WHO
WE ARE
Professional Team
Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm
CEO, Bnai Zion
Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm is the Chief Executive of the Bnai Zion, producing media
and entertainment to strengthen Israel and the Jewish people.
Rabbi Lamm is a leading Jewish public intellectual using digital media to bring great Jewish ideas to the wider English-speaking public. He is the host of the top-ranked weekly podcast on the Bible and society, Good Faith Effort. And his popular, viral Twitter threads on “Why Read the Bible in Hebrew?” have been covered by major international news outlets.
For his leadership in the world of Jewish ideas, The Jerusalem Post recently ranked him #38 on its list of the world’s 50 Most Influential Jews.
Rabbi Lamm earned his rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva University's Rabbi
Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, and his PhD in Religion from Princeton University. He received his Master’s in Judaism and Eastern Christianity from University College London via a Fulbright Scholarship. His writings have appeared
in the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Tablet Magazine, SAPIR Journal and
The Jerusalem Post.
Justin Hayet
COO, Bnai Zion
In this position as COO of Bnai Zion, Justin oversees the operations, finances, media strategy and day to day management of the organization. In March 2023, Justin was named to the prestigious Forbes Israel 30 under 30 list which is made up of Israelis under the age of 30 who have made “significant contributions to society in a variety of fields from hi-tech, science, media, military, culture and sport.”
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Prior to this position, Justin served as Senior Project Manager at Genesis Philanthropy Group, one of the Jewish world’s leading foundations, helping craft the foundations’ approach to Israel-Diaspora engagement. Before that, Justin served for three years as Senior Advisor to the Israeli Ambassador at the United Nations; he led operations and strategy for Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon, who held one of Israel’s most challenging and important diplomatic posts.
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Justin received his Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Binghamton University and his Master’s Degree in Public Administration, focusing on non-profit leadership and management from Binghamton University.
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Lay Leadership
George Schaeffer
Chairman
The son of Holocaust survivors, Schaeffer was born in Hungary and immigrated to
America with his family in 1956. As a young boy, he developed a strong work
ethic and passion for business. After receiving his degree from City College of
New York in 1969, he ran his family’s garment manufacturing business in New
York City.
In search of new opportunities and challenges, Schaeffer moved to Los Angeles in
1981 and started a business that would ultimately become a dominant global
consumer brand, OPI Products. He built OPI from the ground up and introduced
the world to the nail lacquers now preferred by professionals and loved by
customers. With an eye for detail and a unique name for every color, Schaeffer
shaped and infused OPI’s brand with his passion for excellence and innovation,
while creating a work environment that treated everyone like family, regularly
providing new computers and school scholarships to children of OPI employees.
As the company thrived, Schaeffer maintained a top priority of giving back to his
community. He formed the Schaeffer Family Foundation, which has donated
millions to charities worldwide, including the American Heart Association, the
Cedars Sinai and the National Kidney Foundation. In 2012, the City of Hope
Cancer Center presented Schaeffer with the hospital and research center’s most
prestigious honor, the Spirit of Life Award, in recognition of his compassion,
dedication and generosity to important charitable causes.
After building OPI to be one of the top brands in the world, Schaeffer sold the
company and recently assumed the role as President and CEO of People’s Trust
Insurance, a Florida based homeowner’s insurance company he cofounded in 2008.
In an industry not known for innovation, People’s Trust has pioneered a solution
that provides affordable rates and a concierge claims service through its Rapid
Response Team partner. Built on the fundamentals of preparation and
responsiveness, this unique approach to addressing one of Florida’s toughest
challenges was recognized as the winner of the 2013 Enterprise Florida Innovators
in Business Award.
With more than 550 employees within its family of companies and over $250
million in direct written premium, People’s Trust has emerged as an industry
leader currently providing protection to over 125,000 policyholders throughout the
Sunshine State.
George is married to Irina Schaeffer and has two grown children. George and Irina
reside in Boca Raton, Florida.
Stephen J. Savitsky
President
In the world of Social Impact, Steve Savitsky needs little introduction. Steve’s
passionate advocacy on behalf of those less fortunate everywhere had been a
trademark of his lifetime of achievements and largely focused on his work for
many prominent Non-Profit Organizations. He has held some of the most
distinguished executive positions and provided incredible leadership as President
and Chairman of the Board of the Orthodox Union and today provides the same
vision, commitment to service and generosity of spirit as President of Bnai Zion
Foundation.
Notwithstanding his illustrious career in the nonprofit sector, Steve also
successfully heads ATC Health Care Services, as the President and Chairman of
the Board of this nationwide provider of temporary medical staffing services. He
also founded and served as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Tender Loving
Care – Staff Builders, one of the nation’s largest providers of home health care
services.
Steve with his wife Genie, are proud parents of four children and 18 grandchildren
who much to Steve’s delight, live within walking distance of their grandparents.
Jan Kiderman
Vice President
Since graduating Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1985, Jan has worked
with startup founders and investors, optimizing business plans, building teams,
transforming business models and raising capital to ideally and quickly position
them for rapid growth. He calls it, “Strategic Development on Steroids.”
Focused largely on startups and early-stage companies in services, materials,
environmental technology, agriculture and healthcare, Jan is often retained with the mandate to operate in stealth mode and under-the-radar, unlocking value while protecting the founders’ and investors’ interests and Intellectual Property. Even with the challenges that such work entails, Jan has been instrumental in helping over a dozen fledging companies. Jan’s expertise is diverse. He has crafted
unconventional market entry strategies and helped many startups gain traction,
raise significant capital, and close on highly successful market-entry and exit
strategies.
Jan credits his unique brand of market savvy problem-solving and his ability to
find the right doors, and then, get them to open, to years of "rubbing elbows" with some of the brightest strategic minds, including Angel, Venture Capital and strategic investors and M&A executives in a variety of industries. He has worked closely with executive and board level directors of companies as diverse as: AWS, Alphabet, Apple, Cargill, Comcast, Google, GE, IBM, Intel, Pfizer, Medtronic, Stryker and Verizon and with key stakeholders at a variety of State and Federal government agencies.
When not helping turn around startups, Jan has also applied himself with over 20
years of impressive track record in the Real Estate and Title Insurance industries,
advising and managing real estate and title closings for thousands of residential
and commercial transactions, including some of the most prominent transactions in New York City and elsewhere in the US.
Shira Lewis
Treasurer
Shira was an equity analyst at Lehman Brothers from 1990-'97, specializing in the electrical equipment and appliance industries. She graduated cum laude from
Barnard College with a BA in Economics and Political Science and received an
MBA with distinction in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of
Business. In addition to serving on the Israel Bonds National Board of Directors
for the past nine years, Shira has held several leadership roles at Bonds, including
National Women’s Division chair and Rockland County (NY) general chair.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Bnai Zion Foundation, and is on
the Advisory Council of IsraAid.