Aleria Sarra, Secretary / Shomeret to the Kohenet

Serach/Aleria Sarra (she/her) is an artist, activist, writer, weaver and dreamer living on the unceded lands of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.  She calls Kol Hai the shul of her soul because she believes deeply in it’s mystical and radical roots which extend the wings of Shekhinah across time and space to offer a magical mishkan to all seeking a healing and transformational experience of Mystery.   She has worked in the area of maternal health, serving on the Board of The Shanti Uganda Society, as a Knowledge Leader at the Centre for Environmental Health Equity and as a Principal Investigator on Bonding through Bars, an international research project on maternal incarceration.   She has also worked as a journalist for various publications and was the Associate Producer of a weekly newsmagazine show on PrideVision Tv.  

Peter Dubitsky, Treasurer

Peter came to Kol Hai because he was captivated by the music. That was over two years ago. He recently joined the board with the intent of supporting the leadership of Kol Hai, to help Kol Hai continue and to nourish the community. 

Peter is an acupuncturist, with a specialization in the treatment of pain conditions, though He also treats a wide variety of other problems or conditions. Peter was a professional member and chair of the NYS Board for Acupuncture which advises the NYS Department of Education on the requirements and responsibilities of the acupuncture profession, professional discipline and public protection. He also served on his college board when he was an acupuncture college administrator. He looks forward to supporting Kol Hai in its mission and vision.

In his free time Peter nurtures his creative self with landscape painting and music.

Andy Izenson has been a member of the Kol Hai community for three years and lives with their partners in a queer commune on unceded Lenape/Esopus land in the Hudson Valley. On the clock, Andy can be found providing legal support to non-traditional families and transgender community members at the Chosen Family Law Center and fighting for prison abolition with the National Lawyers Guild, and off the clock, their time is spent crafting, doing aerial silks, singing show tunes, and perfecting their vegan challah recipe. Andy grew up Reform and has been overjoyed to find a spiritual home in Kol Hai, from which they can explore the spaciousness and depth of community and Jewish practice as a pantheist transsexual time-traveling anarchist weirdo.

Nancy Judson, Membership Committee

Nancy is the mother of two adult women, a lover of movement who weaves dancing, singing, smiling and playing into almost every aspect of her life including at Kol Hai. As a member of the precious Kol Hai community, you will see her ”dancing her prayers” at services, tending to community needs with a full and open heart, answering your Kol Hai membership questions, and occassionally substitute teaching at the Forest Hebrew School. You will also see her in her role as Ulster County PJ Library Coordinator. Nancy and her husband, Bruce, have been members of Kol hai for three years. 

Over the past 25 years, Nancy has served extensively on previous Temple and School Boards, served as Interim Religious School Education Director at a local synagogue and is currently responsible for organizing a monthly lunch for a soup kitchen in the City of Poughkeepsie. Most assuredly you can find Nancy helping to transform the lives of infants, seniors and all ages in between, through movement awareness, deep listening, touch and playful interactions in her work as a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner and Child’Space Method Parent Educator.

Rachel Swersey has loved Kol Hai and been deeply involved in the community since its beginning in 2015. She spends her weekdays as an art teacher, facilitating art experiences and helping to foster belonging amongst middle school students in Kingston, NY. She is mom to two teen/young adult children, and a furry dog son and lives in Highland. Whatever free time she has is spent making art, cooking, celebrating through movement, and hanging out with her partner. She is very honored to help to steer Kol Hai at this exciting phase.

Stephanie Rose Bifolco has come to depend on Kol Hai's heart-opening music and prayer as a soothing balm for her sometimes aching soul at the end of a long work week.  As a member of the Board of Directors, she is on a mission to help strengthen and grow Kol Hai while keeping the "small village" vibe alive.  Stephanie has dedicated her professional life to social medicine, and is currently working as a licensed clinical social worker in a community mental health clinic in Newburgh, NY.  In her free time, she can be found playing, dancing, and singing outdoors with her two young children and life partner at their home in Esopus, NY.