Click on a team member's photo to read their bio.
Masha Merkulova
Founder and Executive Director
"*" indicates required fields
Masha Merkulova
Founder and Executive Director
Masha founded Club Z to provide teens with a platform to connect to Israel, Jewish history, Zionism, and one another. Born in the Former Soviet Union, Masha did not know that she was Jewish until she was a teenager. As she grew up, she began to question her identity and embrace Zionism, realizing that it is a movement of justice that corrects many wrongs throughout history.
Before founding Club Z, Masha spent more than a decade as a Jewish community activist in the San Francisco Bay Area, spearheading efforts to address antisemitism on campus and to advocate for Israel. She was awarded the Generation Now Fellowship through The Jewish Education Project, completed the Israel Foreign Ministry Diplomatic Seminar for Young Jewish Leaders, and served on a steering committee of Limmud FSU West Coast.
As an expert on teen Israel advocacy, Masha has addressed JNF’s Conversations on Zionism, Chabad on Campus International Convening, the Combat Antisemitism Movement Annual Dinner, and the Israel Symposium at the BBYO International Convention, among others.
She has published op-eds in The Jerusalem Post, FOXNews.com, Jewish News Syndicate, eJewish Philanthropy, and more. Her writing focuses on antisemitism, teen advocacy, and the delegitimization of Israel.
Paul Lakind
Chief Operating Officer
"*" indicates required fields
Paul Lakind
Chief Operating Officer
Paul, a life-long Zionist, decided to bring his extensive experience in growing and overseeing operating initiatives to our mission. He brings over 30 years of experience as Chief Operating Officer at global investment banks including Piper Sandler, The Valence Group and Credit Agricole Cheuvreux. Paul has also served as Chief Operating Officer of a number of U.S. retail banks, including the private bank of the United States Senate and United States Supreme Court.
Paul holds an MBA and a BA in Economics and Religion from Rutgers University. He also taught Global IT Strategy and Global Marketing Strategy in the Global MBA Program at Kean University as a Professor.
Jen Weintraub
LA Regional Director
"*" indicates required fields
Jen Weintraub
Los Angeles Regional Director
Being the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, Jen always understood the importance of Israel. After having her Jewish identity challenged on her college campus, Jen knew it was time to stand up for the Jewish people.Through her advocacy and educational work, Jen has traveled all over the United States empowering students to combat Anti-Israel sentiment on campus.
Jen has recently relocated back to her hometown of Los Angeles, California and is ready to empower teens to advocate for Israel. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in International Studies from Manhattanville College. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree from Spertus Institute in Nonprofit Management. Jen is excited to bring her passion, expertise, and love of Israel to Club Z!
Dan Brooks
Activism Officer and New York educator
"*" indicates required fields
Dan Brooks
New York Lead Educator & National Activism Officer
Dan is an accomplished Jewish and Israel educator with more than 15 years of experience instructing students on topics such as Zionism, activism, the BDS movement, the apartheid accusation and more. As the grandchild of Holocaust survivors, Dan also founded an organization called 3GNY (Third Generation New York) to train descendants of survivors to provide Holocaust education to students in public and private schools. He has also worked for the Museum of Jewish Heritage and Artists 4 Israel. Dan is passionate about developing innovative pro-Israel education that changes the Jewish world.
Michael Mashbaum
LA Educator
"*" indicates required fields
Michael Mashbaum
Los Angeles Educator
Michael Mashbaum grew up in Baltimore, Md. where he attended a Jewish Day school and grew up in a traditionally observant household. Love of Israel and Zionism were instilled in him from an early age and this directly led to his decision to make aliyah and to enlist in the IDF.
Mashbaum served with distinction and ultimately spent 7 years living in Israel before deciding, with his wife, to return to the United States and begin a career in formal education. After completing a Masters degree in Education at Pepperdine University, Michael went on to spend 12 years teaching English in a public high school in the Los Angeles area.
He comes to Club Z with extensive educational experience, a deep love of Israel and intimate connection to the land and is excited to impart his knowledge of, and passion for Israel to the Club Z teens. He is married with two children and loves reading history, working out and spending time with his family.
Alexandra (Lexi) Brice
Development Associate
"*" indicates required fields
Alexandra Brice
Development Associate
Alexandra has held a number of development roles with Jewish nonprofits and has experience in donor relations, fundraising campaigns, event planning, operations and marketing. Most recently, she served as Development Associate for JARC Florida and, prior to that, was an Operations and Development Intern with the University of Florida Hillel. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Family, Youth and Community Services from the University of Florida. Alexandra recently relocated to New York City and is excited to make an impact within Club Z to support the future generation of Zionists.
Shabbos Kestenbaum is a student activist and the lead plaintiff against Harvard University, alleging pervasive and systemic antisemitism. He is a regular contributor on national media, has testified in front of the United States Congress multiple times, and lectures internationally on Jewish communal issues.
Shahar Azani is a veteran Israeli diplomat, passionate advocate for Israel and a frequent contributor to various media outlets focusing on Israel, Jewish issues and the Middle East.
Rawan Osman is a Syrian-Lebanese/German activist advocating for peace with Israel. Rawan previously served on the executive committee at PeaceComms and as a speaker at SharakaNGO. Currently, she is studying Islamic and Jewish Studies at Heidelberg University and is the founder of ArabsAsk. Additionally, Osman serves as the Chairwoman of PostOctober7 e. V.
Colonel Richard Kemp was a British infantry commander who spent most of his life combating terrorism and insurgency in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans and Northern Ireland, where he was wounded in a terrorist attack. His name appeared on an Al Qaida kill list in 2013.
Dalia Ziada is an Egyptian award-winning writer, peace activist, and political analyst specializing in governance, geopolitics, and defense policy in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. She has been globally recognized for her leading role as a civil rights activist in the Arab Spring revolutions of 2010-2011 and for her uncommon stance as an Arab Muslim intellectual in support of Israel’s war against Hamas in 2023.