Frank lives in New York City. He is a PhD student in law & economics at La Sorbonne and a visiting scholar at Columbia University. Professionally, he is an entrepreneur and a corporate advisor. Frank has been an elected officer of The World Congress since 2011 (Eastern Hemisphere, Vice President) and President since the 2015 board meeting in Tel Aviv where he led The World Congress to co-sponsor “40 Years of Pride”. Frank is a member on the board of Beit Haverim, the French Jewish LGBT group; he previously was President (2008-10) and then Spokesperson (2011-15). He led the fundraising process for 10 years culminating into the acquisition of Beit Haverim house in 2008. As an expert on LGBTQ rights, Frank was referenced by the French government and parliament during the preparation on marriage equality in 2013. He has published and contributed to more than 90 articles, interviews and conferences on LGBTQ rights. Frank is the father of two sons. He was born and raised in Tunisia, studied and worked in France, Japan, the UK and Italy. He speaks French, English and Italian.
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Goldy is passionate about the World Congress providing a voice and networking source for both LGBTQI Jewish organizations and individuals worldwide. An active member of the Washington DC LBGT synagogue, Bet Mishpachah, Goldy served on the Board of Directors in various positions and currently serves on their Rabbinic Liaison and Education committees. Dedicated to her share תיקון עולם (repair of the world), Goldy conducted a study on the business case for diversity for one of the largest school districts in the United States. Her recommendations were included in district-wide diversity initiatives.
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Our Valuable Team Members
Gabrielle Kirsch is a student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She runs Ahava, the LGBTQ Jewish organization on campus.
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Jonathan is from Los Angeles and belongs to Beth Chayim Chadashim. He has been active with the World Congress since 1990. He continues his work because he believes we need to provide a sense of community among all the members of the World Congress and our stakeholders. In doing that, we embody tikkun olam, the repairing of the world.
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Oded lives in Tel Aviv, Israel. Oded was the treasurer and a board member of the Aguda, an LGBTQ organization in Israel, for five years. Oded is an expert in the Tel Aviv real estate market. He sees the world becoming more open, but believes we still need to fight against antisemitism, homophobia, and transphobia to achieve the full rights of other populations. He feels it is very important to have a presence in Israel in order to continue the struggle for full LGBTQ equality there.
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David is from Toulouse, France, and has been involved in Beit Haverim in Paris and currently works with the LGBT federation in Toulouse. He is passionate about achieving better visibility and acceptance for LGBT Jews inside their community and beyond.
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Marco lives in Rome, Italy working as a professional solider in the Italian army. He’s lived for almost 10 years with his partner Federico with whom he made the ghiur (formal conversion to Judaism) in 2012 in paris at the Mouvement Juif Libéral de France (MJLF). Marco and Federico will get married on September 11th, 2016 in Rome in a religious ceremony with a Rabbi, kippa, ketuba, and lots of friends. He is the head of the organization Magen David Keshet Italia. Their mission is to help Jewish homosexual people to live their lives with serenity without having to give up any part of their personality, especially for those who are religious.
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Alicia Roney is from Mexico City. She belongs to Guimel, an LGBTQ Jewish organization in Mexico. She studied psychology at the Universidad Iberoamericana. She has experience in web design, gender studies, and photography. Her entrepreneurship and philanthropy has taken her to explore many diverse industries. All of these experiences has made Alicia a diverse person who believes everyone deserves to live openly, freely, and with dignity.
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Shep is based in New York City and works with Congregation Beit Simchat Torah there. Shep has been involved with the World Congress since 1977. His passion is reaching and supporting small, isolated, emerging and re-emerging Jewish communities worldwide, working with Kulanu, as he has visited many in Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa and Cape Verde, where much of his family lives. He is involved in the Assembly of the Federation of Gay Games and is part of the team planning for World Pride: Stonewall 50 in 2019 in New York. He is a long term survivor of HIV/AIDS for over thirty years and is an AIDS activist.
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