Governing Bodies

The Katz Center relies on three different advisory boards who assist the director in the pursuit of the Center's mission. The Center’s Board of Advisors, which traces its history to the board that guided Dropsie College, is comprised of alumni, professionals, and community leaders that advise the Center’s director on key issues, provide volunteer leadership and financial support, and serve as a channel to the university’s Board of Trustees. For scholarly guidance, the Center turns to an academic advisory board comprised of Penn faculty and scholars from other leading universities in North America. To help advance its work and visibility as a global hub of Jewish studies scholarship, the Center also seeks advice from an international academic board whose members include scholars from Israel and Europe.

Board of Advisors 

2022–2023

Dr. David Altshuler

Mr. Robert Carrady

Mr. Philip Darivoff

Dr. Anita Friedman

Mrs. Elissa Ellant Katz

Thomas O. Katz, Esq.

Mrs. Robin Klatt

Mrs. Susanna E. Lachs

Dr. Garry Rayant

Mr. Howard Reiter (Z'L)

Mr. Ivan Ross, Chair

Dr. Joseph Sassoon

Mr. Gerald H. Silk

Ms. Louise Strauss

Mrs. Ariel Weiner

Mrs. Ele Wood

Mr. Mark Zucker

Faculty Advisory Council

2022–2023

Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano

Beth Berkowitz

Natalie B. Dohrmann*

Kathryn Hellerstein

Arthur Kiron*

Joseph E. Lowry

Michele Margolis

Benjamin Nathans

Joshua Teplitsky*

Liliane Weissberg

Beth S. Wenger

Steven Weitzman*

International Advisory Council 

2022–2023

Elisheva Baumgarten

Richard I. Cohen

Ed Greenstein

Debra Kaplan

Ora Limor

Vivian Liska

Menachem Lorberbaum

Yoram Meital

Vered Noam

Ilana Pardes

Keren Friedman-Peleg

Benjamin Pollock

Edwin Seroussi

Ishay Rosen Zvi

Irene E. Zwiep

Cohen's Red City

* ex-officio