OUR TEAM
Helise Lieberman
DIRECTOR
Helise Lieberman has served as the Director of the Taube Center for Jewish Life & Learning since 2009. She was the founding principal of Lauder-Morasha Day School in Warsaw (1994–2006) and previously served as Hillel Program Director at SUNY Purchase, NYU, and Barnard-Columbia. Helise has consulted for the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe, the Westbury Group, and the POLIN Museum. In 2007–2008, she received a scholarship for the Senior Educators Program at the Hebrew University. She was awarded the Bene Merito medal by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2015 for her contribution to Jewish life in Poland. She serves on the boards of AEPJ and Hillel Poland. A dual citizen of Poland and the U.S., Helise has lived in Warsaw since 1994. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her grandson and reading interwar British mysteries.
Aleksandra Makuch
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Aleksandra Makuch joined the Taube Center for Jewish Life and Learning in 2015 and is currently a Member of the Foundation’s Board. She holds a BA in Linguistics from Jagiellonian University in Kraków and an MA in International Relations from the Tischner European University. Earlier in her career, Aleksandra worked with the Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków as a volunteer coordinator and later interned at Taube Philanthropies in California. Her professional background also includes experience in educational training, sales, and program coordination. She is particularly interested in Jewish culture, education, and international cooperation. In her free time, Aleksandra competes in triathlons and serves as a triathlon referee.
Jakub Łysiak
GENERAL TOUR MANAGER
Jakub Łysiak joined Taube Jewish Heritage Tours in December 2015 and serves as General Tour Manager. An experienced guide and researcher, he founded and led Polin Consulting from 2007, which has been incorporated into TJHT. Jakub studied Jewish Studies at the University of Warsaw and participated in the Polish–Israel Youth Exchange at Tel Aviv University. He has worked with both the Israeli and Polish Embassies and collaborated with international delegations, institutions, and private clients. Jakub was the first laureate of Poland’s national competition on the history and culture of Polish Jews. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Jakub has been deeply involved in providing humanitarian aid in Ukraine. In May 2025, he was honored with the Medal of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Paweł Łukaszewicz
Managing Editor / Senior Program Manager
Born and raised in Warsaw, Paweł Łukaszewicz joined the Taube Center team in 2014. Since then, he has coordinated numerous educational and publishing projects, including the Taube Center’s Field Guide series and 1,000 Years of Jewish Life in Poland: A Timeline. Paweł studied Law and Administration, Spatial Planning, and Art History at the University of Warsaw. His professional interests span history, historic architecture, cultural heritage preservation, and urban studies, with a particular focus on Warsaw and the Central European region of Galicia, including Kraków and Lviv. In his free time, Paweł enjoys traveling, hiking, and exploring cities on long walks.
Aleksandra Sajdak
Genealogist
Aleksandra (Ola) Sajdak, Taube Center Senior Program Manager was born in Warsaw. Ola interned at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and the Jewish Historical Institute. She served as a Taube Center intern in 2011 and joined the staff in 2012. Ola contributed to the Taube Center publications 1,000 Years of Jewish Life in Poland: A Timeline and The Field Guide to Jewish Warsaw and Kraków. Intrigued with all aspects of Jewish history and heritage in Poland, Ola is currently working on her doctoral thesis on Ringelblum Archive and documents from the Jewish Historical Institute’s archive. Additionally, Ola is a genealogist at the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, at the Jewish Genealogy & Family Heritage Center. Aleksandra also works with March of the Living UK since 2018 as an educator.
Ola is an alumna of the Taube Center’s Mi Dor Le Dor program, graduated from Minyanim, a Jewish leadership program for Jews in Central and Eastern Europe. She was also a Kaplan Fellow at Yesod Cohort II. She is active in the Warsaw Jewish Community, a member of the JCC and the Ec Chaim Kehilla.
Marta Eichelberger –Jankowska
Head of Education
Marta Eichelberger-Jankowska is Head of the Education Department at the Taube Center for Jewish Life and Learning. She leads the flagship program, Mi Dor Le Dor, focusing on experiential, heritage-based, and intergenerational education. Marta holds a BA in Hebrew from University College London and an MA in Experiential Education and Jewish Cultural Arts from George Washington University. She is a Jewish Pedagogies Fellow at M² and has extensive experience in Holocaust education, having worked at the Oregon Jewish Museum and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She is an active member of the Warsaw Jewish community. In her free time, Marta loves playing tennis, hiking, travelling, and reading.
Kaja Siczek
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Kaja Siczek (she/her) was born and raised in Warsaw and has been active in the local Jewish community for over 15 years, including at JCC Warsaw since its inception in 2013. She joined the Taube Center team in 2018 and currently leads Hillel and student tour programs. Her primary focus is informal Jewish education, with an emphasis on designing engaging and creative initiatives for youth, families, and young adults. Kaja served as a mentor for the BBYO Hultaj group and, in 2020, received the “Advisor of the Year” award from BBYO International. In her free time, she embroiders, reads, cooks, cares for her houseplants, is a devoted fan of the film “Mean Girls,” and proudly holds the unofficial title of Warsaw’s “Queen of Challah.”
Zofia Szabat
PROJECT MANAGER
Zofia Szabat joined the Taube Center in March 2023 as a Program Manager. Born and raised in Warsaw, she previously interned at Hillel Warsaw and participated in a one-semester study abroad program at the University of Haifa. She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Warsaw and is currently completing her MA thesis on tour guides working with dark tourism and difficult heritage. In 2023, she coordinated the first Polish edition of the European Days of Jewish Culture. Her professional interests focus on cultural programming, community engagement, and contemporary Jewish life. In her free time, she enjoys running and volunteering as a sailing referee.
Mikołaj Kaniewski
PROJECT MANAGER
Mikołaj Kaniewski is an educator, interpreter, and project manager. He joined the Taube Center as an intern in 2019 and returned as a full-time staff member in 2021. At the Center, he coordinates educational programs and student tours. A member of the JCC Warsaw community, he spent three years as a madrich at Camp ATID, Poland’s only Jewish summer camp. Between 2017 and 2019, he served as a coordinator of Warsaw’s Equality Parade and contributed to Poland’s first parliamentary group for LGBTQ+ equality. In 2026, he joined the Identity Works Fellowship organized by the ANU Museum of the Jewish People. In his free time, he enjoys knitting and spending time with his cats.
Witold (Witek) Ostałowski
Tour Program Manager
Witold (Witek) Ostałowski joined the Taube Center in 2024 as Tour Program Manager. He studied Archaeology, Ethnology, and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Warsaw. Before transitioning into Jewish heritage tourism, he worked as a qualitative market researcher and senior project manager, developing expertise in cultural insight and social trends. At the Taube Center, he designs and manages tours connecting diverse audiences with Poland’s Jewish past and present. He is dedicated to fostering discovery, dialogue, and meaningful cultural encounters. Beyond work, he finds a similar sense of curiosity and freedom in sailing.
Barbara Feliga
Communications Manager
Barbara Feliga has worked with the Taube Center since 2023, leading strategic communications, editorial projects, and international outreach. She brings over a decade of experience in cultural communication, having previously worked at the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, where she contributed to the Museum’s programming and communications. Her background spans project management, public relations, and storytelling across music, film, and cultural institutions, with a strong focus on shaping narratives for international audiences. Barbara is particularly interested in the intersection of memory and contemporary identity. Outside of work, she loves cinema, music, neuroscience, and long walks with her dog.