Naomi Sage Named New Director of JCC Harlem

"JCC Harlem has been a second home for my family. Developing and leading community in Harlem has been the joy of my life."

— Naomi Sage

May 8, 2023

Naomi Sage becomes the next director of JCC Harlem this month, after serving as a founding member of JCC Harlem’s Advisory Board since 2017. "When JCC Harlem opened its doors six years ago, I jumped at the opportunity to get involved, and became a founding member of the Advisory Board," shares Naomi. "JCC Harlem has been a second home for my family. Developing and leading community in Harlem has been the joy of my life, and I am thrilled to dive deeper into this endeavor through leadership of JCC Harlem."

Naomi Sage has spent her professional career working in Jewish community leadership. She has developed and led cross-cultural teams and programs in over 15 countries, and has a demonstrated track record of creating dynamic and impactful programs for diverse stakeholders; volunteer and community leadership; and the ability to connect people and inspire action and involvement. Naomi spent 16 years at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), where she was on the founding leadership team for JDC Entwine, an intrapreneurial effort within the world’s largest Jewish humanitarian agency that engages countless young Jews with global Jewish responsibility and activism. Her work at JDC took her to diverse communities across the world, from the former Soviet Union to Africa, Israel, and Latin America, an experience which informs her understanding of both Jewish and global diversity.

A Harlem resident for over a decade, Naomi has been deeply involved in community leadership. In December 2021, she and her husband, Sage Ramadge, founded Embrace Harlem, a nonprofit dedicated to building open, inclusive, family-centered Jewish community. In its first year, Embrace Harlem engaged 1,300-plus neighbors in Jewish community life. At home, Naomi and Sage are raising their three children, ages 9, 7, and (almost) 5, to learn about their multi-racial Asian American identity alongside Jewish history, culture, and tradition. Naomi graduated cum laude from Cornell University with a degree in Near Eastern studies, and she earned an MPA in nonprofit management from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.

"We are beyond excited to welcome Naomi as the director of JCC Harlem," says Rabbi Joanna Samuels, CEO of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. "Naomi's depth of experience in fostering diverse Jewish life, coupled with her dedication to the Harlem community, will allow her to lead with wisdom and passion. The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan and our partners, UJA-Federation of NY, are filled with optimism for the future of JCC Harlem."

"The JCC Harlem Advisory Board is thrilled to welcome Naomi as the new organizational director," shares Meredith Grossman, chair of the JCC Harlem Advisory Board. “Naomi is a fellow Harlem parent, community member, and advocate for inclusive Jewish life, and in my experience on the hiring committee, I was deeply impressed and inspired by her vision for a Jewish space that works for everyone. We are excited for all to come!”

JCC Harlem, which opened in 2017, is a community space on West 118th Street that is welcome to all. An initiative of Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, in collaboration with UJA-Federation of NY, JCC Harlem creates unique and diverse access points to Jewish and communal life for members of the community. It is both intentionally Jewish and committed to facilitating experiences between those who identify Jewishly and those who identify otherwise—in service of connecting, growing, and learning within an ever-changing Jewish landscape.

Naomi will be responsible for the day-to-day strategy and management of JCC Harlem, setting the overall direction for the depth and breadth of programs and partnerships. As the Jewish community's most visible Harlem Jewish address, JCC Harlem will continue to be at the forefront of engagement and partnership in areas of social justice, wellness, civic, and community engagement.

The JCC Harlem staff includes Dylan Goodman, director of engagement, and Eric Hayes, director of operations + programs, who led the organization during its transition as interim co-directors; Emily Rouch, rentals coordinator; and Lenora Sharpe, children + family programs coordinator. 

This winter, JCC Harlem also welcomed Rabbi Mira Rivera as its first-ever rabbi-in-residence, and she has since been leading monthly Shabbat services that are open to all. Rabbi Mira is the first Filipina-American rabbi to receive ordination from the Jewish Theological Society. Her career has been focused on the Jews of Color community, as well as the Harlem community. She received the Rabbinical Excellence Award from Harlem’s District 9 for her work in building a sukkah on the grounds of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, the “Be Not Afraid Church” in West Harlem. She also teaches nationally as rabbi-in-residence for the LUNAR Collective, an organization by and for Asian American Jews

For more information on the JCC Harlem team and upcoming events, visit jccharlem.org.

Written by Lauren Magy. Lauren is the Director of Public Relations + Community Engagement at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. She has worked at theater and cultural institutions in DC and NY for the past decade.