BJ Rabbinic Fellowship

(2024-Present)

Joe Blumberg is a third-year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Originally from Lexington, Massachusetts, Joe pursued a career as a classical musician before finding his home in the Jewish world. He has worked as an educator at Brown RISD Hillel and spent a year as a Fulbright scholar in Jerusalem, where he also studied at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and worked with the Jerusalem African Community Center. Joe was a 2022-2023 rabbinical student fellow at Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, where he advised Jewish communities on their climate justice endeavors. He has served as a teacher and prayer leader around the country, most recently as a rabbinic intern at Congregation Shearith Israel in Dallas, Texas, and Beth Israel Congregation in Bath, Maine. Joe holds a B.A. in American History from Yale.

(2023-Present)

Anina Dassa is a rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary and a recipient of the Nachshon Graduate Fellowship. Anina grew up in Los Angeles, where she attended and worked at Camp Ramah in California for a total of 14 years. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2018 with a BFA in Interarts Performance, an interdisciplinary degree from the School of Art & Design and the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Anina has studied as a year-long fellow at Yeshivat Hadar and was a preschool teacher at the Chabad of Tribeca. Since starting rabbinical school, Anina received the Slifka-Nadich Fellowship and served as the Rabbinic Intern at Princeton University. She also served as the Chaplain Intern at JASA Geriatric Mental Health Clinic.

(2023-2024)

Sammy Kanter completed his rabbinic ordination at the Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles in May 2023, and served as BJ’s senior rabbinic fellow from 2023–2024. While at HUC, he served as the rabbinic intern at IKAR in LA and at B’nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek, CA. Prior to his studies, Sammy was the director of the Ruben Center for 20s and 30s and Out at the J programs at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. In addition to his degree in journalism from Syracuse University, he has earned a certificate in nonprofit management from the Zelikow School at HUC, holds a Master’s Concentration in Israel education from the iCenter, and studied at Pardes in Jerusalem.

(2022-2024)

Alissa is a rabbinical student at HUC-JIR in New York. Originally from Brookline, MA, Alissa discovered her great loves of Jewish life and music early on. She attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and earned two bachelors degrees: one in Judaic Studies and one in Jazz Vocal Performance. Moving to NYC after college, Alissa sang jazz professionally and then worked at synagogues all over the city, Brooklyn and Queens. She spent two and a half years living in Israel where she studied at Hebrew University, HUC-JIR and The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. She has led tefillah all over the world from Prague to Tel Aviv, from Belarus to Poland and on both the West and East Coasts.

(2021-2023)

Rabbi Aaron Leven is currently an associate rabbi at Nefesh in Los Angeles. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Emory University and his ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He previously was deeply involved in the Wilshire Boulevard Temple camps, and has participated in Avodah Jewish service corps, AJWS’s volunteer summer in Uganda, Nativ, Yeshivat Hadar’s yearlong fellowship, T’ruah’s Israel fellowship, and the New Israel Fund’s Froman Fellowship. He also served as a UJA graduate fellow, worked as the admissions intern for the JTS rabbinical school, and was the New York hub manager as well as rabbinic intern for OneTable. Aaron completed his clinical pastoral education at New York Presbyterian and Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.

(2020-2022)

Rabbi Grace Gleason is the rabbi of Beth David in Greensboro, North Carolina. She received her ordination as well as a master’s degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Prior to rabbinical school, she pursued her love of Talmud at SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva, Yeshivat Hadar, and the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. She served in many settings as a teacher and prayer leader, including as a fellow at Mishkan Chicago. Originally from Chicago, she completed her B.A. in interdisciplinary studies at the University of Chicago in 2014.

(2019-2021)

Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz serves on the faculty of the Hadar Institute as their Director of Tefillah and Music. She received rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she also earned her MA in Women and Gender Studies; additionally, she holds degrees in music and religious anthropology from the University of Michigan. Prior to and during rabbinical school, she served in a variety of Jewish communal service capacities, including as the education director of Shir Chadash Congregation in New Orleans, spiritual care chaplain with DOROT, rabbinic fellow at B’nai Jeshurun NYC, and on the founding team of the Rising Song Institute as an artist, educator, and consultant.

(2018-2020)

Rabbi Hughes-Robinson was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2021, where she also earned an MA in Midrash and Scriptural Exegesis. New Yorker by birth, she grew up in communities all over the United States before attending Clark University, where she graduated in 2015 with degrees in Theatre and Jewish Studies. Margo is also a proud alumna of the Conservative Yeshiva Lishma Fellowship and the Hartman Rabbinic Student Seminar. During her time in rabbinical school, she has enjoyed professional endeavors with Avodah, the Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue, Fort Tryon Jewish Center in New York City, Adat Israel in Guatemala City, and Norwalk Hospital (where she served as a chaplaincy intern in the Emergency and Adult Psychiatric departments). She currently serves as the New York Rabbinic Organizer with T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.

(2018-2020)

Rabbi Abi Weber grew up in Evanston, Illinois, and graduated from Pomona College in 2011, where she studied the intersection of anthropology and religion. She was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she also earned a master’s degree. Abi has worked as an Employment Preparation Trainer for people experiencing homelessness and poverty, served as a Rabbinic Intern/Leadership Fellow at Mishkan Chicago, and spent two years working in the ski industry in Colorado. She completed a chaplaincy internship at Penn Medicine Princeton Health in Princeton, NJ, where she worked in the Critical Care Unit in addition to leading outpatient recovery groups focused on spirituality. Abi is a long-time devotee of Camp Ramah in the Poconos, where she has spent seventeen summers as a camper and staff member, and is an alum of Avodah and Moishe House. Abi serves as the assistant rabbi for Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia.

(2017-2019)
Assistant Rabbi, Temple Israel
Minneapolis, MN

Rabbi Moss serves Temple Israel (Minneapolis) where he cultivates the synagogue’s b’nai mitzvah program, 20s/30s community, musical offerings, and social media presence. He grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey, and later graduated from Washington University in St. Louis where he studied economics, music, and history. After graduating, Tobias worked in business analytics in Thailand and New York, and studied at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. Immediately before joining BJ as a rabbinic fellow, Tobias served as a chaplain intern at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and rabbinic intern at the North Fork Reform Synagogue. Tobias received rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2019.

(2016-2018)
Assistant Rabbi, Adas Israel Congregation
Washington, D.C.

Rabbi Sarah Krinsky received her ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in the spring of 2018, and holds a BA from Yale University. During her time at BJ, she co-led a wide variety of musical prayer services for adults, families, children, and teens. She also managed the conversion process, and was involved in teaching, counseling, and mentoring Jews by choice. Her work with teens and young adults has included teaching and curriculum development for religious schools, b’nai mitzvah preparation, and summer camp. Rabbi Krinsky served as a member of the Rabbinical Assembly’s social justice and public policy staff, and a legislative assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. She has developed social justice programming, including community engagement opportunities, for all age groups. She is the recipient of several awards from UJA and JTS.

(2015-2017)
Lead Rabbi, Shir Tikvah
Minneapolis, MN

Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg serves as the lead rabbi of Shir Tikvah, a justice-seeking, song-filled congregation in South Minneapolis. She was ordained by Hebrew College in 2017. She is inspired by courageous acts of music making, prophetic activism, and transformative moments in communal life. She is a classically trained singer, a passionate leader of song, and a student and performer of piyutim. She is a former Rising Song fellow and Clergy Leadership Incubator fellow. She performs, leads tefilah, and teaches around the country, treasuring chances to cultivate songful spaces in the Twin Cities. She lives in South Minneapolis with her husband, Noam, and their kids, Hallel, Alma, and Rafi.

(2013-2017)
Rabbi, Beth Sholom Synagogue
Memphis, TN

Rabbi Horwitz is the rabbi of Beth Sholom Synagogue in Memphis, TN. She was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary, was an MTM Rabbinic Fellow during rabbinical school, and stayed on at BJ for two more years as Senior Rabbinic Fellow. Sarit is married to Rabbi Abe Schacter-Gampel and they are parents to Lavi, Yakir, and Rami.

(2013-2016)
Associate Rabbi, Congregation Tifereth Israel
Columbus, OH

Rabbi Alex Braver serves as a rabbi at Congregation Tifereth Israel in Columbus, OH. He loves teaching and coordinating Jewish learning, working with kids and young families, and accompanying people in both joyful and difficult moments. After graduating from Brandeis University in 2009, Alex taught math and English at City on a Hill in Boston, helping students who were performing below grade-level. He then received a fellowship from Hadar for a full-time funded year of Jewish study in their egalitarian yeshiva, before deciding to become a rabbi. He was ordained in 2016 by the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, with an MA in Midrash and a certificate in pastoral care and counseling. Alex lives with his husband, Alex Weisler, their children, Ezra and Margot, and their dog, Benjy. He enjoys Jewish mysticism and mindfulness, vegetarian junk food, and nerdy science fiction.

(2011-2013)
Rabbi & Senior Jewish Educator
Hunter Hillel, New York, NY

Rabbi Geffen is the Senior Jewish Educator and Campus Rabbi at Hunter Hillel. Jonah has taught, led, and organized across the Jewish communal landscape at such places as J Street, The New Shul, Yeshivat Hadar, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, Kivunim, and The Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution. Jonah attended Young Judaea Year Course, received his BA in History and Jewish Studies from Indiana University, an MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University, and an MA in Jewish Studies and Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He was a Kollel Fellow at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, a summer fellow at Yeshivat Hadar, and a CLAL Rabbis Without Borders Fellow. His writing has been featured in the Washington Post, Haaretz, the Jerusalem Post, and the Huffington Post, among others. Jonah lives in Harlem with his beloved, Julia Mannes, and their two roller derby-playing daughters. As a family they enjoy frequenting the parks and playgrounds of the world, watching cooking shows, and singing the Indiana University fight song.

(2011-2013)
Associate Rabbi, Congregation Shearith Israel
Dallas, TX

Rabbi Roffman is a proud Schechter alum, a graduate of Amherst College with a degree in Political Science, and Circle in the Square Theatre School with a certificate in Musical Theatre Performance. He began his rabbinic education at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Rabbi Roffman graduated with a Masters in Talmud from the Jewish Theological Seminary where he was awarded the The Rabbi Max Gelb Memorial Prize in Talmud and the Israel H. Levinthal Prize in Homiletics.

(2009-2011)
Rabbi, Kane Street Synagogue
Brooklyn, NY

Prior to joining Kane Street Synagogue, Rabbi Michelle Dardashti spent nine years at College Hill in Providence, RI, where she served as associate university chaplain for the Jewish community at Brown University and rabbi at Brown RISD Hillel. She became a rabbi to share the gifts her parents’ eclectic Judaism afforded her: passion, hope, wonder, gratitude, empathy, responsibility, and joy. Rabbi Dardashti was ordained and received an MA in Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). During her time at JTS, she was trained in congregation-based community organizing through JOIN for Justice and in clinical oastoral education at Bellevue Hospital. She was also an educator for interfaith community and director of youth and family education at Congregation Shaare Zedek.

(2008-2009)
Jewish Life Manager, YM & YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood
New York, NY

Ezra Weinberg is a rabbi, ritual musician, and educator dedicated to facilitating and supporting transformative Jewish rituals. He founded ReVoice, a network of resources for Jews going through divorce, which aims to redefine the communal response to this life stage. He is a native Philadelphian and holds a master’s degree in conflict transformation. Reb Ezra officiates at weddings and b’nai mitzvah ceremonies, and teaches a university course called “One G-d, Three Paths” alongside a minister and an imam.

(2008-2009)
Director of Congregational Innovation, Union for Reform Judaism
New York, NY

Rabbi Lederman is the Director of Congregational Innovation at the Union for Reform Judaism. Prior to that role, she was the Associate Rabbi at Temple Micah in Washington, D.C. She was ordained in May 2008 from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. From 2010-2015, she and Michelle Citrin led an extremely popular alternative High Holiday experience for young, unaffiliated Jews in Washington D.C. Prior to becoming a rabbi, Esther spent several years working in the non-profit world. She held positions with the Israel Policy Forum and directed a project on Middle East peace education for the Union for Reform Judaism. Prior to that, she was the National Director of Habonim Dror North America. She received her B.A. in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from McGill University in 1996. Esther is very involved in the wider Jewish community, at both the national and local level. She sits on the national Board of T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, chairs the Advisory council of Avodah in Washington, D.C., and serves on the national board of Ameinu, a national, progressive Zionist organization. Originally from Ottawa, Canada, she now lives in Virginia with her husband and two children.

(2006-2008)
Rabbi, Beacon Hebrew Alliance
Beacon, NY

Rabbi Spodek has been recognized by the Jewish Forward as one of the most inspiring rabbis in America, Hudson Valley Magazine as a Person to Watch and by Newsweek as “a rabbi to watch.” He is a Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute and a Fellow of the Schusterman Foundation. Before coming to Beacon Hebrew Alliance, he served as the Rabbi in Residence at American Jewish World Service and the Rabbinic Fellow at B’nai Jeshurun in New York. Rabbi Brent holds rabbinic ordination and a masters in philosophy from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he was the first recipient of the Neubauer Fellowship. Prior to entering the rabbinate, he attended Wesleyan University and worked as a daily journalist in Durham, NC. To schedule a time to talk with Rabbi Brent, please use this link or be in touch with Faith Adams. He lives in Beacon with his wife Alison, a professor of environmental chemistry at Vassar College and their two children, Noa and Abraham.

(2006-2008)
Spiritual Leader, Congregation Raanan Beit-Samueli
Raanana, Israel

Rabbi Tsfoni is the spiritual leader of Congregation Raanan Beit-Samueli in Raanana, Israel. She was the spiritual leader, and is one of the founders, of Congregation Nigun Ha’Lev. She was part of a group of spiritual leaders focused on renewing Israeli Judaism. Prior to becoming a Rabbi, she worked for 10 years as a social worker and was one of the founders of the Ha’Midrasha Educational Center for the Renewal of Jewish Life in Israel. She also works to educate teachers and students in public schools. She was ordained in November 2009 at Hebrew Union College — Jewish Institute of Religion in Israel.

(2005-2007)
Senior Rabbi, Temple Isaiah
Los Angeles, CA

Dara Frimmer has served as the senior rabbi of Temple Isaiah since July 2018. Her educational background is in feminist studies and religious studies. She received a BA from Stanford University in 1998 and a masters in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School in 2001. During her years in NYC, Dara completed her second unit of hospital chaplaincy, taught an introduction to Judaism class at the 92nd Street Y, and led trips to Latin America with American Jewish World Service. As a rabbinic intern, she served two years at Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains, NY. During her time at BJ, she taught, led services, and helped to grow BJ’s 20s-30s program. In her free time, Dara can be found shopping at the local farmer’s market or pretending to follow Wisconsin sports teams.

(2005-2007)
Co-Senior Rabbi, Adas Israel Congregation
Washington D.C.

Rabbi Holtzblatt is the co-senior rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, DC. She was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary and is celebrated by the Forward as one of the 32 most inspiring rabbis in the country. Last year, she was named one of Jewish Women’s International’s (JWI) “Women to Watch,” and is a current recipient of the coveted Schusterman Fellowship, a leadership development program for individuals who are committed to growing their leadership in the Jewish community. She co-created the acclaimed MakomDC adult learning curriculum, launched (and leads) the “Return Again” worship service, and directs the Jewish Mindfulness Center of Washington, which has twice been recognized as one of America’s top innovative Jewish projects by the annual Slingshot Guide for Jewish Innovation. Previously, Rabbi Holtzblatt served as the Hillel Foundation Director of Campus Initiatives and as Associate Rabbi at the Yale University Hillel. She is married to Ari Holtzblatt, and their two children, Noa and Elijah, attend the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital.

(2004-2006)
Rabbi, Or Shalom Jewish Community
San Francisco, CA

On the way to the rabbinate, Rabbi Mizrahi spent several years living in Jerusalem, where she devoted her time to human rights and peace education work, as well as intensive Jewish learning. During her rabbinical training she worked as a chaplain, a teacher, a student rabbi and a cantor in various communities. She was ordained through the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2005. Since then, she served as a Visiting Rabbi for Kehilat Kol HaNeshama in Jerusalem, and as Sabbatical Rabbi for West End Synagogue.

(2003-2005)
Rabbi, Congregation Etz Chayim
Winnipeg, Canada

Rabbi Kliel Rose was born in Israel and grew up in Winnipeg. After being away for 26 years, he returned home with his family to become the spiritual leader of Congregation Etz Chayim in the summer of 2018. Rabbi Kliel was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2004. From 2003-2005 he served as a rabbinic fellow at BJ. Rabbi Kliel is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly (RA), the coalition of rabbis serving the conservative movement/masorti. He serves as a co-leader of a RA affinity group for progressive zionists, a board member of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, and a board member of Mercaz Canada. In the fall of 2022, Kliel received a certificate in spiritual counseling from the Beit Teshuvah Center in Los Angeles, California. Rabbi Kliel is married to Rabbinit Dorit Kosmin, a social worker, chaplain, and musician. Together they are the proud parents of five beautiful children, a gorgeous cat named Tuxie, and Elulla, their adorable golden doodle.

(2002-2004)
Senior Rabbi, Congregation Sherith Israel
San Francisco, CA

Rabbi Graf is the 10th senior rabbi of Congregation Sherith Israel and the first woman to hold this position. A graduate of Columbia University, she was ordained by Hebrew Union College in 2003. She has worked in congregations from New York City to Juneau, and currently serves on the Northern California Board of Rabbis’ Executive board, the board of the SF interfaith Council, and many other boards and committees working to open dialogue. Rabbi Graf is raising two children with her husband, Jonathan, and she loves to snowshoe and hang out with her family.

(2002-2004)
Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth-El
Great Neck, NY

Rabbi Feldman began his tenure at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck in July, 2009. During his years as a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, Meir Feldman served for a year as a CLAL Intern with Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Reform rabbinical students. In fall 2001, he started the bi-weekly Park Slope Friday Night Minyan.

(2001-2003)
Associate Director, In Your Shoes Research and Practice Center at Georgetown University
Washington, D.C.

Rabbi Gartner is the associate director of the In Your Shoes Research and Practice Center, a theater and inter-group dialogue initiative of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University. She also serves as senior advisor for spiritual care at Georgetown University, where she offers retreats and pastoral care for staff and returning citizens of the university’s Prisons and Justice Initiative. Rabbi Gartner is a dialogue facilitator and trainer for Resetting The Table. Rabbi Gartner previously served as director of Jewish life at Georgetown University, Hillel director at Miami University and Earlham College, and as a rabbi at Reconstructionist Congregation Bnai Keshet in Montclair, NJ. Rabbi Gartner served multiple terms on the board of the Reconstructionist Rabbinic Association and is a former co-chair of T’ruah: Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. Rabbi Gartner graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2002 with awards in spiritually motivated social action and practical rabbinics. She is an alumna of the Cooperberg-Rittmaster rabbinic internship of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in NYC. She received a BA magna cum laude from Barnard College in 1993.

(2000-2002)
Founder & Senior Rabbi, IKAR
Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Brous is the senior rabbi of IKAR, which she founded in 2004 shortly after her BJ Fellowship concluded. She has devoted her rabbinate to reinvigorating Jewish tradition and practice and advancing soulful, multi-faith justice work in Los Angeles and around the country. Her TED talk, “Reclaiming Religion,” has been viewed by more than 1.3 million people and translated into 19 languages. In 2013, she blessed President Obama and Vice President Biden at the Inaugural National Prayer Service, spoke at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., and at the opening of the Legacy Museum and Memorial in Montgomery, AL. She is an Auburn Senior Fellow, sits on the faculty of the Shalom Hartman Institute-North America and REBOOT, and serves on the International Council of the New Israel Fund and the national steering committee for the Poor People’s Campaign.

(1999-2001)
Rabbi, B’nai Jeshurun
New York, NY

Rabbi Sol has served as a rabbi at BJ since 2001, becoming the first woman to serve as a rabbi to the community in the congregation’s almost 200-year history. Rabbi Sol began her initial involvement with the BJ community when she was still a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College. While serving as Family and Youth Director, she created Pnei Shabbat, B’nai Jeshurun’s families’ prayer book. After Rabbi Sol’s ordination, she became a Rabbinic Fellow at BJ. During that time, Rabbi Sol edited Zimrat Yah: Prayers and Songs for Shabbat and Festivals. After two years under the mentorship of Rabbis J. Rolando Matalon and Marcelo Bronstein, Rabbi Sol joined her teachers in their rabbinic partnership. She received the 2005 PaceSetter Award and was honored in 2006 as a Partner in Justice by Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps. Rabbi Sol was featured in the documentary All of the Above: Single, Clergy, Mother and has an essay in the book Faithfully Feminist: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Feminists on Why We Stay. Rabbi Sol earned a BA in Developmental Psychology and Education from Tufts University, a Masters in Jewish Education from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, her Masters of Hebrew Letters (1996) and rabbinic ordination (1999) also from HUC-JIR. She served on the board of Bend the Arc for 15 years, and is a member of the rabbinic council of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. Raised in Connecticut, Rabbi Sol has a son and a daughter and lives on the Upper West Side.

(1999-2001)
Rabbi, Beth Meyer Synagogue
Raleigh, NC

Since 2005, Rabbi Solomon has served as the spiritual leader of Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh, NC. Raised in Columbia, MD, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Maryland and then entered rabbinical school, spending three years in Jerusalem and three years in New York City. In Israel, he studied rabbinic literature at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies and then continued on as a Senior Educator at the Melton Center for Jewish Education and as a Talmud student at the Shalom Hartman Institute. Rabbi Solomon currently serves on the boards of Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, Urban Ministries of Wake County and as the recently-appointed Vice Chair of the City of Ralegh Compassionate City Campaign. He served as an AJWS Global Justice Fellow and holds the title of Senior Rabbinic Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Rabbi Solomon loves playing tennis and is an avid runner, having completed two marathons and several half-marathons. He is married to Rabbi Dr. Jennifer Solomon, founding Director of the Libi Eir Community Mikveh and Director of Spiritual Engagement at Beth Meyer Synagogue. Together, they are crazy about their three children: Meirav, Adiel, and Natan.

(1998-2000)
Current board President for NRCAT
Pasadena, CA

Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater is the Executive Director of Friends in Deed, a local, faith-based non-profit addressing homelessness and poverty in the greater Pasadena area. He served as a pulpit rabbi for 16 years, including 12 years at Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, where he established himself as a spiritual leader, social justice activist and interfaith coalition builder. Before coming to Pasadena, he spent two years as a Rabbinic Fellow at B’nai Jeshurun in Manhattan, and three years as rabbi of Ahavath Israel in Kingston, NY. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1999. In the summer of 2016, he worked for NRCAT (National Religious Campaign Against Torture as a California Organizer, bringing together a broad coalition of interfaith leaders to successfully pass SB1143, a state bill to limit juvenile isolation and room confinement. In the fall of 2016, he served as Deputy on the successful Portantino for California State Senate campaign. Rabbi Grater has served on many boards and committees, including 4 years on the board of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights; and currently he serves on the board of NRCAT (National Religious Campaign Against Torture). He is a published writer and his works can be found on numerous websites, including Pasadena Now. He lives in Pasadena with his wife and teenage twins.

(1997-1999)

Associate Chaplain for Jewish and Interfaith Life, Carleton College and St. Olaf College
Northfield, MN

Rabbi Dworsky serves as associate chaplain for Jewish and interfaith life at Carleton College and at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. She does both jobs and more, while living happily in her native St. Paul, MN.

(1996-1998)
Rabbi, Congregation Dor Hadash
San Diego, CA

A 1997 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Rabbi Ridberg received her BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1990 in Communication Arts and Women’s Studies. Rabbi Ridberg served as the President of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, as a member of the Rabbinic Council of the New Israel Fund, the Board of Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, and has led a bereavement support group through the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services and the Jewish Healing Center.