About

Our Board

2021-2022 School Board

The Board meets monthly to discuss significant issues relating to the operations of Sinai Akiba Academy. In addition, the School Board has several sub-committees that are responsible for strategic planning, tuition assistance policies, development, recruitment, endowment, and other areas of importance, as they arise. The Board is composed of parents, grandparents, Sinai Temple members, and community representatives.

List of 21 members.

Rebecca Kekst
Bio
Board Chair

Education:
- Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Barnard College; Columbia University
Additional Information:

Rebecca Kekst has been an active member of Sinai Temple since she and her husband, David Kekst, joined the synagogue in 1999. She was a founding member of Dor Chadash and has held many roles in the synagogue, the Douglas Family Early Childhood Center, and Sinai Akiba Academy. She has served as gala co-chair for the Sinai Temple dinner, co-chaired the Shabbaton for 3 years and most recently chaired the Catering Committee. While a parent in the preschool, Rebecca served as both PTA president and then chaired the board of the preschool. During her time at Sinai Akiba Academy, she has chaired the PTA, Development Committee and 50th Anniversary Campaign and Celebration. Rebecca is currently the chair of the Sinai Akiba Board. Rebecca also serves on the PK-12 committee for the Jewish Federation and has served on the Camp Ramah board for many years. Rebecca is married to David Kekst and has three children who have all attended Sinai Akiba Academy.

email
Michael Arnall
Sari Arnall
Bio
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Psychology, University of Florida
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, University of Florida
- Certified Public Accountant
Current Role
Director of Accounting and Finance - BAMKO

Bio
I started my career as an Auditor at Deloitte. After leaving Deloitte, I spent over 4 years at The Siegfried Group as an Associate Director. At TSG, I consulted for Fortune 500 companies such as DHL, Assurant and PwC and helped grow the company as part of the Business Development team. In 2009, I became the Controller at Cherokee Inc. I spent 2.5 years here and then took 4 years off focusing on being a mom for my 3 children. I went back to work 2 years ago and am currently the Director of Accounting and Finance for BAMKO. I have been heavily involved as a lay leader and volunteer at both Sinai Temple and SAA I served on the Dor Chadash Board for 5+ years and was a co-chair for 3 of them. I served on the ECC Board for 6 years and was a co-chair of the ECC tours for several years. Additionally, I became a Parent Ambassador for K-8 and previously chaired the Parent Ambassador tour group and served as Recruitment Chair for SAA.
Samantha Auerbach
Bio
Education:
- B.A. in psychology and history from the University of Pennsylvania
- M.A. in Inclusive Elementary Education from Columbia University Teachers College
Additional Information:
Career as Elementary School Educator - taught in public schools in NYC in East Harlem and Brooklyn, then Rodeph Sholom School in NYC, then Brawerman Elementary School in Los Angeles; also served on Board of Directors for Camp Ramah in California, currently serving on PK-12 Board of Jewish Federation; former ECC Board Chair at SAA as well as other SAA volunteer titles (Alumni Committee Chair, ECC Recruitment Chair, etc)
Reuben Berman
Sheila Bolour
Linda Camras
Linda Friedman
Bio
Education
- Graphic Designer, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City
Current Position:
Organizer, The Pleasure of Organizing
Mayrav Gaslin
Bio
Education:
- Bachelor's Degree, Journalism, Northwestern University
Current Position:
President, Kavanah Communications
Additional Information:

Mayrav is a communications strategist and content consultant working primarily in the health care industry. She is also a tireless volunteer, particularly for Sinai Temple and SAA. She is a past executive board member of Sinai Temple and has served many volunteer roles at SAA, including being a room mom since the Stone Ages (give or take a few years).
Liraz Harari
Mehrnaz Javid
Allen Kamrava
Sarah Kamrava
Marc Lindner
Bio
Head of School, ex-officio
Sharon Meron
Bio
Education
- BA, Economics, Amherst College
- MBA, Finance, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
Bio
Sharon Meron completed a stint as a consultant for the Long Beach Health Department completing work she started as a FUSE Fellow creating a new approach to combating homelessness in the city. Prior to that, Sharon spent 10 years on the Education Team at the Broad Foundation overseeing the foundation's extensive grants and evaluation process. Sharon began her career as a consultant at Putnam, Hayes & Bartlett in London specializing in the telecom and energy sectors before moving on to work in development and acquisitions for RSL Communications, spearheading that company’s expansion into Latin America and collaborating on its successful IPO. After that she worked closely with the CEO of Advanced Monitored Caregiving, a New York-based healthcare services provider, to refine and implement the company’s business plan
Mayer Nazarian
Elian Ohebshalom
Hezy Shalev
Brad Smiedt
Andres Terech
Bio
Education
- PhD in Marketing from UCLA Anderson School of Management, Los Angeles
- MBA from Universidad Austral, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- BA in Business Administration from Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Current Role
Adjunct Associate Professor of Marketing, The UCLA Anderson School of Management

Bio
Andres Terech has been teaching graduate-level and executive courses at UCLA Anderson for more than 10 years. He has been voted teacher of the year by both Anderson’s Full-Time and Executive MBA students. Before joining UCLA, Andres was a member of the faculty at IAE Business School, Universidad Austral in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has also been invited to teach at numerous programs around the world. Much of his work has been published in scholarly journals and specialized business publications, such as Case Research Journal, Marketing Letters and Harvard Business Review. In addition to teaching, Terech works as an independent consultant and participates in companies’ Advisory Boards. As a community leader, Terech serves on the Executive Board of B'nai David Judea and has been recognized by the City of Los Angeles for his contribution to the community.
Richard Weston
Bio
Education:
Bachelor's degree in business administration, Baruch College of the City University of New York
Juris Doctor degree, Brooklyn Law School
Current Employment:
Principal, dreamGEAR, LLC

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10400 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90024
Phone: 310 475 6401

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About Sinai Akiba Academy

Sinai Akiba Academy is a private Jewish day school in Los Angeles, serving students in Early Childhood through Grade 8. We also offer a variety of parenting classes and programs for children through our Parenting Center. A Sinai Temple school.

Notice of Non-Discriminatory Policy As to Students

Sinai Akiba Academy admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.