PLENARY Speakers
Rabbi Mira Wasserman, Ph.D.
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Rabbinic Literature (Moderator)Rabbi Mira Wasserman, PhD, teaches Talmud and Midrash at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where she serves as the Vice President for Academic Affairs of Reconstructing Judaism.
Aaron Dorfman
Executive Director, A More Perfect Union
Aaron Dorfman is Founder and Executive Director of A More Perfect Union, an effort to mobilize the American Jewish community to protect and strengthen American democracy. Previously, Aaron served as President of Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, Vice President for Programs of American Jewish World Service, and Director of Informal Education at Temple Isaiah of Contra Costa County. He holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BA in English and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Aaron and his wife Talia live in Brooklyn, New York, where they’re raising three fierce feminist daughters.
Rabbi Sandra Lawson, RRC '18
Executive Director, Carolina Jews for Justice
Rabbi Sandra Lawson is the Executive Director of Carolina Jews for Justice (CJJ), a statewide grassroots organization building power for electoral justice, immigrant rights, and community safety through coalition-based organizing across North Carolina. A 2018 Reconstructionist Rabbinical College graduate, Sandra has worked to transform perceptions of what a rabbi looks like. She tackles questions surrounding Jews and race, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and social justice through her writing, podcasts, media appearances, and keynote speeches. With more than 100,000 followers across social media platforms, she models what it means to teach Torah and build community in digital spaces. Sandra previously served as the inaugural Director of Racial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Reconstructing Judaism and as Associate Chaplain for Jewish Life at Elon University. Before entering the rabbinate, she served in the U.S. Army and as an investigative researcher for the Anti-Defamation League. Her work has been recognized by The Forward, the Center for American Progress, and Out Magazine.
Amy Spitalnick
CEO, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Amy Spitalnick is the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the national convener of Jewish coalitions working across communities to build a just and inclusive American democracy.
A nationally recognized leader on countering antisemitism, hate, and extremism and protecting democracy, Amy previously served as Executive Director of Integrity First for America, which won its groundbreaking lawsuit against the neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and hate groups responsible for the Charlottesville violence.
Amy has extensive experience in government, politics, and advocacy, including as Communications Director and Senior Policy Advisor to the New York Attorney General and spokesperson and advisor to the New York City Mayor. She serves on the Boards of Directors of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Tufts University Hillel, and the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University, as well as on Tree of Life’s Academic Advisory Council and Bedrock’s National Leadership Council.
Amy frequently appears in national media and has been awarded various fellowships and honors, including being named a Women inPower Fellow at the 92nd Street Y, a Truman National Security Project Fellow, a City & State 40 Under 40 Rising Star, and a NY Jewish Week 36 Under 36 Changemaker. She graduated from Tufts University.
Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., RRC '99
President & CEO, Reconstructing Judaism (Moderator)
THE FIRST WOMAN RABBI to head a Jewish congregational union and a Jewish seminary, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., became president and CEO of Reconstructing Judaism in 2014. She has drawn on her training as a rabbi and historian to become the Reconstructionist movement’s leading voice in the public square.
Elliot Vaisrub Glassenberg
Senior Educator, BINA, The Home of Israeli Judaism
Elliot Vaisrub Glassenberg is an American-Canadian-Israeli Queer Jewish educator-activist whose work focuses on the intersection of Judaism and human rights. Originally from Chicago, Elliot holds a B.A. from McGill University, an M.A. in Jewish Education and an M.A. in Jewish Literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Since moving to Israel in 2011, Elliot has taught hundreds of groups from Israel and abroad and has volunteered and advocated for refugee rights, LGBTQ inclusion and other causes. Elliot currently serves as a senior educator at BINA: The Home of Israeli Judaism; as part of his work, he oversees the RRC-BINA Israel Summer Term on the ground. Elliot is also a student in the The Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis (by Hamidrasha at Oranim and Hartman Institute), a blogger at The Times of Israel and lives in Jaffa. Elliot is an affiliate faculty member at RRC.
Helen Kim, Ph.D.
President & Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Sociology, Whitman College
Helen Kim is Professor of Sociology and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. Her scholarship focuses on race and American Judaism in the contemporary era. Along with co-author, Noah Leavitt, she published JewAsian: Race, Religion, and Identity for America's Newest Jews in 2016 with University of Nebraska Press.
Amanda Beckenstein Mbuvi, Ph.D.
Director of the Center for Jewish Ethics, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Dr. Amanda Beckenstein Mbuvi is a scholar and teacher with expertise in Tanakh, Jewish ethics and multifaith studies. She serves as the director of the Center for Jewish Ethics at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where she previously served as the vice president for academic affairs—the first African American to lead in that role at an American rabbinical seminary. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College, she earned her Ph.D. from Duke University, specializing in Hebrew Bible with minors in Literature and Judaic Studies. She is the author of the book Belonging in Genesis: Biblical Israel and the Politics of Identity Formation, as well as numerous scholarly articles. She is passionate about dynamic, inclusive Jewish communities that cultivate what she likes to call “blessed interdependence.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer
Director of Virtual Content and Programs, Ritualwell, Reconstructing Judaism
Gabrielle Ariella Kaplan Mayer is an author, educator and spiritual director who works 1:1 with people, helping them find their inner wisdom through words. She currently works as the director of virtual content and programs for Ritualwell.org. Her personal essays have been featured in Tablet, Shondaland, NBCThink, Wisdom Daily, WHYY, The New York Times and many other publications. Gabrielle is currently working on a memoir about the power of intuition and ongoing conversations with her ancestors. She writes a weekly Substack with creative prompts and spiritual practices called “Journey With the Seasons.” Find her books, plays and essays at .gabriellekaplanmayer.com.
Rabbi Nicole Fix, RRC '23
Co-founder, Rabbinic Arts Company
Rabbi Nicole Fix
Rabbi Shawn Zevit, RRC '98
Rabbi Mishkan Shalom
Rabbi Shawn Zevit is a dynamic and widely known liturgist, teacher, singer, author and consultant to Jewish communities. He is a 1998 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and worked for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation for 14 years as the Director of Congregational Services, Outreach and Tikkun Olam. In 2023, Rabbi Shawn celebrated 25 years as a rabbi and 10 years at Mishkan Shalom. Rabbi Shawn has been a sought-after teacher and leader of spiritual practice programs, including co-director of the award-winning Davennen Leader’s Training Institute, where he coaches rabbis, cantors and lay leaders of all denominations.
Rabbi Kelilah Miller, RRC '13
Rabbi Mishkan Shalom
Rabbi Kelilah Miller
Justin Rosen Smolen
Vice President for Thriving Communities and Partnerships, Reconstructing Judaism (Moderator)
Justin Rosen Smolen is the Vice President for Thriving Communities and Partnerships at Reconstructing Judaism, where he oversees movement initiatives supporting nearly 100 congregations worldwide and builds partnerships to advance a deeply rooted, boldly relevant and co-creative approach to Jewish life. He is a member of the advisory board of Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations. Justin previously served as director of Jewish Emergent Network, where he led collaboration and strategy across seven pioneering communities throughout the United States to spark innovation in Jewish spiritual life. He also served as national director of youth programs at Keshet, where he expanded leadership programs and partnerships to support LGBTQ Jewish youth, and as associate director for community-based teen initiatives at The Jewish Education Project, where he advised a collaborative of funders launching new teen initiatives across the country. He has also consulted to a variety of organizations on inclusion, innovation and strategy. Justin holds an MPA in management and an MA in Jewish Studies, and is an alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship. He lives in northern New Jersey with his partner and their two children.
Rabbi Aliza Schwartz, RRC '24
Rabbi Temple Hillel B'nai Torah
Rabbi Aliza Schwartz is the rabbi of Temple Hillel B’nai Torah, a haimish, progressive Reconstructionist congregation in Boston, MA with about 165 member households. Rabbi Aliza was ordained by RRC in 2024. She worked for two years as a Cooperberg-Rittmaster Rabbinical Intern at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York. She spent one year of rabbinic training in Jerusalem, studying at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and doing protective presence and solidarity work, especially in Masafer Yatta, an area home to several Palestinian villages in the southern West Bank. Rabbi Aliza strives to always be part of bringing people toward one another and toward larger containers of “home.” In this particular world moment - and always - Rabbi Aliza fights for a deeply-rooted Judaism that stands loudly against racism, loudly against antisemitism, loudly against Islamophobia, and loudly against the systems that allow for dehumanization and that pit humans against one another.
Jillian Best Adler
Board Vice President, Camp Havaya
Jillian Best Adler is an early childhood consultant who offers coaching and training to early childhood educators and facilitates workshops and support groups for parents of young children. All of her work, including her parenting, is values-based, informed by and rooted in a commitment to justice. She is a mixed-race Black Jewish mother of three children and the wife of a Reconstructionist rabbi. She serves as Vice President of the Board of Camp Havaya and is an active volunteer at her children’s progressive Quaker school. Jillian hosts a podcast called "Connecting the Dots: Not Just Another Parenting Podcast" where she, using a blend of professional expertise and lived experience, guides parents through the process of shifting their perspectives on everyday behaviors and commonly held beliefs about children and our interactions with them.
Rabbi Isabel de Koninck, RRC '10
Executive Director and Campus Rabbi, Hillel at Drexel University
Rabbi Isabel de Koninck has served as Executive Director and Campus Rabbi for Hillel at Drexel University since 2010. Complementing her role at Hillel, Rabbi de Koninck regularly serves as an adjunct instructor at Drexel University and at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC). A native of Montclair, New Jersey, Rabbi Isabel de Koninck is a graduate of Brandeis University, and received rabbinic ordination from the RRC where she also completed a graduate certificate in Jewish Gender and Women’s Studies. Her thought pieces have been published by the CCAR Press, Evolve, and eJewish Philanthropy among others. She is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship and of the Mandel Foundation’s Executive Leadership Program. Beyond her work at Hillel, Rabbi de Koninck is pursuing a doctorate in Leadership and Innovation at NYU’s Steinhardt School, serves on the boards of Reconstructing Judaism and Tribe12, and loves spending a week on faculty each summer at Camp Havaya.
WORKSHOP PRESENTERS
Rabbi Michael Strassfeld, RRC '91
Professor Jenna Weissman Joselit
Charles E. Smith Professor of Judaic Studies & Professor of History, George Washington University
Jenna Weissman Joselit is the author of Mordecai M. Kaplan: Restless Soul, the hot-off-the-press biography just published by Yale University Press as part of its distinguished "Jewish Lives" series. A celebrated cultural historian and public intellectual, whose column on American Jewish history and culture had appeared monthly over the past 25 years in the Forward and Tablet, she's now a contributing writer for the Jewish Review of Books. Her work has also been published in The New York Times, the New Republic, and Gastronomica.
Elsie Stern, Ph.D.
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Elsie R. Stern, Ph.D. is Professor of Bible at RRC, where she has served on the faculty for twenty years. One of her current research project centers on representations of migration in the Hebrew Bible. She is also serving as the general editor of a new Torah Commentary produced by the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Elsie lives in Philadelphia with her family and loves being part of the RRC and Reconstructing Judaism communities.
Rabbi Alex Weissman, RRC '17
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Rabbi Alex Weissman (RRC '17) serves as the Director of Community Life and Mekhinah at RRC where he teaches classes in Mishnah, practical rabbinics, and Reconstructionism. He has previously served as Rabbi of Congregation Agudas Achim, Director of Organizing at T'ruah, and Senior Jewish Educator at Brown RISD Hillel.
Rabbi David Teutsch, Ph.D.
Wiener Professor Emeritus of Contemporary Civilization, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Rabbi David Teutsch is the Wiener Professor Emeritus of Contemporary Civilization at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where he was the founding director of the Center for Jewish Ethics after he served as president of the College for nearly a decade. He is the editor of the Kol Haneshamah Reconstructionist prayer book series and of the three-volume Guide to Jewish Practice as well as several other books and dozens of articles. He continues to do consulting and coaching, and has been a volunteer leader of JStreet since its founding. He earned his A.B. with honors at Harvard University, his ordination at HUC-JIR in New York, and his PhD at the Wharton School.
Rabbi Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Ph.D., , RRC '82
Rabbi Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Religious Studies Emerita and the founding Director of the Department of Multifaith Studies and Initiatives at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. She is a 1982 graduate of RRC and earned her doctorate in Religion from Temple University in 1990.
Rabbi Mordechai Liebling, , RRC '85
Rabbi Mordechai Liebling is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Faith in Action (FIA), the largest faith-based community organizing network in the U.S. In 2025 he retired from working at POWER Interfaith, FIA's affiliate in Pennsylvania. Before that, he founded and directed the Social Justice Organizing Program at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College for ten years. Previously, he served as the executive vice president of Jewish Funds for Justice (now Bend the Arc); and was the executive director of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation for 12 years. He leads workshops and retreats on Race, Antisemitism and Christian hegemony, and on the Work That Reconnects developed by Joanna Macy.
Rabbi Rayna Grossman, , RRC '17
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
As director of field education, Rabbi Rayna Grossman (they/them) oversees students’ on-the-job training, ensuring that future rabbis are prepared to serve in a variety of settings and communities. RRC’s new Advanced field education program (which began in academic year 2023-24 and builds on the General internship program), further centers immersive fieldwork opportunities as a core component of students’ learning and development. As part of their role, Rayna teaches supervision groups and helps coordinate all aspects of student supervision. They bring to the role substantial experience in supervising rabbinical students and, thanks to a background in social work, possess a rich understanding of what supervision can look like and how powerful it can be. Rayna spent five years as director of religious services at Lion’s Gate, a continuing-care retirement community in Voorhees, N.J., where they had previously served as rabbinic intern. While in this position they also had the pleasure of supervising RRC interns who helped serve the Lions Gate community. They graduated from RRC in 2017. While in rabbinical school, Rayna served a number of senior living communities, leading services, teaching adult-education classes and offering pastoral care. Previously, they earned a Master of Social Work from the University at Buffalo, N.Y., and worked for nonprofits dedicated to civil rights and fair housing. Growing up, Rayna belonged to Temple Sinai, a Reconstructionist shul in Buffalo, which is now Congregation Shir Shalom, a dually affiliated community in Williamsville, N.Y.
Rabbi Josh Jacobs-Velde, RRC '13
Rabbi, Oseh Shalom
Rabbi Josh Jacobs-Velde has been the co-rabbi of RJ-affiliate Oseh Shalom in Laurel, MD since 2017. A graduate of RRC, he is also active in the Jewish Renewal movement. He is deeply interested in supporting contemplative Jewish practice for liberal Jews, as well as connecting Judaism to the natural world.
Dr. Barry Dornfeld
Barry Dornfeld is a filmmaker, organizational consultant, and scholar whose award-winning documentaries and research span public TV, cultural performance, and community history.
Professor Sharon Musher
Professor of History, Stockton University
Sharon Ann Musher is Professor of History at Stockton University. She is the author of Democratic Art: The New Deal’s Influence on American Culture (University of Chicago Press, 2015) and Promised Lands: Hadassah Kaplan and the Legacy of American Jewish Women in Early Twentieth Century Palestine (New York University Press, 2025), which was selected for the Jewish Women’s Archive’s Summer Book List and twice for Hadassah Magazine’s Shabbat Bookshelf. Sharon is also a granddaughter of Hadassah Kaplan Musher and a great granddaughter of Mordecai Kaplan.
Rabbi Maurice Harris, RRC '03
Associate Director of Thriving Communities, Reconstructing Judaism
Rabbi Maurice Harris (RRC '03) is Associate Director for Thriving Communities at Reconstructing Judaism. Previously, he served as Associate Rabbi and Head of School at Temple Beth Israel (Eugene, OR). Maurice is the author of three Jewish studies books: Moses: A Stranger among Us; Leviticus: You Have No Idea; and The Forgotten Sage: Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah and the Birth of Judaism as We Know It. He blogs at .theaccidentalrabbi.substack.com.
JT Waldman
JT Waldman is a bicentennial-baby born, raised, and residing in Philadelphia, PA. He is known for his scholarly and unconventional take on Jewish visual history and folklore through the medium of comix.
McKenzie Wren
Wren Consulting & Ma'ayan Spiritual Arts
McKenzie Wren (she/her) is an artist, facilitator and consultant who works in multiple arenas to support connection and growth. As Wren Consulting, she works with businesses and nonprofits to support inclusion and belonging. As Ma’ayan Spiritual Arts, she facilitates art, ritual and connection through Earth-based, embodied Jewish practices uplifting hidden voices and lost stories. At the heart of everything she does is the belief in the power of relationship, community and connection to nature - she is skilled in creating spaces where each person is seen, heard and valued.
Rabbi Jacob Staub, RRC '77
Director of Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations, Reconstructing Judaism
Rabbi Jacob Staub is the director of Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations. He is Professor Emeritus of Jewish Philosophy and Spirituality at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where he continues to direct the Program in Jewish Spiritual Direction. He served as editor of The Reconstructionist 1983-89. He co-authored with Rebecca Alpert, Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach.
Josie Boskoff
Rabbinical Student, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Josie Boskoff (née Felt) is in her senior year at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Josie relocated to Albuquerque this summer from Philadelphia, where she spent two years working as the Rabbinic intern at Kol Tzedek. Her deep love of prayer and ritual developed over three years living in Jerusalem, where she studied Torah and participated in Jewish-Palestinian solidarity work in Masafer Yatta in the West Bank with All That’s Left and the Center for Jewish Nonviolence. While in Jerusalem, Josie co-founded Boneh Yerushalyim, an egalitarian anglo minyan for activists. Before turning towards the rabbinate, Josie graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in theater and worked as a stage manager in Washington DC and San Francisco.
Rabbi Dr. William Plevan
Assistant Professor of Contemporary Jewish Thought, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Rabbi Dr. William Plevan is Assistant Professor of Contemporary Jewish Thought at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College where he is director of its Israel program and served as the 2023-24 Democracy Fellow. He writes and teaches on contemporary Jewish theology, ethics, and political thought, and is currently working on a book on the ideal of community in Martin Buber's thought. He currently serves on the Board and is former Co-chair of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights and is past President of Matan, an organization devoted to creating disability inclusion in the Jewish community. He received rabbinical ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary and a PhD in Religion from Princeton.
Amy Weiss
Senior Director of Field Activation Strategy, Repair the World
Amy Weiss is the Senior Director of Field Activation Strategy at Repair the World, where she oversees Repair’s national expansion strategy and the Jewish Service Alliance. In this role, she works to strengthen the Jewish community’s commitment to service and expand opportunities for meaningful volunteer engagement across the country. Previously, Amy served as the Director of Jewish Communal Engagement and Learning at OLAM, where she worked to engage the North American Jewish community in global causes and equip Jewish leaders to become champions of global service. Over the course of her more than 15-year career, Amy has established herself as a leader in experiential Jewish education and service learning. During her nine years at Maryland Hillel, she became a national leader in immersive experiences and service learning initiatives—sending more than 1,000 participants on immersive service-learning trips and engaging hundreds of students in ongoing local service. Amy earned her B.A. from The George Washington University, studied at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, and received a Graduate Certificate in Jewish Communal Service from the Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University.
Rabbi Rachel Weiss, RRC '09
Rabbi, Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, Evanston, IL
Rabbi Rachel Weiss is the rabbi of Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, IL (where she grew up), and is known for her commitment to Jewish life that is creative, connective, and deep. She brings her warmth and energy to life cycle officiation and pastoral counseling, is an innovative teacher of Torah and a passionate spiritual leader. A 2009 graduate of RRC, Rabbi Rachel was a Ziegelman scholar, and the recipient of the Berger Prize in Practical Rabbinics. She holds a certificate in Congregational Life and has taken leadership roles within the Reconstructionist movement. A member of Clergy Leadership Incubator cohort 4, she integrates adaptive leadership, design thinking and innovation into the congregation. She regularly speaks in the Chicagoland community in Interfaith programming, at community social justice actions, and at trainings and communal observances within Jewish and secular spaces.
Holly Smith
Rabbinical Student, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Holly Smith (she/her) is a Year 2 student at RRC and a trained Creative Facilitator through the Jewish Studio Project. Her work is an ongoing exploration of how creative practice and play can help people navigate change, make meaning, and foster deeper connections to themselves, each other, and to the Divine.
Wendy Elliott-Vandivier
Teaching Artist and Disability Activist
Wendy Elliott-Vandivier is a graduate of Tyler School of Art, Temple University. She has been making art since she was a young child growing up in Philadelphia. In college, she majored in sculpture and staged a funeral of a disabled poster child to lay stereotypes of pity and helplessness firmly to rest. Her paintings explore issues of family, memory and experiences as a disabled woman. Her autobiographical cartoons focus on attitudinal barriers and stereotypes regarding disabilities, and some of the micro-aggressions that disabled people experience while living normal, “un-inspirational” lives. She is also a photographer of micro-scale monuments in nature, and is often inspired by close-up images that people often do not notice in daily life – tree bark, dead leaves, flower anatomy, and water.
Wendy is also a life-long disability rights activist, and has held leadership positions at the Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities, Disabled in Action of PA, American Association of People with Disabilities and United Spinal Association - Greater Philadelphia.
Wendy is a teaching artist, melding her art with her disability activism. She conducts art workshops on microaggressions and ableism, creating a welcoming and safe space for people of all ages to create cartoons of their own, and engage in meaningful discussions about racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism and other forms of discrimination. She tailors her programs for various age groups from kindergarten, elementary, high school students and beyond. She has also conducted training for universities, businesses and religious organizations. To Wendy, it is all about repairing the world, making it a better place for all!
To view some of Wendy’s work, visit her website at wendyevart.com.
Joel Abramovitz
Director of the Wenger-Markowitz Family Education Initiative, Reconstructing Judaism
Joel Abramovitz is the Director of the Wenger-Markowitz Family Education Initiative at Reconstructing Judaism. He loves supporting Reconstructionist educators in creating meaningful and resonant Jewish educational experiences for students and families across the movement. With deep roots in California, Joel lives now in the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York. When not working, Joel can be found in his kitchen, baking or studying cookbooks as if they were sacred texts.
Nora Chernov
Rabbinical Student, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Advanced Intern for Community Life
Nora Chernov (she/her) is a student at the Reconstructist Rabbinical College where she serves as the Advanced Intern for Community Life and assists in the RRC Beit Midrash. She grew up at RSNS and attended Camp Havaya as both a camper and staff member. Nora is a passionate student and teacher of text, especially all things Talmud. When not at RRC she can be found going on long drives listening to podcasts and playing all manner of board games.
Barb Richman
Facilitator of the Jewish Studio Process
Barb Richman is a facilitator of the Jewish Studio Process. An active member of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation, she leads monthly creativity sessions and a women’s Torah study group. Barb and her husband Charlie are parents to Rabbi Bec Richman and writer Sarah Richman. Barb loves being Bubbie to 3 adorable grandkids.
Ruth Messinger
Social justice advocate
Ruth Messinger is a former elected official and organization CEO currently teaching and working on social justice issues, most particularly on immigrants and immigration justice. She has a life time experience with organizing for social change in various settings and works on some of these issues in and with her SAJ congregation.
Rabbi Miriam Grossman
Director of Outreach and Partnerships, Tivnu: Building Justice
Rabbi Miriam Grossman is a Jewish educator, ritual leader, and writer. She serves as the Director of Outreach and Partnerships at Tivnu: Building Justice. Tivnu offers transformative gap year and youth programs, blending hands-on social justice work with Jewish community and learning. Previously, Miriam was the rabbi of Congregation Kolot Chayeinu in Brooklyn and led innovative Jewish education programs at Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps, the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, and the Institute for Jewish Enrichment. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Laynie Soloman
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Laynie Soloman is a teacher and Torah lover who seeks to uplift the piously irreverent, queer, and subversive spirit of rabbinic text and theology. They serve on the faculty at SVARA, where they co-founded the Trans Halakha Project, an initiative that seeks to create new forms of halakhic (Jewish legal) expression shaped by trans and non-binary Jews. Laynie has taught Jewish text for over a decade in a wide range of spaces, including Yeshivat Hadar, the Academy for Jewish Religion, Pardes North America, and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. They live in Philadelphia with their partner, Zahara, and their kid, Remez
Rabbi Jeffrey Schein, RRC '77
Senior Consultant for Jewish Education, Mordecai Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood
Rabbi Jeffrey Schein is the past executive director and current senior consultant for Jewish Education of the Mordecai Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood. He has been a leading figure in North American Jewish Educational leadership for nearly 50 years authoring a dozen books and three dozen articles about challenges in Jewish living and learning. For twenty years he served as the national director of education for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation. He is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (1977) and the Temple University doctoral program in curricular studies (1980). He is co-editor with Rabbi Sandy Sasso of “Kol Ha’No’ar: The Voice of Children.” He recently co-authored Oneg Shabbat: A Sabbath Evening Table Companion also with Rabbi Sandy Sasso.
Rabbi Elyse Wechterman, RRC '00
Former CEO of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Rabbi Elyse Wechterman (RRC 2000) is the former CEO of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association and served as the spiritual leader of Congregation Agudas Achim in Attleboro, MA, 2001 - 2013. Using her 25 years of experience in the Reconstructionist movement, Elyse coaches rabbis and consults with congregations across North America. She is also co-chair of Indivisible Greater Jenkintown and, in that capacity, is one of the lead activists supporting the immigrant communities of Montgomery County, PA. To learn more about Elyse and her work, visit her website at rabbielyse.com.
Rabbi Elliot Skiddell, RRC '80
Interim Director of Rabbinic Placement and Employment, Reconstructing Judaism and Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Rabbi Elliot Skiddell graduated from RRC in 1980. He received his BA in Philosophy and Religion from the University of Massachusetts and an MA in Religion from Temple University. In 1992, Elliot and his family made Aliyah and he joined the senior staff of the Jewish Agency. He previously served as Assistant Rabbi of Har Zion Temple, Penn Valley, Pennsylvania and then as Rabbi of Ramat Shalom Synagogue in Plantation, Florida. In August 2006, Elliot became rabbi of Reconstructionist Congregation Beth Emeth and led the congregation through the creation of a partnership with Central Synagogue of Nassau County that progressed from cohabitation to cooperation, collaboration and, finally, consolidation. In August 2020, Elliot was honored with the title of Rabbi Emeritus. In October 2021 he became Interim Director of Rabbinic Placement and Employment for Reconstructing Judaism and the RRA.
Rabbi Joshua Boettiger, RRC '06
Jewish Chaplain and Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities, Bard College
Rabbi Joshua Boettiger serves as the Jewish Chaplain and Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities at Bard College in the Hudson River Valley of New York. He is also the Rosh Yeshiva at the Center for Contemporary Mussar. He is the author of a book on Mussar, To Imagine Other Solitudes, which is due to be published by Monkfish Press in early 2027, and his poetry has appeared in the New Ohio Review, Missouri Review, B O D Y, the Southern Review, Image, and elsewhere.
Tamar Kamionkowski
Professor of Biblical Studies, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Tamar Kamionkowski is professor of biblical studies at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. She is currently completing a book which addresses Jewish biblical theology from a Reconstructionist perspective.
Susan Levine
Board Member, Reconstructing Judaism
Susan Levine serves on the board of Reconstructing Judaism. She is also president of her synagogue, Ner Shalom, in Cotati CA. For entertainment, Susan runs a book club, rides a recumbent trike adapted for a one-armed, one- legged amputee, and watches movies. Susan lives in Sonoma with her husband Jim, who is also an avid cyclist.
Rebecca Hirschwerk
Director, RSNS Synagogue School, Plandome, NY
Rebecca Hirschwerk is an educator and community builder with a background in both museum education and Jewish studies. Her work sits at the intersection of art, Jewish thought, and lived experience, using creative inquiry and reflective practice to help learners of all ages engage Jewish ideas as a guide for personal meaning, ethical action, and communal life. Rebecca has taught at RSNS for over 15 years and currently serves as the Director of Congregational Education. She directs The RSNS Synagogue School, programming and designing meaningful educational experiences for children, teens, and adults that emphasize experiential learning and invite students to celebrate their Jewish identities out loud and with pride—engaging mind, body, and soul. She is especially passionate about cultivating moments of connection that spark curiosity, empathy, and shared meaning.
Adva Chattler
Managing Director of Engagment and Innovation, Ritualwell, Reconstructing Judaism
Adva Chattler (she/her) is an Israeli-Mizrahi Jew, born and raised in Be’er-Sheva, Israel. She loves to create meaningful experiences through her cooking and baking that prompt sharing stories, teachings and rituals about Judaism, Israel and Mizrahi Jewish cultures and heritage. Her rituals, prayers and poems were published on Ritualwell. Adva is passionate about bringing people together in ways that spark relationship building and connecting to others on a deeper level, both in the challenging and ever-changing world of online gatherings, and in person. She holds a MA in conflict Resolution and Management from Ben Gurion University of the Negev and BA in Public Administration and Management from Sapir College in Sderot, Israel. With her experience in teaching and curriculum building, she support facilitators and presenters for Ritualwell and Reconstructing Judaism and encourage them to bring not only their best self, but best practices and tools for successful teaching online. Adva lives in Del Rio, Tx., with her husband, three daughters and their dogs.
Lisa Jacobs
Director of Family Education and Engagement at Bet Am Shalom Synagogue, White Plains, NY
Lisa has served as the Director of Family Education and Engagement at Bet Am Shalom Synagogue (BAS) in White Plains, NY for just under five years. Before moving to Westchester, she spent over two decades in Boston working in various educational settings, from day schools to synagogues, and most recently as the Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Gann Academy, in Waltham. She has an undergraduate degree from Tufts University in Child Development and Comparative Religion, an MM in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory, an MA from Lesley University in Expressive Therapies and Mental Health Counseling, and an MA in Israel Education through George Washington University’s iCenter. Israel Dialogue work is at the intersection of many of Lisa’s passions! She is eager to help cultivate dialogue spaces in other interested RJ communities and to share her experiences, reflections, and learnings with workshop participants.
Rabbi Tamara Cohen, RRC '14
Chief of Program and Strategy, Moving Traditions
Rabbi Tamara Cohen is a Covenant award-winning Jewish educator, community builder and liturgist. She is Chief of Program and Strategy at Moving Traditions which creates Jewish educational experiences that help youth understand who they are and who they want to be while giving them tools they need to navigate a world that is constantly changing. Moving Traditions offers curricular programs and trainings for synagogues and camp educators, parent webinars, and Immersive Teen Experiences including a feminist fellowship, racial justice retreats, and JGirls+ magazine. Tamara lives in Philadelphia and serves on the Tikkun Olam Commission of Reconstructing Judaism.
