Ann Pava, President of Micah Philanthropies, is an activist, philanthropist, and community builder whose work is guided by the Jewish values expressed by the prophet Micah: “to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Known for her collaborative leadership style, Ann brings people together to address challenges and create meaningful solutions. She is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of Jewish women leaders and believes that “a good leader replaces herself with someone even better.”
Ann currently serves as the inaugural chair of the Community Relations Committee of the Public Affairs Department at the Jewish Federations of North America. She is a past chair of Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, past chair of National Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federations of North America, past co-chair of JFNA’s Community and Jewish Life Committee, and past chair of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts. She was also the founding chair of the Hebrew High School of New England, the first Jewish high school built between New York and Boston.
Together with her husband Jeremy, Ann is a PJ Library Alliance Partner, co-founded the Jewish Free Loan of Greater Hartford, and co-chaired the Jewish Federations of North America’s 2021 General Assembly. They are recipients of the ADL Torch of Liberty Award.
Ann received the JFNA Kipnes-Wilson/Friedland Award for outstanding women philanthropists and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s Lay Leadership Award for Excellence in Jewish Education.
Ann and Jeremy enjoy spending time with their three married children and nine grandchildren. She is an avid reader of fiction and loves cooking for family and friends.
Jeremy Pava, Chairman of Micah Philanthropies, is a businessman, communal leader, and philanthropist. In all facets of his life, Jeremy strives to embody the core values and aspirations of Judaism that he learned from his parents Samuel and Beverly Pava – treating everyone with respect and dignity, working to improve the world, and serving humanity and G-d with humility. In partnership with his wife, Ann, their philanthropy has focused on supporting effective organizations and programs which make the timeless teachings and practices of traditional Judaism more relevant and accessible and foster more meaningful Jewish living.
Partnership and hands-on involvement have been the hallmarks of Jeremy’s success. He approaches all of his initiatives and projects with a mix of optimism, pragmatism, and realistic idealism, embracing all constructive approaches to advance goals and meet challenges. Jeremy believes that everyone has a responsibility to make this a better community/country/world than we received. He takes on this task with boundless energy, integrity, and a deep commitment to excellence and professionalism. He is especially grateful to his professional and philanthropic mentor, Harold Grinspoon for his guidance, advice, and friendship.
Jeremy is a partner at Aspen Square Management, Inc. a national real estate investment and management firm owning over 14,000 apartment units nationwide. Jeremy has been with Aspen Square for over 40 years since graduating Brandeis University with a B.A. in Economics in 1984, Magna cum Laude. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Together with his wife Ann, they are PJ Library Alliance Partners, recipients of the ADL Torch of Liberty Award, were recognized by Ohr Torah Stone as a “chaver” and “chavera” for their outstanding community leadership and are founders and sustainers of the Hebrew High School of New England (now known as the New England Jewish Academy). Jeremy is also a founding trustee of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and has served on the board for over 30 years.
Jeremy cherishes time with his wife Ann, their three married children and spouses, and especially their eight grandchildren. He is an avid and competitive swimmer and is an enthusiastic New England sports fan!
Dear friends,
Living a life consistent with the covenantal ideal of improving the world through a relationship and partnership with G-d has been a generational project of Judaism.
Learning, debating, and interpreting the Torah and applying its teachings to daily living has sustained the Jewish people and contributed more broadly to the advancement of all civilization.
We are inspired by our mentor Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, who teaches that the concept of the infinite value, equality and uniqueness of all people has its origin in the Torah’s teaching that we are all created in the image of G-d. This core concept forms the foundation of just, compassionate societies which afford equal rights and opportunities to all citizens.
We founded Micah Philanthropies because we believe that, now more than ever, Jewish values and practice grounded in tradition can contribute to making each of our lives more meaningful and transform society for the better.
We invite you to learn with us, teach us, and join us on this journey.
With gratitude,
Ann and Jeremy
Deena K. Fuchs is the inaugural Executive Director of Micah Philanthropies. A seasoned philanthropic and non-profit professional, Deena works in partnership with Ann and Jeremy Pava, Trustees of Micah Philanthropies, to develop and implement the foundation’s grantmaking and field-building strategies.
Deena takes an adaptive, collaborative and solutions-oriented approach to her work, joining grantee-partners in crafting organizational strategy, program design, and knowledge sharing. Her commitments to Jewish wisdom, tradition, and innovation, along with her devotion to the Jewish people, guide her as she seeks out authentic and creative frameworks, strategies, and partners to help shape the Jewish future.
Deena comes to Micah with more than 20 years of experience working in the Jewish philanthropic community, most recently as Executive Vice President at the Jewish Funders Network where she worked to grow and transform the organization into a catalyst for partnerships and coalitions in the Jewish world. Prior to her work at JFN, Deena served as Senior Director of Strategy and Partnerships for The AVI CHAI Foundation, leading the Foundation’s partnership strategy, thought leadership program, and the Foundation’s strategy related to its 2020 sunset.
Deena enjoys spending as much time as possible with her husband Robert and their four children. She thrives on daily walks, culinary adventures, and good books.
Ruthie Braffman Shulman is the Director of Torah Leadership Placement & Support at Micah Philanthropies where she focuses on developing and supporting women in Torah Leadership positions in Orthodox synagogues and the greater Modern Orthodox community. Ruthie has been passionate about the importance of women’s roles in Torah Leadership positions since her days as a Congregational Intern at the Hebrew Institute of White Plains while studying Talmud and Halacha in Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program for Advanced Talmudic Studies for Women (GPATS). Drawing on her wide range of professional experiences and excited about the historic opportunity to strengthen communities’ commitment to Ahavas Hashem and Talmud Torah, Ruthie has a forward-looking approach to problem solving and supports both women and Synagogues in developing pathways to successful community engagement.
Ruthie spent more than a decade working in Torah Leadership positions across a range of demographics and communities, including serving as an OU-JLIC campus educator at the University of Pennsylvania, founder of the OU-JLIC program at Drexel University, Director of Education at Manhattan Jewish Experience (MJE), Director of Education and Engagement at United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston and she is currently the Yoetzet Halacha and Community Scholar at Young Israel of West Hartford Connecticut.
In addition to earning an M.A. in Talmud at GPATS, Ruthie studied in Sha’alvim for Woman and Yeshiva University’s Stern College. She is certified as a Yoetzet Halacha by Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Yoatzot Halacha Fellows Program and was a member of the inaugural cohort of Devorah Scholars.
Chloe Levinson is a Program Officer at Micah Philanthropies, where she works with the Foundation’s leadership to shape and carry out grantmaking strategies that strengthen Jewish learning, community, and values-driven impact.
Chloe believes that strong relationships and shared learning drive meaningful change. She works alongside grantees to explore ideas, refine programs, and grow impact together. Her work is guided by a love of Jewish learning and a commitment to helping communities flourish with creativity, purpose, and care.
Before joining Micah Philanthropies, Chloe served as Senior Program Officer at the Claims Conference, managing a multi-country grant portfolio in Holocaust education and research. She oversaw compliance, led site visits, and worked side by side with institutions to improve impact and sustainability.
Chloe holds an MPA in Management from NYU’s Wagner School and an MA in Hebrew & Judaic Studies from NYU. She earned a BS in Marketing from Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business.
Outside of work, Chloe loves traveling with her husband, trying new recipes in the kitchen, and reading a good book.
Michael Trapunsky is a Program Associate at Micah Philanthropies, where he works closely with the Foundation’s Executive Director in managing the day-to-day operations and in supporting a wide array of grantmaking strategies.
Before joining Micah Philanthropies, Michael served as a Programs and Grants Manager for two Jewish Non-Profit foundations over the course of 22 years where he oversaw day school programs, communications, database and website infrastructure as well as various research projects. Before that, Michael worked in the IT field for eight years as a help desk technician and database administrator.
In his free time, Michael enjoys cooking, reading and researching his family’s genealogy.
A native of Toronto, Canada, Michael currently lives on Long Island with his wife and five children.
