Cantor Isaac Yager joined Brotherhood Synagogue upon the completion of his studies at The Jewish Theological Seminary where he received cantorial investiture and Master degrees in Sacred Music and Jewish Education.  Cantor Yager also holds a BA in theater from Bard College and a Masters in Music in vocal performance from Boston University.

Born in New York City, Cantor Yager has sung professionally with the Boston Lyric Opera chorus and was a young artist in the Castleton Festival, the late Maestro Lorin Maazel's summer music festival. During his year of study in Israel, Cantor Yager had the privilege to sing in the Jerusalem Great Synagogue choir. Cantor Yager has worked as a hazzan in communities across the tri-state area, including Congregation Adath Israel in Middletown, CT, where he served as the sole clergyperson during their rabbi’s sabbatical.  Cantor Yager also worked as an educator at Park Avenue Synagogue where he taught while at the seminary.  The warmth, compassion, and commitment to social awareness found at Brotherhood are just some of the attributes which make this community an ideal environment to serve as a spiritual leader.

Alisha comes to Brotherhood Synagogue from Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, where she served as the senior director of operations and technology and oversaw the day-to-day operations for the organization. Previously, Alisha had leadership roles at Schechter Day School Network, The Jewish Lens, Jewish Community Services of Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. She is a current committee member for NCJW NY's Advocacy and Leadership Committee, a past board member of JPro Network, and the founder of Advancing Jewish Professionals of NYC, a group for emerging Jewish communal professionals. She earned a Master’s in Social Work with a focus in social administration from Columbia University and a Master’s in Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Alisha has lived in NYC for over 24 years and in her free time, she loves to watch sports, listen to podcasts, ride her bike, and read almost anything.

Roberta came to Brotherhood after a long career at NYU where she served as Director of Administration and Executive Assistant to two consecutive Deans of the Tisch School of the Arts; Director of Academic Relations at NYUonline, Inc.; and as Administrative Director of the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at NYU. Prior to her work at NYU, she was Reference Librarian in the Photograph and Slide Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and lived in Israel for three years working in the film industry there. She has a BA from Bryn Mawr, an MA from New York University and did post-graduate work at NPAP in New York City. She’s a good listener (!) and a big dog lover.

Tess Neider is the Hebrew School principal at the Brotherhood Synagogue. Tess is originally from Miami,Florida and attended The George Washington University where she received a degree in History. Tess then pursued her Masters in Jewish Education at Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion. As part of that program Tess lived in Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv; taking courses and working in education programs for English speaking families abroad. Tess joined us after working at a synagogue in Short Hills, New Jersey where she created a new curriculum based on Character Strength Education and Positive Psychology. She also has a strong camp background and worked at overnight Jewish camp for five summers. She is excited to be a part of the Brotherhood Synagogue community.

Merril Feinstein has been involved in early childhood education her entire professional career. Before coming to Brotherhood, Merril was on staff at the All Soul’s School and the AJ Heschel School, both in Manhattan. She served as a mentor for students at the Jewish Theological Seminary and as a literacy staff-developer for the NYC Board of Education. Merril was a member of the education department at Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University. On the national level, Merril was involved in professional advocacy issues for early-childhood professionals as a staff member for the Coalition for Advancement on Jewish Education (CAJE). She retains membership in the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Board of Jewish Education. Merril holds a Masters Degree in Education from Bank Street College of Education.

Manda is a life-long resident of New York who worked for many years as a graphic designer before coming to Brotherhood Synagogue four years ago. Besides her administrative duties, she designs the monthly bulletin and other print material for the synagogue. Manda lives on the upper west side and holds a degree in English Literature from SUNY Buffalo. She enjoys cooking, listening to live music, museums, travel and garage sales.

Rashidat Jimoh joined the service of Brotherhood Synagogue as the Controller in April 2021. Before joining Brotherhood, she was the Controller at the Neighborhood Housing Services of NYC (NHSNYC), responsible for managing the company's financial and loan risk portfolio.

Rashidat is proactive, analytical, detailed, thoughtful, forward-thinking and presents her analysis with a balanced look at how today's decisions will impact the organization in the future.

She obtained her BBA in accounting from Zicklin School of business, Baruch College, and MS Taxation from the same institution. She is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed in New York.

Outside of work, she enjoys reading motivational books. She loves to spend time with family and friends and cooking African delicacies. Her passion for community services is unquantifiable.

Ruth Geye is a recent graduate of NYU Tisch where she studied Playwriting and Hebrew & Judaic Studies. She is a founding member of NYU’s only variety comedy group, Friends With Dads, and a frequent collaborator of Northampton, MA-based theatre collective Theater Between Addresses.

Russell Kohn and his wife Carolyn Blair live in the East Village and have been members of Brotherhood Synagogue since 2015. During that time, Russell has been a regular Torah reader at Saturday morning services, Chair of the Synagogue's Investment Committee, and a member of several other committees including the High Holidays Committee and the Reopening Task Force.

By day, Russell is Founding Partner & General Manager of a sparkling water company, Free Rain. He has led, advised and invested in a number of New York-based food & beverage companies throughout his career. When he isn't at the Synagogue or making seltzer, you'll find him on his bicycle, walking his dog or making deep dish pizza.

Seth Hulkower and his wife Lissa Perlman have been members of Brotherhood Synagogue for over twenty years and their daughters Talia and Sasha attended Hebrew School at Brotherhood and had their bat mitzvahs here.  The welcoming nature of Brotherhood revealed itself on their first visit when Talia, age one at the time, started crying and they rushed out of the sanctuary.  Long-time member and past President, Val Gadsen, urged them to come back and then at the end of services Rabbi Alder invited the family with the “singing” baby to open the ark for Aleinu – a terrific introduction to a warm and open community.  Seth has served as Chair of the House Committee and the Reopening Task Force to respond to the pandemic.

Myra Hushansky has been the director and teacher of the Tikvah Program, A Hebrew school program for children with disabilities, since its inception in1994. She has taught special education in public schools and is also an adjunct lecturer at CUNY Hunter College. She has been published in NAEYC.

Raised on Long Island and now a New York City resident for many years, Tobey is delighted to be supporting the Brotherhood Synagogue office in her role as a part-time administrative assistant. She is a freelance graphic designer and, in her free time, loves performing with her rock-pop choir, Unsettled Scores. With a background in fine art and acting, she also enjoys museums, theater, reading, dancing, and checking out the beautiful architecture of the city.