Board of Directors
One of our greatest strengths has always been the engagement of members of our Board of Directors. We are governed by a board of community volunteers, philanthropists, and leaders.
Current Board of Directors Member Bios
Click photos for individual profiles
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Dean Altaras
Dean Altaras was raised in Seattle/Bellevue as an active member of both the Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jewish communities. He graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Urban Planning. Dean has been an active broker in the greater Puget Sound commercial real estate community for over 34 years. 29 of those years were spent with his friend and mentor, Morris Piha. His broad scope practice includes retail, office and industrial leasing in addition to investment sales in both commercial and multi-family properties. Dean has enjoyed long-standing relationships with his many clients and a well-known reputation in our industry. This comes through creating effective results, putting his client’s interests first, providing exceptional service, and maintaining the highest level of professionalism and integrity. He has also been an active commercial real estate investor for many years. This experience gives him a deep understanding of the dynamic relationship between landlord/tenant and buyer/seller, which provides added value for his varied clientele.
Dean and his wife, Gigi, are Seattle natives and they reside on Mercer Island. Their sons, Jordan and Justen, reside in Barcelona and Seattle. Dean is a current member of the Seattle Executives Association, the Washington State CCIM Chapter, the Washington State Commercial Association of Realtors, and the Seattle Sephardic Brotherhood. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Seattle Executives Association, the Eastside District YMCA and the Millionair Club Charity.
Dean currently serves on the Board of Directors of the WSJHS. Gigi volunteers her time with ADL. They are current members of Temple De Hirsch Sinai.
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Joel Arensberg
Joel Arensberg has been a WSJHS board member since June 2019.
Joel was born in Seattle on September 30, 1964, and was raised in Bellevue. His parents, Dick and Dianne, have lived in the house he and his sister, Jodeen, grew up in for over 55 years. Joel currently lives in Newcastle with his wife, Amy, and 15 year old twins, Ethan and Marisa.While attending Washington State University (WSU) Joel was involved with the Jewish Students Organization. The JSO were a small group, but gathered to observe various Jewish holidays and meet socially. It was nice to have a Jewish community 300 miles from home.
After graduating with a broadcast journalism degree from WSU, Joel went to work for his father and uncle (Bill) at Arensberg Sons Company which was founded by his grandfather (Joseph) in 1917. Located on Capitol Hill in Seattle, Arensberg Sons Company was a wholesale distributor of shoe "findings", servicing shoe repair and shoe stores across the Pacific Northwest. In October 2002, Arensberg Sons Company was sold.
A month later, Joel joined Rosen Supply Company in Tacoma which was founded by his maternal grandparents, Max and Sara Rosen, in 1946. Rosen Supply Company is a wholesale plumbing distributor still proudly serving Western Washington.
The Arensberg family have been members of Temple De Hirsch Sinai for over a century. Joel's grandmother, Anna Arensberg, was in the TDHS confirmation class of 1914! Joel's bar mitzvah in 1977 and wedding in 2002 were held in the TDHS Seattle sanctuary. Joel has volunteered in the Sisterhood gift shops for 10 years and has been a co-manager of the Sisterhood gift shops for the last two years.
Joel's hobbies include telling really bad Dad jokes, watching any type of comedy, listening to classic rock and R&B, following local sports teams, and when the weather is decent, riding his bicycle. Go Cougs!
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David Berkman
A Colorado native who grew up in Austin, Texas, David holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas and a master's degree in management from the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business.
David spent 25 years honing his expertise in leadership development, youth development, risk management, and love of camping working at the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). He held positions for URJ Camps in Texas and Pennsylvania, as the Associate Director of Camping and Israel Programs, and as the inaugural director of URJ Camp Kalsman in Arlington, WA. David served with distinction as the project manager for Jacobs' Ladder, a distribution center for hurricane relief supplies established by the Union for Reform Judaism in response to Hurricane Katrina. Additionally, David served as the head of safety and security for major URJ events since 2003.
Most recently, David managed the URJ's COVID-19 response and positioned the system's programs for a successful opening for the 2021 season.
A former firefighter and EMT, David spends most of his free time with his wife (Keely), two children (Naava and Samuel), and Labrador Retriever enjoying everything the Pacific Northwest offers.
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Tamar Boden
Tamar Boden was born in Fairfax, Virginia on December 28, 1971 and is the eldest of two children. She studied Business Administration with a Marketing emphasis and graduated from the University of Washington in 1994. Tamar married Allan Boden in 1994 and together they have two beautiful daughters, Hannah. 16 and Alyssa, 13. Tamar worked at Microsoft from 1996-2004 where she held multiple different positions and was recognized for her strong work ethic, dedication and commitment. Tamar has been involved with several non-profit organizations such as starting the Young Women's Council of NCJW, participating in the Hadassah Leadership Academy, member of The Jewish Federation Allocations Committee, and over the years chairing multiple events at Jennifer Rosen Meade Preschool , The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle, and Seattle Academy, and is a proud board member the WSJHS.
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Jay Busch
Coalition Builder: Expanded public-private development in Palomino Neighborhood Coalition. Change agent with LatinX Community Advisory. Values Liason for Strategic Plan initiative. Co-convener of Equity and Inclusion Team. Advisor/Mentor/Ally with LatinX Club, Black Student Union, S.O.A.R. Initiated Peer Mediation/Restorative Justice team. Consultant of Community Arts Planning Teams, Michigan Alliance for the Arts.
Innovator: Built Liberal Arts/General Studies unit from the ground up to 3rd number of FTE’s at ASU West, and ASU Polytechnic. Visionary in drafting new mission of College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Influencer re leveraging educational leadership teams sustaining strategic plan. Visionary administration of library conversion to 21st Century Academic Success Center. Beta test community resilience framework: Civic Responsibility in The American High School.
Contributor to Report on Pathways Grant re Sky Song Innovation Incubator, A.S.U.Educator: Mentoring high quality instruction as Research Technology Specialist weaving 21st Century pedagogy and Ed. Tech. strategies. Dynamic implementation of distance learning. Curriculum innovator integrating One-to-One tech, equity and accommodation, research and knowledge enterprize strategies across disciplines. Administrator and Mentor driving 100% graduation success, academic resilience, best practices. Curriculum developer and FTE goal achievement for Science, Technology and Society Unit.
Researcher: Praxis of Community Resilience Framework. Published Neighborhood Development and School-Community Partnerships (2014). Presenter, Capacity Building in Nonprofit Agencies. Research Assistant, Executive Leadership and Board Governance in Community Foundations. Consultant convener in development of community arts five-year planning teams. Reviews of the literature: leadership, social capital, community development, School-Community Partnership, Private/Public Partnership,
Producer: of Tech, and Climate Innovation Exploratorium(s). Fine Arts Administrator: First Friday’s Jazz Series, Phoenix Art Museum; Jazz Showcase Series, Kerr Cultural Center/ASU. Initiated Legacy Giving Program, Jewish Federation of Puget Sound. Recipient of National Endowment for the Arts, Michigan Council for the Arts, Arizona Commission on the Arts grants. Executive producer for OOYA Records with distribution in U.S. via Best Buy/J.B. Productions.
Leader: Administrator/Mentor for Project PACE Emergency Certification Program, Coolidge, AZ./ASU. Thought leader and presenter influencing P.D. and P.L.C. thru Instructional Leadership Team. Re-establish legacy of Speech and Debate as Forensics Advisor/Coach. CEO JBProductions, Inc./OOYA Records/Band Leader and Jazz Touring Artist: Montreux, North Sea, Mexico, Hawaii. Board Governance: Boys & Girls Club, Jazz in Arizona, Palomino Neighborhood Coalition, LatinX Community Advisory, Equity and Inclusion Team.
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Kathryn Kafka Degginger
Kathryn is very happy to be a board member of the WSJHS. Kathryn is an attorney with the Washington State Attorney General's Office. Married to Grant Degginger whose family includes Simon Degginger (a founding member of Temple De Hirsch in Seattle) and Fannie Degginger (the first president of the Ladies Auxilary of Temple De Hirsch) at the turn of the last century, the Degginger family has always been active in community service in the Pacific Northwest. Kathryn and Grant are residents of Bellevue and the parents of Daniel and David Degginger. Preserving the special Jewish heritage of the Pacific Northwest is important to their family and to WSJHS.
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Greg Gans
Gregory Gans is a Rochester, NY native, who moved to Seattle in his mid 20s. Greg, as he is know to his friends and family, grew up in a small, suburban town in Rochester. Growing up, he was interested in sports and the usual American youth activities. On 12 December, 1999, Greg became a Bar Mitzvah at Temple B'rith Kodesh, in Brighton, NY. His family was not particularly religious, but it was important to his parents and his extended family that all the children had a some Jewish education. Greg graduated high school in 2006 from Pittsford Sutherland High School. He then began his undergraduate studies in the same town at St. John Fisher College.
After finishing his first degree, Greg cooked professionally for two years at various restaurants in Rochester -- an experience he would value for years to come, as he loves to cook to this day. Eventually, Greg decided to make a change and leave his home town. He decided to explore Israel. Greg moved to Israel with just a backpack and the goal of staying as long as possible. Ultimately, he stayed for almost three years. He lived on a kibbutz in the north of Israel where he worked in avocado orchards; and then went to Tel Aviv university to pursue a master's degree in Middle East Studies. Towards the end of his studies, he met the woman that he would spend the rest of his life with.
In early 2014, Greg moved to Washington with his soon to be wife, Chava Nurit Levanon and their family dog, Leia, who they adopted while living in Tel Aviv. Nurit, as she is known, worked in the tech space and was offered a job in Seattle. Neither Greg nor Nurit had ever been to Washington before they moved, but they felt immensely lucky to have landed in such beautiful place. Nurit and Greg married on 23 August, 2014 in a small ceremony at their favorite gastropub "Quinn's", on Capitol Hill.
Greg was initially interested in pursing his PhD studies at the University of Washington in comparative politics, but eventually decided to begin working in real estate instead. After a few years, he built a small business where he specializes in real estate sales, investment properties, and property management.
On 6 October, 2018, Greg and Nurit had their first child, Eyal. Currently, Nurit, Eyal, Greg, and Leia all live in Seattle.
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Dennis Goldstein
Dennis Goldstein was born in Spokane, WA. Dennis moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington and was a member of Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity (one of the predominately Jewish houses). Upon graduation, he began a career in accounting and currently owns a CPA practice in Bellevue. Dennis has been involved in the Greater Seattle Jewish community, first with B'nai B'rith, Greater Seattle chapter, serving as Treasurer and later it's President, followed by his involvement with the Washington State Jewish Historical Society, again first as Treasurer and then as it's President. Dennis married Robin Rogel in 1981, has two children, Briana ( Jeff Roberts) & Seth, and two wonderful grandchildren Gabriel and Jemma.
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Jacquelyn Roitman-Estrin
Jacquelyn's community involvement was learnt from her Bobba, whose roots
were deep in circles of Vancouver, B.C. For Jacquelyn, it began with BBYO, USY and NCSY. She has
worked with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, with Canadian Friends of the Hebrew
University and with Jewish classes in remoter areas of Vancouver. Over the recent years, she was a
regular participant in the planning and execution of events at The Jewish Day School in Bellevue,
volunteered in various outlets in the community and is currently a long-standing Board Member of The
Bellevue Youth Theatre Foundation. Jacquelyn's passion for history, and her love of her heritage,
equates to an energizing bond which she looks forward to utilizing with the WSJHS. -
Mimi Rosen
Mimi Rosen is excited to be involved with the Washington State Jewish Historical Society. She believes strongly that knowing your past the helps to illuminate the future and of critical importance is preserving stories from our past. The WSJHS’s mission is very close to Mimi’s heart.
Mimi was born and raised in the Seattle area. She attended Jewish Day School, Garfield High School and then earned her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Michigan. Afterwards, she returned to Seattle to begin her career as a Property Assistant with the real estate company, Trammel Crow. She then gained valuable experience as a Financial Analyst with a local mortgage brokerage company. She is now an owner/principal of Rosen Harbottle Commercial Real Estate, where she works along side her father, Stan Rosen, her sister, Leslie Rosen, and her brother, Jack Rosen. Mimi is actively involved in overseeing the Property Management and Accounting Divisions, and she works closely with the other principals on acquisitions, sales, financing and asset management.
Mimi is involved in many local charitable organizations and has served on local boards and committees including the Women’s Endowment Foundation, Hillel at the University of Washington, the Stroum Jewish Community Center and the Jewish Day School. The Rosen family has always been very involved in the community and giving back was taught to Mimi at a very young age. Mimi and her husband, Nathan Goldberg, are continuing the tradition by teaching their three daughters about the importance of supporting their community.
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Iantha Sidell
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Sue Solomon
As a second generation Seattleite, Sue has been active in Jewish Life since high school - serving in many roles in BBYO, University of Washington Hillel, National Council of Jewish Women, and at Herzl Ner Tamid Congregation.
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Dan Swedlow
Dan grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in Philadelphia where he lived until just after his
bar mitzvah when his family moved the Bay Area in California into a decidedly not Jewish
neighborhood. Dan dropped out of high school just before his senior year to travel around the country
and follow the Grateful Dead on tour. While on Dead tour Dan met Miriam. They got married, had
some kids, started going back to school, had some more kids and 24 years ago, they moved to Seattle
where Dan worked for Chabad while Miriam went to nursing school at UW. They eventually took over
the Chabad campus work and were having a great time until Dan decided change careers. So he went to
law school, developed his legal career and is now a successful labor lawyer and a partner at Summit Law
Group. Two of Dan and Miriam’s kids now live in Israel after serving in the IDF and making Aliyah. The
other three are still in the Seattle area. Dan and Miriam live in Seward Park, occasionally attend Ezra
Bessaroth even though they are 100% Ashkenazic. -
Ron Waldbaum
Ronald Waldbaum born in Seattle to Ken and Sue Waldbaum, is fifth generation at Temple De Hirsch Sinai and has been a member at the Jewish Community Center since his childhood. He attanded the University of Washington and was an active member in Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and Hillel. Ron met his wife, Toni Calvo Waldbaum, while at the University. Upon graduation Ron went to work in the family business, Direct Buying Service Discount House, started by his grandparents and the business grew in size under his fathers leadership. Ron eventually took over the company and after running the business for several years, Ron sold the company and joined Leibsohn & Company as a commercial real estate broker and is now currently the CEO. Ron has been a Temple De Hirsch Sinai board member for six years. Now treasurer at Washington State Jewish Historical Society.
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Eryk Waligora
Eryk grew up between Chicago and southern California in a non-practicing family. It was not until he attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) that Eryk began getting in touch with the broader Jewish community, where he became an undergraduate executive board member at Hillel and CFO of the university’s Jewish Student Union, while earning his B.A. in Economic History and undeclared minor in Jewish Studies. Eryk’s professional career has taken him on quite a journey; working in television production as an Associate Producer at NBCUniversal, Hulu, and other entertainment studios, in the global tech startup scene as a market intelligence specialist throughout the Los Angeles area, Taiwan, and in Israel, and as a bartender at a high-end winery (one of his favorite jobs). As a result of the 2014 Sony Pictures cyber-attack, Eryk witnessed first-hand the damaging outcome to vulnerable organizations and soon transitioned from a career in marketing and production to cybersecurity. He later relocated to Seattle and attended the University of Washington, earning an M.S. in Information Security Management and an M.A. in International Studies, with a focus on China, Taiwan, and Mandarin Chinese. Eryk now works at the technology consulting firm, Accenture, as a Manger in Cyber Threat Intelligence. While in Seattle, he has participated in programs and volunteered with the Jewish Federation, The Holocaust Center for Humanity, and SAFE WA. Eryk is also an avid film photographer, reader, and outdoors enthusiast.
Officers 2021-2022
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Kathryn Kafka Degginger
President
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Dean Altaras
Vice President
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Tamar Boden
Vice President, Strategic
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Dennis Goldstein
Vice President, Development
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Ron Waldbaum
Treasurer
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Joel Arensberg
Secretary
WSJHS Board of Directors 2021-2022
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David Berkman
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Jay Busch
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Greg Gans
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Jacquelyn Roitman-Estrin
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Mimi Rosen
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Iantha Sidell
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Sue Solomon
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Dan Swedlow
Emeritus Board Members
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Meta Buttnick, z"l
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Lilly De Jaen
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Leatrice Gutmann
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Sol Halfon z"l
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Albert Israel
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Larry Kleinberg
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Herbert Lipman, z"l
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Ann Nieder
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Eugene Normand
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Arny Robbins, z"l
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Betsy Schneier
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Emily Shaffer, z"l
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Doris Stiefel
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Stan Tobin, z"l
Past Presidents
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Dennis Goldstein
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Albert Israel
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Craig Sternberg
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Betsy Schneier
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Eugene Normand
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Doris Stiefel
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Emily Shaffer, z"l
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Arny Robbins, z"l
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Erika Michael
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Fred Rogers, z"l
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Henry Friedman
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Olga Butler, z"l
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Joan Krivosha, z"l
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Rabbi Jim Mirel
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Ann Nieder
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Jeanette Schrieber, z"l