Introducing the 2020 NextGen Ambassadors!
Connect to an Ambassador
Judah Bernstein is a Senior Partner Solutions Architect at AWS (an Amazon company), focused on assisting large scale technology companies with adopting a SaaS Delivery model through cloud native architecture design. He is a public speaker at Large conferences, such as AWS reinvent, and he is a proud evangelist of building the Jewish community. He is married to a wonderful woman (Simona), lives in Carlsbad, and has a cute dog named Dax. He is a chazzan, musician, avid gamer, and a decent chef. More importantly, he is a friend, mentor, and a leader who leads by example and wants everyone to be happy.
Yosef Condiotti was born and raised in Israel. Following high school, he was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in which he served as a tank commander, including fighting in Operation Protective Edge that took place in the Gaza Strip in 2014. Since being released from active duty, he has spent time building seven successful communities in Israel and recently moved to San Diego for his new role as the Director of Stand With Us. He is excited to bring his knowledge and experience in community building to the San Diego Jewish community.
Mara is a SoCal native and works for the Jewish Community Foundation, supporting their programs and operations as they promote philanthropy. Mara spent several “nomadic years” after graduating from UCSD in which she worked in Hawaii, joined AmeriCoprs NCCC in Iowa, went to graduate school in Portland, and studied in Thailand and Ecuador, before returning to San Diego, where she plans to live forever. Mara is the oldest of three girls, an introverted extrovert, a self-proclaimed National Park junkie, and her passport is her most prized possession. She loves connecting people, so feel free to reach out and say hi!
Gabby Koster grew up in San Francisco and has since lived in New York and Boston. In 2015, she made the move to San Diego where she met her husband, Eric, at an event through the Jewish community four months later. Gabby is a Board Member at Congregation Beth El in La Jolla, and an active member of their young adult program called Chai. She has worked for many Jewish organizations over the years, and is currently enjoying traveling and doing home improvement projects. She enjoys baking, snorkeling, and planning her next adventure.
Yoni Levinger is an active Jewish community member and educator in San Diego. He holds a B.A. in Business Communications from F.D.U. in Teaneck, NJ and had also spent four years studying Torah and Judaism in Jerusalem and Connecticut. Shortly after arriving in San Diego in 2014, Yoni was invited to be the Education Committee Board Chair for Jewish Federation’s NextGen board. With their strong support, he has spearheaded a very successful Jewish learning program called Torah on Tap, which invites local Rabbis to connect and learn with young adults at different breweries and bars across the city. Yoni has also created another new NextGen program called Chavurah Learning Space, which is an in-depth Torah text study discussion that focuses on a variety of Jewish principles and themes. He is the lead educator for this Chavurah event. He has also been the main educator for two peer-lead Moishe House retreats.
In addition to teaching, Yoni has also led other sessions including Friday night prayer services, Hebrew chanting/singing, Yin Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation. In his free time, you can probably find him jamming away in a drum circle or enjoying some beach-front yoga.
Omar is Egyptian-born. He was raised in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and came to the United States to study Mechanical Engineering. He has been a resident of San Diego since 2001. He is part of many different communities that revolve around surfing, music, art, hiking, health, LGBT, dance, spirituality, and Jewish culture, to name a few. He has an unquenchable thirst to learn new things and ways to connect the different aspects of his life and personality to Judaism.
Mallory grew up in a culturally and religiously Jewish home in the San Francisco Bay Area and relocated to San Diego in 2004. A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Mallory works with individuals and families, supporting her clients in living more fulfilling and enriched lives. Professionally, she has learned that the key to living a meaningful life comes from connection with others and cultivating healthy relationships. Mallory joined the Honeymoon Israel Community (HMI) in 2019, when she and her husband traveled to Israel with 18 other Jew(ish) couples. As a member of the HMI community, Mallory is passionate in exploring ways in which young couples can learn to integrate Judaism into their relationships, and cultivate a spiritual community outside of attending synagogue.
Sophie is a recent graduate from Cal State San Marcos with a Molecular Cell Biology degree, the previous president of CSUSM Hillel and a member of the Hillel International Student Cabinet. She currently works as an Emergency Room Technician at Scripps Health, and is in the process of applying to Physician Assistant School. She is excited to continue her two passions of helping people and contributing to her Jewish community!
After serving the Israeli army for two years, traveling and exploring the world for another three years, Mor arrived in NYC and visited the Fashion Institute of Technology. She knew back then that this is where she wanted to study, fulfill her dreams and develop her career. In 2015, she started her journey at FIT and the last 4.5 years in school were the most challenging yet rewarding experience she has ever had. In May, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Fashion Business Management and has recently joined her boyfriend in San Diego. She is excited to meet new people and engage them in community.
David was born in Boston and grew up in Bethesda, MD. After living in Vermont and Italy during college, he moved around in his twenties before returning to the DC area in late 2012. David lived in the Moishe House from 2013 to 2016, staffed a Birthright Israel trip in 2018, and has been a counselor at Camp Nai Nai Nai each of the last two years. He then moved to San Diego in January 2019 and is thrilled to be a part of the NextGen Ambassadors team.
