Hindy Poupko

Hindy Poupko is Executive Director at the Council of Young Jewish Presidents and the Israel & International Affairs Director at the Jewish Community Relations Council, NY (JCRC)Hindy Poupko’s life as a public figure began while she was growing up in Montreal. The middle child in a rabbinic family, born between two sets of twins — “Twins, Hindy, Twins” — she would deliver divrei Torah at Shabbat meals, join rallies outside of embassies and accompany her father, Rabbi Reuben Poupko, to interviews at TV stations.

“It was part of my upbringing,” says Poupko, who wears two hats: director of Israel/International Affairs at the Jewish Community Relations Council, and executive director of the Council of Young Jewish Presidents, which is based at the JCRC.

At the council, she brings together the leaders of New York Jewry’s myriad Jewish Young Leadership groups, honing their leadership skills and connecting them with volunteer opportunities. One of her events was “An Evening of Fashion and Passion,” which taught 900 young Jews, many of them Birthright Israel alumni, about the council’s work. It was a natural for someone who once dreamed of becoming a fashion designer.

At the Israel/International Affairs desk, she coordinates political rallies as well as JCRC’s outreach to the city’s “Jewish expatriate community.” Her next event: A Jewish International Soccer Tournament at Randall’s Island on June 27.

“I like the fact that I put together events that create a community,” says Poupko, who led a protest mission to The Hague while she was president of the Israel Club at Stern College. “It’s the most natural thing for me to do.”

Public engagement: Poupko’s husband, Seth Galena, a “36 under 36” choice last year, proposed to her on the CBS “Early Show.” She was also featured on TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” program.

Political roots: Poupko worked as a communications intern on Corey Booker’s 2007 campaign for mayor of Newark, and worked on the senatorial campaign of Hillary Clinton..