Our leadership comprises rabbis, educators, and congregation officials as well as young people from their teens through their twenties. The WUPJ works in close cooperation with major organizations of Progressive Judaism and in strategic partnership with organizations with common missions worldwide.
Representatives from dozens of countries sit on our International Assembly, the World Union’s legislative body, ensuring that the organization’s objectives are fulfilled. The Executive Board and Management Committee are the organizational bodies that oversee policy and operational efficiency.
Our Leadership:
Phyllis Dorey OAM, Chair
Phyllis Dorey OAM has been an active member of the Progressive Jewish community in Australia and internationally, serving in a number of elected leadership positions, including as President of Temple Beth Israel in Melbourne, President of the Union for Progressive Judaism (Australia, Asia and New Zealand, the roof body of 27 congregations, schools and youth groups); and five years as a member of the King David School Council in Melbourne. She served as a Vice Chair of the World Union for Progressive Judaism for eight years.
In her career spanning over thirty-five years, Phyllis was a well-known and highly respected educational administrator and career consultant across all sectors of education. Her skills and expertise, especially as a manager, presenter, trainer, mentor and coach, were widely recognized and valued by individuals, training institutions and companies.
She made Aliyah in 2016 and divides her time between Melbourne and K’far Hanassi in the north of Israel with her partner.
In 2018, her services to the Jewish Community were officially recognized when she was awarded the prestigious Member of the Order of Australia medal (OAM) by the Australian Government.
Phyllis can be reached at: chair@wupj.org.il
Rabbi Sergio Bergman, President
The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) is proud to announce the appointment of Argentinian-born politician, social activist, and community leader Rabbi Sergio Bergman as its new President.
Born in Buenos Aires in 1962, Rabbi Bergman holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Pharmaceutics from the University of Buenos Aires, and three Master’s degrees: in Education from The Hebrew University, in Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, Jerusalem, and in Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary, Jerusalem.
He was ordained at the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary of Buenos Aires in 1992, and HUC-JIR in Jerusalem in 1993. He is a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbi (CCAR) and a graduate of the Jewish Agency’s Jerusalem Fellows program.
Founder of the Arlene Fern Community School in Buenos Aires, Rabbi Bergman is well-known for his innovative and inspirational socio-educational and religious projects with Fundación Judaica. He serves as Rabbi at Templo Libertad, Argentina’s first Synagogue.
Rabbi Bergman began his career as a community leader at Emanu El, epicenter of Argentina’s Reform Movement. In 2011, he became the first rabbi ever elected to public office in Argentina and served as representative of the City of Buenos Aires. In 2013, he was elected to represent the city at the nation’s congress and in 2015, President Mauricio Macri named him Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, a position he held until the end of President Macri’s term in 2019.
Named one of the world’s 100 most influential leaders in the fight against climate change, Rabbi Bergman has received numerous international distinctions and awards. He has authored seven books, is a distinguished speaker on issues of social justice and human rights, and a strong exponent of civil discourse.
He is married and has four children and one grandchild.
To learn more about Rabbi Bergman, read interviews with him, and view videos he creates for World Union constituents, click here.
Staff:
Eyal Ronder
Vice President of Operations
eyal@wupj.org
Rabbi Stacey Blank
Director of Education and Leadership Development
education@wupj.org
Carla Yael Neimarkas
Director of Youth and Young Adults Department and
Representative to Israel National Institutions
mazkalit@wupj.org
Naama Ronder
Coordinator of Shnat Netzer
shnat@wupj.org
Julia Ullman Hevron
Coordinator of Tamar Olami
tamarolami@wupj.org