Our Board

Lorraine is an educator and passionate advocate for student success and access to education. After coming to Hawaiʻi 30 years ago to teach at Waiʻanae High School, she has taught English Language Arts, built an award winning journalism program, and is currently an academic advisor at Leeward Community College Waiʻanae Moku campus. She and her husband David are members of Aloha Jewish Chapel, and Lorraine has been active in the Oʻahu Jewish ʻOhana (OJO), Temple Emanu-El, the Polskin Trust Committee, and the Jewish Women’s Guild.

Living on Kauai since 1989, Sara has degrees in Law and Social Work, and operates her own law practice specializing in family law. Sara has served as a Per Diem Judge in the District Court of the Fifth Circuit, was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the County of Kauai, and founding Program Director of the Children’s Justice Center of Kauai. Sara has been an active member of the Jewish Community of Kauai for many years, serving previously  as president currently on its board of directors. Sara has also served on many statewide and local boards including the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, Volunteer Legal Services of Hawaii, Kauai Concert Association, and the Kauai Interfaith Council.

A Chicago native, Richard Kersten grew up in Los Angeles, the son of a professional musician and an educator.  After graduating from USC with a degree in finance and real estate, he moved to Hawaii in 1972 to continue his career as an insurance agent, dividing his practice between personal insurance planning and employee benefits. Richard is a member of the National and Hawaii Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, a Life Member of the Million Dollar Round Table, and a Certified Long-Term Care Specialist. Richard is also a past President of the Jewish Federation of Hawaii and a former Director and current member of Temple Emanu El.

Sara Izen is an educator with a Master's Degree in Public Health from the University of Hawaii. During her career promoting healthy communities, she worked for the Cancer Society, promoted the use of car seats for children in the Keiki Auto Restraint Program, offered classes and workshops in mental health with the Department of Health, and provided essential services with Parents And Children Together. She cares deeply about families and creating environments where each person has the opportunity to achieve their potential. As a member of the inter-congregational Chevra Kadisha Kavod, she is privileged to play a part in helping ease the pain of families who have suffered a recent loss. 

Vivienne originally hails from South Africa where she was raised in a robust Jewish community.

She and her husband lived in northern California for 25 years before moving to Hawaii in 2004. Vivienne worked as a dietitian for Kaiser Permanente as well as in numerous other public health initiatives for many years, and now spends much of her time volunteering with a variety of community projects. She is on the board of Kona Beth Shalom, runs the North Hawaii Chavurah and works closely with the newly established Waimea Jewish community of Beit Aloha Elohim.  

Born and raised on a two mile long sandbar island in New York, Adam currently serves as a Front Office Manager in Waikiki. In addition to being part of the Hawaii hospitality industry, he remains active in the events and arts community, having worked as House Manager of both Diamond Head Theatre and Hawaii Theatre Center. Adam is a board member of the Jewish young professional group, Jewy Hui.

Sue moved to Hawaii in 1970, and has a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, a Teaching Certificate from San Diego State University, and a M.A. in Special Education from the University of Hawaii. She supervised the statewide Early Intervention Program at the Department of Health and researched best practices in special needs at the Department of Education and University of Hawaii. Sue has been on the Board of Directors of Temple Emanu-El, chaired the Jewish Film Festival, and was an original member of the O`ahu Jewish `Ohana (OJO). On the JCSH Board since 2017, Sue and her husband Bob were honored as JCSH Volunteers of the Year in 2014. 

 Vanessa is a tenured professor at the UH Dept of Public Health where she has her PhD in public health. She consults in evaluation and research and has been a Jewish professional in Alabama. She was the Development Director at the Jewish day school in Alabama, was a board member of OJO and is on the education committee of Temple Emanu El. She lives with her husband in downtown Honolulu where they are active in all kinds of fun.

Moshe is the owner of Hawaii Estate & Jewelry Buys in Honolulu where he specializes in appraisals and buying all kinds of diamonds and other luxury jewelry.  Originally from Israel, Moshe has lived in Hawaii for many years where he and his wife are raising their two children. He loves surfing, playing golf and all kinds of exercise. He is often at Chabad and his faith is a big part of his identity.

Karen attended Temple Emanu-El as a child and adult having grown up on Oahu. She was a board member of OJO and still attends there. She was retired nurse from Hawaii Pacific Health but still works there occasionally. She is a mom, grandmother, and daughter – and loves travel, paddling, reading, walking, and gardening.

Steve is a partner at Reese & Van Atta where he specializes in estate planning where he serves clients across the state. He has served on many boards including the Straub Benioff Medical Center and received the philanthropy award from the Hawaii Communinity Foundation for his help in nonprofit fundraising. He has lived in Hawaii since 1988 where he raised his family and has a relationship with Chabad of Hawaii.

A lifelong entrepreneur, Bob Sigall is a semi-retired business consultant who earned a Master’s degree from UH and taught marketing at Hawaii Pacific University for 15 years. He is the author of the five The Companies We Keep books and writes the popular Rearview Mirror column in the Honolulu Star Advertiser each Friday. In the late 1970’s, Bob was the community coordinator for the Hunger Project, and played a role in founding the Hawaii Food Bank. He has been Director of Ending Hunger Hawaii, Small Business Hawaii, and the Hawaii chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.