top of page

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 photo 1.jpeg
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. 

​​

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

​

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

 

 

​

 

​

 

 

 

*Deceased  

bottom of page