Gen Silent

Rabbi Andrew Kaplan Mandel joined Central Synagogue full-time in 2023 after serving as the spiritual leader of The Neighborhood, our worldwide online community, as an intern for two years.

Raised in Rockland County, New York, Andrew earned his bachelor's degree in American history and literature at Harvard College, his master's degree in educational technology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and his doctorate in adult learning and leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University.  Andrew began his career as a seventh-grade English teacher in South Texas and then spent 16 years designing the national leadership programming at Teach For America. In 2014, he co-founded Strong East Ramapo, a volunteer advocacy organization addressing educational inequity in his hometown.

Tom Warner has been an activist and advocate for LGBTQ rights for over 45 years, and helped to found and was active in several LGBTQ community groups over that time. He is best known as an organizer and spokesperson of the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Ontario from 1975 to 2009, during which time he was a leader of political action campaigns to have sexual orientation included as a prohibited ground of discrimination in the Ontario Human Rights Code and to have Ontario laws amended to extend legal recognition to same-sex spousal relationships. Tom's public service includes having served as a Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (1993 – 1996) and from 2005 to 2013 on the Board of Directors of Canadian Blood Services (serving as Vice Chair of the Board from 2009 – 2013).

Cindy has lived in Miami-Dade County almost her entire life. A Florida native, she moved here when she was just two years old. She graduated from Miami-Dade College with a music education degree, and University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminology. UM also awarded her a graduate fellowship to study sociology. To round out her Miami pedigree, she even once sang in the chorus of Carmen at the Miami Grand Opera (now Florida Grand Opera). The following year she graduated from Leadership Miami. Cindy’s public service work began in 1992 when she helped organize the Miami AIDS Walk and the White Party for Care Resource/Health Crisis Network, where she eventually became assistant director for development. She worked also as a program officer for the United Foundation for AIDS; managing director of the Miami Light Project; executive director of the MDGLCC Foundation/LGBT Visitor Center; executive director of the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, and is currently with Jewish Community Services running the Lambda Living Program for LGBT Seniors.