The UVJC would not be possible without the hard work done by our volunteers, including our Board of Trustees, who manage much of the behind-the-scenes work that helps our synagogue to run smoothly. If you have questions or suggestions, or if you wish to learn more about the operations of our Hebrew school or of the various Roth Center committees, do not hesitate to reach out to one of the members of the board below.
Lori Siegel moved to the Upper Valley with her husband in 1998 and has raised their three children here since then. She taught Hebrew school at the Roth Center for nearly 20 years, including the classes of her three boys. She was on the Board 2006-2010, serving as Recording Secretary, and rejoined the Board in 2022. Working from home full time as a computer modeler to address climate change, Lori also loves to play tennis, which she makes time to do nearly every day.
A native of the Philadelphia area where her ancestors emigrated from Russia, Romania, and England, Rachel moved to New England after graduating from Brown University. She trained as a home birth midwife for several years before attending medical school at Dartmouth. She is now a Family Physician at Gifford’s Bethel Health Center. She has been a member of the UVJC since 2022 and is also the proud mom of two Hebrew School students.
Rob Greene moved to the Upper Valley in 2014 and joined the UVJC that year. He retired in 2018 and has consulted in health care quality improvement since then. Rob served on the UVJC Board from 2018-2024, the last 3 years as Treasurer, and rejoined the Board in July 2025.
Monte moved to Hanover in 2009 and joined UVJC at that time. He worked as an Automation / Controls Engineer at Stryker Biotech until he took five years to teach at a boarding school in Connecticut. Returning in 2019 he is now back working as an engineer. Monte is involved with the Caring and Chesed Committee and attends services when in town. Looking forward to retiring in a few years and having more time to enjoy all the wonderful activities at the Roth Center, Dartmouth, the Upper Valley and for some extended travel. For fun he plays chess, loves to cook and bake, and take part in all that the region offers.”
Rhonda Siegel has been a member of the UVJC for 33 years, as long as she has lived here. This is the second year of her Board term, her first as the Secretary and is an active member of the Israel Affairs Committee. Rhonda raised her four now adult daughters with her husband Alan, all of them having gone to the UVJC religious schools. She herself taught in the school for close to 15 years. Recently retired from a 40 plus year career in public health; she spent the last 27 years at the State of New Hampshire’s Division of Public Health Services with over a decade at the helm of the Maternal and Child Health Section. Rhonda is enjoying her retirement walking everywhere from her new home in downtown Lebanon. She is kept busy with visiting her daughters as well as volunteering at Listen and Tomten Farm and Sanctuary. She loves traveling to new places around the world, reading (having been an Etna Library Volunteer for many, many years) and engaging in gardening, a new passion.
Roberta and her family moved to the area and joined the UVJC in 1998. During her first year here, she worked in the new Roth Center for the Rabbi through the Tucker Foundation/Hillel. She was part of the UVJC’s book group since its formation in 2000 and she chaired the congregation’s Caring and Chesed Committee from 2019-2023. She recently retired after a 50-year career as a writer and administrator, primarily for nonprofit organizations, including Jewish Federations in Minneapolis, MN and Columbus, OH. In the Upper Valley, she spent 20 years with Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, Inc., including almost 16 years as its Executive Director. Her husband, Richard Abel, served two terms as UVJC President.
Steve has been a UVJC member for over four decades. He recently joined the Board of Trustees. Besides involvement with regular and Holiday services, as well as, the many UVJC activities, he has enjoyed preparing and cooking for the Hillel students. Now retired from a career in pediatric dentistry, he looks forward to travel and spending time with family and friends.
Erica and her family moved to the Upper Valley in 2018 and became members of UVJC soon after. She is in an interfaith family that chose to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Erica’s daughter became a Bat Mitzvah in 2025 and her son is working towards his Bar Mitzvah in 2028. Erica joined the Board in 2023, serves on the Education Committee and has been an active member of the Dayenu Circle since its founding. With over 25 years of work in the non-profit sector, half of that in international development, Erica now works at Vital Communities focused on issues related to energy, climate, and food systems in the Upper Valley. She loves exploring the rivers and lakes of New England by canoe and generally being outside whether it’s hiking, swimming, skiing, or just working in the yard and garden.
Fred Lerner has been a member of the UVJC for nearly forty years. He has served as Honorary Librarian of the Roth Center’s Koreman Library for two decades, and hopes to encourage the use of its resources in connection with UVJC programs and activities. Before his retirement he spent twenty-four years at the National Center for PTSD, where he created an online index to the world’s literature on posttraumatic stress disorder.
Rachel Makofsky and her family moved to the Upper Valley in 2020 from Manhattan’s Upper West Side and were immediately embraced by the warmth of the UVJC. Her son became a Bar Mitzvah with the congregation in 2023 and her daughter looks forward to a Bat Mitzvah in 2026. Rachel is thrilled participate as an UVJC board member and is committed to continuing to strengthen the small but mighty Jewish community in the Upper Valley. Professionally, Rachel works in Strategic Partnerships where she strikes win-win partnerships that fuel growth and engagement for the media and technology companies that she represents. Outside of work and volunteerism, Rachel can be found hiking, skiing, running or biking with her husband and kids in tow.
Talia and her husband, Jeremy, moved to the Upper Valley in 2015 and joined the UVJC after the birth of their son in 2017 (with a daughter joining the family in 2024). Talia joined the UVJC Board in 2025, has been an active participant of the Social Action Committee since 2022, and helped to run the UVJC’s tot programming for several years. In 2023 she established and has since led the Upper Valley Dayenu Circle of NH/VT, which approaches climate action through a Jewish lens, fostering an understanding of the ecological challenges facing our community and the world. The Manning family has enjoyed the many social, spiritual, and educational opportunities the UVJC offers — including Israeli dancing sessions, baking classes, and community service projects; multiple reading and speaking series; the vibrant Hebrew School and parent chavurah; and a variety of meaningful services, holiday celebrations, and gatherings. Talia also leads a marketing and graphic design studio and volunteers with several other community organizations.
Dana Pilchik and her family joined the UVJC when they moved here from Philadelphia in 2019. They are an interfaith family, and her daughter Evening was pleased to join the Kol Ha’Emek Hebrew School after 5 years of Hebrew-immersion day school in Philadelphia. Dana and Evan celebrated Evei’s Bat Mitzvah in 2023, and she continues now as a madricha. Dana is a new member of the Board and is honored to be a part of this family. She is a clinical psychologist, working primarily with people struggling with chronic pain and illness, and consults to long term care facilities throughout northern New England. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, baking, and yoga.
Diane Roston joined the board in 2020. She is a member of the Ruach committee, was a founding organizer of the now regular Shabbat morning contemplative service, and in the past co-led tot Shabbat and children’s services. She delights in dance, including Israeli folk dance, creative writing, swimming, and hiking mountains. Her two adult children, both graduates of the UVJC Hebrew School, like to hike, too. Diane is a psychiatrist in the Upper Valley.
Gary and his family moved to Hanover in 2000 and they joined the UVJC at that time. Gary and Lynn’s daughters, Allison and Erica, celebrated their bat mitzvot at the UVJC, and Lynn served a term on the Board and is the current chairperson of the Social Action Committee. Gary served a term on the Board from 2002-2005, and he rejoined the Board in 2024. He recently retired from a career in medicine, and he looks forward to reading, travel, and spending time with his family.
Rob and his family moved to Hanover in 2005, from Rochester, NY. Both of his children, Ben and Lyra, attended the UVJC/Kol ha’Emek Hebrew School and celebrated their B’nai Mitvah with the community. He first served on the Board from 2012-2018 and returned in 2024. Rob is a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and he also enjoys hiking, running, cross country skiing and lake swimming in the Upper Valley.
Amanda and her family moved to the area and got involved with UVJC in 2010. Amanda was a founding member of UVJC’s contemplative service team, ran tot-shabbat for 2 years, and is currently the co-lead of the Parent’s Chavurah in the Hebrew School. Amanda is an organizational development and leadership consultant working with non-profit organizations through executive coaching, facilitation and training. Prior to consulting she worked as Director of Social Justice at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Manhattan and at Bend the Arc as the Director of Leadership. Amanda’s two children are a student and madrichah at the hebrew school. She recently graduated from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s Kol Dodi program to be a Jewish Spiritual Director. In her spare time, Amanda enjoys reading, contemplative practice, dancing salsa, yoga, and downhill skiing.