LimmudATL+SE 2010 Presenters
Patrick Aleph has been featured on CNN.com, The Jewish Daily Forward and various music magazines. As Executive Director of PunkTorah, Patrick Aleph is a spirituality outreach activist working in the "New Jew"/contemporary Jewish community. Aleph is a freelance writer for MyJewishLearning and Jewcy. He lectures at colleges and synagogues and is the singer for Can!!Can, an Atlanta punk/alternative rock band. His main area of focus is on technology and pop culture as tools for Jewish spiritual/religious expression.
Cory Jan Albert is an award-winning playwright, songwriter, and educator. Her work has been published and produced in a wide range of locales including Emory University, Georgia State University, Agnes Scott College, the Young Georgian Playwrights Festival, and Decatur's Neighborhood Playhouse. Much of her work deals with the relationship between ritual and performance. “By heightening our rituals we involve ourselves more deeply and tangibly…and in so doing we reclaim them as our own.”
Robby Astrove is the Program Coordinator for Trees Atlanta, where he designs and implements tree planting projects and environmental education efforts. He has nearly 10 years of experience in environmental education as a scientist/ecologist and educator. Robby earned an M.Ed in natural history/science education focused on place-based education from Western Washington University & North Cascades Institute. He has supported non-profits, universities, and private consultants to protect, conserve, and restore wilderness, wetlands, and urban environments. Robby enjoys hiking, is a passionate HIV/AIDS advocate, and plays drums.
Axum: Reuben Aragie (Tedross), along with Gilor Yehuda (Judah), comprise the Israeli duo Axum. Rising from poverty and extreme hardship on the street of Netanya, Reuben was one of the first Ethiopian-Israelis born in the State of Israel. In 1980 his mother carried him from Ethiopia in her womb to Israel. Judah left home at the age of 16 and joined with Reuben, realizing their mutual love of rap and reggae. Their self-titled debut album received tremendous acclaim and they’ve been called “Israel’s biggest hip-hop-hope.” www.myspace.com/axumisrael
Michael Bernstein leads Congregation Gesher L’Torah in Alpharetta. He has a special interest in developing programs that combine meaningful approaches to Jewish thought and actions with ethical directives inherent in our tradition. He has taught Introduction to Judaism and Living our Judaism adult education courses focused on creating meaningful and relevant family experiences in the home for people from all backgrounds. Michael led a six-week course on the “Meaning of Prayer” to make services and prayer more accessible to all congregants.
Tracy Barash is V.P. Brand Development at Cartoon Network.
Tracie Bernstein is the Atlanta Director of Ayeka. She has spent 15 years working with innovative Jewish programs that inspire. In the 90's, Tracie served as Assistant Director of Israel programs for Young Judea, sending 2000 kids to Israel yearly. In 1999, she joined the Grinspoon Foundation, launching its national Bnai Tzedek initiative and creating their citywide Rekindle Shabbat family program. Prior to Ayeka, Tracie spent three years as national engagement specialist and trainer for Rosh Hodesh: It's a Girl Thing!
Toby Bloomberg helps people create initiatives leveraging social media to build and nurture digital “corner grocery store relationships.” Diva Marketing is listed on Forbes 20 Best Social Media & Marketing Blogs By Women. divamarketingblog.com @tobydiva
Channa Broyde practices law with the U.S. Department of Labor where she is Counsel for MSHA and Discrimination Law. She has been involved with Atlanta’s Jewish community in a variety of ways since moving here in 1991, including serving on the board of Rambam Atlanta Day School and as “founding rebbetzin” of Young Israel of Toco Hills. She is married to Michael Broyde and together they are the proud parents of four wonderful children.
Michael J. Broyde spends most of intellectual energy thinking about topics in Jewish law. He does most of this work as a law professor at Emory University or as a dayan in the Beth Din of America. He was the Founding Rabbi of the Young Israel in Atlanta.
David Bryfman is currently the Director of the New Center for Collaborative Leadership at BJENY-SAJES and an educational consultant for the iCenter. David recently completed his Ph.D. in Education and Jewish Studies at NYU focusing Jewish adolescent identity development and experiential Jewish Education. He is also a graduate of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program. Prior to moving to NY, David worked in formal and informal Jewish education in Australia, Israel, and North America.
Shelly Buxbaum
Rob Cabelli and Liz Cabelli moved to Asheville four years ago, trading Los Angeles for the slopes of western North Carolina. In LA, Rob studied for the rabbinate after having decided, in mid-life, that it was time to move on from career as a research scientist. Living in a place of intersection for people of all manner of belief systems has firmed his own belief that pluralism is Judaism’s core, that faith and respect for others are co-expressions of humility before God and unity with God’s creations.
Marlene Chastain has been an educator both in the public and private Jewish Day Schools for 30 years. Featured as a PJ Library storyteller and a supporter and teller of stories with the New Jewish Storytellers Network, Marlene loves to uncover and share the treasures in every story. Teaching, telling, laughing and sharing our stories is what she says life is all about!
Samantha Cohen attended the University of Pennsylvania and studied Political Science and Jewish History. After graduating from Penn, Samantha joined Teach For America and taught first grade at Dobbs Elementary School in southeast Atlanta. When she completed her commitment as a corps member, Samantha joined the Atlanta program staff and has served as a program director and program manager. Samantha now is the Senior Managing Director of Program for TFA and manages the teacher support and development in Atlanta, Connecticut, Jacksonville, and Miami.
Seth Cohen, an attorney and partner with the Atlanta law firm of Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, is a 35 year-old activist and author on topics of Jewish communal life and innovation. Seth is an alumnus of the Wexner Heritage Program, a member of the Board of Directors of Joshua Venture Group, a Vice Chair and past Allocations Chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, and First Vice President of Jewish Family & Career Services in Atlanta.
Teresa Cole recently resigned her position as director of operations at a neighborhood preschool in order to be a stay-at-home mom and devote more time to her children and family. She has spent much of the past 10 years learning about innovative ways to educate young children. As a convert to Judaism, she is now utilizing that knowledge to create innovative ways to deepen her understanding of Judaism and to impart that knowledge to her children.
Cindy Chazen is Vice President of Alumni and Community Development for the Wexner Foundation and has worked in the Jewish nonprofit world for more than 30 years. Cindy knows philanthropists on both sides of the generational divide and is very tuned-in to the differences between the way young Jews and their elders view support for Israel and the Jewish Federation.
Erin Chernow is a stay-at-home mom to Cole (age 9) and Max (age 6). While taking a break from the working world in higher education, she currently spends her days volunteering for her children’s elementary school and her synagogue, exercising, and dreaming of creative ways to inspire a love of Judaism among children. morahmomma.blogspot.com/
Steve Chervin is a highly sought after teacher in the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School and the Derech Torah program at the Marcus JCC of Atlanta. He also directs The Israel Encounter, a subsidized Israel trip for interfaith couples. He is the founding director of the Goodman Institute for Adult Learning at the Ahavath Achim Synagogue and also teaches courses on Maimonides and modern Judaism at Emory University. Steve is a practitioner of the traditional Jewish spiritual path of Mussar.
William Daroff
Ellen Dreskin is a cantor and a teacher of liturgy, synagogue transformation, and Jewish mysticism. She has served as a faculty member at URJ Summer Kallot, Hava Nashira, and Kutz Camp, and is on the Board of the American Conference of Cantors. She has also served as the Associate Dean of HUC-JIR in NY and as Program Director of Synagogue 2000. Her congregational work includes Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, NY, Fairmount Temple in Cleveland, OH, and extensive engagement as scholar/artist in residence at synagogues all over the country.
Marshall Duke is Charles Howard Candler professor of psychology at Emory University. An award winning teacher and author of seven books and countless articles, he has been chair of his department and head of the counseling center, and is a core faculty member of Emory’s Center for the Study of Myth and Ritual in American Life. He has been known to make horseradish and tell stories. His father was a kosher butcher.
Yoav Eichenberg-Eilon is a former career diplomat and senior official in the Israeli civil service. He was recipient of an Emory-Mellon Fellowship and taught Hebrew in Emory University’s Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies. Dr. Eichenberg-Eilon was Head of the Knesset Interns Program of the Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem, and a Senior Fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center for Technology Analysis and Forecasting at Tel Aviv University (ICTAF). There he was part of a team of prominent economists who pioneered Arab-Israeli economic cooperation research. He is actively involved in Jewish-Christian-Muslim and Arab-Israeli dialogues. In addition to being a life-long educator and professional translator and editor, Dr. Eichenberg-Eilon is also involved in research, currently focusing on future plans for Jerusalem as well as micro-history and visual history of Jews in Nazi Germany.
Molly Ellenberg graduated from the Charles. E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Md., and then went to Cornell University. Inspired by her older sister (a 2001 Teach For America Atlanta alum), Molly decided to join the Atlanta corps in 2007. She had the honor of teaching 9th grade social studies at the Therrell School of Health Sciences and Research in Atlanta Public Schools. Currently, Molly works on the Development Team in TFA's Atlanta office.
Daniel Epstein, was raised in Atlanta and left in 1985 to launch his professional career. For the past 17 years he has lived in Cincinnati, OH where he is a Harley Procter Marketing Director at Procter & Gamble. Daniel’s project, Portraits in Faith, is a perfect intersection of the great passions in his life -- bringing people of different faiths and cultures together; helping to bring healing to the world, to communities and to individuals; global travel; and photography. Daniel has been long involved in community service focused on reconciliation and dialogue across racial, religious, and ethnic communities. He dedicates this project to his father, Dr. Howard V. Epstein, Chairman Emeritus of GA State University Dept. of Social Work and author of Legends & Legacies: Jews from Small Towns.
Alan Essig is Executive Director of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.
Ron Feinberg is a veteran journalist who worked for newspapers across the Southeast, including the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, Fla. and the Charlotte Observer in Charlotte, N.C. He recently retired from The Atlanta Journal Constitution where he had been an editor since 1979. In the mid-1990s he helped create the AJC's Faith & Values section and served as its first editor.
Deborah Fernhoff was born in Linz, Austria, the oldest of the four children of Ryfka and Yankel Finkelstein, both Holocaust survivors. Her parents came to New York with the help of HIAS, worked a luncheonette for a year, until her father “impulsively and without discussing it with my mother, bought a chicken farm in Atco, NJ.” Deborah was one of about seven Jewish families in the area, and the only Orthodox one. Though her parents intended to stay on the farm for only a few years, 30 years later they finally moved to suburban Cherry Hill, NJ. Today Deborah is clinical psychologist in Atlanta.
Paul Flexner is the co-editor of What We NOW Know About Jewish Education: Perspectives on Research for Practice, which received a National Jewish Book Award in 2009. In addition, he is an adjunct professor of education at Georgia State University and the Georgia representative for the New Teacher Academy at Teachers College Innovations. In his spare time, Paul served as the program chair of Limmud Atlanta+SE (2008 & 2009) and drives his MG midget and MGA Coupe on the streets and avenues of Atlanta and the surrounding countryside.
Randy Friedland is a graduate of Emory University and is also a Teach For America alumnus (2007 Atlanta corps). He is still in the classroom teaching fifth grade Social Studies. Randall was also a participant in REALITY Israel; a ten day trip to Israel with fellow TFA corps members from around the country that sought to reflect on the connections between Jewish values and public service.
Binyomin Friedman is a founding member of the Atlanta Scholars Kollel and leads Congregation Ariel in Dunwoody. The Friedmans have children in day school in Atlanta and grandchildren in day school in Israel. Binyomin’s interests are Talmud and history. He received a Masters in Talmudic Law as well as rabbinical ordination from the Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Md. Most of his classes use classic texts to shed light on contemporary issues. A native of Minneapolis, MN, Binyomin still refuses to wear a winter coat in Atlanta.
Margo Geller has lived and worked in Atlanta for over 30 years. She is an entrepreneur, licensed counselor (LCSW) and business networking coach and teacher who helps her clients enjoy their work and personal life more, by becoming master networkers. Margo has been an adjunct instructor at Oglethorpe University and has taught at Emory University, the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. Margo's unique background includes a career as a psychotherapist and as an entrepreneur and owner of a successful catering business. Her new book is called 7 to 10: Building Your Business With The RIGHT Relationships. www.MargoGeller.com
Maggie Glezer is an American Institute of Baking certified baker whose first book, Artisan Baking: The Breads, The Bakers, The Best Recipes (Artisan 2000), won a James Beard Foundation award. Her second book, A Blessing of Bread: Jewish Bread Baking Around the World, was honored with both a James Beard Foundation award and an International Association of Culinary Professionals award for the best baking book of 2004. Maggie specializes in teaching and writing about bread for both amateurs and professionals. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children.
Hillel Gray is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Emory University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and previously worked as Policy Director of the National Environmental Law Center. His research examines the interplay of Jewish law with Christian and secular ethics, end-of-life medical care, and religious approaches to medical and environmental health risks. hgray@emory.edu
Melissa Fay Greene is an award-winning author of four books of nonfiction and a two-time National Book Award finalist. Her books have won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, the Hadassah Myrtle Wreath Award, and other prizes. Her first book, Praying For Sheetrock was named one of the outstanding works of American journalism of the 20th century and was recently named one of Entertainment Weekly's "New Classics--The 100 Best Books of the Last 25 Years." Her latest book, There Is No Me Without You, about the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa, has been optioned by HBO for a mini-series. A Macon native and Atlanta resident, Melissa is married to defense attorney Don Samuel and they are the parents of nine children.
Fred Greene leads Temple Beth Tikvah in Roswell, GA. He is a graduate of Hofstra University and received his rabbinic ordination from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. He has served congregations in New York and Connecticut before arriving to Atlanta four years ago. While building a caring community and a congregation of learners at Beth Tikvah, he strives to be a mentor to many and student of all.
Steven Gutierrez has been in publishing off and on since the Clinton administration. He's worked as an editor, copy editor, copywriter, fact checker, tabloid "journalist," freelance writer, and has had a bunch of non-publishing related jobs, including a brief stint as a repo man. (He got scared and quit that one pretty quickly. That's dangerous work.) He's now the senior editor of Heeb Magazine. In his free time, he writes short stories, but don't ask about that. He's weird that way. And yes, he's Jewish.
Josh Harris is a young Atlanta comedian whose high energy performances and one of a kind material garnered him the title of Atlanta’s Funniest Person by Dave FM in 2008. A year later he was a finalist on TV One’s Who’s Got Jokes and was the only white guy in the show’s four-year history to make it past the first round. Josh recently competed in the finals of the nationwide talent search Stand Up for Diversity, which showcased the country’s ten freshest comedians. Josh’s music video White Minivan portrays him as a young adult whose love life is on lockdown due to his recent acquisition of a ‘93 Plymouth Voyager.
Anna R. Hartman is the Director of Early Childhood Education at Greenfield Hebrew Academy. Anna has been a Tell-Me-Text junkie since she first saw this format at Limmud UK in 2008. Anna is married to Noah, a fellow volunticipant, and has two children, Josiah and Juniper.
Howie the Great is a life long professional magician whose achievements include performances for corporate trade show booths, corporate events, product launch meetings, Vegas style illusion shows, post-game entertainment, restaurant and entertainment venue magic, comedy clubs, school performances, Bar and Bat mitzvahs, weddings, and specialized magic for every occasion. Howie says he “wants to be an overnight success in ten years!”
Karmi Ingber played music in Greenwich Village clubs before taking his guitar to travel and play in Europe. He spent 20 years learning in Israel from leading sages and venerable Kabbalists. His hobbies, which include tai chi, shiatsu and outdoor sports, give him, his music and his message, a unique approach. Ingber reently moved to Atlanta from Birmingham, AL to lead the new congregation The Kehillah in Sandy Springs.
Jan Jabon-Eilon is an international speaker and journalist. A founding staff writer for the Atlanta Business Chronicle, she left her position as international editor of Advertising Age to make aliyah. In the last decade she has spoken, taught and written about Israel. She headed the Israel Experience Program for the Atlanta Jewish community. Now she writes regularly for The Jerusalem Report, and is spearheading the effort to bring Project Reconnections to the Atlanta Jewish community. Jan and her husband have a home in Jerusalem.
Cheryl Joss is a member of the Beth Tefillah’s Women’s Chevra Kadisha since its inception in 2005. She is married to David, a mother, a grandmother, a Realtor and a certified but inactive teacher.
Debbie Kalwerisky is Executive Director of Congregation Beth Tefillah and a founder/member of Beth Tefillah’s Women’s Chevra Kadisha since 2005. She has been active volunteer for many years at Congregation Beth Tefillah and Yeshiva Atlanta High School. She is the proud wife of Jeff, mom of five and grandmother.
Dana Kaplan leads Congregation B'nai Israel in Albany, Georgia. He holds a Ph.D. in American Jewish History from Tel Aviv University, and has rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem. He is a Visiting Research Scholar at the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Jewish Studies at the University of Miami. The author of over 60 scholarly essays and general audience articles, Dana’s books include the Cambridge Companion to American Judaism, American Reform Judaism, Platforms and Prayer Books: Theological and Liturgical Perspectives on Reform Judaism, and Contemporary Debates in American Reform Judaism: Conflicting Visions.
Rachel Tali Kaplan is the farm manager at Georgia's Gaia Gardens, a two-acre urban, organic vegetable, fruit and flower farm just outside the city of Atlanta. This native Mainer grew her first vegetable on the banks of the Hollenbeck River as an ADAMAH fellow, a leadership development program for Jewish young adults, at the Isabelle Freedman Jewish Retreat Center. A graduate of Grinnell College and the Beit Midrash program for Talmud study at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Studies, Kaplan has taught at summer camps and on farm educational programs. With many seasons of farming under her belt, a decade of informal teaching and nonprofit management, she loves collaborating to promote sustainable agriculture and support just food systems rooted in Jewish tradition.
Steffi Aronson Karp made it her mission to bring Limmud to Boston after attending the first Limmud Atlanta+SE in 2008 and then Limmud UK 2008. Thanks to her efforts, Limmud Boston now has a date: Sunday, October 30-31 and a website: www.limmudboston.org. Steffi is the founder and publisher of Tree of Life Book Club, a program designed to deepen Jewish literacy. A graduate of the Elat Chayyim Davennen Leadership Training Institute, Steffi’s “thing” has always been to create Jewish adult education community-building opportunities. She is also an avid quilter.
Helene Kates is a tiny dynamo and magnetic powerhouse of spiritual energy. Her credits include musical theatre as a featured performer with the American Youth Repertory at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway and as a vocal soloist with the South Shore Big Band at Carnegie Hall. She and her husband Michael moved to Atlanta in 1991, and are now more widely known as The Baal Shem Tones, whose second album of original Jewish music is due to be released in March of this year. They are currently developing a comprehensive early childhood music education program for Jewish pre-schools. www.peradam.com
Shaul Kelner is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University. He is the author of Tours that Bind: Diaspora, Pilgrimage and Israeli Birthright Tourism, which will be published by NYU Press in April 2010. Shaul lives in Nashville with his wife, Pam, and their children.
Lisa Alcalay Klug is an award-winning journalist and author who has written for a wide range of outlets, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, JTA, Forward, Moment, Hadassah, Jerusalem Post and many others. She is the author of Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe (Andrews McMeel), a humorous exploration of Jewish identity, pop culture and kitsch and the first humor book honored in the 50-year history of the National Jewish Book Awards. Lisa is a frequent presenter at Limmud (LA, NY, UK, Berlin), Schmooze: The IJPA Jewish Culture Conference and Jewlicious Festivals and recently returned from an extensive tour across North America and Israel. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UC Berkeley and an alumna of Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and Hebrew University. http://www.cooljewbook.com
Beth Kruvant is a documentary filmmaker who began her career as a criminal defense attorney. Her award winning films focus on reconciliation of disparate cultures, stories of hope and social change. Heart of Stone examines community transformation through the lens of Newark’s Weequahic High School. Before 1960, Weequahic High School was known as one of the top schools in America. By 2000 it was one of the most violent schools in the 12th most dangerous city in America. Heart of Stone is the true story of Weequahic High School's quest to return to its former glory. Kruvant’s first documentary, Born in Buenos Aires documented the Argentine Jewish community during the political and fiscal crisis of 2001. Her film The Right To Be Wrong, chronicles an Israeli/Palestinian friendship that brought a peace party from Israel to Kansas City.
Hana Lapidot has 25 years of experience teaching primarily technical subjects and Jewish studies in the US and Israel. As a Sabra living in the U.S. since 2000, Hana facilitates effective cross-cultural programs for students. Specializations include mathematics, general education and technical studies (electricity, electronics, mathematics and bio-medical engineering). She has taught mathematics and science-related curricula at middle and high school levels, as well as college-prep electrical engineering courses. Recently Hana has been teaching Hebrew classes at Oglethorpe University.
Alison Lebovitz is co-founder and president of One Clip at a Time, a non-profit dedicated to inspiring social activism and promoting civic engagement in students in fifth grade and above. She is also a columnist for Chattanooga Parent Magazine, and the host of The A List with Alison Lebovitz, a weekly television interview series that appears on the Tennessee Channel, a statewide PBS station. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband, Alan, and their three sons, Arthur, Abe & Levi. www.oneclipatatime.org
Mishele Lesser is a Jewish educator and visual artist. She recently completed a masters degree in Printmaking and Painting at Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta, GA. She earned a dual degree in Sculpture and Political Science at Hampshire College, Amherst, MA. With fifteen years of teaching experience, Lesser designs and implements creative and meaningful curricula for Jewish day schools, supplementary schools and family education programs. As a visiting artist, she has received long-term grants and collaborated with The Atlanta History Center, The Atlanta International School, Emory University, The National Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site, The Fulton County Arts Council and Georgia State University. Lesser’s art has explored a variety of Judaic themes as seen through her solo exhibits entitled, “The Anatomy of Faith” and “The Hip Bone is Connected to the Menorah Bone.”
Hillel Levin is Assistant Professor of law at the University of Georgia School of Law where he teaches Constitutional Law, Legislative Process and Interpretation, and Civil Procedure.
Michael Levine is a man of many hats. As a singer-songwriter, "Mr. Michael" has released four CD’s and has opened for the Dave Matthrews Band, Counting Crows, and many others. As a record producer he has won national awards. As a music educator, he and his partner, Eric Litwin, have launched a company called The Learning Groove, offering a preschool music curriculum with award-winning music on eight CDs. In Jewish music he has performed at concerts, festivals and retreats, winning national awards for Jewish outreach programming.
Rabbi Yossi Lew is Dean of the Atlanta Smicha Program for Rabbinical students at Chabad of Georgia and Associate Rabbi of Congregation Beth Tefillah. He received his Rabbinic Ordination in 1988 from the Lubavitch Rabbinic College in Brooklyn, NY. Over 20 years experience in Chevra Kadisha and the Rabbinical/Halachic head of the Congregation Beth Tefillah Chevra Kadisha. Married to Shternie Lew and proud father of ten!
Allee Lichtenstein went to high school at the Charles. E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, MD. Following high school, she attended Elon University where she received a B.A. in Education. Allee joined the Atlanta Teach For America corps in 2008. She is currently teaching 2nd grade at Venetian Hills Elementary School in Atlanta Public Schools.
Deborah Lipstadt is Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holaocaust Studies at Emory University. Her most recent book is History on Trial: My Day in Court with Holocaust Denier: David Irving. She is currently writing a book on the Eichmann trial, which will be published as part of the NextBook series. Deborah has attended and taught at Limmud conferences in Moscow, New York, Los Angeles, and the "mothership" in the United Kingdom.
Elliot Mendes is the area director of Greater Atlanta for AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He is responsible for coordinating all of AIPAC’s activities in Atlanta – the home to a Jewish community of more than 120,000. He is charged with furthering the mission of AIPAC to strengthen and secure the U.S.-Israel reationship and educate people on the importance of pro-Israel political activism.
Ross Mansbach is Chief Counsel for Healthcare at Kimberly-Clark Corporation by day. In his spare time he can be found in the backyard of his Morningside home tending his flock of chickens and beehives. He aspires to add a four-legged animal to his urban farm and is open to suggestions of what would be appropriate (and legal) in the city of Atlanta.
Sabrina Orah Mark is the author of two books of poetry, The Babies (2004) and Tsim Tsum (2009). She has received fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the Glenn Schaeffer Foundation, and The National Endowment for the Arts. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in many journals and in the anthologies, Legitimate Dangers, The Best American Poetry 2007, and My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales. She teaches at UGA. www.sabrinaorahmark.com
Dassie New is the Chabad emissary to Georgia with husband Rabbi Yossi New. Dassie is the director of the Jewish Montessori School, Chaya Mushka Children’s House.
Yossi New is the regional director of Chabad of Georgia and spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Tefillah in Sandy Springs. Chabad of Georgia is an affiliate of the worldwide outreach network of the Chabad Lubavitch movement. There are 10 centers in the state. Beth Tefillah is an orthodox synagogue that was established in 1984 with significant support from South African immigrants.
Deborah L. Numark has been singing at The Temple since 1987. In 2005 she led Shabbat worship at the URJ National Biennial for a congregation of 5,000 worshipers! More recently, Deborah joined forces with Rabbi Ron Segal of Atlanta's Temple Sinai and the Annointed Voices Gospel Choir from Providence Missionary Baptist Church, as they led evening worship at the annual convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Deborah has recorded three CD's: Life, The Jewish Wedding Album, and a collection of songs for young voices called Shiron L'Noar.
Simcha (Sim) Pearl has been an integral part of The Weber School in Atlanta since its inception in 1997. He was founding Principal from 1997 until 2000, when he was promoted to Head of School. From 1987 until 1995, Sim divided his work week between the formal practice of two professions: dentistry and Jewish day school education. In 1995, he decided to focus strictly on education and spent two years in Israel in intensive preparation for a principalship in a community Jewish day school. He is an unabashed lover of the accordian.
Sadie Rapp challenged her parents to make her Bat Mitzvah as green as possible. The Rapps, who live in Chapel Hill, NC, considered the environmental impact of every decision, from having all the events in walking distance of the hotel to crafting a utensil-free kiddush lunch. Wanting to encourage others to go greener, Sadie started a blog mygreenbatmitzvah.blogspot.com where she gathers and shares ideas. This is Sadie's first conference.
Ronda Robinson is an international journalist with Southern sensibilities. A Tennessee native, she lives in Atlanta and holds dual American-Israeli citizenship. She wrote her first feature story for the Jerusalem Post on Clara Hammer, the Chicken Lady of Jerusalem, while at ulpan at Hebrew University in 1996. Other writing credits include American Profile, Hadassah, Ms., Rolling Stone, Travel & Leisure, USA Today and The Washingtonian. Ronda is a lifelong learner who loves studying and traveling.
Neil Sandler leads Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and received a Masters degree and Rabbinic ordination from The Jewish Theological Seminary. Upon ordination, he completed a Master of Science degree in Social Work at Columbia University. He has been with Ahavath Achim Synagogue since July 2004. Neil is married to Susan Hart Sandler, a social worker with Weinstein Hospice.
Scot M. Safon is Executive V.P. and CMO for CNN Worldwide, where he is responsible for the branding, marketing and promotion of CNN’s multiple networks. Safon has overseen development of campaigns on behalf of all CNN and HLN programming and news coverage. His team has been responsible for handling marketing and sales communications during CNN’s award-winning coverage of the 2008 and 2004 Presidential Elections, Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, the war in Iraq and the Tsunami disaster. Most recently, Scot’s team led the charge on CNN’s groundbreaking Inauguration Day partnership with Facebook, which resulted in CNN.com/Live hosting the largest online video event in internet history.
Jeff Salkin is nationally known as a creative teacher, innovator and author of books on spirituality, Israel and men’s issues, published by Jewish Lights. His book Putting God On The Guest List: How To Reclaim The Spiritual Meaning of Your Child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah is an American Jewish best seller. He founded and directs Kol Echad: Making Judaism Matter, an Atlanta adult Jewish learning institute which the Atlanta Jewish Times called a model for non-Orthodox kollels, and serves as rabbi of Temple Israel, Columbus, GA. He does not play basketball. www.judaismmatters.org
Beth Sass, a graduate of Berklee College of Music, is a singer songwriter, music educator, creative mentor and fitness coach trained in Psychosynthesis, the Jungian study of competing and complimentary sub-personalities. In 2008-2009, as group leader at Cumberland Heights Treatment Center, Beth introduced archetypal psychology into 12-Step work. She created and teaches all music programs at Akiva Day School and Gordon JCC, Nashville. She is completing her second CD with her band, The Sinai Mountain Girls, and is mother of Bianca.
Cherie Karo Schwartz has been telling and teaching in Colorado, around the country, and abroad for over 27 years, sharing spirit-filled tales of wishes, wisdom, and wonder from throughout the ages and for all ages. Her specialities include worldwide folklore, Jewish tales, and riddle stories. Cherie performs and teaches in schools, colleges, libraries, museums, synagogues, and for conferences. She provides artist-in-residence and guest author and artist programs, lectures, and keynote speaches. Cherie is a founding co-coordinator of the international Jewish Storytelling Association.
Don Seeman is Associate Professor of Religion and Jewish Studies at Emory University. He is the author of One People, One Blood: Ethiopian-Israelis and the Return to Judaism (Rutgers 2009) as well as many articles on Jewish Thought, Mysticism, and the Anthropology of Religion. He is a member of the Hartman Institute’s North American Scholar’s Circle and a proud abba to Rachel, Hadara and Noam Eliezer.
Joel Silverman is a professional photographer who gets a profoundly deep satisfaction from vegetable gardening and raising chickens, stemming from the same reasons he used to keep kosher – “it helps me to not take for granted where our food comes from and it's important to me that my daughteres Sophie and Mira grow up feeling connected to the Earth even living in an asphalt city.”
Barbara Skibell
Saul Sloman offers unique comedy as an extraordinary raconteur, combining hilarious story telling and jokes exploring the human dynamic. Drawing on personal experiences with Eastern European holocaust survivor parents, Saul mixes family and life experiences, drawing the audience in with updated “Borscht Belt” flavored humor. He lives in Dunwoody.
Laurel Snyder is a poet and the author of several books for children, including Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher and Nosh, Shlep, Schuff. She is also a commentator for NPR’s All Things Considered and the editor of the anthology, Half/Life: Jew-ish Tales from Interfaith Homes. She lives in Atlanta and online at laurelsnyder.com.
Michael Sokol is a member of The Village Theatre, an improv comedy troupe located in the Old 4th Ward. Their shows combine both long-form and short-form styles and run every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, starting at 8:30. They teach classes geared for anyone: from actors learning to round out their skills to those just looking to have some fun or professionals looking to gain more confidence in public speaking. www.villagecomedy.com
Deborah Spector empowers nonprofits through strategic marketing communications and special events. Deborah’s signature work in the Atlanta Jewish community is Ahavath Achim’s Eizenstat Family Memorial Lecture Series now featured at www.creative-si.com/blog.
Adam Starr leads Young Israel of Toco Hills. He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, and studied at Yeshivat Shalavim in Israel for two years prior to college. He received his BA from Yeshiva College and has rabbinical ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Rabbinical Seminary at Yeshiva University. He is an instructor of Jewish Ethics and Purposes at the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School based at the Jewish Community Center in Atlanta and serves on the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America.
Jonathan Tescher is the Farmer Services Coordinator for Georgia Organics, a nonprofit that builds capacity for sustainable agriculture in urban and rural Georgia. He manages The Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring Program and Urban Agriculture Training Programs, in addition to collaborating with stakeholders in academia, government, business and community. Jonathan got his M.B.A. at Georgia State University and a B.A. in marketing from the University of Texas. Jonathan founded the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market in 2006, the first farmers market in Georgia to accept food stamps, and has worked on five established organic farms in Georgia.
Abe Tesser & Carmen Tesser launched the Athens Jewish Film Festival in 2008 to shine a light on Jewish cinema through year-round programming. The goal is two-fold: to review, discuss, and celebrate American and international films of Jewish interest, and to encourage emerging filmmakers. Activities include the presentation of a major Jewish Film Festival event held in late February. It also includes year-round events featuring emerging filmmakers and their films as well as classic Jewish cinema.
Larry Wachs is the co-host of The Regular Guys Show, Atlanta's most listened to morning show, currently heard on Rock 100.5/Atlanta, GA and Rock105.5/Macon, GA.
Julius Wenger is a graduate of Northwestern Univ. School of Medicine. After retirement from his position as Professor of Medicine at Emory Univ, he has intensified his studies of Judaica.
Harvey Winokur leads Temple Kehillat Chaim in Roswell, GA. He was born in Brooklyn and grew up on Long Island and in Buffalo. He received his B.A. at the SUNY at Buffalo, and his M.A. and Ordination at the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. Winokur thinks of himself as a teacher and feels that it is important to break down the distance between the pulpit and the pew. He is the first trained Jewish Spiritual Director in Georgia.
Amanda Zimmerman is a doctoral student at Georgia Institute of Technology in bioengineering. She attended Duke University where she majored in biomedical engineering and oversaw Hillel programming for the student body. While there she also organized a campus-wide Israel Teach-In and an Israel advocacy fellowship. Amanda is active in the Atlanta Chevre Minyan and regularly attends services at Or Hadash.
If you are interested in presenting a session at Limmud ATL+SE in March, please fill out this form and send it in to info@limmudse.org.
