Executive Director Lynne Balaban

Lynne Balaban has served as the Executive Director of B'nai Aviv since 2016.  Previously, she was the Executive Director of Congregation Or VeShalom in Atlanta, GA.  Prior to life as a synagogue director she was the Director of the Kehillah of Old York Road and a senior professional in the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education (ACAJE).   Within these roles she served as the community liaison to the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia for over 15 congregations and Jewish organizations. Family Jewish education, community-wide celebrations, an Israel Festival, PJ Library and One Book One Jewish Community were just a few of the key projects under her direction. 

Prior to this she served as the Director of Development for the Jewish Day School in Rhode Island and Friends Academy in Massachusetts.  Lynne has also held senior non-profit management positions as the Director of Membership, Marketing and Strategic Planning at the Jewish Community Center in Rhode Island; as the Director of the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of Central Ohio; as the Membership Director of the Jewish Community Center of Columbus Ohio and as the Director of the Combined Federal Campaign for the United Way of Columbus Ohio.

Lynne graduated with a Masters in Jewish Communal Service and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management  from Gratz College in Philadelphia,  She also holds a Certificate in Fund-Raising from UCLA.

She currently serves on several boards and committees including in roles as Membership Co-Chair on the National Board of NAASE and treasurer of FASTA.

She can be reached at lynne@bnaiaviv.org or 954-384-8265.

Ritual Director Sol Hettena

Sol Hettena has served as Bnai Aviv's Baal Koreh (Torah Reader) since 2012 and has tutored numerous b’nai mitzvah students over the past 20 years. He has been our full-time Ritual Director since 2014.  He is an important addition to our team especially with the approach of the High Holy Days.

Prior to his affiliation with B’nai Aviv, Sol was a b’nai mitzvah tutor and teacher at several other Conservative congregations in South Florida: Beth David Congregation in Miami, The Scheck Family Religious School at Beth Torah Benny Rock Campus [BTBRC] in North Miami Beach, The Solomon Schechter Day School [now Hochberg Prep] at BTBRC, and Temple Sinai in Hollywood. At Temple Sinai he fulfilled a dual role as Education Director and Ritual Director. At Solomon Schechter, Sol taught the "three T’s": Torah, Tefilah, and trope to grades four through six and conducted daily Shacharit services for grades three through six. Sol led Shabbat Service for all grades at the Scheck Family Religious School and co-created, with the education director, a program called the "Trope Club”, which taught haftarah cantillation to gifted students as young as fourth graders; his students chanted the Haftarah on Shabbat, in the main sanctuary, when there was no Bnai Mitzvah.

Sol grew up in Far Rockaway and Woodmere, New York and was raised in a traditionally observant Jewish home. He attended Jewish day schools and yeshivas, spending two years of high school in Israel. He began his college career as a secondary education major but he graduated from the State University of New York in Oneonta with a dual major which resulted in a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Economics and Theatre. He served as president of The Murray Hill Synagogue in New York from 1996-1998 and was always involved in Jewish organizations in various roles.

After a successful twenty-one year career in New York as an Investment banker and money market trader, he took early retirement, relocated to Florida, and began to pursue his initial dream of teaching and working with children. To this end he earned a certificate in Jewish studies and began his second career in education. He has had success working with many "special needs" students and recognizes the individuality of each student. Consequently, he tailors his methods to each students' individual requirements to ensure their success. 

Sol can be reached at Sol@bnaiaviv.org or 954-384-8265.

Early Childhood Education Center Director Mindy Bernstein

Mindy has been working in the Early Childhood Program for over 20 years. Mindy has a B.A. in Elementary Education, Special Needs and a director’s credential including VPK from the State of Florida. Mindy’s formal education offers her a unique approach to early childhood education by allowing her to meet the educational and developmental needs of each child. Mindy enjoys making a difference in the lives of so many young children and their families. She feels so fortunate to be able to do what she loves by sharing her passion for early childhood education with everyone within the B’nai Aviv family.

Mindy can be reached at Mindy@bnaiaviv.org or 954-384-6605.

Facilities Director -Joe Castro

Joe is originally from New York, but he has lived in South Florida since 1995. Most recently he was the chief engineer at 1060 Brickell. In this capacity he was responsible for a team that managed a 2-tower condo consisting of 567 residential units, 16 commercial units and an 80,000 gallon pool.

In his spare time he enjoys working on his motorcycle and spending time with his wife and children. He has 7 children ranging in age from 3 to 30 years old.