Team

Rabbi Deena is passionate about building community, creating connections between ancient Jewish wisdom and modern life, and accompanying people on their journeys.

A native New Yorker, Deena began working at JCP as an HSP teacher in 2016, and she has been part of the community ever since. Deena has served as the JCP’s Rabbi since her ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in May 2020. Throughout her rabbinic training, Deena participated in a number of fellowships, including the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics, the NIF Froman Fellowship for Social Justice, the AIPAC Israel Leffell Fellowship, the Tisch Fellowship, and the Be Wise Fellowship. Deena lived in Jerusalem for a year, during which time she participated in the Rabbinical Student Seminar at the Hartman Institute and volunteered as an intern and teacher at Kehillat Kodesh V’Chol in Holon. Deena attended Yale University. She graduated cum laude in 2015 with a B.A. in cognitive science and religious studies with honors in both majors.

In her free time, Deena loves to swim, read, and take long walks through different neighborhoods in NYC.

Rabbi Samantha Frank is a native of Silver Spring, MD, and a graduate of Tufts University. She loves opening the door to Jewish life for others, and learning through their eyes and questions.

While studying to be a Rabbi at HUC-JIR in New York, she was honored to participate in the Daniel and Bonnie Tisch Rabbinical Fellowship and the Be Wise Fellowship in Jewish Entrepreneurialism. During her rabbinical training, she co-founded the Instagram account @Modern_Ritual, helping the Jewish curious connect to modern, feminist Judaism. In addition to being Rabbi-in-Residence at JCP, Rabbi Sam is the Rabbinic Fellow at Temple Micah in Washington, DC, and a Rabbi at Sanctuary in Westchester.

In her free time, Rabbi Sam loves to take walks in Brooklyn Bridge Park, try her hand at photography, and is on a perpetual search to find the best pasta in NYC. She lives with her spouse in Brooklyn.

Molly Rose Hoenig is the Musician-in-Residence at JCP Downtown. Born and raised in New York City, Molly Rose has been teaching and songleading at various Jewish Institutions in and around the NYC area for over a decade, working with children from birth to 13, as well as adults.

Molly Rose is a passionate and dedicated musician and educator, and constantly seeks new knowledge and understanding. She believes that the best leader is one who is flexible and sensitive to the different needs of a community. She loves meeting and connecting with individuals from diverse backgrounds, accommodating different styles of learners, and finding a variety of ways of reaching people with varying religious experiences and needs. The aspect of Judaism that most inspires her is the connection it can foster between people and the community it can develop and strengthen.

Outside of work, Molly Rose spends her time with friends, learning new skills, tending to her plants and the birds that have made a nest on her balcony, snuggling with her cat Charles, and irresponsibly misusing her voice at karaoke. She’s also on a quest to find the perfect challah recipe.

Rachel is thrilled to be embarking on her 5th year as Director of the Early Childhood Center at JCP. Before her role as the Early Childhood Center’s Director, Rachel Mintz began at JCP as the ECC’s Child Development Specialist & Parent Educator. She was already a familiar face to parents, children, and staff, having served as a Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) for several years in our ECC classrooms. Her mission as director is to cultivate a best practices, play-based learning environment that focuses on the individual needs of every child while creating a warm, nurturing community. 

Raised in New York, Rachel received a master’s degree in social work at New York University and a master’s in early childhood general and special education from Hunter College. She began her career as an early childhood educator at Skidmore College’s ECC, a play-based laboratory school in Saratoga Springs, NY.  At Brooklyn Heights Synagogue Preschool where she taught for 5 years, Rachel experienced the magic of Jewish early childhood education up-close. Rachel currently serves as an adjunct professor at Hunter College, teaching graduate level courses in curriculum development and early childhood education, and supervises student teachers in the field. She has also worked extensively advocating for young children through the New York City Department of Education. Outside of work, Rachel loves spending time with her husband, 2nd grader, toddler and yorkie!

Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Denise Kohn received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University, and then went on to live and work in Honduras as a Peace Corps volunteer. She received a Master’s in Public Health degree from Columbia University and worked in the non-profit administrative world for many years. Denise made a career change and taught at Plymouth Church School while receiving her Master’s in Early Childhood Education degree from the Bank Street Graduate School of Education. She is also actively involved in the Jewish world, having most recently served on the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of Kane Street Synagogue, and has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Education Project as well as the Chair of the Beginning Jewish Families Task Force and as a Cabinet member of the Commission on Jewish Identity and Renewal of the UJA-Federation of New York. Denise lives in Brooklyn with her husband Adam and her three children.

Marisa has worked as a teacher and administrator in both public and private schools in New York for the past seventeen years. After graduating with her M.S. Ed from Bank Street College, she worked at the Children’s Aid Society in Greenwich Village as the Director of Admissions and Education. On her free time, Marisa plays softball in a “momball” league out in Long Island, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Sarah Johnson is a Texas native who moved to New York in 2012. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. She also attended St. John’s College in New Mexico for its Great Books program. Sarah first joined the workforce as a manager and projectionist for several independent movie theaters. She then worked as an administrator for MSG at both the Beacon Theatre and Radio City Music Hall before joining the JCP family. She loves going to concerts, watching movies, and walking around her Brooklyn neighborhood.

Allison Kreisler received her Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education and Communicative Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After college, Allison came back to New York, where she was born and raised, to earn a Masters of Arts degree, in Speech Language Pathology, at NYU. Allison has worked with preschool and school age children for over twenty years. She has extensive experience collaborating with a wide range of teachers, doctors, and therapists of various disciplines, making her an expert in child development. Allison strongly believes that children are the most successful learners when there is a strong home-school connection. She understands the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach in which parent education, about all areas of development, plays an integral role in a child’s success in school. Allison has a private practice where she provides speech-language therapy in New York City and Long Island. Allison lives in Port Washington, NY with her husband and two children.

Roxana Reid is JCP’s ongoing schools specialist, enhancing our ongoing school counseling services and adding to the care and attention of our families during the placement process. Roxana has more than twenty years of experience in counseling and helping to place families in ongoing schools.

Kai has been working in Jewish education since 2015 and is passionate about creating engaging and meaningful Jewish experiences for everyone. Kai is invested in intentionally creating learning opportunities and community building within the wider JCP community. When she is not creating programs, she can usually be found drinking coffee or reading.

Daphne brings to JCP a diverse range of experience working in the Jewish world, particularly in interdenominational settings. Daphne is originally from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and moved to Manhattan to attend the Joint Program between Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, from which she graduated in 2019 with degrees in Urban Studies and in Talmud. She also spent a semester at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she was a Nachshon Project Fellow. 

Daphne is passionate about empowering children to love and take ownership over their Jewish lives, and brings this passion to her role as the Director of the Hebrew School Project. Daphne is incredibly grateful to spend each day creating joyful Jewish memories with HSP learners and teachers, and one of her primary goals as director is to cultivate a program in which all learners can access Jewish community, identity, and education in a way that matches their needs and interests. Daphne enjoys writing, traveling, hiking (especially in the mountains!), and arts & crafts.

Peter came to JCP with nearly twenty years of leadership experience in a variety of Youth Development organizations where he was continually inspired by the tenacity and flexibility of young people and the liberatory focus of the work. Most recently, Peter was the Executive Director of Summer Search NYC (2015–2023), doubling the size of the organization in that time. He is excited to apply that successful track-record to a Jewish community organization and grow in his own practice, all while helping to bring JCP into its very bright future.

Originally from Trenton, NJ, Peter lived in Washington state for more than twenty years where, prior to work in the nonprofit space, he owned a restaurant outside of Seattle. For three years, Peter served as a Trustee of Temple Beth-El in Jersey City and Chaired their ‘Kadimah!’ Capital Campaign. Outside of work, Peter can be found running, going to live music events, searching for the perfect pizza, or hanging out at home with his family.

Jeffrey Alton brings a broad financial background to JCP, including experience in non-profit finance, commercial banking and investments. He has worked both as a service provider and customer in many areas, sharpening his skills in budgeting, project analysis and retirement plans. His work experience includes positions of increasing responsibility at financial institutions including international banks and private investment firms. Jeffrey is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the New York Society of Securities Analysts. He received a BBA from the University of Notre Dame. Jeffrey lives in New York City with his wife and three daughters.

Maxx Grossman is a mission-driven professional with over five years of experience in the nonprofit sector, bringing a unique blend of strategic communications, storytelling, and project management to JCP. With a deep commitment to community-focused work, Maxx has developed and executed initiatives that strengthen connections and amplify impact. Prior to JCP, Maxx served as a Brand Strategist at Sullivan, collaborating with major brands like Merrill Lynch and KKR on brand and engagement strategies. Maxx’s dedication to creating efficiencies and telling compelling stories has shaped a career rooted in creativity, operational expertise, and driven by a passion for purpose.

Originally from Connecticut, Maxx now lives in New York City, where she enjoys biking, reading, escaping the city to go hiking, and most recently line dancing.

Edward Kelly is a Facilities Manager whose extensive experience has included years at the 42nd Street branch of NY Public Library, the three building Google campus and the Sherry Netherland hotel. Most recently, he served for a year as Correspondence Manager at National Debt Relief performing duties as varied as code writing and creating client introductory documents. He holds an undergraduate degree in Film Production from Hunter College.

Jolene is an administrative professional with 10+ years experience across various sectors AND is a creative at heart. She graduated from Rowan University with a B.S in Psychology and won a Fulbright English Assistantship grant upon graduation. As a Fulbright recipient, she taught English classes to secondary school students and conducted dance workshops throughout Malaysia. Since then, she has used her skills to support non-profit, for profit and start up companies. Her most recent accomplishment was producing a documentary on people living with STIs called No Shame in this Game.

When Jolene is not working her day job, you can find her either dancing, baking, journaling, petting her dog or planning her next passion project.