Teaming Up Against Hate: Jewish Representation in Sports

Dan Grunfeld is a former professional basketball player, an accomplished writer, and a proud graduate of Stanford University. An Academic All-American and All-Conference basketball selection at Stanford, Dan played professionally for eight seasons in top leagues around the world, including in Germany, Spain, and Israel. Dan is the author of the critically acclaimed book, By the Grace of the Game, and his writing has been published more than 40 times in media outlets such as Sports Illustrated, The Jerusalem Post, and NBC News. Dan earned his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2017 and lives with his wife and sons in Northern Virginia, where he works in venture capital.

Ryan Lavarnway is proof that resilience, adaptability, and determination can lead to incredible success – no matter the odds.

As someone who’s been added to and removed from Major League Baseball rosters more than anyone else in history, Ryan’s story isn’t just about success—it highlights the power of perseverance. Overcoming every obstacle, he built an impressive 10-year MLB career as a catcher, became a World Series Champion, and competed as an Olympian.

Ryan now brings his winning mindset beyond the diamond as a speaker and mentor, inspiring teams and individuals to unlock their potential through adaptability, resilience, and self-belief.

Tara Levine is the President of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, responsible for leading and scaling the organization’s efforts to stand up to Jewish hate and all hate. In this role, she leverages her 20+ years of experience guiding global consumer brands through growth inflection points and engaging consumers’ hearts and minds. She served as GM, North America and Vice President at Converse, a subsidiary of Nike, and as Chief Growth Officer of Inari. She held multiple leadership roles at Ocean Spray, including Vice President of Strategy and M&A, as well as Managing Director of Ocean Spray’s Europe/Middle East/Africa business based in London. Levine also oversaw numerous brands at P&G/Gillette. Levine has also worked in the nonprofit space in several leadership roles, having served as the founding Director of Research and Advisory Services at Catalyst, a think tank advancing women in business, creating their consulting business, and writing the book “Creating Women’s Networks.” She also serves as a board member for the International Women’s Forum of Massachusetts. She holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Brown University and resides in Boston.

Ari Ackerman is a successful serial entrepreneur, proud philanthropist, and Jewish activist.  His entrepreneurial history includes being the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bunk1.com, the enormously popular technology company that allows parents to see online pictures and send emails/Bunk Notes to kids at summer camp.  Ari has been fortunate enough to have been featured in dozens of media outlets including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, CNBC, the Today Show, the New York Times, Crain’s, and the Wall Street Journal.

His philanthropic endeavors included serving on multiple boards such as the JCRC, Hillel, UJA, JFNA and was the NYL Cabinet Co-chair for the Jewish Federations of North America. Notably, Ari has been honored by AIPAC, JCRC, Soho Synagogue, Shai, was recently named Father of the Year by the Hampton Synagogue and received the Beyond Duke Service and Leadership award from Duke University. Importantly for Baseball and sports fans, he is also a partner and board member in the Derek Jeter led group that purchased the Miami Marlins in October of 2017.