Jacob Feinspan, Executive Director

Jacob Feinspan is the Executive Director of Jews United for Justice, which leads Washington-area Jews to act on our shared Jewish values by pursuing justice and equality in our local community.  By mobilizing the region’s Jewish community, JUFJ has helped to win living wages, protections for low-wage and immigrant workers, and affordable housing across the region. Before joining JUFJ, Jacob founded the advocacy program at American Jewish World Service and coordinated anti-poverty advocacy and grant-making at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.  He is currently the chair of the Jubilee USA Network, a national coalition dedicated to fighting poverty and injustice in Asia, Africa, and Latin America through the cancellation of crushing debts.  He lives with his wife Suzanne and son Mikah in Wheaton, MD.

Rabbi Elizabeth Richman, Program Director and Rabbi in Residence

Rabbi Elizabeth Richman joined JUFJ as Program Director and Rabbi in Residence in July 2009. She was ordained as a rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary and returns to JUFJ after having been active in our early years. While at JTS, Elizabeth was the co-chair of KeshetJTS, which advocated for the full inclusion of LGBTQ Jews in the Conservative Movement.  A trained community organizer, she is also a member of the Jewish Funds for Justice Clergy Taskforce and previously served as a board member of the National Havurah Committee. Before rabbinical school, Elizabeth worked in the field of international development in Africa and the Middle East, and as an educator and project manager in the Jewish community.  She lives with her husband Ben Dreyfus on the DC-Maryland border, close to the future Purple Line.

Robin Metalitz, Development and Communications Manager

Robin Metalitz joined Jews United for Justice as Development and Communications Manager in March 2009.  Previously, Robin was Outreach Manager at KRCB, a public broadcasting station in Northern California, where she led a project to bring greater focus at the station to community needs and challenges through community conversations.  Prior to that, she was a Community Organizer and Development Associate at Working Partnerships, a San Jose-based nonprofit focused on worker rights issues, where her efforts included building community support for worker organizing campaigns, health care reform, and living wage campaigns, and for increased accountability and transparency in local government. Robin grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland, and attended George Washington University, where she was GW Hillel's Immigrant Worker Rights Advocate.  She lives in Arlington, Virginia.

Jessie Posilkin, Labor on the Bimah Coordinator

Jessie Posilkin has joined JUFJ for Summer 2010 as the Labor on the Bimah Coordinator.  She is also working on the Defeat Poverty DC campaign, a project endorsed by JUFJ.  Jessie has a history of volunteering with the Labor Seder, the Worker Center Campaign, and previous Labor on the Bimah's.  She comes to JUFJ from the Save Our Safety Net Campaign, which mobilized over 3000 DC residents to support progressive taxation and to prevent cuts to the most critical human services programs.  She previously worked as the DC Program Officer for Pursue (formerly the AVODAH-AJWS Partnership), building our community of young, progressive-minded Jews in DC.  Jessie is also an alumna of AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, and worked in the legal clinic at Bread for the City.    

Kristin Jaffe, Intern

Kristin Jaffe recently joined JUFJ as an intern, working specifically on the annual Labor On the Bimah program.  She is in DC with the Machon Kaplan program through the Religious Action Center.  Kristin is currently attending Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and majoring in Public and Nonprofit Management with a certificate in Jewish Studies.  She is a member of Alpha Phi Omega, an international co-ed service fraternity in which she is the service chair for the Monroe County Circles Initiative, a local nonprofit that helps build relationships across class and race lines to end poverty.  Kristin is also a volunteer tour guide for the University.  She is very excited to help organize a wonderful Labor on the Bimah program this year with the local community!