The Mayyim Hayyim board of directors is a hands-on board that meets five times a year. Board members provide a variety of skills and expertise to the many facets of the organization, including interfaith outreach, chaplaincy, hospice, fine arts, legal, financial, and site maintenance.

Executive Leadership Council

Carol Targum, Governance

Carol holds master’s degrees in the Sociology of Education and Social Work, as well as certificates in Jewish Mindful Meditation and Spiritual Direction. She has served on numerous Jewish community boards and committees, including as Chair of the Miriam Fund. Carol is passionate about blending tradition and innovation to make Judaism meaningful to modern life, and she has been deeply connected with Mayyim Hayyim since 2006.

Jim Schwartz, Finance Lead

Jim is the Executive Chair and CEO of MGF Sourcing, a global apparel supply chain organization. He chairs Mayyim Hayyim’s Finance and Budget Committee, serves on the board of Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, and chairs the Touch Foundation to prevent human trafficking. Jim holds degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and Indiana University, and lives in Boston.

Yarden Fraiman, Development

Yarden is a practicing neonatologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, caring for critically ill infants, and a health services researcher focused on addressing racial and ethnic health inequities. He holds degrees from Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He lives in Jamaica Plain with his husband and son.

Rabbi Elisha Gechter, Facilitation & Culture Lead

Ordained by Yeshivat Maharat, Elisha is the Senior Director of Rabbinic Engagement at Harvard Hillel and a past board president of Mayyim Hayyim. She previously ran Wexner Israel Programs at the Harvard Kennedy School and teaches across several Jewish educational institutions, including Lehrhaus and Hebrew College. She and her family are involved with Minyan Tehillah and have kids at JCDS and Gann Academy.

Board of Directors

Miriam Berkowitz Blue
Amy Fleming
Amy Lederman
Jordan Namerow, Immediate Past President
Rabbi Rachel Saphire
Sharon Sevransky
Rabbi Jaimee Shalhevet
Julie Sissman
Karen Wolfson, Treasurer