Meet Our Board
Our Executive Committee
Raphi Rosenblatt, President
Raphael (Raphi) Rosenblatt is a native of Gainesville, Florida. Raphi has always been deeply involved with the Conservative Movement and Jewish leadership. Raphi grew up attending Camp Ramah (first Palmer, and then Darom) and was the first camper at Ramah Darom ever to be hired as a Rosh Eidah (section leader). Throughout high school, Raphi was active in USY, including holding the position of Regional President for HaNegev, the southeaster region of USY. While studying at Brandeis University, Raphi led both the Conservative minyan on campus as well as the Conservative Jewish student organization.
Raphi currently works as a Senior Director for Grads of Life, a national nonprofit that helps companies around the country implement more inclusive hiring programs. Raphi’s passion for social justice was cemented when he joined Teach For America out of college. He spent 3 years teaching high school math in the Bronx, during which time he also earned a Masters in Education from Pace University. Raphi attended Brandeis as a Justice Brandeis Scholar, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with degrees in Economics, Politics, and French. He also holds a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Raphi and his husband, David Morgenstern, were immediately attracted to Congregation Shaarei Torah because of its traditional practices, warm environment, and engaged members. Raphi currently serves on the Ritual Committee at CST, as well as helping to co-lead young adult programming.
Andrea Kreiner, Vice President
Andrea has had a lifelong connection to the Earth, the natural world, and to G-d. She feels closest to the Divine when she is standing among trees. She taught Hebrew school at Shaarie Torah, spending the year with the students exploring the environment and climate change through a Jewish lens.
Andrea lives in Portland with her husband, Ali, and son, Cameron. Their adult daughters are spread afar: Arielle in Sweden with granddaughter, Liana; Emily in Massachussetts; and Lauren in Maryland.
Trevor Bryant, Treasurer
Trevor is an avid traveler and a wandering Jew who finally made his way to Portland. He grew up in/near Louisville, KY and moved across the country while an undergrad as a Purdue chemical engineering co-op student prior to graduating in 2010 and moving to Knoxville, TN. Trevor was actively involved in his shul during my 3 years in Knoxville,TN, 5 years in Houston, and 2 in Bloomington, IN while he finished his MBA at the IU Kelley School of Business in 2019. Having been active in at least a dozen shuls over the course of his travel and multiple relocations, he enjoys getting to see the similarities and differences across communities and what each of them uniquely offers. Trevor has found his home in Portland and look forward to staying here much longer than his previous stop-overs. Yes, he is also a travel/airline nerd scouring the PDX and other airport monitors for all the flights and times whenever he travels.
Trevor moved to Portland in the summer of 2019 and have been working in Intel finance ever since. He was drawn to the warm CST community and am proud to call CST his “home” shul. In his free time Trevor enjoys hiking, traveling, playing tennis and table tennis, and serving as a BBYO advisor for Portland’s oldest chapter– Sol Stern AZA #65.
Melissa Cohen, Secretary
Rick Cohen, Men's Club Representative
Richard Cohen is a lifetime member of Shaarie Torah. His family have been members since 1908 and seen the synagogue go through many changes and updates over the years. He personally has been a full dues paying member since 1980 and has served on the board in various capacities since 1980. He is a past president and has served as a vice president for 5 different administrations. He was also a Men’s Club president. Rick received the Harry R. Nemer Service Award in 1993.
Shira Newman, Sisterhood President
Our Board Members
Eva Celnik
Anne LeVant Prahl
Anne LeVant Prahl has been coming to Shaarie Torah since 2012 and has been a member since 2014. She has found her place at Shaarie Torah through volunteering for committees, studying Torah with friends, and learning to participate in leading services. She spends most of her time planning and executing works in fiber: knitting, quilting, and embroidery, which she gives to her husband, children, and grandchildren. In her spare time, Anne is the curator of the collection at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and the chair of the Governor’s Oregon Heritage Commission.
Marje Jacobson
Robert “Chaim” Solgan
Chaim moved to Portland from SoCol in late 2018 to follow his children. Mattison and Moriah. Within the first year, he found CST and instantly knew this was to be his new ‘home’. Two years after that (in 2021), Chaim (finally) became a Bar Mitzvah here—fifty-one years later than ‘most others’ his age did. He worked most of his professional life in the Foodservice Industry in hotels, clubs, a number of special projects, two different Jewish Senior Living communities, and also owned and ran two Mexican Restaurants in the Lake Arrowhead area—the primary place of were his children grew up and went to school. With Covid-19 ablaze & most of the full service hospitality ‘in-flux’, two years ago he decided to retire. He has and continues to lead (a few different) classes in Winetasting. He also consults those who have ‘stereos/music reproduction equipment’ in optimizing “the accurate reproduction of sound in your current/future listening space by crucial speaker adjustments a number of other variables—free service to CST members (once upon a time an active member of the [now disbanded] Society of Audio Consultants). He loves to bike, hike, cook/eat and most anything to do with helping anyone who needs a hand in whatever comes their way. He feels so very honored to be here helping our community in whatever manner he can…
Mimi Berlin
Mimi Berlin moved to Portland in 2013 and immediately discovered Shaarie Torah and made it her spiritual home. Prior to that, she was a member of a large synagogue in Highland Park, IL and served on its Board for over a decade as well as chaired or was a key organizer for multiple committees and fundraising activities including capital campaigns and galas. She also was politically active in the community and served many other non-profit organizations particularly with fundraising. Mimi currently manages compliance and legal for a Montreal-based tech company, and prior to her 14 years with that company, developed professional acumen in business process, finance and legal.
Mimi lives in Portland’s west-side with her adult daughter Charley and her service dog, Russell. She has a son, Jeremy, and daughter-in-law, Tiffany, that live in the Bay area and she is proud of this “power couple” as they use their passions researching treatments for medical maladies. Charley is in her Junior year at Washington State’s Global Campus focusing on data analytics.
Mimi has had a lifelong commitment to supporting synagogue life and holds a lot of joy in the richness of Jewish living. She loves opening her home for Shabbat and holidays, bringing people together, and generally having a good time. When she’s not busy with work or volunteerism, she enjoys knitting, music, study, and long meandering walks with her daughter’s dog. Mimi is honored and enthusiastic to serve this congregation as a Board member!
Edward Viselman
Edward was born in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to the Bronx to become a physician. After graduating from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he moved to Los Angeles to become an Anesthesiologist. For the next 40 years Edward helped raise a family and guided people through surgery. After retiring, he wanted to devote time and energy to guitar and playing piano. A major lack of talent has prevented much progress, but thank goodness he loves the music he make.
Edward and his wife are new members at CST. The people they’ve met, the classes they’ve taken and the Services are an integral part of their Portland experience. CST has tied it altogether for them. Who knew making Hamantaschen could be so enjoyable!
Daniel Petcher, Past President
A bright and happy guy who likes dark and bitter chocolate! Daniel is a computer hobbyist as well as a professional Administrator. He is particularly interested in scripting to watch machines handle the more mundane parts of his job. Daniel just started a new job, so he gets to automate new things that he hasn’t worked-on before.
Outside of work, Daniel and his wife and two ridiculously-cute cats, recently left the suburbs to live in near the shul. They love to travel, but that’s been very limited this year. Daniel’s time outside of work is mostly consumed by Congregation Shaarie Torah. He’s a regular at morning Minyan, meetings of the Board of Directors, and a few committees.
I love to bicycle and I hope to commute by bike again, if I ever return to working in an office.