Community Leaders
KKJ is fortunate to have an active group of Community Leaders who help to maintain and further our mission. Many of our leaders are the children or grandchildren of the original founders of our congregation, making it all the more special that they remain active and involved in our community. Coupled with the support of our Board of Trustees, these volunteers dedicate their time and effort to sustain KKJ and ensure its continuity for generations to come.
Marvin Marcus
President
Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos
Museum Director
Born and raised on the Lower East Side of New York, Marvin has served as President of Kehila Kedosha Janina since 2006 and chairs the Board of Trustees. Marvin has been an educator for his entire life and taught in public high school for 37 years in Brooklyn. Born into a Sephardic background with his family originating from Greece and Turkey, he continues to practice the unique customs and traditions of his Ladino-Sephardic heritage.
Although not born into the Romaniote community, Marvin considers himself an "adopted" Romaniote and is proud to be a part of the unique, loving, and welcoming community at Kehila Kedosha Janina. He is a graduate of CUNY City College of New York with a BS in Psychology and an MA in Special Education.
Chaim Kofinas
Hazzan & Treasurer
A graduate of Yeshiva Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem on East Broadway, Chaim has served as our community's Hazzan for more than a decade and serves on the Board of Trustees as our congregation's Treasurer. The son of community members Sol and Koula Kofinas, Chaim was born and raised on the Lower East Side and comes from a long line of Romaniote Jews with roots from Ioannina. Chaim was Bar Mitzvahed at KKJ and studied our unique Romaniote liturgy and piyutim from previous community leaders and scholars, including our former President Hy Genee of Blessed Memory.
In addition to his service at KKJ, Chaim is a Senior Tax Manager and Certified Public Accountant at the firm WithumSmith+Brown, PC. He holds a BA in Accounting from CUNY Brooklyn College and and an MS in Taxation from Pace University.
Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos has served as the Museum Director of Kehila Kedosha Janina since 2004 and sits on the Board of Trustees of the Synagogue and Museum. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative and is President of the Association of Friends of Greek Jewry. She was born into a traditional Sephardic Jewish family from Salonika and has devoted her life to telling the story of Greek Jewry as an author, translator, editor and lecturer.
She holds two BAs, one from Brooklyn College in Psychology and the second from Queens College in Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, plus two MAs, the first in Psychiatric Casework from the New School and the second in Italian from Queens College.
Theo Canter
Community Engagement Fellow
Theo Canter serves as KKJ's Engagement Development Fellow. In this role, Theo helps lead public outreach, programming, religious services, educational classes, and general community development for our Kehila. Theo is a dynamic young man whose knowledge, skills, and passion about his Romaniote heritage will help us grow and better engage our Greek Jewish community.
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Theo Canter graduated from Oberlin College in 2023 with degrees in Comparative Literature, Cinema Studies, and Mediterranean Studies. In 2024 he served as a Fulbright scholar in Athens teaching music, filmmaking, and creative writing, while reconnecting with his Romaniote heritage as a member of the Athens Jewish community. During this time he studied under the guidance of Rabbi Gabriel Negrin and hazzanim in Athens to become proficient in our Romaniote liturgy and traditions. Theo is a versatile musician, playing guitar, bouzouki, and accordion in a variety of genres including Rembetiko and Klezmer. Theo speaks English, Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, and French, and he has worked as a literary translator and multimedia journalist in Israel, Europe, and the US. Theo is passionate about Greek Jewish culture and traditions, and we are very excited to have him take on this new leadership role in our community.
Board of Trustees
President: Marvin Marcus
Museum Director: Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos
Treasurer: Chaim Kofinas
Financial Secretary: Solomon Kofinas
Recording Secretary: Jesse Colchamiro
First Vice President: Vacant
Second Vice President: Marc Winthrop
Vice President: Martin Genee
Vice President: Lois Genee Ledner
Vice President: Andrew Marcus
Trustee: Elliot Colchamiro
Trustee: Rose Eskononts
Trustee: Holly Kaye
Trustee: Stewart Miles
Trustee: Renée Motola
Trustee: Maurice Negrin
Trustee: Jerry Pardo
Trustee: Paul Solomon
Life Trustees and Members*
Founder: Joseph I. Josephs
Life President: Hy Genee
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Life Member: Michael Aronesty
Life Member: Morris L. Cohen
Life Member: Morris David
Life Member: Morris Eskononts
Life Member: Joseph Kassorla
Life Member: Sol Matsil
Life Member: Max Nachmias
Life Member: Sam Nahoum
Life Member: Solomon Schinasi
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*Deceased