Our Team

Manashe Khaimov

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Manashe Khaimov is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SAMi which focuses on the Leadership Development of under-served Jewish communities on college campuses and in their communities in North America. Manashe is a fourth-generation community organizer, serial entrepreneur, and social innovator who builds and consults organizations on Jewish diversity. Manashe is an Adjunct Professor in Jewish Studies, with a specialty in the History and Culture of the Central Asian Jews at Queens College. Manashe is the founder of the Bukharian Jewish Union, he sits on the National Sephardi Advisory Committee at JIMENA. In his previous role as a Director of Community Engagement and Development at Queens College Hillel, he focused on creating Sepharadi and Mizrahi Leadership at five CUNY Hillel campuses. Manashe sat on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee at Hillel International and served as a facilitator of the Mizrahi and Sephardi Hillel Professionals resource group. In 2022 Manashe received “Person Of The Year 2020-2021” the highest award and recognition in the Bukharian Community in the USA and Canada. In 2021 Manashe was appointed by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz as a member of the Jewish Advisory Council. In 2015, the Jewish Week named Manashe one of the 36 under 36 changemakers in Jewish life. In 2016, the TimesLedger Newspaper's named Manashe one of the borough’s unsung heroes who inspired youngsters to reach their full potential, and was awarded Queen's Impact Award and he is an alumnus of the Nahum Goldmann Fellowship for International Jewish Visionary Leaders, and Alumnus of Ruskay Fellowship.

Yonatan Rahman

National Rabbinical Fellow

Jonathan Rahmani is a Rabbinical Student. He was the Senior Associate at the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life, where he oversaw Jewish Leadership on campus and global initiatives across NYU's international sites. In addition he was a Springboard Innovation Fellow at CUNY Queens College Hillel. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University, and a proud alumnus of the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators in Jerusalem, Israel.

You can contact me at: yonatan@samiglobal.org

Shirly Shenas

Outreach Coordinator

My name is Shirly, and I'm a recent graduate with a bachelors in economics from Queens College. I was born in Israel, and raised in New York to a Persian family. I've been a part of SAMi through their Leadership Institute program, and have fallen in love with their mission ever since. While at Queens College I served as Vice president of the Persian club on campus and was a fellow of the JFEW program. I am looking forward to building the Jewish community around the country with all of you.

You can contact me at: shirly@samiglobal.org

Daniel Yentin

Website Designer

Hi, my name is Daniel Yentin and I am student at Hunter College in New York City, currently studying to get my Bachelors degree in Computer Science. I specialize in all things computers and help design, create, and maintain this very website!

You can contact me at: daniel@samiglobal.org

Steven Shoykhet

Media and Social Engagement Intern

Hello, my name is Steven Shoykhet, I’m currently a student at SUNY Albany studying to get a bachelor’s degree in business. I’ve spent most of my youth participating in and organizing events run by other organizations like Kings Bay Y, JCH, and iMishpacha so SAMi was the perfect fit. I’m ready to continue spreading education and building up our Jewish community wherever I can.

You can contact me at: steven@samiglobal.org

Jeremy Miller

Data and Marketing Intern

Hey, my name is Jeremy and I am pursuing a bachelor's degree in business administration at Binghamton University. I grew up in Westchester NY and now live in sunny Delray Beach FL. I am excited to be joining the SAMI team in order to promote Judaism throughout Universities around the country and help get young leaders involved. In my free time, I love to play tennis and travel.

You can contact me at: jeremy@samiglobal.org

Sara Yusupov

Regional Coordinator

SAMi San Diego

I am Sara.

I'm from San Diego, CA. I got involved with SAMi through the leadership course and was very interested in applying this knowledge in my community. I hope that SAMi will continue to make the great impact that it has! My favorite holiday is Passover.

Zack Zav

Regional Director

SAMi Philadelphia

I am Zack.
I am a Jewish activist from Philly and I became involved with SAMi because of their vision and initiative. Bringing more education and empowerment for Sephardi American Mizrahi Jews is something I truly believe in. I hope SAMi can provide unity, understanding, and knowledge for all Jews alike.

My favorite holiday is Chanukah 🕎 because the flickering lights remind us that we all have a flaming soul ready to inspire and light up the world