Stroum Center Staff

Aliyah Vinikoor, Associate Director, Division 3, Jackson School

Aliyah joined the Stroum Center in 2024, coming from the UW School of Social Work, where she served as assistant director of the Master of Social Work program for seven years.

She previously worked as a mental health counselor at Jewish Family Services Seattle, a program manager for student activities at UW Bothell and an associate dean of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. Also in New York, she worked as director of emergency housing at a center for LGBTQ+ homeless youth and program director of a school-based program serving trauma survivors.

Aliyah holds a master’s degree in social work from Hunter College and a bachelor’s degree in history from Barnard College. She grew up in Seattle deeply rooted in the city’s Jewish communities, and her family has contributed to the Stroum Center’s Sephardic archives. She looks forward to working with Stroum Center students, faculty, staff and community supporters – and fostering deep connections between them.

Email address: aliyahv@uw.edu

Gina Werdel, Program Operations Specialist, Division 3, Jackson School

Email address: gw1197@uw.edu

Jason Groves, Jewish Studies Undergraduate Engagement Coordinator

Email address: jagroves@uw.edu