Hillary Fink, President
Hillary Fink was raised on Long Island, went to college in Albany, and has been here ever since. She became active on various committees at Congregation Agudat Achim almost immediately after joining in 2006. Hillary has served on the Board of Trustees for many years, first as the Women’s Network President and now as the Ways and Means Chair. However, she happily considers her involvement with the Carrot Festival to be her biggest claim to fame.
Gary Reich, Programming Vice President
Gary Reich is the programming Vice President of the congregation. He is a former co-chair of the Adult Education Committee and has served on the Board of Trustees since 2020. He is an emeritus professor of physics at Union College in Schenectady, NY. With his wife, Margaret joined Congregation Agudat Achim in 2015 after an extended hiatus from active Jewish practice. Gary and his wife grew up in the mid-West, where their son Joseph now works in the tech industry. They take joy in the spiritual renewal they have found at Congregation Agudat Achim and the welcoming environment they found for their mixed-faith family.
Susan Sharfstein, Facilities Vice President
Susan Sharfstein is the Facilities Vice President of our congregation. She is a former Youth Commissioner and USY/Kadima advisor and enjoys helping our youth engage Jewishly. Susan is a Professor of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University at Albany. She and her husband have been members of Agudat Achim since moving to Niskayuna in 2000. Their two children, Elan and Orit, were B’nai Mitzvah at Agudat Achim.
Bruce Kahn, Treasurer
Bruce relocated to the area in 2021 from Long Island and got his first taste of Congregation Agudat Achim by helping in the kitchen. At his previous synagogue, he served in various roles including Member of the Board of Trustees, Executive Council and Men’s Club President. He also ran and was elected four times to his local school board where he served for over 11 years with seven plus of those years as President. He has over forty years of experience working with budgets, designing and implementing various financial systems, contracts, and purchasing. You can contact Bruce at caatreas@gmail.com.
Ken Levine, Secretary
Kenneth J. Levine is the new Secretary of the Board and is still somewhat new to the area. Originally from Cleveland, OH, his family moved to Niskayuna in 2021. Ken is a faculty member at U Albany and has served on the Board for one term.
Allan Pearlman, Member-at-Large, Investment
Allan and his wife, Karen, came to Schenectady in 1973. He is a past Board member as well as a past Treasurer. He has also been a Board member and Treasurer of the Schenectady Jewish Community Center. He has been active on the Endowment Committees of both organizations. Allan has been involved in many aspects of the congregation, from the kitchen to building repairs and maintenance to cemetery upkeep.
Rise’ Routenberg, Member-at-Large, As You Like It Catering
Rise’ Routenberg is the current head of “As You Like It Catering.” She has been volunteering in the Catering kitchen for 40 years. She co-authored the synagogue’s award-winning cookbook, Divine Kosher Cuisine. Rise’ sits on a number of synagogue committees including Carrot Festival & Social Action. Before moving to Schenectady over 45 years ago, Rise’ worked as an Occupational Therapist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Hartford, Connecticut. She lives with her husband, Larry, who is a native of Schenectady. They have 3 children and 3 precious grandchildren.
Joseph Shiang, Ritual Committee Chair, Holiday Co-Chair
Joseph Shiang is the Ritual Committee Chair and Holiday Co-Chair. He has lived in Niskayuna since 2000. A lifelong learner, he is passionate about encouraging adults and youth to find their Jewish voice through ritual and traditional Jewish texts. He has been privileged to raise two children. Both were B’nai Mitzvah at Agudat Achim.
Amy Posner, Adult Education
Amy is Executive Director of Hillel at the College of Staten Island and travels back and forth between Schenectady and Staten Island since moving here in 2020. She is blessed to have a career-building community through youth-serving organizations, having held positions in USY, Young Judaea, the Girl Scouts, and the Jewish Multiracial Network. She was director of the Central Queens YMHA’s sleepaway camp, Camp Edward Isaacs. During that time, she was a Lechu Lakhem Senior Fellow of the Mandel Center for Jewish Education. She holds a BS in Recreation from the University of Maryland and a MA in Jewish Education from the Davidson School of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, as well as Certificates from the University of Wisconsin in Non-Profit Management and Columbia University’s Institute for Jewish Executive Leadership. Amy is blessed with a beautiful family-husband David, daughter Mara and her husband Adam who live in Montclair, New Jersey with their amazing boys Ari, Gabriel, and Cole – son Shai and his wife Miriam, who live here in Niskayuna and have two wonderful boys Gilad and Elliott, and beautiful daughter Eliana, living in Brooklyn -all of whom she is exceedingly proud of.
Kaitlin Spektor, Membership Committee Chair
Kaitlin Spektor is the Membership Committee Chair and has served on the Board of Trustees since 2021. She has been a member of Congregation Agudat Achim for nearly her entire life and has been the Elementary Music Teacher for the Religious School since 2004. Kaitlin and her husband Sasha were both Bar/Bat Mitzvahed at Agudat Achim and were later married there in 2013. Raised in Niskayuna, Kaitlin and her husband reside in Colonie with their two young children, Aviva and Isaac.
Neal Shapiro, Building and Grounds
Neal is honored to have served as a former treasurer of our congregation. He was educated at Congregation Agudat Achim and is a third-generation member. He has four sons who either had or will have their Bar Mitzvahs at our synagogue. Neal retired from the Hearst Corporation after 38 years and continues to manage his real estate business of 38 years while raising his 2 youngest boys with his wife, Lynne.
Ken Carpenter, Cemetery
Ken Carpenter is glad to be a past president and to move to another important role in the synagogue’s dealing with the complete Jewish life cycle. He will work with all individuals looking to plan or address immediate needs. Ken worked for the State of New York for many years. He taught and worked on behavioral science research at SUNY colleges. Ken can be a curmudgeon but is a big teddy bear.
Mindy Rowen, Member-at-Large
Mindy Rowen spent her childhood at Agudat Achim and was part of the first class of young women to become a Bat Mitzvah on a Saturday morning. Mindy returned five years ago to the synagogue. Since her return, she has been an active participant in both services and various programs.
Josh Spiegel, Member-at-Large
Alan Goldman, Member-at-Large
Member-at-Large, Arts and Beautification
Personnel
Ways and Means