Board of Directors

Jonathan Aibel and his wife, Julie Rohwein, have been members of Kerem Shalom for over 30 years. In that time, they participated in a healing circle led by Rosalie Gerut, took Me’ah, were active in various committees, and sent their son to Hebrew School through his Bar Mitzvah. Jonathan last served on the Board as VP of House from 2008-2012. He is a retired software engineer.

David and his wife Jody Tannenbaum have been Kerem Shalom members since 1997, when they found the synagogue after many years of “temple shopping.” Both of their now-adult daughters became B’nai Mitzvah at Kerem Shalom. David has been on the Board since 2018, serving as Clerk, VP of Communications, and as President from 2024 to 2026. (He also served from 2002 to 2004 as a member-at-large focused on communications). Currently, the Director of Fellowships and Events at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, he’s held a variety of positions at Harvard and elsewhere focused on the interplay of urban policy, politics, administration, infrastructure, and governance. David and Jody live in Lexington.

Jane Appell has been a member of Kerem Shalom since 1985. Wearing many hats, Jane leads the KS Jewish Content Book Club and regularly attends classes and programs sponsored by AP, enjoying the spiritual and intellectual stimulation they provide. Jane is a psychologist in private practice and the mother of two adult children who both attended Kerem Shalom Hebrew School and had their B’nai Mitzvot at KS. She is also the proud grandmother of Akiva, who lives with his parents in Portugal.

Ted and his wife, Iris Werbalowsky Barten, have been members of Kerem Shalom since 2013 and have found Kerem Shalom to be very welcoming to interfaith couples. They both enjoy Rabbi Darby’s dynamic and moving services and the beautiful music provided by Cantor Rosalie and the Kerem Shalom musicians, and they have participated in a number of the Adult Programming offerings. Iris is a member of the ASL choir and has served on the membership engagement committee for many years.

Ted is an environmental engineer who has served on Boards in his technical field and for the Deaconess Abundant Life Communities, based in Concord. Iris and Ted live in Bolton, where they enjoy walking, gardening, and the sunsets over Mount Wachusett. 

Patsy Collins Bandes and her family have been members of KS since 2022 and live in Acton. They celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of Maija in 2026, and Ari is a Hebrew School Reimagined student. Patsy has also enjoyed volunteering at KS. She is a theater artist, director, producer, educator, and arts leader. Patsy currently serves as Executive Director of Guerilla Opera, where she advances innovative performance, artist development, and community engagement initiatives. She most recently served as Dean of the School of the Arts at Dean College, and was previously Chair of Theater at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she also worked as a producer and production stage manager, leading efforts focused on access, inclusive excellence, and integrating anti-racist practices into institutional culture and artistic processes. She currently serves as Board President of Articine, advancing interdisciplinary, community-driven arts work in healthcare, and previously served on the Board of Directors at Beth El Temple Center in Belmont, MA.

Karen has been a member of KS since 2007. Her career spanned over 30 years as part of operations and human resources management within the financial services, high-tech, and healthcare industries. Over this same period, she has served as a community volunteer and unpaid board member for various not-for-profit organizations in the social services and arts arena. She remains active as an alumna of Wellesley College and recently completed 22 years on the board of Ascentria Care Alliance. At Ascentria, she served as board chair and board secretary, and was a member of executive, governance, and board development committees. Karen and her husband, David, reside in Concord with their three ridiculously spoiled cats.

Keith M. Gilbert has been a member of Kerem Shalom for over twenty years, having had the joy of seeing his two daughters become Bat Mitzvot there.  He is an owner and managing partner of Park Lodge Hotel Group, a hotel ownership and management company based in Waltham, and is happy to bring some of his experience in real estate and business operations to his role on the House Committee.

Walter and his wife Sharon have been Kerem Shalom members for over twenty years. They live in Lexington. Both of their now-adult sons had bar mitzvahs at the temple. Walter is an experienced AI/ML software developer and manager.

Jan has been a member of Kerem Shalom since the 1990s, at which time she and her husband Don were looking to join an ‘interfaith family-friendly’ synagogue. They found a welcoming home at Kerem Shalom—and their now adult twins grew up at Kerem Shalom, assisting Jan as active volunteers at concerts, holiday festivals, and other events. Jan has served as Co-President of the Board, Chairperson of the Executive Committee, VP-Education, and on numerous committees, such as Rabbinic Liaison, KS Retreat, High Holy Days, and the Governance Taskforce, among others. She also oversaw the implementation of a new membership database and member portal. Currently, she is primarily involved with overseeing day-to-day financial operations. Prior to retirement, Jan worked for the Commonwealth of MA, Dept of Mental Health for 42 years. She resides in Littleton with her husband Don.

Michelle and her family joined Kerem Shalom in 2013. Michelle has served on the Board and various committees, and her two college-age children attended Hebrew School at KS. She is a social worker, experienced researcher, and nonprofit manager. Michelle lives in Bedford with her husband Bob Fagan.

Nancy joined Kerem Shalom in 1999 and served as Family Educator and Tot Shabbat leader beginning in 2002, and KS’s school song leader beginning in 2004. She retired from Kerem Shalom’s staff in 2023 but continues to lead occasional musical Shabbat and holiday services for adults and families with young children.

Before moving to MA, Nancy was a religious educator in Rapid City, SD’s Synagogue of the Hills. Nancy’s first career of 20 years was as a medical and biological illustrator. She received her certificate in Jewish Family Education from Hebrew College. Nancy and her husband, George Peabody, enjoy celebrating the cycle of the year and engaging in meaningful, joyful work in community at KS. They are honored to lead KS’s Love Song Folk Song Sing-along Shabbat services together and to be a core part of KS’s cadre of member musicians. They live in Acton, MA with their dog, Charlie. Nancy and George have two adult daughters, two sons-in-law, and one granddaughter.

Djana Paper and her spouse, Dan Damelin, have been members of Kerem Shalom for more than a decade. Their daughter, now in college, attended Hebrew School at KS. Djana has served on the Israel Conversation Group Planning Committee and the High Holidays Planning Committee. She works in educational publishing and enjoys singing, cooking, and spending time outdoors. She and her family live in Bolton.

Jim Raffel and his wife, Maria Favorito, are relatively new members of Kerem Shalom, having joined in 2023.  As an interfaith family, they feel very welcome and included at KS. They have been Concord residents since 2006, and their daughter is a graduate of Concord-Carlisle High School. Jim has been an educator for 25 years.

Elisabeth Sackton joined Kerem Shalom in 2001 with her spouse, Liz Coolidge. Both their (now adult) children attended Hebrew School and became b’nai mitzvah. Elisabeth and Liz came to KS because they felt fully included as a lesbian-headed, interfaith family and now deeply value the years of building community at KS. Elisabeth joined the Board as an at-large member in 2012 and then became the VP of Spiritual Life the following year. She was honored to be a part of an adult b’not mitzvah group in 2017.  From 2018-2020, she served as Board president, and then president emerita. She has been involved with several projects at KS, including security, AV infrastructure, accessibility, interfaith conversations, Israel conversations, and the High Holy Day Committee.

JoAnn and her husband, Tse-hsin Lin, joined Kerem Shalom in 1996, where their two sons attended Hebrew school and became B’nai Mitzvah. JoAnn joined the Education Committee, where she served for several years, and then joined the Social Action Committee, which she later co-chaired. At that time, she joined the Board and became a fellow in the OnBoard program of the Legacy Heritage Fund. This program trains new board members of Jewish organizations to become more proficient in their roles on a board of directors. She now chairs the Governance Committee and the Israel Conversations Planning Committee and is a member of the Antisemitism Awareness Team.

JoAnn was an acupuncturist for over thirty years and is now retired. She loves gardening, walking, biking, and hiking. She studies Biblical Hebrew and was a member of the Torah Conversations group at Kerem Shalom. She lives in Westford with her husband.

Mark has been a member of Kerem Shalom for more than twenty years, and after serving on the board for many years in a variety of roles, served as Kerem Shalom’s president from 2022 until 2024. As a Board member and as president, Mark played a critical role in enhancing Kerem Shalom’s fundraising capacity, developing a culture of charitable giving here at Kerem Shalom. Mark’s expertise in international corporate law has been a great asset to the KS Board. Mark lives in Concord.

Deena is a founding member of Kerem Shalom and a former member of the Concord Area Jewish Group. She has served in several capacities during her long-time membership: President, School Committee chair, Treasurer, Nominating Committee Chair, and as chair of the Membership Engagement Committee and co-chair of the 30th Anniversary Celebration Committee. Prior to her retirement in 2013, she spent 10 years as a partner in an executive search firm that focused on finding senior-level administrators for colleges, universities, and non-profits and ten years in college admissions as an Associate Dean of Graduate and Adult Baccalaureate Admissions at Lesley University and as Dean of Admissions at Brandeis University. After retirement, Deena served on the Board of Open Table for six years, three years as chair, and continues to be active in the organization. She lives in Concord with her husband, Ron. She has two adult children and five grandchildren, the oldest of whom was a Bar Mitzvah at KS in 2018.

Sue Wolff joined Kerem Shalom in 2014. During a life phase of trying many new things, she wondered, “Can I find a local Jewish community where I’ll feel at home?” Sue became one of the 2017 adult group B’nai Mitzvah. She has served on a wide variety of committees and task forces, most recently sowing the seeds for the Growing Older in Community initiative.  As a KS Board member, she works with KS on strategic projects. She lives in West Concord and has an adult son.