Ari Rosenblum

CEO
 

Ari Rosenblum is the Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Rockland County. A native of Toronto, Canada, Ari has served in executive and leadership positions at major not for profit organizations in Toronto, Ottawa and New York.
 

At the University of Toronto, he began a lifelong passion for activism, eventually rising to the national executive of the North American Jewish Students Network. After more than seven years in investment management, research and corporate finance, Ari moved into the Jewish non-profit world, working since 2001 in senior advocacy, communications, operations, marketing and development roles for local and national Federations and organizations. As a lifelong learner, Ari has pursued and completed additional qualifications in executive leadership, communications and impact investing at the Said Business School at Oxford University, The University of Cambridge Centre for Sustainability Leadership, and the Stern School of Business at New York University.
 

Ari has led hundreds of program participants on missions to Israel, with a focus on advocacy training, history, and strategic engagement. He successfully guided growing annual and legacy giving campaigns as Director of Development at the Jewish Federation of Ottawa and the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation. Since moving to the US in 2017, he has worked as VP Development for CHB, one of the country’s largest campus Chabad operations, and as CEO of renowned campus advocacy organization Hasbara Fellowships.
 

Ari was appointed in 2023 to the Hudson Valley Hate and Bias Prevention Council of New York State’s Division of Human Rights, and in 2024 to the Rockland County Human Rights Commission. He has been a regional Board member of Canadian Jewish Congress, a consultant for Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Advocacy, and a lecturer, campaign volunteer, and lay program coordinator for CJPAC. He's familiar with the halls and offices of Parliament Hill, Capitol Hill, and the White House. Ari is a contributor at the Times Of Israel, and has written for several publications and web journals.
 

In 2025 Ari conceived and created the AmHasefer.org project, elevating and platforming the voices and work of Jewish & Zionist authors in the face of boycott, silencing and discrimination in mainstream literary spaces.
 

Ari has been an active education committee member, fundraising committee member, CSS security volunteer, lecturer, Torah reader and Baal Tefila in congregations from Thornhill, ON to Riverdale, NY. For 12 years, he served as spiritual leader for Beth Ezekiel, a small synagogue and community in Owen Sound, Ontario. Ari is a proud father of five. He lives in Teaneck, NJ with his wife Michelle and their young daughter.

Ethan Erlich

Director of Security

Ethan Erlich is the Director of Security at Federation's Rockland Community Security Initiative. Since joining the Federation, Ethan has developed vital relationships with community leaders, synagogue, school, and camp administrators, local government and law enforcement, and security experts serving Jewish communities around the country. 

Ethan served 21 years in the NYPD, including over 11 years as a senior team member in the Emergency Service Unit.  He has responded to emergencies at every scale and has top-level training and experience in special weapons and tactics, technical rescue, team tactics/close quarters battle, active shooter response, dignitary protection, site security, surveillance/counter-surveillance, maritime tactical operations, and WMD/suicide bomber detection and prevention. Ethan has multiple certifications from NYS DCJS and others to instruct police, security, and civilian courses.  

Prior to joining the Jewish Federation of Rockland County, Ethan led a security consulting and training firm specializing in private and religious institutions.

Cantor Barry Kanarek

Director of Operations

Barry Kanarek is responsible for internal operations at Federation. He also runs the Federation Midreshet Jewish adult education program and coordinates initiatives such as PJ Library and the annual Yom Hazikaron commemoration.

Barry has served in various capacities at Federation since 2012, including spearheading the Rockland Jewish Initiative, Life and Legacy, PJ Library and Rockland and Jewish programs. He has also been the cantor at Congregation Shir Shalom in Rockland since 2005.