karlin is the Director of Early Childhood Education for BHS. She oversees the Preschool and the Parenting Center, guiding a staff of over 25 educators and administrators in providing educational programming for our community’s youngest members and their families.

Pam Karlin received her BA from Vassar College and an MFA from Brandeis University. She graduated with departmental honors from Brooklyn College with a Masters in Early Childhood Education, receiving special recognition for demonstrated leadership and commitment to community. After many years working in classrooms as a preschool teacher, she became the Assistant Director of Early Childhood Education at Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope. Pam is also a member of the adjunct faculty in the Graduate Department of Early Childhood Education at Brooklyn College where she teaches a course in Families, Communities and Social Studies in Early Childhood Education. She brings a particular passion for meaningful Jewish education in early childhood and in our active, exploratory curriculum development. Pam comes from a family of teachers and is especially proud of her own family – husband Joshua and her two sons Jacob and Joey. She looks forward to watching BHS families and their children grow and learn for many years to come!


 

 

 

 

Karen Epstein
Assistant Director of the Preschool
Karen@bhsbrooklyn.org

Karen joined our Brooklyn Heights Synagogue Preschool in 2014 as the Yellow Room Lead Teacher working with our youngest preschoolers. She has facilitated many of our enrichment classes, piloted our remote learning program this year, and has also been teaching Kindergarten/First grade in our Religious School for six years.

Karen taught in the public school system for many years where she worked with young children in both general and special education classrooms. She has an undergraduate degree in Communication Arts and a Master’s Degree in Education. She is passionate about her work with children and loves to watch and engage with them as they make new discoveries, create, grow, and change. She lives in the neighborhood with her son, Coby, who is a graduate of the BHS Preschool, and now attends Adelphi University.

Karen is excited to expand her role from Preschool Teacher to Assistant Director, working closely with the Director of Early Childhood Education.

Kennedee Geffinger
Assistant Director for Parenting Center
Programming and Enrollment
Parentingcenter@bhsbrooklyn.org

Kennedee is the Assistant Director for Parenting Center Programming and Enrollment in the Early Childhood Education Department here at BHS.

Kennedee holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has extensive experience working with young children and families throughout many communities in New York City and is very excited to bring innovative and engaging programming for new families and young children to the BHS community. Kennedee loves creating special bonds and relationships with children, their families as well as the caregivers who tend to them. She is very passionate about creating a warm environment that welcomes all to feel seen and represented during this new, exciting part of their families’ lives.



Melis Bromberg
Preschool Registrar and Operations Coordinator
Preschool@bhsbrooklyn.org

Melis walked into BHS 14 years ago as a young, eager Preschool parent and has been a part of the community ever since. She grew up on the sunny west coast of Turkey and received her BS degree in Hospitality Management from Cornell University’s Hotel School. Melis is a chef who has been teaching cooking enrichment classes, showing children how beautiful and delicious food can be. She also values the time she spent teaching some of BHS’ youngest children in Boker Twos. Always with a welcoming smile, Melis is excited to bring her amazing organizational skills and community spirit to her new position as Preschool Operations Coordinator and Registrar.


Katie Rein
Director of the Religious School
Katie@bhsbrooklyn.org

Katie Rein is the Director of the Religious School and oversees the daily operations of the K-12 afterschool program. She joined the BHS community in 2019 and is passionate about the Hebrew and emerging curriculums.

Katie is originally from Buffalo, New York. She has worked in numerous educational settings both in the US and abroad. Katie completed her Masters in Bilingual/Bicultural Education from Teachers College, Columbia University while living in Harlem. She has also lived in Paris, France; Alexandria, Egypt; Philadelphia, PA; and Petah Tikva and Hod Ha Sharon in Israel. Katie received her B.A. from SUNY Binghamton with a dual degree in Arabic and French and dual minors in Spanish and Global Studies.

When not traveling, Katie can be found hiking with her dog Patches, practicing yoga, skiing, camping, spending time with her nephews, or conversing in one of her 5 languages. Katie loves the outdoors and mindfulness and is eager to continue to implement BHS’ versatile Hebrew and Judaic Studies curriculum catering to the Religious School’s students’ emerging and individualized needs and interests.


 

Rabbi Adam Huttel
Social Worker
917-601-1783
Socialworker@bhsbrooklyn.org

Please welcome Rabbi Adam Huttel to BHS as our part-time social worker. He is available to help people on Tuesdays from 1 – 5 PM and Thursdays from 9 AM – 1 PM.
Rabbi Adam Huttel is a Jewish Community Services Worker for the Jewish Board, where he facilitates bereavement support groups, provides short-term individual counseling, as well as assisting in community outreach. Rabbi Huttel graduated from Queens College, with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. After graduation, he received his Master’s in Social Work degree from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work and is currently a licensed social worker in the state of New York. He also received his Rabbinical Degree at Yeshiva University’s REITS Rabbinical Program. Rabbi Huttel is excited to be joining the staff at Brooklyn Heights synagogue and is passionate about his work.


Erik DiFrisco
Facilities Manager

Facilities@bhsbrooklyn.org

Erik DiFrisco leads our Maintenance and Custodial team here at BHS as our Facilities Manager under the auspices of Parish Property Management. Erik has years and years of building experience and multiple certifications in fire safety, plumbing, and other infrastructural codes. Erik is an avid motorcyclist and enjoys camping and being with his family and adores his Sphynx kitties.