Staff

Edmund Case, President & Publisher

Edmund Case graduated from Yale in 1972 and from Harvard Law School in 1975. He practiced law for 22 years and was chairman of the business litigation department of Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, a large Boston law firm. He served on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of Greater Boston Legal Services, the major provider of civil legal aid to the indigent in Greater Boston. In 1997 Ed enrolled in the Heller-Hornstein Program at Brandeis University, graduating in May 1999 with a Master's in Jewish Communal Service and a Master's in Management. Ed's fieldwork placements at the Hornstein Program involved working at Jewish Family & Children's Service on intermarriage programming, and staffing a new services to the intermarried committee at Combined Jewish Philanthropies. In June 2000 Ed completed a three-year term as president of Temple Shalom of Newton, a 1,000-family Reform synagogue. He has served as a member of the URJ (Reform Movement) Northeast Regional Outreach Committee since 1993, and he and his wife and daughter have been panelists at outreach programs at URJ conventions. Ed was a member of CJP's 1996 Task Force on Intermarriage and of CJP's 1997 Strategic Planning Sub-committee on Vibrancy and Inclusiveness.

Ed is co-editor of The Guide to Jewish Interfaith Family Life: An InterfaithFamily.com Handbook (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2001) and has written widely on intermarriage issues, including "Redefining Jewish Peoplehood" in the Spring 2000 issue of Reform Judaism; "Discouraging Intermarriage Doesn't Work," a May 18, 2001 op-ed in The (New York) Jewish Week; "How Should American Jewry Respond to the National Jewish Population Survey: Reach Out to Intermarrieds," in The Forward October 25, 2002 op-ed page; "Learning from Interfaith Families," an October 10, 2003 op-ed in The (New York) Jewish Week; "Social Science and the Intermarriage Debate," an April 2004 op-ed in The (New York) Jewish Week re-printed in the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, the Detroit Jewish News, and other papers; "The Next Big Thing is Now," a Feb. 6, 2006 op-ed for the New Jersey Jewish News; and numerous articles that have appeared in InterfaithFamily.com.

Ed also co-authored, with Micah Sachs, "Enough is Enough," about conversion, an April 2006 article in the New Jersey Jewish News, and "Don't Write Off the Intermarried," a Feb. 12, 2007, op-ed for JTA published in the Washington Jewish Week, New Jersey Jewish Standard and many other papers. He also co-authored, with Kathy Kahn, Director of Outreach and Membership, Union for Reform Judaism, "Engaging the Intermarried," a Nov. 17, 2006 op-ed in The Forward.

In November 2001 Ed was named to The Forward 50 list of top Jewish leaders. He is a frequent speaker on outreach issues, including in November 2002 at the United Jewish Communities' General Assembly, in June 2004 at the UJC's Hadesh West conference, in June 2005 at the American Jewish Press Association conference, in April 2006 at the Jewish Funders Network conference and in January 2007 at the conference of RAVSAK, the association of Jewish community day schools.

Heather Martin, Chief Operating Officer

Heather has extensive marketing and operations experience in both the for-profit and non-profit worlds and a diverse background in consulting, project management, e-business, and web development. Prior to coming to InterfaithFamily.com she was Vice President at Jewish Family & Life! and the Project Director for JFL's JSkyway online learning program. Heather's positions prior to JFL include Vice President of Marketing and co-owner of PeopleSite.com, an online search community helping reunite birthparents, family members, missing persons and friends, and Executive Vice President of Custom Internet Development, an Internet consultancy where she oversaw NewVantage's efforts to rapidly design, develop and deploy world class Internet solutions for their clients. Heather gained information technology strategy and consulting experience at IBM's Consulting Group where she worked with large Fortune 100 retail and consumer packaged goods clients. She holds a Masters of Science in Industrial Administration (MBA) from Carnegie Mellon's Graduate School of Industrial Administration and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from McGill University. Heather is intermarried and lives in Franklin, MA., with her husband Scott and sons Ryan and Asher.

Micah Sachs, Online Managing Editor

Micah Sachs is the former editor-in-chief and managing editor of the San Diego Jewish Journal, an award-winning monthly Jewish lifestyles magazine in San Diego. He helped found the magazine in 2001, and it has since grown into one of the largest Jewish publications on the West Coast. Prior to his work at the Journal, he was assistant editor of the Natick Bulletin & Tab and editor of the Westwood Press. In 2000, he received a New England Press Association award for his feature writing. He has also written for The Boston Globe and The MetroWest Daily News.

Sachs is a frequent contributor to the IFF Network Blog, and has written "How to Market Community Day Schools to Interfaith Families" in the December 2006 issue of Ha-Yidion, the magazine of RAVSAK, the association of Jewish community day schools, "Latest Surveys Are Responsible for Good News, Not Bad," in the Jan. 19, 2007 issue of j, the Jewish news weekly of northern California. He has also co-authored, with Ed Case, "Enough is Enough," in an April 2006 issue of the New Jersey Jewish News, and "Don't Write Off the Intermarried," a Feb. 12, 2007, op-ed for JTA reprinted in numerous publications.

Micah is a 1999 graduate of Georgetown University with a degree in English. He grew up in Boston, and the only thing he misses about San Diego is living half a block from the beach.

Rabbi Lev Baesh, Director of the Resource Center for Jewish Clergy

Lev is a rabbi, ordained by the Reform Movement in 1994 in Cincinnati. He can also be found teaching Introduction to Judaism Courses for the Outreach division of the Reform movement in the Boston area, as well as national and world traveling to celebrate interfaith-Jewish weddings.  Lev served as rabbi for Temple Israel of Dover, NH from 1994-2006 and served as interim rabbi for Congregation Beit Ahavah in Northampton, MA 2006-2007.  While serving the congregation in Dover, Lev was also the Jewish chaplain at the University of New Hampshire and a member of several interfaith councils.  His focus, throughout his congregational work was welcoming all who wanted "Jewish" as part of their lives.  InterfaithFamily.com is a natural fit for this high spirited, knowledgeable, and welcoming rabbi.

Lev lives with his Partner Andrew, who joined the Jewish world after a few years into their relationship.  You can read about their early life in our book The Guide to Jewish interfaith Family Life in the chapter about "Gay and Interfaith".  Lev has contributed several articles to our web site and has been helpful in the creation of our wedding guide for interfaith couples.

Prior to life as a rabbi, Lev was an attorney with the Children's Aid Society in NY, and coordinated their Manhattan project of PINS Mediation with parents and teens.  Lev is a graduate of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion class of 1994, Benjamin N Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University class of 1987 (accepted in the NY and Connecticut Bar Associations), and Clark University class of 1984.  Lev was accepted and attended Bangor Theological Seminary's Doctor of Ministry program until he decided to leave congregational work.

And for those who knew Lev prior to 1998, when he changed his name after attending a Jewish story- teller's retreat, you will remember his as Wesley Michael Odell.  Lev is 5th generation rabbi In the United States, of which 3 are Reform and 2 Lebovitch (ultra Orthodox), on his mother's side and 2nd generation attorney on his father's side.

Victoria Leikin, Community Connections Coordinator

Victoria Leikin comes to InterfaithFamily.com with background in both non-profit organizations and the corporate world. She brings with her a wealth of experience from her work at LSJCC of Greater Boston, New American Program where for more than ten years she oversaw program development, cultural events and fundraising activates. For the last three years she served as independent consultant for an eco-centric bio-fuel company where she was responsible for budgets, corporate events and investor relationships. Victoria earned her degree in Economics from Baruch College, N.Y. She lives with her husband Yakov, their two daughters Jennie and Hannah, and a yorkiepoo named Lola.

Ruth Abrams, Online Editor

Susan Edni, Administrative Assistant

Susan Edni was born and raised in London, England, where she was a medical defense legal executive for over 10 years. Susan then spent a few years in Israel where she taught English prior to meeting her Israeli husband Udi, in New York on a 2 night stopover. They returned to Israel for a year but since May 2002, Susan and Udi have lived very happily in Needham, Mass., with their daughter Roni and son Oliver. Susan has managed to hold on to her British accent and so too, she believes, her British sense of humor.

Ronnie Friedland, Founding Editor

Ronnie Friedland is the Founding Editor of InterfaithFamily.com, co-editor of The Guide to Jewish Interfaith Family Life: An InterfaithFamily.com Handbook (Jewish Lights Publishing) and also two books on parenting: The Mothers' Book (Houghton Mifflin Company) and The Fathers' Book (Hall). In addition, she has written for the The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, Parenting Magazine, Boston Woman and other magazines. She has a B.A. from Barnard College and a Master's in English Literature from New York University. Ronnie was intermarried for nearly 20 years and has two grown children, who were raised as Jews.