Jewish Family Services Welcomes New Board Members and President

By Julie Loftis, JFS Marketing Specialist

Jewish Family Services (JFS) is excited to introduce five new board members beginning terms in 2022 along with our new president, Jennifer Golynsky. Jennifer joined the JFS Board in 2016 and has been a longtime JFS supporter. “JFS provides a wide array of services to so many people. The span of offerings and numbers of people it touches is impressive. I am honored to be part of such a dynamic and engaged board and to offer my support to the talented professionals who live the organization’s mission, vision, and values by engaging, connecting, and healing our community.”

As we begin 2022, we would like to thank our outgoing president, Louis Sinkoe, for his many contributions during his two-year term. Louis served on the board from 2011 to 2013, rejoined in 2015, and has served JFS for many years in a variety of capacities prior to joining the board. “What first drew me to get involved with JFS was the food pantry. I appreciate the necessary services that JFS provides to the community. JFS has a great board; people work together to solve issues to help the Jewish community be a better place.”

A warm thank-you and best wishes to two of our outgoing board members. Jan Weiner joined the board in 2015 and served as president from 2018 to 2019. Over the past six years, she has served on the executive, finance, personnel, and board development committees. Adam Levy served on the board from 2019 to 2021 and was a major initiator for the Live, Laugh, Give event. Adam and his wife, Kim, have been the entertainment underwriter for all three years of this event. We would also like to acknowledge and thank Suzy Catenazzo, Jonathan Collman, Andrea Cronson, Julie Dermack, Rachel Friedman, Meredith Gartner, Marcia Lampert, Matt Luftglass, Gene Marx, Nina Rose, Louis Sinkoe, and Steve Teich who will continue to serve on the board this year.

We appreciate all of the ongoing time and effort you give to support JFS. We are excited to welcome the following new board members:

Andrew Bernstein, a Charlotte native and lifetime member of Temple Beth El, his family’s membership spans four generations. Since 1992, he has worked with Johnson Control Fire Protection as territory suppression leader. Andrew has long been involved in the Jewish community, including teaching at Hebrew High and Temple Beth El and working at Camp Mindy.

Dan Coblenz has been a resident of Charlotte since 1965. He successfully operated a janitorial business for more than 50 years. He has volunteered with several of the agencies on campus, including the Butterfly Project, the Social Action Committee at Temple Israel, and JFS. In 1968 he married his wife, Nancy, in Temple Israel and is looking forward to celebrating his 54th wedding anniversary in 2022.

Joni Deutsch is active within the media community, currently serving as vice president of podcast marketing and audience development at Podglomerate, overseeing audio strategy for clients, including PBS and NPR stations, Stanford University, and Expedia. Joni most recently was podcast manager for WFAE where she received several awards, including The Webby Awards (called “the Internet’s Highest Honor” by The New York Times). Jennifer Koss, a social worker, has diverse experience providing community-based services to a broad range of clients. She currently serves as social action co-chair and board member for Women of Temple Israel and volunteers with the Federation’s Annual Campaign, Shalom Green, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at Marvin Elementary, and in classrooms tutoring and as room parent for her daughter’s class.

Adina Loewensteiner served as co-chair of Live, Laugh, Give last year and will co-chair again at the 2022 event. She has volunteered as secretary of the Temple Israel board, board member and PTO co-president at Charlotte Jewish Preschool, and at the JFS Food Pantry. She has taught her children the importance of the food pantry by collecting donations in lieu of birthday presents and letting her kids deliver donations to JFS and help stock the pantry shelves.

Each member of the board is committed to the success of JFS’s full range of programming, counseling, and social service assistance. JFS helps those facing daily challenges, life’s transitions, new hardships, and unexpected crises. Programs provide education, engagement, counseling, food, care management, financial assistance, resources, and referrals. For more information, visit jfscharlotte.org.