 Rabbi Gayle Pomerantz Founding Director |
 Shelley Niceley Groff Outgoing Chair |
 Vanessa Ressler Chair |
 Rebecca Dinar Director, The Open Tent |
 Ashley Beckwith Weissman Tots Coordinator Tots Inside the Open Tent |
 Marc Hurwitz Tribe Coordinator |
Rabbi Gayle Pomerantz, Founding Director
Rabbi Gayle Pomerantz , founding director of The Open Tent, joined the clergy of Temple Beth Sholom on Miami Beach in 1994. Rabbi Pomerantz is devoted to engaging people in all different stages of life to deepen their connections to Judaism. She was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, in 1983. Since ordination, Rabbi Pomerantz has served at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco, and as Assistant Director the Southeast Council of the Union for Reform Judaism. Rabbi Pomerantz was the first woman to be named President of the Rabbinic Association of Greater Miami, was the recipient of the Jewish Museum’s Breaking the Glass Ceiling award in 1997, was recognized by the City of Miami Beach as a “Woman to Know” and currently serves on the Jewish Outreach Institute’s Big Tent Judaism Steering Committee. A native Floridian, Rabbi Pomerantz resides with her husband and 3 daughters in Miami Beach.
Shelley Niceley Groff, Chair
Shelley Niceley Groff, Chairperson of The Open Tent, is immediate past president of Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach. She also serves as Chairperson-elect of Jewish Community Services of South Florida and is active in several Jewish and other community organizations. An attorney since 1987, Shelley concentrates her efforts on non-profit and educational organizations. She formerly served as Associate General Counsel of the University of Miami and Associate Executive Vice President of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. Shelley was born and raised in Miami, and currently resides in Miami Beach with her husband and two children.
Vanessa Ressler, Vice-Chair
Vanessa Ressler is an international marketer by trade and theatre enthusiast at heart, but has temporarily hung up her working hat to be a full-time mom, wife, and passionate volunteer (husband may disagree on this order). She is a proud Jew-by-choice, dedicated to learning and building a strong Jewish foundation for her growing family. She spends much of her free time working on the boards of the Open Tent, The Tribe (Jewish Young Professionals) and Temple Beth Sholom. As a person that chose Judaism later in life, Vanessa is intimately aware of the barriers, both perceived and real, that can bar people from living a Jewish life and being a part of this Community. She is committed to helping provide unique opportunities for Jews of any background to connect to their faith.
Rebecca Dinar, Director, The Open Tent
With more than fifteen years of high-level communications expertise, Rebecca has consulted for politicians and thought leaders, not-for-profits and academic institutions to build support for legislative initiatives, media campaigns and social change. Rebecca brings a passion for community-building that makes her ideal for this post. In the past, her grassroots efforts have helped communities in South Florida enhance the quality of special needs education, refurbish public spaces and increase access to public colleges. Under Rebecca’s leadership the Open Tent will continue to expand its ground-breaking efforts by strengthening its leadership base and reaching out to new groups throughout Miami Beach.
Ashley Beckwith Weissman, Tots Coordinator, Tots Inside the Open Tent
Ashley Beckwith is originally from Farmington Hills, Michigan. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and received a B.A. in Psychology. She then moved to Chicago and completed a dual masters in social work and child development at the Loyola University in Chicago, IL. Currently, Ashley is the Tots Coordinator for The Open Tent. In addition, she teaches preschool at the Foundation School at Temple Beth Sholom. She is enjoying living in Miami very much. In her free time, Ashley enjoys excercising and spending time with her friends and family.
Marc Hurwitz, Tribe Coordinator, Tribe Inside the Open Tent
Marc Hurwitz is really excited to be the Tribe’s Coordinator. From starting a large book club to having served on several local Boards of Directors, Marc enjoys helping the community. Originally from Buffalo, Marc graduated from SUNY Buffalo and completed his graduate studies in International Relations at The George Washington University. He has served in various capacities for the Federal Government, to include 3 years in the Clinton White House, as well as time in the intelligence community and the U.S. Department of State. He owns Crossroads SDI, a security consulting firm specializing in private investigation, corporate due diligence and military training. He also serves as a consultant to Temple Beth Sholom on communications. Marc got married to his beautiful wife in mid-2010.
The Open Tent Board is comprised of a strong group of dedicated leaders, including:
Minette Brown
Rebecca Dinar
Gary Glickstein
Mark Halpern
Mary Harris
Andrew Hirschl
Fran Levey
Etan Mark
Suzanne Meltzer
Shelley Niceley Groff
Gayle Pomerantz
Nancy Ratzan
Vanessa Ressler
Karen Rivo
Peter Russin
Leslie Sternlieb
Randy Weisburd
