BOARD

CO-PRESIDENT

Elie Rubinstein is native of Belarus and a graduate of Belorussian Polytechnic Institute and received his Master’s degree in Jewish Communal Service and Management from Brandeis University. Elie has worked in non-profit organizations for most of his professional life. Starting as a lay leader in Belarus, former Soviet Union, he was hired in 1991 as a regional director for the International Association for Jewish Studies and Jewish Culture. A second generation Holocaust survivor himself, he worked with needy first and second generation survivors in the former Soviet Union. Elie immigrated to the United States in 1993. Since that time he has worked as an outreach coordinator at the Hillel Student Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then at the Hebrew Union College. In 1996, he became an Assistant Executive Director for Program Development at the Kings Bay YM-YWHA. In 2003, he was hired as Marketing and Development Director for The Workmen’s Circle, a national fraternal organization. From 2006 until 2013, Elie served as the Executive Director of The Blue Card, a national non-profit organization that is the only agency in the United States that provides cash assistance to needy victims of Nazi persecution in the United States. In 2013, Elie Rubinstein joined the Hebrew Educational Society (HES), a community-based multi-service agency, as its Executive Director. With over 20 years of leadership experience working for the advancement of underserved children, individuals and families, he was responsible for managing the HES’ day-to-day operations. Elie currently serves as the Executive Director of Emergency USA – a non-profit organization that builds high-quality, sustainable medical centers (rather than temporary or minimal-care facilities), EMERGENCY partners with the local population in war-torn and impoverished communities to provide healthcare services that reach beyond walls to heal communities.

CO-PRESIDENT

Eva-Maria Tausig, a long-time member of the Board, is Treasurer. Her grandparents, Dr. and Mrs. Paul G. Frank, knew Margaret Tietz and her family in Germany and their friendship continued in the US. Paul’s son, Ernst L. Frank, was one of the funders of the New York Foundation for Nursing Homes, the predecessor organization. Mrs. Tausig served on the Board of the Margaret Tietz Nursing Home and today serves on the Board of the Women’s City Club of New York.

VICE PRESIDENT

Michael D. Lissner received his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1982. He is admitted and qualified as an Attorney and Counselor of the Supreme Court of the United States; is further licensed as an Attorney and Counselor at Law in the States of New York (Appellate Division, 2nd Department) and Florida and is a member of both the New York County Lawyers’ Association and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He serves as Chairman of The Blue Card, Inc., a national not-for-profit organization that provides financial aid to needy Holocaust Survivors, and has been a faculty member for many years at the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA) in New York City. Michael has lectured extensively about Elder Law , Estate Planning and planning for Survivors of the Holocaust and their families.

VICE PRESIDENT

Elizabeth Scheines has served as the IT and Database Manager at John H. Elton, Inc., spice brokers, for more than 15 years. Previously, she was a Film Archivist and Reference Book Editor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art/Getty Trust, Museum of Modern Art and at other arts organizations. Her husband, Ron Elton, previously served as President and Board Member of NYFE. Her experience as caretaker for her elderly mother sparked her interest in improving elder care. Liz received her BA from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and pursued graduate work in Cinema Studies at New York University.

TREASURER

Joseph Hertzberg graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, subsequently devoting a year of study in British History at Cambridge University in England.

Joseph initially worked for a small family-owned brewery before joining Chase Manhattan Bank for two years. Since then, he has worked continuously in the field of financial planning. He also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute at Mt. Sinai Hospital.
In the 1970s, Joseph’s father and uncle introduced him to The Bohemians (New York Musicians Club), the parent, but now independent, organization of Musicians Foundation. He accepted an invitation to the Board of Directors of MF, and, in the early 1980s, was elected Treasurer – a post he concurrently holds with The Bohemians.

Joseph is a proud native of New York City, who grew up in nearby Westchester County. In addition to his love of music, he enjoys auditing political science classes at Hunter College and keeping up on current events. He is also passionately devoted to a daily five-mile walk, regardless of the weather!

SECRETARY

Masha Pearl is Executive Director of The Blue Card and leads its national efforts to provide direct financial assistance to more than 2,400 Holocaust survivor households living at or below the poverty line, of whom two-thirds live in the greater New York area. The Blue Card has provided more than $26 million to thousands of survivors for medical, dental, food, telephone emergency response systems, hospital visits and transportation expenses. Masha received an Interdisciplinary B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Law from Binghamton University in 2006 and is currently pursuing her M.B.A. at Pace University.

Dr. Jephtha Tausig (Dr. Jeph) has been a licensed psychologist for over 20 years, working with children, teens, young adults and the elderly from all walks of life. She has her own practice in New York City and is the supervising psychologist for Family & Children’s Services of Nantucket. Her clinical experience includes Columbia University’s Center for Psychoanalytic Training & Research, Richmond University Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, Gay Men’s Health Crisis and the Bellevue Hospital Center. She is also a visiting scholar at Teachers College – Columbia University and a clinical instructor at Mt. Sinai Medical Center.

Dr. Jeph received her doctorate with distinction in clinical psychology from Columbia University. She holds three masters; a master of philosophy in clinical psychology from Columbia University; a master in clinical psychology from Teachers College, and a master in general psychology from New York University (NYU). She earned her undergraduate degree in fine arts at NYU.

She has presented at scientific meetings, such as the Association for Psychological Science (APS) and in clinical settings for Family & Children’s Services of Nantucket, the Nantucket Dept., and Mt. Sinai Medical Center. She has also taught at Columbia University, The New School for Social Research and Mt. Sinai Medical Center for over a decade. Dr. Jeph has received numerous awards for her work and dedication to the field of psychology, including the United Hospital Fund’s Hospital Auxilian and Volunteer Achievement Award in 2014, being elected as a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and the New York State Psychological Association Award for best graduate paper, “Women’s Behavioral Response to the Risk of HIV”.

Dr. Jeph is a proud Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and belongs to the China-American Psychoanalytic Alliance (CAPA), New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA), American Psychological Association (APA), National Register of Health Service Psychologists, and Association for Psychological Science (APS). She is also a dedicated member of and volunteers with many social service organizations such as the New York City Junior League (where she received the Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2005), the Women’s City Club of New York and Nantucket Community Sailing. Her full Curriculum Vitae can be found here.

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Valerie Abel, Psy.D

Eugene A. Burke Jr., M.D.

Terri F. Katz, M.D.

Elizabeth L. Lipton, MSW

Judy Willig, LCSW

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