Who We Are

Michelle Black

Michelle has been an active leader in the Boston Jewish community for over 20 years. She currently serves on the boards of Gann Academy and The Rashi School, where she serves as a community builder, strategic advisor and champion for expanding the reach and impact of our local Jewish Day Schools.

Michelle is a past recipient of CJP’s Young Leadership award and was recently presented with the Circle of Excellence Award for her commitment and passion to Jewish communal Service.  She has previously served on the board of CJP, is a past participant of the Acharai Leadership Development program and alumni of JFNA’s National Young Leadership Cabinet.

Originally from San Francisco, Michelle moved to Boston to earn her MBA from the Harvard Business School. Professionally, she worked as an organization and change management consultant, with a focus on leadership development, change management, corporate strategy and organizational design. She now applies her business skills and experience to strengthen and support the local Jewish, non-profit community.

Michelle lives in Waban with her husband, Darren, and their 4 children, Evan (age 17), Scott and Emily (age 14), and Alex (age 12).

Why TribeTalk?

As a family we have prioritized the importance and value of a Jewish education for our children. We have appreciated the strong Jewish foundation they have received as students at Rashi and Gann and have reinforced these Jewish values within our home.  Each child has a strong Jewish identity and a set of guiding values that will help guide them through the world.  At the same time, it is clear that as my son is not adequately prepared to defend Israel, especially when confronted with antisemitism and anti-Israel bias. This is not the fault of our Jewish Day schools system. Rather, it is a broader communal responsibility to ensure that our kids know the full story and learn to love Israel with all of her challenges. A nuanced understanding of the current situation both in Israel and on the college campus requires a targeted educational approach along with a tool-kit to respond.

Robin Friedman

Robin is an attorney and Jewish community leader. As a dedicated community volunteer, Robin works with national and local Jewish communal organizations. She volunteers with Stand With Us, Jewish Family and Children’s Services and Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston.  She  is a former Board member of the Donna Klein Jewish Academy, as well as a past PTO co-President. She has co-chaired the Spirit and Spice series for the Federation of South Palm Beach County, served as co-chair of the Lawyer’s Team for Combined Jewish Philanthropies, and is a past participant of the Acharai Leadership Development Program.

Robin concentrated her legal practice in employment law, dealing with issues involving sexual harassment and discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, and national origin. She currently engages solely in pro bono work, most recently representing victims of domestic violence seeking restraining orders. She is a recipient of the Volunteer Lawyers Project Award. She has been published by the Boston Business Journal and quoted by the Boston Globe, and has lectured on the Americans with Disabilities Act, discrimination laws, and sexual harassment.

Why TribeTalk?

The idea for Tribe Talk began for me when a Jewish college student, of whom I think very highly, admitted that she was hiding her Jewish identity. This is a woman who had attended Jewish day school, and I wondered how this could be possible. I began educating myself about what was really happening on college campuses, and I learned that, while some students never experience discrimination, others are deeply affected by both antisemitism from the right and anti-Zionism from the left. Jewish college students today have to contend with everything from mezuzot being torn down from door frames and swastikas sprayed on buildings to finding that denouncing Zionism is a litmus test for student government or participating in any social justice cause. These students are asking why they hadn’t been prepared for the campus environment.Perhaps even more importantly, many do not know of all of the worthwhile organizations that are available to them to help create a more meaningful college experience, and that can assist them if they do experience a problem. We created Tribe Talk to address these issues and help our students feel empowered when they arrive on campus.

Judith T. Sydney

A Boston native, Judith (Jude) has been involved with the Boston Jewish community for over 30 years. Jude spent much of her professional career working in real estate development and management and had the privilege of working with her father and sister as they managed the family business. At the birth of their second child, Jude decided to leave the family business and dedicate her time to raising her two children and overseeing the care for her aging parents. This also afforded her the opportunity to engage in myriad of organizations, non-profits, both of her son’s Jewish day schools, The Rashi School and Gann Academy and Temple Israel of Boston the family synagogue.

Jude currently serves on the Jewish Federation of North America (JFNA) National Women’s Philanthropy Board and on the JFNA Advocacy Corps. She most recently served on the Executive Board of Combined Jewish Philanthropy (CJP) as President of Women’s Philanthropy and as immediate past President, and served on the Women’s Philanthropy Executive Board. She currently serves on the CJP Presidents Advisory Council.  Jude served for 15 years on the Executive Board of Jewish National Fund. She is an alum of the Jewish Federation of North American (JFNA) National Young Leadership Cabinet. Jude chaired JFNA/Washington Conference in 2004, the single largest gathering of young Jewish people convening to repair the world and was instrumental in working in May 2022 in reestablishing the return of the Washington Conference to JFNA in its leadership conference offerings from its over a decade hiatus.  Jude is also an alum of the Leon and Cynthia Shulman Acharai Leadership Program founded in Boston and a Young Leadership and CJP award winner. Jude is a community connector, dedicated volunteer and fundraiser.

Jude lives in Newton, MA with her wife Aviva and family.

Why TribeTalk?

I had the privilege of growing up in a modern orthodox home and along with my 4 siblings attended Maimonides Jewish day school. I learned from my parents the importance of having a strong Jewish identity rooted in Jewish values and in reinvesting in the community. To that end, my wife and I have worked hard to instill the importance of these same values with our children and have sent them to Jewish day schools and Jewish summer camps. We have taken and sent them on trips to Israel and educated them on the importance of what it means to have a strong Jewish identity that they can be proud of as they grow up and lead their adult lives. Even with all these educational and learning opportunities our kids have been afforded the world has become even more complex and challenging to navigate for Jews today. During our fact finding before launching TribeTalk, we discovered that many students with similar educational backgrounds as our kids shared they too wanted to understand the more nuanced perspective on what it means to be Jewish in the ever growing complex world that has become more toxic toward Jews. Our goal is to provide the resources in which to help our students gain the knowledge, insight and understanding that they seek to lead a more fulfilling and enriched life as proud Jewish students on campus and beyond.

Amy Aronoff Blumkin

Amy serves as an advisor to TribeTalk. Her marketing and branding expertise provides insight to help TribeTalk grow and deliver its important programming to students in high school and those that are preparing to enter college should they need to stand up against antisemitism in their school and in the world beyond.

For the last several years, Amy has worked as an interim executive aiding mission-based organizations in transition. Amy has a blended background of corporate and mission-focused work.  Combining her professional and non-profit board activities, Amy knows how to lead a business, nurture a brand, create campaigns that deliver and deeply connect with stakeholders.

For nearly four years, Amy led Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Brand and Marketing department through a rebrand and brought integrated, strategic, and proactive thinking to the marketing function. Prior to ADL, Amy was chosen as the CMO of the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee — in charge of marketing the first ever outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowl hosted in the nation. Beginning career at American Express in New York City, Amy then spent nearly a decade leading national marketing at Walt Disney World, in Orlando, Florida.

Amy is a proud graduate of the University of Vermont and holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Jori Balsam

Jori Balsam is originally from Newton, MA but now resides in Newport, RI. During the year, she teaches and coaches at a boarding school. She graduated from Wesleyan University in May 2023, where she majored in neuroscience and education studies with a minor in Jewish and Israel studies. While at Wesleyan she played on the women’s ice hockey and lacrosse teams and was the president of Chabad. When she is not working, she enjoys running, reading, and spending time with friends.

Matthew E. Berger

Matthew E. Berger is a leader in developing effective strategies to fight antisemitism and anti-Israel bias. He is currently President and CEO of Mashber Strategies, guiding organizations, companies, and universities as they address antisemitism, hate, and intolerance on college campuses, in corporate spaces, and on social media.

As executive director of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, Matthew led the development and launch of the Cannes Lion Award-winning “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” campaign, a $25 million advertising campaign to educate non-Jews about modern antisemitism and empower them to address hate in their communities. The campaign introduced the Blue Square emoji as the national symbol for addressing antisemitism, encouraging people everywhere to speak out against intolerance. He also led FCAS’ efforts to monitor, analyze and address growing antisemitism through innovative programs, partnerships, and communications products.

Before joining FCAS, Matthew was Hillel International’s Vice President for External Affairs and Campus Preparedness, overseeing programs that addressed antisemitism, anti-Israel activity and security concerns on college campuses around the world.

Berger has more than two decades of experience as a journalist and communications professional, with a focus on politics, Middle East policy and the American Jewish community. He previously served as senior director of communications for a Middle East policy think tank, placing scholarly research in the media and managing communication products and social media, and spent five years as vice president of Dezenhall Resources, a Washington-based crisis communications firm.

Berger holds a master’s degree in national security policy and a bachelor’s degree in political communications, both from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his husband Jeff and their springer spaniel, Charlie.

Dr. Rachel Fish

Dr. Rachel Fish is the co-founder of Boundless Israel, a think-action tank partnering with community leaders to revitalize Israel education and take bold collective action to combat Jew hatred. Dr. Fish was the executive director of the Foundation to Combat anti-Semitism. She also served as senior advisor and resident scholar at the Paul E. Singer Foundation in New York City and executive director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University. In her role at Brandeis, she trained the next generation of academics in the field of Israel Studies.
“Configurations of Bi-nationalism: The Transformation of Bi-nationalism and Palestine/Israel 1920’s-Present,” on the history of bi-nationalism and alternative visions for constructing the State of Israel. Rachel has served on the faculty at Brandeis University, Harvard University, UMass Amherst, has written articles for several publications in the mainstream press and academic journals, and co-edited the book “Essential Israel: Essays for the 21st Century.” She is a frequent speaker in various Jewish community forums and beyond.

Jill Stepak

For the past twenty years, Jill Stepak has designed, developed and implemented learning experiences in a variety of formal and informal educational settings. She specializes in using technology and design thinking to turn complex concepts into accessible, engaging, and memorable learning experiences.  She helps organizations elevate education to meet the changing ecosystem, increasing engagement, stickiness and measurable results.

Jill currently works as a freelance instructional, graphic and curriculum designer for several non-profit organizations including TribeTalk and ARZA Canada. She is also an adjunct faculty for the Executive Master’s program at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (where she is an alum) and she is a faculty educator for the Cornerstone Fellowship, a program of the Foundation for Jewish Camp.

Jill has an M.A. in Jewish Educational Leadership from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, and a B.A. in Jewish Education and Modern Hebrew from the University of Wisconsin (Madison). 

You can learn more or hire Jill for your own projects on her website.