Our dedicated staff and board members represent a broad alliance of Jews from across the political and religious spectrum who care deeply about the country, the people and the land of Israel, and who are dedicated to working toward a sustainable future.

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Staff and Board of Directors

Eli Bass

Environmental educator Eli Bass has worked connecting children, teens and adults to natural landscapes across the United States. Growing up in Chicago and attending Habonim Dror Camp Tavor, Eli developed a strong connection to Israel, Judaism and nature. His professional tenure includes work with the Teva Learning Center and the National Park Service.

Rabbi Howard Cohen

Rabbi Howard Cohen is the founder and director of Burning Bush Adventures — a Jewish outdoor adventure program — and a former firefighter, chaplain and pulpit rabbi. A graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Howard is a father of three wonderful children.

Rabbi Michael Cohen

The director of special projects and former executive director of Friends of the Arava Institute, Rabbi Michael Cohen is a founding faculty member of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. He is also the vice president of global resource development for the Arava Power Company, which works to make solar power the main energy source for southern Israel and Jordan. Previously, Michael served as president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association and as pulpit rabbi at the Israel Congregation of Manchester, Vt., where he remains the rabbi emeritus. Michael is a VPR Radio commentator and the author of numerous articles. He also wrote a novella, "Einstein's Rabbi." For his role in co-founding the GZA, Michael was named a Jewish Community Hero.

Noam Dolgin

Hailing from Vancouver, Canada, GZA Executive Director Noam Dolgin has worked as a Jewish environmental and Israeli environmental educator, organizer and activist for more than 10 years. Noam's work history includes seven years as the associate director of the Teva Learning Center, North America's foremost Jewish environmental-education organization, and co-founding Adam Va-Adamah, Canada’s first Jewish environmental organization. His passion for Israel comes many from years involved with the Habonim Dror Youth Movement and from his two years living on a kibbutz. Noam also serves on the board of directors of the American Zionist Movement.

Rabbi Matthew Earne

Rabbi Matthew Earne serves as the assistant rabbi at Congregation Beth Am in San Diego. Matthew is passionate about engaging young Jewish adults and empowering them to develop a safe and nurturing community. In partnership with his congregants, Matthew also has created the Green Sanctuary Task Force which aims to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly synagogue practices that can be replicated by community members. He and his wife Liz have two children.

Aviva Melissa Frank

Aviva Melissa Frank is seeking her master's degree in conflict resolution and mediation. She's also an intern at Slim Peace, a coexistence project that brings together Israeli and Arab women to learn about healthy diet and exercise. Aviva is the co-founder of JewGa: Jewish Meditation and Yoga. Previously she has worked as a program director for the Israel on Campus Coalition of Greater Washington, as a coordinator for Campus Birthright Israel NEXT in Washington, as a Jewish Campus Service Fellow for Hillel, and as an AmeriCorps volunteer. Currently Aviva serves as the GZA's Israel volunteer coordinator.

Ami Greener

Ami Greener served as the energy specialist and legislative assistant in the American Jewish Committee’s Office of Government and International Affairs in Washington, D.C., from 2006 to 2008. Previously, Greener worked as a consultant for the Jewish Funds for Justice in New York, the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel, and the Israeli Electricity Authority. Greener grew up in Jerusalem as the son of American immigrants. He earned his master's in environmental policy from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, where he wrote his thesis about the Israeli electricity sector.

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David Krantz is the president and chairperson of the board of directors of the Green Zionist Alliance. He also serves on the board of directors of the American Zionist Movement. He completed his master's degree at the University of California, Berkeley. When not taking classes toward another degree, David works in the fields of journalism, statistics and education.

Rabbi Amy Levin

Rabbi Amy Levin is the congregational rabbi at Temple Torat Yisrael in Cranston, R.I., and a leader in Rhode Island Interfaith Power and Light. Ordained in Jerusalem as the second woman ever ordained at the Israeli Conservative Yeshiva, Amy is an Israeli citizen who plans to return to Israel upon her retirement to join her children there.

Nancy Lipsey

Nancy Lipsey guides all of Hazon’s outdoor Jewish adventure programs. Nancy has an M.A. in nonprofit management from the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Management at Case Western Reserve University and she has worked for Jewish Community Centers in Atlanta and Detroit. While living in Israel, she participated in the WUJS program and is a graduate of the Pardes Education Program. Nancy also has worked as a Jewish educator of children in Boston of campers at Camp Barney Medinitz, and of adults as part of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School in Atlanta.

Lee H. Wallach

Lee H. Wallach is a founding board member and president of the Faith2Green / Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life of Southern California, co-chair of the Los Angeles Interfaith Environmental Council, and a board member of the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters. Currently he is managing partner of Rocket Reporting Network, a deposition reporting firm, and CEO of Community Assets Consulting, a firm specializing in assisting Israeli and United States environmental-technology companies with business in California. In addition, Lee holds executive and board member positions with the State Bar Examiners Committee, Legal Cabinet of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, USC Hillel Foundation, Children Uniting Nations, the state Jewish Public Affairs Council and Charity Finders Corp. He also serves on the Los Angeles Business Council’s Energy Commission and the Los Angeles Energy Coalition. He was formerly executive director of Days of Dialogue, a Los Angeles race-relations organization, and director of the Commission on Urban Affairs for the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles. He has held prior positions in community relations with the University of Southern California and the City of Los Angeles. Lee holds two master's degrees from USC — one in public administration and one in social work.

GZA delegates to the 36th World Zionist Congress

David Krantz

Dr. Richard Schwartz

Aviva Melissa Frank

GZA member of the Zionist General Counsel

Rabbi Matthew Earne

GZA representatives on the American Zionist Movement board of directors

David Krantz

Noam Dolgin

GZA representatives on the Keren Kayemet L'Yisrael (KKL) board of directors

Dr. Alon Tal

Dr. Orr Karassin

GZA representative on the Jewish National Fund (JNF-USA) board of trustees

Rabbi Howard Cohen

GZA Presidents & Chairpersons

Rabbi Michael Cohen

2001-2005

Noam Dolgin

2006-2008

David Krantz

2009-present

GZA Executive Directors & Administrators

Alison Hill

2001-2003

Hal Klopper

2004-2007

Noam Dolgin

2008-present

Webmaster

Chad Rosenthal

After building corporate Web sites for many years, Chad Rosenthal redirected his energy into Jewish environmental education. He now finds ways to merge his love of Web development with his love of nature.

Photographer

Chanan Getraide

Chanan lives on Kibbutz Shiller in Israel, where he focuses his lens on nature, industrial development and the interaction of people with technology. His work has been displayed in galleries throughout the Unites States and Israel.