JEWISH LEADERSHIP ACADEMY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty & Staff
- Executive Assistant to Associate Head of US
Job Titles:
- Technical Support Analyst
Job Titles:
- Founder and Managing Partner of Kawa Capital
Daniel Ades is the Founder and Managing Partner of Kawa Capital. Daniel has been responsible for overseeing the firm's investment decisions since inception in 2007, and continues to lead the firm to this day. He has a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Tufts University, and a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) from The Fletcher School, with a focus on economic development. He has been a board member at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation for over a decade, was on AIPAC's National Leadership Council and has spearheaded several community projects, including starting ParnossahWorks Miami in conjunction with the Miami Jewish Federation. He is passionate about Jewish education and the State of Israel. An avid sailor, he was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil and has been living in Miami with his wife and three children since 2003.
Job Titles:
- Associate Head for Judaics
Originally from London, Dr. Stone holds a BA in Humanities with emphasis in Jewish Studies and a teaching degree from the General Teaching Council for England. Debbie spent a year studying in Michlalah Jerusalem College and received her Doctorate in Education from Yeshiva University's Azrieli Graduate School.
A sought after speaker and educator, Dr. Stone has more than 15 years of experience in both formal and informal Jewish education. She is the co-author of the Koren-NCSY siddur as well as the Koren Aviv Siddur. Prior to JLA she served as the Director of High School Judaic Studies and Community Engagement at Hebrew Academy (RASG) in Miami Beach.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty & Staff
- Humanities Chair
Frances Alexander has taught English from grades 6-12 in a variety of school settings: public, charter, French, Quaker, Independent, and now Jewish. She decided to become a teacher after volunteering in Egypt, where she studied abroad in college as a student of Arabic. That experience inspired her to become a Teach for America corps member in Washington DC, her hometown. In her previous role at Ransom Everglades, she taught 7th-10th grade English for six years and was the faculty advisor to Tedx and student government.
Ms. Alexander holds a BA from Northwestern University in Middle Eastern Languages and Civilizations and Anthropology. She also holds an MA in English Literature from Middlebury's Bread Loaf School of English. She recently completed the Certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard University. In her past lives and in her moments of free time, Ms. Alexander enjoys pursuing her interests of dance and yoga, piano, studying new languages and cultures, traveling, writing, and reading. Whenever she can, she enjoys taking writing workshops and loves being a student.
Gisela graduated Tufts University in 2005 with a BA in International Relations and Economics, and later received her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law. Having worked in the Secretariat of Education of Sao Paulo early in her career, she was focused on empowering youth leaders to form and restructure student councils in public schools.
While in law school, Gisela worked at the University of Miami Immigration Clinic, helping low-income clients with their immigration needs. She continued in private practice as an immigration attorney for the next 10 years, helping clients from across the world to move and start a new life in the United States.
Gisela has also been involved with several community organizations. Together with her husband Daniel, they founded ParnossahWorks (now called JWorks), which assists members of the community in finding meaningful employment. She also served as a member of the Women's Impact Initiative for three years, and is currently a member of the Hebrew Free Loan Committee.
Gisela lives in Miami with her husband Daniel and their three children.
Isaac "Ike" K. Fisher grew up in Hollywood, Florida. He came to live and work in Miami after graduating from the University of Florida College of Law, previously receiving his undergraduate education at The George Washington University, Washington D.C.
Mr. Fisher is a real estate investor and a principal of Capital Realty Services, Inc., a diversified real estate company providing management, leasing, financing, sales and consulting services for commercial investments. He has been a partner in commercial real estate with Robert G. Berrin through Capital Realty since 1988.
Ike is active in Jewish philanthropies and other national and community charitable organizations. He currently serves as an emeritus member of the national Board of Directors of AIPAC and is the Chair of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
He resides in Miami, Florida and Tel Aviv, Israel. His daughter Rachel is a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin and is now a doula practicing in South Florida, while his son Cobi recently completed his service as a combat soldier (Nahal Brigade) in the Israel Defense Forces. His life partner is Lourdes Suarez, who has four adult children; Marissa, a lawyer, Katrina, a doctor, Max, and Zach, both software engineers.
Since establishing J Group Events in 2005, Jassi has built a reputation for creating events that are both visually stunning and extravagantly fun. Inspired by travels abroad, fashion, theatre, art, music, and architecture, she has truly refined her keen eye for design and passion for perfect details.
Jassi has worked with over 100 clients, from Dior to The PAMM to Cristian Lacroix to Cartier to Maria Sharapova. She has produced the MAM Ball, various Art Basel events, Galas and Fundraisers, as well as global destination weddings.
A veteran of the hotel industry, Joao Woiler is the founder of CL Hotels and co-founder of Cambridge Landmark through which he has acquired and asset managed seven hotels in the US, with over 2,850 hotel rooms under different Marriott, Hyatt and IHG flags.
Joao began his career as an attorney and served as the Managing Partner of the law firm Woiler & Contin Advogados in Sao Paulo for over ten years, executing corporate and real estate transactions. He has served as a Board member of the World Trade Center Sao Paulo for 13 years and has been the investors' relations executive for Hauscenter S/A.
Joao holds an MBA from the MIT Management Sloan School and a JD from University of Sao Paulo.
Born and raised in Chicago, Joe is known for deploying organization-wide systems and maximizing efficiencies, while demonstrating the utmost professionalism and accountability. He played a critical role in the construction of our campus and in creating JLA's unique Indexed Tuition Program.
Prior to JLA, Joe served as the Executive Director of Katz Hillel Day School in Boca Raton for 9 years where he oversaw all aspects of the school's financial and physical plant operations.
Joe also spent 15 years in the for-profit sector, serving as both a Controller and as a Chief Operating Officer. He has a BS in Accounting, an MBA with a concentration in Nonprofit Management, and serves on several local and national professional boards and councils.
Joe resides in Boca Raton with his wife Shira, and their 2 children.
Job Titles:
- Associate Head of School, Upper School
Born and raised in Miami, Judd Shapiro is a career educator with over three decades of experience.
Judd taught Advanced Placement Literature and served as the English Department Chair at Gulliver Preparatory School for 25 years, where many of his students have published their own novels and won numerous NCTE awards. He has also worked in admissions, designed and implemented professional development for the faculty, written curriculum for the humanities, and he has been responsible for faculty observations and retention.
Judd has received the Deaver Award for Excellence in Teaching, and he has been recognized by M.I.T. and Tufts University as an inspirational teacher. He has a BA degree in English from the University of Miami (where he had the good fortune to study under Isaac Bashevis Singer), and an MS from St. Thomas University in Marital and Family Therapy. In addition, he is a college admissions counselor as well as a competitive youth soccer coach.
He and his wife Melanie have three sons, and they enjoy spending their summers hiking throughout the White Mountains in New England.
Job Titles:
- Associate Head of School, Middle School
Mrs. Kubach has more than 20 years of educational experience in K-12 schools. A science teacher specializing in Gifted and Talented education, Mrs. Kubach played a critical role in getting Boca Raton's Grandview Preparatory School up and off the ground, serving as their Talented and Gifted Coordinator before moving on to become their Lower School Principal and eventually the K-12 Associate Head of School. Prior to joining JLA back in 2021, Mrs. Kubach served as the Assistant Principal of Academics at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Ft. Lauderdale.
Mrs. Kubach has a BA in Education from the University of Kentucky, an MA in Exceptional Education from the University of Louisville, and a secondary MA in Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University. She is the mother of three and enjoys traveling, running by the ocean, gardening, and design projects. She credits growing up on a farm in Ashland, Kentucky for her love of science and the outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer of Ganot Capital LLC
Matan Ben-Aviv is the Chief Executive Officer of Ganot Capital LLC, a healthcare focused investment company that specializes in senior care, medical device, digital health and healthcare services. As CEO, Matan is responsible for management and investment decisions with a focus on entrepreneurial growth strategy and innovation.
Matan is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and holds a Master's of Science (MSc) from the London School of Economics and a Master's of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School.
Matan is a passionate supporter of Jewish causes, with a special interest in education and healthcare. Matan currently serves on the board of the Miami Beach Holocaust Memorial as well as the board of the Mt. Sinai Hospital Foundation in Miami Beach.
Matan lives in Miami with his wife Michelle and their two children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty & Staff
- Music Teacher
With 15 years of experience in the music industry across Latin America and the United States, Mikel Barandiaran is a versatile musician, educator, producer, performer, music director, and composer. Joining JLA from the Doral Academy Just Arts & Management Middle School where he serves as music director, guitar teacher, and digital arts instructor, Mikel plays more than 10 instruments and has taught at the prestigious School of Rock music academy, while leading student bands ranging from 3rd to 12th grade.
Mikel has worked on important projects as a music supervisor and audio engineer for top entertainment companies such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. He has also served as a music editor and audio supervisor for Nickelodeon Animation's largest Nick Jr. project, "Baby Shark's Big Show." Mikel has recorded with prominent artists as a session musician, while simultaneously producing, composing, and arranging two personal music albums in Latin America. He graduated with a B.S. in Music Production from Full Sail University and studied Audio Engineering at Taller de Arte Sonoro in Venezuela.
When he is not in the studio or with an instrument on hand, Mikel can be found on the soccer field or watching movies.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty & Staff
- Computer Science Teacher
A native of South Florida, Mrs. Shelly Assraf graduated from Reichman University (IDC Herzliya) with a BSc. in Computer Science. She has a talent for breaking down complex concepts into understandable terms, making computer science accessible and exciting for all students.
Raised by a mother who was an accomplished psychologist and a father who is considered one of Israel's most revered public educators, excellence in education and public service have always been core values in Nir's life.
He is the co-founder of NR Investments, a real estate development firm established in 2001 dedicated to building communities and leading the way in creative thinking in the often overlooked sector of workforce housing. Prior to forming NR, Nir was the CEO of TiS America, a publicly traded software house based in Israel.
Nir and his wife Amy have three children, each born in a different country and all (still) settled in Miami with a strong connection to Israel.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Rabbi
- Author
- Founding Head of School
With a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA and PhD from Harvard University, rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva University, and fifteen years of experience leading highly regarded college preparatory K-12 Jewish Day Schools, Rabbi Dr. Perl is a nationally recognized leader in Jewish education.
In his previous role as Head of School of Kohelet Yeshiva and Chief Academic Officer of the Kohelet Foundation, Rabbi Perl led the team that designed and launched Yeshiva Lab School, a highly innovative elementary and middle school in suburban Philadelphia intended to re-imagine what Jewish Day School can and ought to be. Under his leadership, Yeshiva Lab School merged with Kohelet Yeshiva High School to create the Philadelphia area's only Modern Orthodox K-12 Jewish day school.
Known for his vision, creativity, and dynamism, Dr. Perl was twice awarded Harvard University's Certificate of Distinction in Teaching and, as an Instructor of Modern Jewish History at Yeshiva University, he was named Yeshiva University's Lillian F. and William L. Silber Professor of the Year.
In May of 2020, Dr. Perl was named a National Health Hero by JetBlue Airlines for having led the effort to transform Kohelet Yeshiva High School's Fab Lab into a major face shield production facility to mitigate the severe PPE shortages at local hospitals during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rabbi Perl is the author of the book The Pillar of Volozhin: Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin and the World of Nineteenth-Century Lithuanian Torah Scholarship, published by Academic Studies Press and numerous articles on topics relating to the history of Modern Jewry, contemporary Jewish education, and Modern Orthodoxy. He lives in Boca Raton with his wife Melissa, an accomplished educational leader in her own right, and three of their four children: Racheli, Binny, and Eitan. Shmuel, their oldest, lives in Israel with his wife, Hila.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Faculty & Staff
- Director of Jewish Life
Yosef Albo was born in Israel, and after living in the Dominican Republic for five years, his family made their way to Brooklyn, NY, where he began his eclectic formal Jewish education as a student of various Yeshivot, including Ateret Torah, Chaim Berlin, Ohr Sameach (Jerusalem), Ner Israel Baltimore and Yeshiva University.
As the Director of Jewish Life, he oversees Jewish programming, special events, and our JLA Ba'Aretz Program. Yosef has eighteen years of experience in education. Prior to JLA, he was the Judaics Teacher and Director of Sephardi Programming at the Ramaz Upper School in Manhattan's Upper East Side, where he built curriculum for honors level classes in Talmud, Tanach, Halacha, and Jewish Philosophy. Devoted to Jewish communal life, he held positions at the Hampton Synagogue, Manhattan Jewish Experience, and Riverdale Jewish Center.
Yosef is also an accomplished artist, illustrator, painter, photographer, composer, and musician. The Albo Band, which he founded and leads, will soon be releasing its third album entitled "Poor Man's Prayer."