JRB Board Welcomes Three New Trustees

The JRB Board welcomed three new Trustees at its March 2024 meeting: Seth Horowitz, Esq., representing the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism; Rabbi Jonathan Medows, CPA, representing the Rabbinical Assembly; and Ms. Clare Peters, representing the Jewish Theological Seminary. Their three-year appointments began on January 1, 2024.

Introducing the new Trustees, Board Chair Rabbi Felipe Goodman commented that the Board looks forward to the fresh perspective the new Trustees will provide. “People working in the Conservative Movement today face new challenges and have new opportunities. Clare, Seth and Jonathan will add their expertise to help build financial independence and retirement security for Movement employees.”

Seth Horowitz is a member of Temple Israel of Great Neck and the chair or a member of various committees of the kehilla. He was previously an Officer and a Trustee. Seth is also a proud graduate of Temple Israel’s Beth HaGan nursery school, Religious School and Hebrew High School.

Seth is on the Board of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism where, among other things, he chairs the Investment Committee. Seth is also on the Board of the United Synagogue Supporting Foundation.

Seth is the principal of Seth Horowitz, PLLC, a law practice dedicated to helping individuals and companies achieve their goals at a reasonable cost. Seth started the practice following fifteen years as in-house counsel in the software industry and ten years of other in-house and private firm practice.

Seth has a J.D. from Columbia Law School and an A.B. from Harvard College.

Rabbi Jonathan Medows, CPA is the Managing Member of MEDOWS CPA. He received his Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude in economics and accounting and his MBA in finance from the Stern School of Business, New York University. He is a Certified Public Accountant in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Jonathan has also worked as a staff accountant for Arthur Andersen and as a Senior Consultant in the Restructuring Group of KPMG. Rabbi Medows has been featured as an expert CPA in The New York Post, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Accounting Today, Forbes taxation blog and other publications.

Jonathan’s interests and education go far beyond accounting and taxes. Jonathan also holds a Master of Arts in Judaic Studies and, although he decided to pursue accounting over a rabbinical career, Jonathan received his Rabbinic diploma from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Ms. Clare Peters is Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance for the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). She leads the business functions at JTS and oversees the areas of human resources, finance, facilities management, information technology and legal affairs. She advises the chancellor on strategic and business-related initiatives, aligning operational and financial structures and processes with the institution’s priorities and the realization of its mission.

Prior to joining JTS in 2020, Clare held a variety of roles at the intersection of business strategy and execution with a focus on growing and transforming organizations. Previous professional experience includes corporate development and strategy positions in the book publishing industry at Random House and The Perseus Books Group and, more recently, corporate development and chief operating officer roles at Axel Johnson, Inc., a family-run direct investment company that owns and operates a diverse portfolio of businesses.

Outside of work, Clare has long been interested in mission-driven organizations and contributes her time to a number of nonprofits. She is a current board member for the Natural Areas Conservancy and president of the Harvard Business School Club of New York. Formerly, she served as a board member for Art Connects New York and a board member, co-vice president, and pro bono consultant for the Social Enterprise division of the Harvard Business School Club of New York.

She earned both a BA and an MBA from Harvard University.

April 2024