Leadership Team

Carla Friend (she/they) - Founder & Executive Director

Carla Friend holds a Masters Degree in Music Education from NYU and a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Ithaca College. She discovered her Jewish identity through music and started Tkiya to help others do the same. Carla is a 2018 recipient of the Young Pioneers Award from the Jewish Education Project , a 2019 recipient of 36 Under 36 from the Jewish Week, was in UpStart Venture Accelerator’s Cohort 11, is on the board of JPro New York, and was just accepted to the newest cohort of the Institute for Executive Jewish Leadership. She is also a JKids Radio artist and the host of a new show on JKids Radio called Tkiya Town. Check out Carla’s new album of family-friendly Jewish music, Challalalalah!

Hannah Gundersheim (she/her) - Education Director

Hannah is a songleader and Jewish educator based in Manhattan. Hannah grew up immersed in musical theatre and Jewish community, and began songleading as a way to combine the two worlds into one! She went on to receive a BFA in Music Theatre from The Hartt School while also songleading in multiple Jewish communities across greater Hartford. Hannah is thrilled to be a part of Tkiya’s full-time team, her role allowing her to bring Jewish music into the lives of so many young people while also empowering teachers to do the same! Outside of Tkiya, you can find Hannah writing and performing original music, and spending time with her friends.

Morgan Zweibel (she/her) - Lead Teacher (New York City)

Morgan is an educator and performer based in Manhattan. Growing up on Long Island, she was surrounded by Jewish culture and specifically enjoyed the sense of community Jewish tradition and holidays cultivated. After graduating with a BFA from The Hartt School, she moved to NYC and started a Moishe House with her roommate, Hannah, another wonderful Tkiya educator! Morgan has loved working with kids for as long as she can remember. Combining her passion for working with children and her passion for the arts has always been a dream of hers, and she has loved getting to fulfill that through Tkiya. She is thrilled to continue to make music with children across the city! 

Teaching Team

Aaron Rothko (he/him) - Tkiya Teacher (New Orleans, LA)

Aaron graduated from Vassar College in 2020 with a major in Music, concentrating on Upright Bass Jazz Performance. Originally from New York, Aaron moved to New Orleans in 2020, and has since started to root himself in the local music scene. His first foray into music began at  at the age of 4, when he started learning violin, but fell in love with the bass when he turned 12. Since then, he has played in and led a number of different bands and ensembles. Not only a teacher and band leader, Aaron is a songwriter too, his music falling under the umbrella of Indie-Folk and Singer/Songwriter. He has recorded multiple studio albums, and is currently working on a new one. Outside of music, Aaron is a dog dad, an avid gardener, and lifelong Ohio State fan.

Bess Hepner (she/her) - Tkiya Teacher (Bay Area, CA)

Bess is a performer and educator living in Berkeley, CA. Growing up in Western Massachusetts, her family started a progressive homeschool Hebrew School that she attended from ages 9 through 13 where Bess and her pre-teen classmates designed and led each other’s bat mitzvah services. Bess has always wanted to pass on this mentorship she received from her teachers to other young people. In addition to Tkiya, Bess teaches private guitar, ukulele and voice lessons and collaborates with other musicians around the Bay Area. She has a diverse background of working with young people, including leading after school and baby programs at a family homeless shelter, coaching a high school cross country team,  teaching preschool, and studying comparative education and social change at Smith College. 

Dina Pfeffer (she/her) - Tkiya Teacher (NYC)

Dina Pfeffer grew up in Boston, MA and is a student at New York University majoring in Comparative Literature. Music has been central to her experience of Judaism since birth, and she’s so excited to share her love of song with every student! Outside of Tkiya, she is a singer-songwriter who performs her own work, as well as a member of a local rock band. When not playing music, you can find her knitting, reading, and taking long walks.

Dovy Ehrenreich (he/him) - Tkiya Teacher (NYC)

Dovy is a Brooklyn-based educator and musician who has had a passion not just for music, but for Jewish culture his entire life. Dovy is proud to be teaching at Tkiya and spreading the love for both music and Judaism with our next generation! Having grown up teaching music to disabled children and directing music for local summer camp productions, Dovy now has over 10 years of experience working with children. Aside from teaching at Tkiya, Dovy is a private music teacher for piano and voice. Dovy is grateful to have studied and lived in Israel before attending Berklee College of Music, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in contemporary writing and production, as well as a minor in music technology. In his spare time, Dovy enjoys producing music, collecting vinyl, and watching films!

Elana Ron (she/they) - Tkiya Teacher (Bay Area, CA)

Joshua Manheim (he/him) - Tkiya Teacher (Rochester, NY)

Josh began his music journey with scholastic tuba lessons and extracurricular guitar lessons in 4th grade. Throughout high school he was very involved in his band program and temple youth group. Josh has 4 summers of experience as a sleep-away camp counselor/songleader working with kids age 6-10. In college, Josh had strong interests in both music and healthcare. He participated as a volunteer EMT, peer wellness counselor, and ComHab instructor. He was also a member of the collegiate jazz, marching, and pep bands. This interest in healthcare and music drove him to pursue a masters degree in Music Therapy at Nazareth College, which he is in the process of completing. In his preschool programs, Josh uses an eclectic variety of instruments such as the banjo, ukelele, and/or cajon. Outside of work and school, Josh can often be seen playing Settlers of Catan, rooting for the Bills, cooking new recipes, and playing disc golf. 

Miranda Crosley (she/her) - Tkiya Teacher (NYC)

Miranda is an educator with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Ithaca College, and she is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Music Therapy from SUNY New Paltz. Miranda has been playing the violin since she was eight years old, and has continued to add instruments to her repertoire over time. She was deeply involved in the Jewish community during her undergraduate time and was looking to get involved when she moved to NYC. Tkiya has allowed Miranda to combine her love for teaching with her Jewish identity, and she is thrilled to be part of the team. Outside of Tkiya, you can find Miranda cooking, baking, and snuggling her cat.

Neil Steinglass (he/him) - Tkiya Teacher (Philadelphia, PA)

Neil Steinglass is a musician, performer, and educator from Washington, DC. He holds a degree in Theater and Jewish Studies from Swarthmore College, where he was a regular attendee and song leader at on-campus shabbat services. Neil loves making art with children and finding different ways to engage with Jewish tradition. Outside of his work with Tkiya, Neil is an assistant teacher at Makom Community and can be found on his way to or from Center City.

Rachel Haymer (she/her) - Tkiya Teacher (NYC)

Rachel is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii and has been a musician for most of her life. After graduating college and returning to her home synagogue, she volunteered at Temple Emanuel Honolulu to play in Shabbat services. She eventually became music director for the school of Jewish studies before moving to Manhattan in 2013. Rachel continued to work in the Jewish community, at the Hebrew Home of Riverdale as a musician and Shabbat service specialist. Her decision to turn again to leading children’s T’filah is what lead her to Tkiya! She is excited to be a part of the Tkiya team. Rachel also has an extensive secular music background including being part of the Musicians Under New York (MTA Musicians).

Rock Abrahamson (they/them) - Tkiya Teacher (Long Island, NY)

Rock is an educator, musician, and music arranger holding bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music Education from Manhattanville College. At Manhattanville, Rock was the music director for two a cappella groups on campus and when not teaching in the classroom was teaching on the field as the captain of the school’s rugby team. Rock loves to combine their pedagogic and musical interests to create educational arrangements of loved songs in addition to adapting songs to fit different styles (such as making Lynyrd Skynyrd’s guitar solos in Freebird a cappella). In addition to Tkiya, Rock teaches private music lessons, tutors students K-12, and is a nanny. When not working, Rock is probably writing about music, arranging music to fit different performing groups, listening to classic rock, gardening, and obsessing over their cat. Rock is excited to be working with Tkiya to teach music to learners of all ages and experiences and looks forward to making connections with new people.

Verónica Freidkes (she/her) - Tkiya Teacher (Bay Area, CA)

Verónica discovered her passion for singing at age six when she joined a children´s community choir in her hometown Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the beginning of a musical journey exploring a breadth of styles, from tango and bossa nova to jazz, rock, and pop, also singing as Cantor in Jewish communities in Buenos Aires for over ten years. After many years of studying voice and piano privately, she managed to mix her studies in Psychology with the experience of teaching voice. That background and training as a psychotherapist provided her with tools to make the experience of learning music a truly rewarding adventure. Verónica loves to accompany students in the experience and discovery of music as a unique source of enjoyment and expression, where every style and genre is welcomed. When she is not teaching, practicing or studying, Verónica can be found riding her bicycle, enjoying nature, and discovering new places with Rodrigo, her husband, around the Bay Area, CA., their new home.

Board of Directors

Tkiya’s Board of Directors is proud to serve Tkiya’s mission, assess our success, and continually seek to improve our impact on the communities that we serve. If you’d like to learn more about board service, please email Carla.

2024 Board of Directors

  • Kate Forester - Board Chair (Ithaca, NY)

  • Jay Herman – Treasurer (New Jersey)

  • Jodi Sarowitz – Secretary (Brooklyn, NY)

  • Carla Friend – Executive Director (Brooklyn, NY)

  • Seth Wolfson (New York, NY)

  • Shariee Calderone (Long Island, NY)

  • Danielle Segal (Brooklyn, NY)

  • Rob France (Philadelphia, PA)

  • Chelsea Hylton (New Orleans, LA)

  • Adam Socloff (New York, NY)