Board of Directors

Our team of professionals and volunteers meets the needs of our community by working together to provide resources and raise support.

Our Board Officers

Orna Wolens

Orna currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Jewish Federations of North America as well as National Women’s Philanthropy.
She serves on the Los Angeles Federation’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.

Lynn Bider

Lynn Bider was born and raised in Los Angeles. She graduated from both UCLA and then USC. Lynn currently serves as the Chair of the Jewish Federation’s Unistream Committee, on JFNA’s National Women’s Philanthropy Board, the Executive Committee and the Board of the Jewish Federation of LA, as the Secretary and member of the Board of Beit T’Shuvah as well as the Boards of USC Hillel and the Los Angeles Jewish Community Foundation. She is the former President of Stephen Wise Temple, the former Chair of the Federation’s Sylvia Weiss Women’s Campaign as well as its Caring for Jews in Need Strategic Initiative. Among the honors Lynn has received are the JQ Community Leadership Award, the Beauty Bus Lifetime Achievement Award and the Los Angeles Jewish Federation highest honor for Women’s philanthropy, the Leah Rabin Award for distinguished leadership in the Jewish Community. Lynn and Les are the proud parents of two children and two wonderful grandchildren.

Daniel Gryczman

Daniel Gryczman is Vice Chair of the Board and Chair of the Federation’s Strategic Planning and Distribution efforts. He formerly served as the Federation’s Community Engagement chairperson. Daniel is deeply committed to the Jewish future, serving as a board member of Camp Ramah, an AIPAC pro-Israel political activist, and a former board member of Bet Tzedek and Temple Beth Am. He is a co-founder and co-chair of the California Jewish Political Network and an alumnus of The Jewish Federations of North America’s National Young Leadership Cabinet. Daniel is a proud product of Jewish day school, Hebrew High, USY, and Jewish residential camping. He has also served larger communal interests including as chairperson of the City of Los Angeles rent control board. He is a graduate of UCLA and NYU School of Law, a former law clerk at the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and a guest lecturer at USC and UCLA in real estate development and land use. Daniel and his wife Joelle have three children.

Heidi Monkarsh

Heidi is a Vice Chair of the Board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. Heidi and her husband Jon chair the Hineni Society, a major donor giving society. Heidi also sits on the LA Federation’s Strategic Planning and Distribution Committee, the Campaign Cabinet, and the Executive Committee. Heidi is past chair of the Birth through High School Strategic Initiative, Sylvia Weisz Women’s Philanthropy, Ensuring the Jewish Future, and Young Adult Engagement and Leadership Development.

Heidi serves on the board of the Los Angeles Jewish Community Foundation, where she is on the Cutting-Edge Grants Committee and the Community Grants Committee. Heidi is also on Cedars Sinai Medical Center’s Board of Governors and Women’s Guild. Heidi recently completed her tenure on the National Women’s Philanthropy Board as well as the JFNA Board. She also has held leadership roles with Camp Ramah, Sinai Temple, the Cayton Children’s Museum and Brentwood School.

Heidi is honored to be part of building and sustaining a strong and inclusive Jewish community for future generations. Heidi graduated from UCLA with a degree in Fine Arts. Heidi and her husband Jon have two adult children, Briana Benaron, married to Jeffrey and Russell Monkarsh, engaged to Mia. She is also proud grandmother of Jagger and Liel Benaron.

Allison Rosenthal

Allison has been active in The Jewish Federation of Greater 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.

Jill Namm

Prior to becoming Valley Alliance Chair, Jill was Valley Alliance Campaign Co-Chair, Valley Alliance Women’s Philanthropy Chair, and Valley Alliance Women’s Chair. She is an Executive Committee member of the Federation’s Board serving as Secretary. Jill is also the Mission Chair and Chair of the Jewish Campus Life committee and an alumnus of National Women’s Philanthropy Board (NWP).

Having traveled on many Federation National, Heart 2 Heart and local LA missions to Israel, Poland, Ethiopia, Budapest, Greece, Russia, China, and Lithuania. She has seen firsthand our work’s impact on the lives of those in Jewish communities worldwide. A Lion of Judah since 1998, Jill was Co-Recruitment Chair for the ILOJ in New York City in 2012, co-chaired the Heart 2 Heart mission to Israel, and was the Vice Chair of Communication on the NWP Board. Jill has received the Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award, the Golda Award, and the Rita Reznikoff Award.
She and her husband Steven reside in Encino. Together, they have three children and three grandchildren.

Leon Janks

Leon is a returning Board Member, having served on the Federation Board for more than 10 years and was also the chair of the Audit Committee. Leon is a Board Member of the Milken Community School and is a Past Chairman and currently serves on the Executive and Finance Committees. Leon also served for many years on the Board of Camp Ramah of California. Leon was the Managing Partner at Green Hasson Janks, a public accounting firm on the Westside, and currently serves on the Board of PriceSmart, a public company located in San Diego. Mr. Janks earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. He and his wife Sharon have three children and five grandchildren.

2024 Board of Directors

*observers