Our People

Our Staff

Rachel Nussbaum co-founded Kavana in 2006 and serves as its Rabbi and Executive Director. Thanks to her leadership, Kavana has received lots of recognition for its innovative approach to building Jewish community, and Rachel’s responsibilities run the gamut… from teaching and counseling, to dynamic prayer leadership, to re-working the synagogue model for the 21st century. Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Rachel holds degrees from Duke University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. She has been a recipient of the Bronfman Youth Fellowship, the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, the AVI CHAI Fellowship, and the Joshua Venture Group Fellowship; more recently she helped to found the Jewish Emergent Network and serves on its executive committee. Rachel resides in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood with her husband Noam Pianko and their three children, and the whole family enjoys the outdoorsy, low-key vibe of the Pacific Northwest.

Rabbi Jay Asher LeVine is a life-long learner and seeker of wisdom and beauty. He is married to Rabbi Laura Rumpf and together they have two children, Ami and Nava. He was ordained through Hebrew Union College in 2016, and worked at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, CA until 2022. His passions include mussar (Jewish virtue ethics), writing, meditation and chanting, and he is a trained Jewish Studio Project Facilitator, using an art methodology promoting healing and belonging.

Liz is proud to serve as Kavana's Director of Operations. She joined Kavana’s staff in 2010, bringing a background in human development, a certificate in nonprofit management, work experience from the arts and culture world, and personal warmth to bear as she took on the management of Kavana's day-to-day operations and the high-level administration of our organization. Liz has a passion for building authentic community, and this shines through in the work she's done to create and professionalize organizational systems that are people-centered and relationship-based. She jokingly calls herself “an accidental Jewish professional”; although Liz isn’t Jewish herself, after all these years, Kavana has become her community too! She resides on Bainbridge Island -- a short ferry ride away from Kavana's Seattle office -- with her husband and two active boys, and enjoys beach-combing year-round.

Rachel Lena Osias, or “RLO '' serves as Kavana’s Director of Education. RLO strives to build communities in which teaching, learning and the pursuit of educational equity are derived from challenging systemic norms and embracing the identities, experiences and stories of all individuals. Her exploration of Judaism and Jewish identity is cultivated through question-asking, relationship-building, story-telling, and play. RLO's professional and educational background has been an intentional interweaving of environmental sciences, educational equity, social and environmental justice, and experiential education. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy; a K-5th grade Teaching Credential; and a Master’s Degree in Urban Environmental Education.

Yoela Zimberoff uses organization and creativity to build Kavana spaces that are immersive, interesting and warm. Yoela has a Bachelor's degree in Religion, and a Master's degree in Communication Leadership, with a focus on Organizational Development. Yoela brings a unique perspective to community and relationship building, through human centered design, team building, and inclusive design principles. Outside of work, Yoela can be found reading, playing DnD, and working on a new craft project.

Our Board Members

Katie is passionate about building intentional, interdependent community and strives to create spaces where we can all feel comfortable leaning on each other just a little bit more. She joins the Kavana board because this community's value-driven approach aligns with her personal mantra that how we do the work is just as important as what work we do. Raised in Texas, Katie has made Seattle her home so that she may have the privilege of being near the Pacific Northwest mountains, trees, and water every day. Alongside her wife Robin, who introduced her to Kavana, she is proud to be a partner and raise their young daughter Madrone among such a loving community. As someone who is not Jewish, she is deeply grateful for the warm welcome she's received as she continues her lifelong journey to live an open-hearted life. Katie is a writer, an educator, and a people-person. Professionally, she currently works as an educator with young people and is in the midst of a career pivot from non-profit policy work into environments where she can teach and write every day. Her happy places are on the dance floor with her LGBTQIA+ country-western and line dancing community, digging in her garden, and singing nigunim by a campfire.

Steve is from the Seattle area and attended Garfield High School, Whitman College and the Evans School of Public Affairs at the UW. He and his wife discovered Kavana in their search for a community that was a good fit for their energetic young family that was searching for a catalyst for their own self-discovery about their own faith and traditions. Steve is currently on hiatus from his role as a non-profit Executive Director to pursue volunteer travel in Saipan with his family. He is father of two (son, Noah, 11 Anya, 14) and husband to Sarah Bergman Lewis, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital. Steve is also an avid kayaker, aspiring off-hours marine zoologist and is training for an Olympic triathlon.

Callista has been an active member of the Kavana community since 2015, when she and her family moved to Seattle from southern Africa. She loves the diversity of our community and that it truly welcomes Jews of color and interfaith families. She also appreciates how much the programs and focus of Kavana are driven by the needs and interests of community members, in partnership with the Kavana staff. Before joining the Board, Callista co-chaired the Communications Committee. Professionally, Callista is the Senior Director of Programs at Reboot Representation, a coalition of major tech companies working to support Black, Latina, and Native American women in computing. Her professional experience includes roles in nonprofit leadership, international development, and management consulting. Callista holds a BA from Stanford University in Human Biology, as well as an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. She is an active community volunteer and served as the President of the Beacon Hill International School Parent Teacher Association for the last two years, where she led a successful effort to raise funds to be distributed equitably across a coalition of Title-1 public schools in South and West Seattle during the COVID-19 pandemic. Callista lives in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle with her husband Peter, their kids, Aviva and Franklin, and their adorably small cat, Mao.

David began his career in the field of environmental education, working at IslandWood and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). He later spent a year in East Africa with the Jane Goodall Institute, working with students and teachers to support environmental clubs in schools. The experience resulted in a career transition towards international work, including a six-month stint in India with American Jewish World Service, followed by a decade-long tenure at the Gates Foundation. From there, David led the startup international NGO, Nia Tero, to develop its inaugural strategic plan for working in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples around the world. Most recently, David has been serving as the Interim Executive Director at Safe Crossings Foundation, a local nonprofit that funds grief support services for children in the Puget Sound Region. David holds both MPA and M.Ed. degrees from the University of Washington, as well as a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Indiana University

Allan spent his first 30 years moving back & forth between the US and Israel, becoming bilingual and binational along the way. In Israel, he went to kindergarten & elementary school in Jerusalem and later worked as a cabinetmaker at Kibbutz Hatzerim. He served in the IDF in various capacities including as a saxophonist in an entertainment troupe. The US part of his childhood was spent in Bethesda, MD. He attended college in Philadelphia before moving to Seattle for graduate studies in architecture at the University of Washington. For the past 30 years Allan has been a practicing architect with a small office focusing on residential design.
Allan and his wife Wendy Feller had very different Jewish upbringings. Neither was interested in a traditional congregation, yet both wanted to offer their young toddlers a Jewish education, identity, and community. Of course, there really wasn't a place to do this. By sheer luck, they stumbled on Kavana in its startup days. All of the programs that developed along the way - Prep & Practice, Moadon, Havdalah Club (the best!), and two bar-mitzvahs - were more than they could have hoped for. The toddlers are now in college, the childhood education phase is over, but they have enduring friendships with other Kavana parents and continue to support Kavana's participant driven programs and general spirit of acceptance and inclusion.

Rachel joined Kavana in 2017 after searching Seattle for a Jewish community that would feel like home. Starting with a baby naming and then an incredibly long run attending Prep and Practice, Rachel and her family are now regulars at Moadon Yeladim, Havdalah Club, and the Shabbat Morning Minyan -- with the Middle School Program and Bat Mitzvah preparations just around the corner! Rachel is especially appreciative of Kavana's diverse and welcoming approach to Jewish life. Rachel and her family live in Northeast Seattle. She spends her days as public policy professor at UW, with evenings and weekends spent figure skating, connecting with friends, and shuttling kids to activities.

Lesley and her husband Todd have been Kavana partners since 2017. They were seeking a congregation with a strong sense of community, a pluralistic approach to Judaism, and one that was willing to engage with social issues and found them in Kavana. Lesley spent much of her career in software development, largely in Silicon Valley. She has just retired after seven years of teaching Computer Science at UW Bothell, with a particular focus on encouraging women and under-represented communities in technology. Lesley is thrilled to have to be able to devote more time to Kavana and wants to contribute to the vibrancy of a community that has added so much richness to her own life. Boards she has served on include Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, and Palo Alto Community Child Care (overseeing 15 preschool and after school centers). Her family was active in a Palo Alto Congregation similar to Kavana and hopes that having observed their experience with growth and balancing multiple approaches to Judaism will inform her work at Kavana.

Yelena has been a proud Kavana Partner for 15 years. She shares her northwest Seattle household with her husband, former board member Steven Neuman, and three kids, Henry (10), Theo (8), and Max (5). In 2022 Yelena worked with the board as a key contributor on the Rabbinic Search Committee, leveraging her recruiting expertise throughout the process. Yelena was born in Odessa, Ukraine, and immigrated to Portland, Oregon when she was three years old with her family. Through Yelena’s grandfather, who secretly practiced Judaism in Soviet Ukraine, she learned about the rich Jewish traditions and strong community, shaping her identity and fostering a profound connection to her heritage. Through this experience, she has a deep connection with her roots and dedication to the community. She is excited to give back to the community that welcomed her and her family.

Dee was raised in North Haven, CT., the oldest of three and raised in a secular Jewish home. She attended college in Colorado and then debated whether to apply to Law school or Graduate school of Social Work. In 1973, Dee went to Israel on an ulpan program to contemplate this decision but while there had a transformative experience, discovering a deeper appreciation for her Jewish roots. Upon returning to the States, she entered the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver and has worked in a variety of social work settings, primarily in the field of hospice and palliative care. She has had the joy of raising two wonderful daughters and is now enjoying being a grandmother. She and her husband Bill live in Queen Anne and share a meaningful life together. She has served on several Boards including PTA, Kadima, and two condo HOA Boards. For years she has been searching for a Jewish community and has found a spiritual home at Kavana, having been drawn to the values of social justice, intention, diversity and inclusion. It would be an honor to serve on the Kavana Board as a meaningful way of giving back to an organization that has been so welcoming and accepting.

Robin, her husband Paul and their now-adult daughter Rachel have been part of Kavana since shortly after its founding. We were thrilled to find a Jewish community - and our treasured Rabbi Rachel - who were so welcoming to Paul, who was not raised in any religious tradition. Kavana has been woven into the fabric of our family through early days of Prep-and-Practice and Living Room learning sessions, and as we became part of the cherished parent cohort that has seen our young children rise to adulthood through the Moadon, Havdalah Club and B’nei Mitvot programs. We are now regulars at music-forward Friday night services, Shabbats in the Park, and any holiday celebration where there is food, music, and wisdom from our Rabbis and lay leaders. Robin’s Judaism is most evident in her passion for social justice and Tikkum Olam; over the years she has organized Kavana partners in advocacy campaigns, helping build homes and cook food for residents of Tiny Home Villages, and joining under the Kavana banner in protests and marches in support of human rights, immigrant and refugee populations, and interfaith solidarity.

Upon moving to Seattle in 2022, Jack went searching for community. His mother knew of Kavana and suggested he look there. Jack did, finding connection in observing Jewish tradition and breaking bread with strangers who quickly became friends. He felt the West Coast vibe he loved in his childhood in Los Angeles. Most of all, though, Jack loved that everybody was bringing their own intention, their own version of what being Jewish means to them. That was different. And it inspired him to find his own. Along his journey through Kavana, Jack has attended Shabbat programs, hosted young adult socials, and taught in the Middle School Program. Jack joined the Kavana board because he wants to contribute to this community’s effort to be a pluralistic cooperative that invites everybody to find their path, their intention. Professionally, Jack has worked as an organizer in the labor movement since graduating from college. Outside of work, he loves sailing, skiing, yoga, reading, and spending quality time with loved ones.