leadership
Since its founding, AJE has been a true partnership between lay and professional leaders. As a diverse group focused on one mission, AJE leadership’s wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives helps foster our open-minded and creative attitude towards achieving our goals.
Mark Nordlicht, Founder
Mark Nordlicht is the founder and chairman of Affordable Jewish Education Project. Over the past several years, Mark has focused on the growing problem of tuition affordability in Jewish day schools and spends countless hours outside of his professional commitments working tirelessly to make Jewish education affordable to every child through his work at AJE. He encourages and looks forward to welcoming other community leaders to join the cause.
Mark is also the treasurer of American Friends of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva, an organization dedicated to supporting quality Jewish education in a network of more than seventy schools throughout Israel.
In addition, Mark is an executive producer of Best Kept Secret, a documentary film highlighting the struggles of families caring for children with autism as they transition to young adulthood. Mark is also an executive producer of Watchers of The Sky, a new documentary from award winning filmmaker Edet Belzberg. The film examines genocide throughout the ages and offers real examples of how the cycle of violence can be broken and future mass atrocities avoided.
Mark is also the founder and Chief Investment Officer of Platinum Partners, an investment firm based in New York.
Mark and his wife Dahlia live in New Rochelle, NY with their six children.
Jeff Kiderman, Executive Director
Jeff Kiderman joined Mark Nordlicht in creating AJE in 2011, assuming the role of its Executive Director. In this role Jeff has been involved in all of AJE’s operations and initiatives, playing an integral role in the creation and development of several new schools. Prior to joining AJE, Jeff was a digital marketing consultant, helping Fortune 500 companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Fidelity Investments better develop personally tailored online experiences for each of their customers.
Jeff attended the University of Pennsylvania, receiving Bachelors of Science degrees in Management and Computer Science from the Wharton School and the
School of Engineering & Applied Science, respectively. He is also currently pursuing a Masters in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.
While learning about and experiencing the power of innovation in the corporate world, Jeff realized that education was one of the few industries that had not yet been significantly impacted by technology. That realization, together with his passion for Jewish education, led him to join in the creation of AJE.
Jeff and his wife Miryam live in New York, NY.
Rabbi Avraham Sacks, Chief Academic Officer
Rabbi Avraham Sacks is an experienced and technologically savvy educator with 20 years of Jewish educational experience. He most recently served as the Principal and Director of Education at the Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh from 2009-2012, where he oversaw PreNursery-12th Grade and a staff of 70 employees.
Prior to that he served as Assistant Headmaster at Ramaz Lower School from 2005-2009. Rabbi Sacks originally started at Ramaz Lower School in 1996 and became Director of Educational Programs.
He later moved to the Ramaz Middle School where he taught Talmud and was the Director of Co-Curricular Educational Programs, before ultimately being promoted to Assistant Headmaster of the Ramaz Lower School. Prior to joining Ramaz, Rabbi Sacks was a teacher of Talmud, Mishna and Preschool music at Manhattan Day School in 1993, where he began his educational career.
Rabbi Sacks attended Yeshiva University, where he received both Smicha from RIETS and a Master’s Degree in Education and Administration.