Meet The Team

We are educators, leaders, and community builders passionate about helping young Jews grow, connect, and thrive.

Leadership

Rabbi Mark Wildes

Founder & Director

Rabbi Mark Wildes was ordained from Yeshiva University, but before becoming a rabbi, he received a JD from the Cardozo School of Law and a Master's in International Affairs from Columbia University. Since founding MJE 20 years ago, Rabbi Wildes has become one of America’s most inspirational and dynamic Jewish educators. He lives with his wife Jill and their children Yosef, Ezra, Judah, and Avigayil on the Upper West Side, where they maintain a warm and welcoming home for all. He is a hardcore Beatles and John Lennon fan, and enjoys rocking out on the drums whenever possible.

Jill Wildes

Co-Founder

Hailing from Great Neck, Long Island, Jill started to become more involved in her Judaism after finishing college at the University of Wisconsin, where she studied International Relations. Shortly after graduating from Rabbi Buchwald’s Beginner Services at Lincoln Square Synagogue, she went on to study at the Shearim and Nishmat seminaries in Israel and the Drisha Institute back in NY. Jill completed her Master's in Social Work at Yeshiva University and went on to co-found MJE with Rabbi Mark (whom she met in MJE’s “blue room”) three years after they married. She is the proud mother of Yosef, Ezra, Yehuda, and Avigayil and is best known for her warmth and hospitality, having cooked for and hosted over 10,000 MJEers at her expanding Shabbat table.

Rabbi Ezra Cohen

COO and Downtown Director

Hailing from Atlanta, Rabbi Cohen received a BA in Speech & Marketing from Yeshiva University, an MA in Education from the Azreili School of Jewish Education, and his Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshiva University. Rabbi Cohen served as Educational Director and Rabbi at the Hillel of Rutgers and also worked at the Beth Din of America. Ezra also worked as a licensed Real Estate salesperson with Douglas Elliman. He is a frequent speaker and enjoys tennis, playing the guitar, and snowboarding. Rabbi Ezra, his wife Stephanie, and son Shayne Isaac live in Westchester and host Shabbat meals, holiday events, and classes in Downtown NYC.

Educators and Community Leaders

Rabbi Jack Hartstein

Community Engagment Educator and Coordinator

Jack Hartstein hails from Scarsdale, NY. He holds a BA in Psychology from Yeshiva University and is soon to receive his semicha (Rabbinic Ordination) from Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Issac Elchanon Theological Seminary. At RIETS, he has undergone extensive training in public speaking and pastoral counseling. In conjunction with his studies at RIETS, Rabbi Jack served Congregation Beth Abraham Jacob in Albany, NY, where he worked closely with Jews of all ages and backgrounds as a youth director, Rabbinic intern, and Albany NCSY city coordinator. Rabbi Jack has spent his summers teaching Torah at the highly popular Camp Morasha. He completed a joint RIETS-Ferkauf advanced certificate program in Mental Health counseling and hopes to continue his schooling. Rabbi Jack is most concerned with the questions of what it means to be human and to live a good life. He is consistently dazzled by the Jewish approach to these questions. He loves geography, skyscrapers, singing, acting, and running. He is passionate about building a sense of family, responsibility, and destiny within the Jewish community.

Rivkie Siderson

Community Engagment Educator and Coordinator

Rivkie Siderson was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. During college, after attending seminary in Jerusalem, she found her passion for Jewish communal work while working for NCSY. Rivkie and her husband, Dovi, have been the NCSY couple in Stamford, CT, for the last 2 years; during this time, they co-ran Israel summer experiences for teens. Rivkie loves meeting and working with people and is currently halfway through her Master of Social Work; MJE is the perfect storm for her, as her favorite things are connecting with people, learning more about Judaism, and having meaningful conversations about Judaism. She is very excited to meet everyone who comes to MJE, host fun meals in her home, and introduce them to her lovable dog (who doesn’t have to make an appearance if someone isn’t a fan of dogs)!

Chani Pearlman

Senior Educator

Chani studied for two years at Midreshet Moriah in Jerusalem, and then completed her B.A. in Judaic Studies from Stern College. She earned a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education from the Azrieli Graduate School and is pursuing a doctorate in Jewish Education and Administration from Yeshiva University. Chani taught in the local Jewish Day School system for the past 10 years. Chani now lives in Bergenfield, NJ, with her husband Alan and their five children, Donny, Margalit, Akiva, Rivka, and Eli.

Rabbi Kevin Wolf

Community Engagement & Educator

Kevin is originally from Bergenfield, NJ, and left an indelible mark on his community after delivering a legendary bar mitzvah speech. From there, he continued to give over Divrei Torah, but truly made strides in his Torah knowledge when he spent two years learning at Yeshivat Orayta. Afterward, he made the natural progression to studying Computer Science at the University of Michigan, where he garnered a following of dedicated spiritual seekers who attended his weekly Shiur with Beer. After graduating, he married Allison, and they moved to Israel, where he studied at Yeshivat Torah V’Avodah and received rabbinic ordination. When Kevin is not teaching, he works as a Product Manager at Cherre, an Israeli real estate tech company. Lastly, Kevin is also a passionate snowboarder, avid Citi biker, relentless audiobook listener, and competitive ping-pong player (challengers welcome). Kevin and his wife, Allison, have now made Aliyah to Israel, where they are directing our new program "Tribe TLV".

Rabbi Pinny Rosental

Director of Senior Fellowship

Originally from Seattle, Washington, Rabbi Pinny Rosenthal received a BS in Finance from Touro College, an MA in Education Administration from Columbia University, and rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva B’nei Torah in Far Rockaway, NY. Over 750 of his classes are available on YUTorah.org. He was also the lead guitarist for Shlock Rock for many years. He currently enjoys teaching the MJE Lamm Fellowship, which has provided a year of intense Jewish education for MJE’ers who were denied Jewish education in their youth. Rabbi Pinny lives in West Hempstead with his wife, Marie, and their six children.

Dovi Siderson

Fellowship Director

Dovi Siderson was born and raised in orange-and-blue Edmonton, Alberta. After 2 years of study in Israel and earning a B.A. in Psychology, he served as Connecticut NCSY & JSU Director and Youth Director at Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford, while receiving semicha from Rav Yerachmiel Fried. Together with his wife Rivkie, Dovi has led teen tours across Israel and Canada and organized unforgettable NCSY Shabbatons. He is currently pursuing semicha at Yeshiva University along with an M.A. and Ph.D. in Biblical Studies. He’s a passionate learner, skier, and hockey fan, and can’t wait to host you for Shabbos!

Allison Reich-Wolf

Community Engagement & Educator

Allison, originally from Queens, graduated as salutatorian from the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College. Her passion for Torah study grew during her time abroad in Israel, where she studied at Midreshet Harova, Hebrew University, and the OU/JLIC program at Yeshivat Orayta. Allison was also a fellow in The Nachshon Project, a Jewish leadership program focused on creating and strengthening Jewish communities in North America. Together at MJE, Allison, along with her husband Rabbi Kevin Wolf, enjoys teaching classes, learning with community members, helping out every other Shabbos at Friday Night Lights and AM services, and welcoming guests to their Shabbos table! When Allison is not grabbing a cup of coffee with a community member, she can be found playing tennis with Kevin or shouting out the answers to Jeopardy! Allison and her husband, Kevin, have now made Aliyah to Israel, where they are directing our new program, "Tribe TLV".

Staff and Support Team

Joshua Abelson

Controller & Special Projects

After a 10-year absence, Josh was delighted to return to MJE in 2010. After serving as MJE’s original Administrator, Josh left to join Birthright Israel. Later on, Josh served as CFO (acting) at the FJMC and Director of Budget and Finance at CUNY’s MacCauley Honors College. Josh is delighted to see the growth at MJE and to be able to help MJE – and its participants – continue to grow and thrive. A lifelong East Sider, Josh is the father of three young children.

Debra Riker

Assistant to Rabbi Mark Wildes

Born and raised in the Bronx, Deborah has an administrative background and is skilled in Event/Party Planning. Deborah has worked for Rabbi Wildes for over 18 years and is proud to be his assistant and part of the MJE Team. When she is not busy keeping Rabbi Wildes organized and on the go, coordinating room rentals, or planning parties, she enjoys spending quality time with her beautiful daughter, JoAnna, a graduate of FIT.

Andrew Hershkowitz

Director of Communications

After spending 6 years producing content in the sports media industry, including stints with Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report, Andrew discovered his true calling when he found Hashem hiding in plain sight in the text of the Torah. Andrew’s unique method of Torah education involves examining the objective and quantifiable properties of the Torah system, the shapes, numbers, sounds, and words that the Torah is composed of, known as the Hebrew Aleph Bet, to conclude that it is impossible that a finite human being could have created a system so deep and interconnected. Andrew’s new passion is creating content to share this message with others; that anyone who takes an objective look at the Torah will reach the same conclusion that Hashem is real and good, thus enriching their lives, and allowing them to walk through the confusion and distorting reality that is the human experience with everlasting inner happiness and assurance that everything will be okay. He looks forward to integrating this message into MJE’s already stellar content, including Rabbi Wildes’ podcast, Instagram videos, and more.

Board of Directors

Adam Weinstein, President
Lewis Barbanel, Chairman
Azi Cutter
Michael Doppelt
Danny Kaufman
Casey Levine

Barbara Messer
Mayer Offman z”l
Louis Perlman
Richard Rubin
Harry Skydell
Leigh Waxman
Leon Wildes z”l

Michael Wildes

Advisory Board

George Rohr

Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter