Senior Staff
- JCPA President and CEO and COEJL Co-Chair, Rabbi Steve Gutow
- COEJL Director, Sybil Sanchez
- COEJL Assistant Director, Sarah Levinson
Joseph Daniel, Fellow
Joseph is a recent graduate of the School of International Public Affairs at Columbia University, where he served as the co-president for the master’s program in environmental science and policy. Joseph brings a wealth of knowledge to COEJL with experiences as a former fundraiser during the 2010 mid-term elections, a former clean energy advocate for the Environmental Law and Policy Center, and a former environmental projects research assistant to the Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv.
Rabbi Steve Gutow, President and CEO, JCPA; Co-Chair, COEJL
Rabbi Steve Gutow has served the American Jewish Congress, Texas Civil Liberties Union, and numerous leadership roles, founded the National Jewish Democratic Council, served as Rabbi of the Reconstructionist Minyan of St. Louis and as Adjunct Law Professor at St. Louis University. He has written and spoken on various social justice issues. As President of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Steve has encouraged the Jewish community and government to protect Darfuris, reform immigration policy, support Israel, maintain poverty programs, and create a sustainable environment. In 2007, Steve was named among the “Forward 50 most influential Jews in America today,” and in 2009 Newsweek magazine named him the 20th most influential rabbi in America.
Jonathan Lane, Washington Representative
Jonathan has a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania along with a certificate in Business and Public Policy from the University’s Wharton School. He has been admitted to practice law in California and the District of Columbia. Jonathan served internships with US Representative Raul M. Grijalva, the Sierra Club, the Media Access Project and Gamesa Energy USA. He was a Voluntary Law Clerk to Judge Reggie B. Walton of the US District Court for the District of Columbia and an energy fellow with the office of US Representative John B. Larson, where he supported legislation promoting hydrogen fuel cells, natural gas vehicles and energy efficient buildings. Jonathan graduated summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis, where he majored in political science and environmental studies and led a successful project to install the campus’ first renewable energy source. He is active in the DC Jewish community, and participates in organizations including Moishe House and 2239, the young professionals group of Washington Hebrew Congregation.
Sarah Levinson, Assistant Director
Prior to joining COEJL, Sarah Levinson served as the assistant director at the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee in Kansas City. There she worked on community relations and justice related issues including civil rights, interfaith relations, Israel advocacy and energy independence. Sarah also served as a graduate legal fellow at the New York City Transit Authority and gained legal internship experience with the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, New York City Department of Education and New York City Mayor’s Office of Labor Relations. Sarah holds a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and a B.A. from Brandeis University with majors in American Studies and Near Eastern & Judaic Studies.
Emily Rosenthal, COEJL-Green Hevra Fellow
Emily joined COEJL in May 2012 as an intern, prior to which she was the real estate coordinator for Five Below, Inc. Emily holds a B.A. in politics from Ithaca College and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration at CUNY Baruch College, with a dual focus on nonprofit administration and policy analysis and evaluation. In her academic career, she has received many merit based awards and is the current vice president of Food Matters, a Baruch College graduate club dedicated to informing students on current health and food policy issues.
Sybil Sanchez, Director
Sybil Sanchez comes to COEJL from the Jewish Labor Committee where she served as executive director. Having been director of United Nations affairs with B’nai B’rith International, and worked with other national Jewish organizations on international human rights and related advocacy for nearly ten years, Sybil holds a B.A. from Rutgers College and a masters degree in international affairs from Columbia University. Having previously worked for the United Nations and overseas in the Balkans, she has language skills in Hebrew, French and Serbo-Croatian. Sybil is an advisory committee member of the Jewish Greening Fellowship, Jewcology and Camp Ramah in the Rockies, and she also chairs the Green Hevra, a new network of 15 Jewish environmental organizations.
