Our Team
Diaspora Discovery was born of the unique and diverse experiences of its founders in traveling the world, and living diverse and varied Jewish experiences in the communities we encountered and joined.
It is from these experiences, and the deep and valued connections they made with their extended Jewish family, that they realized the great value in sharing such opportunities and experiences with others.
They have drawn together others across Am Yisrael with similar stories to continue to Build Bridges of Global Judaism.
Board of Directors
Executive Director and Co-Founder
David A. Epstein
Growing up in the Jewish community of the New York City suburbs, David experienced Judaism in a variety of ways. Serendipity would bring David to serve as an English teacher in Buenos Aires, Argentina at a firm with strong ties to the local, orthodox Jewish community where he was warmly welcomed despite being so far from home, family, and friends.
This experience was repeated time and time again during his legal studies in New York City, and later throughout his life as his diplomatic career brought him into contact with the Jewish communities in Miami, Florida; San Salvador, El Salvador; Jerusalem, Israel; Washington, D.C.; Sofia, Bulgaria; and Colorado Springs, Colorado. David even enjoyed unique Jewish experiences in Kabul, Afghanistan where he had the opportunity to meet Zabulon Simantov, the last Jew in Afghanistan.
David provided Mr. Simantov with Passover care packages from generous North American Jewish communities, and he served as a lay leader of the military and the civilian Jewish community for the U.S. Embassy and American military personnel.
Each of these experiences built an ever-larger sense of the global community of Am Yisrael, its welcoming warmth, and its inspiring diversity and resilience, which David is determined to share with the next generation.
Board Chairman and Co-Founder
Alex Behar
Alex is a seasoned technology entrepreneur with over fifteen years of experience in the cyber security and finance sectors. Having started his career in the Israeli defense sector, he went on to lead the cybersecurity operations of a large publicly traded security firm in New York, serving Fortune 100 and Homeland Security organizations in North and South America. Most recently, Alex was a co-founder and an original backer of JGive - the leading crowdfunding and donations platform for charities in Israel.
When not teaching at a local university in Sofia, Bulgaria Alex spends time with his wife and two daughters exploring the rich Jewish history and customs of the countries and communities they frequently visit. At home in Sofia, Alex is a board member of the Ronald S. Lauder Jewish School of Sofia, as well as an advisory board member of the organization of the Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom.”
Board of Advisors
Board of Advisors
Tamara Rosenthal
Tamara Rosenthal has close ties to Israel through her mother’s family and her many relatives who live there, giving her a lifelong connection to both Israeli and American culture. This dual identity has shaped her passion for cross-cultural understanding, creative collaboration, and community-building across borders - values she brings to her work with Diaspora Discovery. Deeply committed to strengthening the global Jewish community through storytelling and shared experience, Tamara bridges her personal heritage with her professional expertise to help foster meaningful connections between Israel and the wider diaspora.
As Vice President of Marketing at Taskrabbit, Tamara leads the company’s global marketing organization spanning growth, lifecycle, PR, communications, and content. A marketing strategist and digital transformation leader with over 20 years of experience, she has built and scaled data-driven marketing strategies for global brands and marketplaces including Taskrabbit, Sotheby’s, Ferragamo, Lacoste and others.
Tamara holds a B.A. in French Literature from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School with a concentration in marketing. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children, where they enjoy the city’s vibrant restaurant and theater scene, as well as skiing, baking, and spending time with family and friends both in New York, Israel, and around the world.
Board of Advisors
Andres Barcenas
Andres Barcenas brings the wealth of experience through his life story as a Jewish convert who has traveled the world and been part of Jewish communities on four continents. His journey to discover his Judaism began while serving as a Diplomatic Security Agent in Jerusalem and continued during overseas assignments in Europe, North and South America, and within the United States. He currently resides in Southern California where he is intimately tied to the local Jewish community, including his daughter's Jewish Day School, and is deeply enmeshed in the Mexican American & Mexican cultures of his family and heritage.
This background, and the rich tapestry of perspective it provides, helps inform the inclusive outreach Diaspora Discovery seeks in its outreach and programming.
Board of Advisors
Sam Goldberg
Sam Goldberg is an engineer and lifelong musician from New Jersey’s modern Orthodox community. A descendant of Holocaust survivors, he was raised with a deep love for the United States and Israel, strengthening his connection through Jewish day school, family trips, and a formative bar mitzvah year mission to IDF bases and historic sites. He has performed in benefit concerts supporting organizations like Leket Israel and Hope for Heroes, and recorded an album funding a Leket Israel food truck. Travels across the U.S., South America, Europe, and Israel deepened his appreciation for the richness of Jewish life and the importance of community.
After earning his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science at UT Austin, Sam made Aliyah and now lives in Tel Aviv with an excitement to build in Israel.
