About

For almost two decades, Rabbi Raphael Leban’s warmth, wit and wisdom have made him a beloved teacher of Torah with a devoted following of students from across the Denver community. Originally from Virginia, Rabbi Leban learned Torah at the Mir Yeshiva in Israel and received Rabbinic Ordination from Rabbi Z.N. Goldberg of the Jerusalem Beis Din. He is the author of Torah Today, a popular series of comments on the weekly parsha (portion). As managing director of The Jewish Experience, Rabbi Leban develops outreach and community programs, and co-shleps the organization to greatness along with Rabbi Ahron Wasserman. Allegedly one of the world’s most extreme skiing rabbis, Rabbi Leban now prefers the quiet life with his wife Ita and their three children, perfecting his cholent recipe in the relative safety of their home. Right around dawn you can find him teaching the daily Daf Yomi Talmud class at Merkaz Torah.

Cyndi Silverman has been the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara since 2019, in which time, she has led a successful Capital Campaign and undertaken a major remodel of the Bronfman Family JCC. She previously worked as the Regional Director for the ADL Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties fighting hate and standing up to injustice. Prior to that, Ms. Silverman worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), West Bank/Gaza Mission, a branch of the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel. She has also served as Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Vancouver Island, and lived and worked at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. She holds a bachelor’s in Organizational Psychology from San Diego State University.

Rabbi Steve Cohen has served as the senior rabbi of Congregation B’nai B’rith since 2004, after nineteen years as the rabbi and Executive Director of the Hillel Foundation at UC Santa Barbara. A native of Rochester, New York, Rabbi Cohen received his undergraduate degree in American History from Harvard University in 1979 and Rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1985. His primary scholarly interests are in midrash and classical Torah commentary. He and his wife Marian have been married since 1986 and have two grown children, Rachel and Ari. 

Briana Sapp is Chief Operating Officer at the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara where she oversees daily operations, programs, marketing, and communications. She previously worked at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History as Director of Marketing and Communications and the University of California Education Abroad Program as Deputy to the Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director. She holds a bachelor’s in French Studies and World Politics from the American University of Paris and a master’s in International Politics from the Université Libre de Bruxelles Diplomatic School in Brussels, Belgium. During her time in Brussels, she served as special projects manager at the Embassy of Malawi and co-founded a nonprofit to advocate for investment in renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ruby Braunfeld Vargeson is Director of JCC Programs and Community Outreach at the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara. Previously, she served as Director of Operations for a start-up, Manager of Implementation Services for a financial tech company, and Manager for Customer Service and Call Centers. Fluent in Hebrew and English, she attended grade school and high school in Tel Aviv before moving to the U.S. to earn her bachelor’s in psychology from UCLA. Ruby enjoys spending time with family, especially in her newest role of Savta (Hebrew for grandmother).