Makela Members

Michael Braun is a bass from Silver Spring, MD. A recent graduate of the University of Maryland, Michael sang for four years with the oldest Jewish a cappella group on campus, Kol Sasson. By day he is a software engineer, and by night he can be found at any bar with a good dance floor. Michael was the winner of the 2005 Jeopardy! Teen Tournament in 2005

Jenny Cohen is a sassy soprano from San Mateo, CA. When she's not singing, she can probably be found either watching food-oriented TV or making a mess in the kitchen pretending to be on food-oriented TV.

Ariela Fleisig (Performance Coordinator) sings alto and is a recent Johns Hopkins graduate. An OC export, she’s been known to shamelessly sing along with her iPod in a wide variety of public places. When she manages to resist the urge to make music, she can be found feeding her inner news junkie and cracking corny jokes.

Natania Gazek (Business Manager) is a Vassar graduate originally from CA (and convinced she was born on the wrong coast). Though she sticks to the alto lines in Makela, Natania ventures into tenor territory whenever a 90's boy band song pops up on her iPod (this happens far more often than she should probably admit). Her non-musical interests include arts and crafts projects, crossword puzzles, just-trashy-enough television, bargain retail therapy, and kvelling about her younger sister.

Stu Levy is from New Jersey, but considers himself a Canadian at heart, having lived in Alberta in the early 2000s. If he is not curling or traveling to Iceland, Borneo, or Burning Man, you’ll probably find Stu kayaking on the Potomac River in the summertime, and marking GW student exams and papers at a random Dupont Circle café during the fall and spring semesters. Stu is also a co-founder of JAM (Jews and Muslims) DC, bringing together young professionals from both communities through cultural, educational and social events.

Noah Mamber sings tenor for Makela. This is Noah's third time living in DC, and this time he's in Petworth. Way back when, he sang for the Yale Spizzwinks (?), the second oldest a capella group in the nation, and did some chazanut and is excited to be performing again. He also enjoys watching Joss Whedon shows and deconstructing them, and good beer and music with friends.

Shelley Rood sings alto for Makela. Originally from Cleveland (O-H...I-O!), she works as a Legislative Assistant at the American Jewish Committee where she spends most of her time kibbitzing with Jews and Members of Congress (often Jewish Members of Congress) on current events, Israel, energy policy and other issues. Prior to discovering her passion for politics, Shelley's first love was, and still is, music. In college at the University of Miami (the one in FL not OH), she performed with the UM Frost School of Music's University Chorale under the direction of Jo-Michael Scheibe, and in high school, sang with the Cleveland Orchestra as a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. Apart from singing, she loves to play jazz on her alto-saxophone or classical music on her violin, viola or piano. When she is not lobbying Congress or singing with Makela, she can be found running in Rock Creek Park, watching/listening to public television/radio, or prepping for her first bar fight with her boxing coach.

Deborah Sager (Musical Director) is a DC area native. (Yes. They do exist.) She sings soprano (most of the time) and recently moved down from the Boston area. Up there, she sang Jewish a cappella with the group Honorable Menschen. When not singing, she extols the virtues of the Red Sox and Nationals - which takes a little extra effort - and feeds her cat.

Jenni Stoff is originally from Columbus, Ohio, which makes her eminently loveable. She’s a peacemaker at heart, which has influenced her professional career in human rights and social equity policy (for DC government, on the Hill, and with nonprofit organizations), and personal passion for issues involving diversity and multiculturalism. You will find Jenni frequently attempting the following activities: finding the coolest new Logan Circle hangout for a glass of wine with friends, being a perpetual (though not yet successful) Yente, gazing at Whole Foods produce displays, speaking remedial Spanish, perfecting her downward dog, making an effort to finish lots of halfway-through books, and attempting to stay on key for the sake of her fellow Makela singers.

Dani Tor (President) is originally from the DC metro area and has returned here after finishing his undergraduate degree at Boston University. Dani has been working in finance for a firm in McLean for the last 3 years and he currently lives in Silver Spring. Dani is a great addition to our group singing Baritone and adding his vocal percussion wherever he can. Last winter, Dani got married to to his wife Adina.

Bio still to come for:
Joel Singerman
Noah Drill

Special thanks and well wishes to all our former members:
Karin Shmueli, Danny Kaplow, Josh Langer, Kelly Rubin, Sara Sirota, Jon Wood, Jerry Marzouk, Tsvi Aranoff, Megan Brudney, Ben Rotenberg (9/00- 8/01), Julie Becker (3/01 - 8/01), Alisa Abrams (9/01-2/04), Ilana Fisher (9/01 - 10/03), Jesse Grauman (9/01 - 10/03), David Barak (9/01 - 10/03), Juliet Friedman (11/99 - 8/04), Evonne Marzouk (2/99 - 8/04), Steve Sax (2/99 - 11/04), Dan Davidson (2/99 - 12/04), Jay Wolman (10/03 - 2/06), Esther Oakley (10/03 - 6/04), Rachel Millstein (3/04 - 8/05), Jesse Mendelson (3/04 - 6/04), Naomi Silberg (6/04 - 8/04), Robert Tanenbaum (7/04 - 9/04), Debbie Shapiro (8/04 - 8/07), Naomi Korb (12/04 - 7/05), Daniel Garcia-Pedrosa (2/05 - 8/06), Aviva Braun (2/05 - 6/05), Stephanie Green (7/05 - 1/06), Laura Marlin (9/05 - 2/06), Shannon Sarna (9/05 - 11/05), Miriam Gardin (11/05 - 1/06), Rebecca Israel (11/05 - 8/06), Eric Seader (3/06 - 9/07), Daria Gelman (7/06 - 10/07), Allison Talansky (Zmirnotes – 6/08), Ray Kuo (3/06 – 6/08), Hannah Druckman (10/07 – 6/08), Elisabeth Stein (2/06 – 7/08), Josh Neiderman (8/08-7/09).