People on the Move: ADL NE Names New Director, Residential Properties Taps Leonard
GoLocalProv Business Team
People on the Move: ADL NE Names New Director, Residential Properties Taps Leonard
GoLocal's People on the Move is an update on new hires and promotions across southern New England. If your organization has an announcement, email it to us at [email protected].
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ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) announced today the appointment of Rabbi Jonah Steinberg as Director of ADL’s New England Region. Steinberg will lead the fight against antisemitism and all forms of hate in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Jonah succeeds Robert Trestan as the Regional Director who has been serving ADL as its Western Division Vice President. During his nine-year tenure, Trestan was responsible for overseeing ADL’s community relations, advocacy initiatives and program delivery across the region, prioritizing developing community partnerships and initiatives that advocate for justice, equity and fair treatment for everyone. Peggy Shukur has served as Interim Regional Director since October 2022 and will remain as Deputy Regional Director.
Rabbi Steinberg comes to ADL after serving 12 years as the Director of Hillel at Harvard University. In that role, Steinberg transformed the organization into a leading Jewish voice, not just at Harvard, but throughout the community. He did so while facing unprecedented hostility toward Israel and the organized Jewish community on campus. Steinberg has been a bridge-builder and thought-leader, having stood up not only for the Jewish community, but for all members of marginalized communities.
Born in Canada and raised in Toronto and in Vienna, Austria, Rabbi Steinberg received his BA at Brown University and his MA, MPhil and PhD degrees at Columbia University. He has served as Visiting Instructor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, taught at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies of the American Jewish University, and headed the program in Rabbinic Literature and Civilization at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College before becoming Associate Dean of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College.
“Having grown up in Vienna, Austria, amid a cultural milieu of historic antisemitism, and having more recently experienced the demonization of Israel on campus, ADL’s vital mission of combatting antisemitism and securing just and fair treatment for all touches my roots and engages my commitment to fostering understanding, amity, and solidarity against hate and prejudice," said Rabbi Jonah Steinberg. "I am inspired by a great forerunner in this role, Lenny Zakim, of blessed memory, who, in a variation of Hillel's famous words, said, ‘If we don't speak up for ourselves, probably no one else will, but if we speak up only for ourselves then we are not complete.’ I am honored to lead the storied New England office and look forward to the work ahead."
“I am thrilled to welcome Rabbi Steinberg to our team and to entrust this region’s important work to his leadership,” said Doron Ezickson, Vice President of ADL’s East Division. “Jonah is not only a thoughtful and capable leader, but of equal importance, he is dedicated to ADL’s mission 'to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.’”
“We welcome Jonah's vision, leadership, experience and commitment to ADL New England at this crucial time as we act to confront the ever-present and ever-changing threat of antisemitism and hate through action, advocacy and allyship,” added Peggy Shukur, ADL New England Interim Regional Director.
Steinberg will work closely with the ADL New England Regional Board, chaired by Regional Board Chair Joe Berman.
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all. More at www.adl.org.
Residential Properties Ltd. announced that Sales Associate Cynthia Leonard has joined the talented team of agents at our South County office. Cynthia earned degrees in both zoology and German from the University of Rhode Island, as well as an MBA from Bryant University and additional education at Universität Salzburg in Austria. Her first job out of college was in genetic engineering for agricultural enhancement in Germany, before beginning what would become a long career in marketing and sales.
Houses and the human touch
An RI native, She grew up in Jamestown and on Providence’s East Side where she attended Lincoln School. She has also lived in South Kingstown, Narragansett, Warwick, and Cranston. Her first marketing role involved selling precision machined components and, later, medical imaging equipment. Following that, for 20 years she owned a professional printing and marketing services company in Providence, acting as the printer of choice for Residential Properties. She also worked with RPL on the sale of her family’s home and was impressed with the company’s professionalism.
Leonard later took on a position managing the office of a busy real estate agent, where her talents were further flexed. She discovered a love for the profession and flourished using her negotiation, writing, design, and technological skills. It was only later that she found a much deeper connection to the profession. “I had helped several widowers, one after another, sell their homes,” Leonard said. “Being a sudden widow myself, I intuitively understood their internal struggles and reacted with empathy, quiet understanding, patience, and kindness.”
Born leader and native Rhode Islander
When not spending time with her grown daughter, she enjoys all that Rhode Island has to offer, from fishing and golfing to gardening and paddleboarding. She is also an avid sailor and lifelong member of the Conanicut Yacht Club in Jamestown. An energetic, community-minded person, she devotes time to causes, including Lyme disease which has impacted her family. Her experience as a volunteer in her community is considerable with membership and leadership positions with RI Association of Marketing Professionals (board member and treasurer), Lincoln School (trustee and president Alumnae Association), Leadership Rhode Island (board member), Rotary Club of Providence (longtime member and president), and Family Service of Rhode Island (board president).
Her combination of marketing and sales smarts, empathy, and a love of community make Leonard an agent clients return to over and over again. She well knows the connection between changes in life and the need for a change in residence and wants clients to feel assured that she is in their corner. “I love problem solving – big and small,” Leonard said. “Real estate customers are under a great deal of stress, making big decisions with long-term ramifications; sometimes happy and sad all in the same minute. My job is to help families in transition as they navigate a difficult, but also joyous time in their lives.”
To learn more about, please visit CynthiaLeonard.ResidentialProperties.com.