Rabba Amanda Flaks’ purpose is rooted in improving the world around her. From 2020–2024, she served as a healthcare chaplain, specializing in long-term and palliative spiritual care. Since 2023, she has been pursuing a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Touro University. Her clinical work centers on supporting individuals and families through trauma—particularly religious trauma—and addressing the psychological challenges of living with chronic and life-altering illnesses. Drawing on her combined expertise in spiritual care and mental health, Rabba Flaks plans to establish her own psychotherapy practice upon completing her MFT training, with a particular commitment to serving the evolving mental health needs of the Jewish community in the wake of October 7. She lives in metro Atlanta with her spouse of nearly two decades, their two very cool teenagers, and a goofy goldendoodle named Golda.
Rabbi Dr. Adam G. Fogel is an independent progressive Rabbi ordained by the Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary and a practicing Psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice in the Central Valley of California. Adam maintains an inclusive worldview and has benefited from study with rabbis and spiritual teachers from across the religious and denominational landscape and is dually ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest. He began Zen meditation practice in 1996 and currently studies with Gambo Kyogan Berry Crawford Roshi. In addition, Rabbi Fogel completed the Institute for Jewish Spirituality's Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program in 2017. Adam embraces vulnerability and intimacy as the core of religious, psychological, and spiritual experience and teaches that living an authentic, meaningful life in relationship with the sacred and our ordinary, day to day life is one of our great human projects. Rabbi Dr. Fogel is available for conversion to Judaism study through Darshan Yeshiva and available independently for spiritual direction, bar/bat mitzvah preparation, life cycle events, private study, psychotherapy, as well as Zen meditation instruction and practice discussion. You may reach Adam at dradamfogel@ gmail.com.
Russell was born and raised in Boonton, New Jersey, a small town of under 7,000 residents. The great passions of his life are music, ritual, and an intense love of the Fantasy genre in both literature and games. He considers himself a reserved, introverted man, who takes a while to get to know others, but who forms very deep and lasting friendships as a result. Despite this, he gets a lot out of his relationships and is always looking for ways to elevate those people who are in his life. Using his own synagogue as a hub, he would like to develop a system for identifying those who are in need, identifying exactly what each need is, and then connecting them with the best Jewish organization or synagogue to help them, and is working on a distance learning based b'nai mitzvah program with this in mind.
Rabbi Eliana Kayelle (they/them) brings a deep love of education and community to the Bay Area Jewish community as an educator and service leader. Their goal is to impart their love of Judaism by creating meaningful moments with students and families. They hope to inspire people to think about how Jewish text and tradition relate to them here and now—and how they can be used while working for an equitable future. Rabbi Eliana is from Long Island, NY where they’ve worked as a theater-maker, Jewish educator, and community organizer. In their theater career, they have directed and choreographed productions across the New York area at academic and professional levels. They love to incorporate theater into Torah exploration. In Jewish education, Rabbi Eliana was on the Long Island roundtable of Jewish educators for The Jewish Education Project. They worked for Temple Beth El of Huntington as the youth group director and school t’fillah leader. Before that, they were the assistant director for Camp Ga’avah, a year-round program for LGBTQ+ Jewish youth. After relocating to California in 2022, Rabbi Eliana joined the Camp Tawonga team as their summer ‘22 Jewish program supervisor and since then as a lead educator for Family School and B’nai Mitzvah programs. They also work full time as the Bay Area education and training manager for Keshet, a national Jewish LGBTQ+ organization that works for the full equality of LGBTQ+ Jews and families in Jewish life. In this role, Rabbi Eliana works with Jewish communities across the Bay Area and beyond creating spaces of belonging. Rabbi Eliana received rabbinical ordination as part of the first cohort of Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary. In spring 2022, they launched You Gotta Give ‘Em Torah, which offers adult education focused on identity, sexuality, and spirituality. They frequently write about the intersections of Jewish and LGBTQ+ identity and advocacy. You can read their words in HeyAlma, Lilith, The J—Jewish News of Northern California, the Forward, and the Keshet Blog. Rabbi Eliana is guided by radical listening, ancestral wisdom, grappling with tradition, and our collective power in order to work towards a future where there is liberation for all people. Learn more about their work at rabbielianakayelle.com.
Since receiving smicha, Rabbi Deborah Newbrun has launched her PRS capstone project into a national nonprofit, Divorce & Discovery: New Visions for Jewish Healing, dedicated to transforming how the Jewish community responds to divorce in the 21st century. To date, Divorce & Discovery has supported more than 170 participants through six immersive four-day healing retreats nationwide and has trained over thirty rabbis in “Best Practices in Serving Divorced and Divorcing Congregants.” A recipient of the prestigious Covenant Award in Jewish Education, Rabbi Newbrun brings more than thirty-five years of leadership to the Jewish world. She served twenty-four years as the Director of Camp Tawonga near Yosemite; four years as Hazon’s Bay Area Director; and six years as co-founder and director of SVARA’s Queer Talmud Camp. She also served on the founding board of Wilderness Torah and co-authored the groundbreaking book "Spirit in Nature: Teaching Judaism and Ecology on the Trail," which helped lay the foundation for the Teva Learning Center’s early curriculum. Her rabbinate remains grounded in a deep commitment to healing, community transformation, and joyful Jewish living
A lifelong entrepreneur, Rabbi Sue has built everything from a strategy team at a Fortune 200 company to a new synagogue. She was a founder of an early B Corporation and turned around a leading Jewish community foundation. Ordained by PRS in 2021, Rabbi Sue is an executive coach and spiritual advisor and is also building Jewish community in Lisbon, Portugal. You can read more about her work at www.braveheartadvising.com.
Rabbi Debbie Hafetz received her rabbinical ordination in 2022 from the Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary. She has known since childhood that she would devote her life to the Jewish People. From leading her synagogue's Jr. Congregation services in elementary school, to attending Jewish summer camps, to song leading for her high school Jewish youth groups, to experiencing a transformational summer trip to Israel as a teen, to majoring in Judaic Studies and spending a semester in Jerusalem during her college years at Wesleyan University, to receiving her masters degree in Jewish Educational Leadership through the Hornstein Program at Brandeis University, to raising funds for the Jewish Federation of Broward County, to writing, recording, and performing original Jewish music at national Jewish conferences, to participating as a Fellow in the Day School Leadership Training Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary, to serving as Cantor and/or Educational Director at several South Florida synagogues, Rabbi Debbie has never stopped serving the Jewish People. She has been married for twenty-five years to Harold Price, whom she met when he became her piano accompanist at Temple Beth El in Hollywood, Florida. They currently make beautiful music together at Congregation Kol Tikvah, where Rabbi Debbie serves as the Cantor. She is the proud mother of her biological son, Benji, proud bonus mom to Michael (Amanda), David, Rick (Sandrine), and proud grandmother to Isaac and Eryn.
Rabbi Zachary Jellson is a Rabbi and Spiritual Director who creates space for people to explore their connection to the sacred. His work centers on deep listening, personal reflection, and helping individuals uncover how the spiritual moves in their everyday lives. Connect with him on Instagram @zjellson or at www.ehad.one.
Cantor Rabbi Jacqueline Marx became a "Grrl Geek for Gd" at age five because, as a 2nd-Gen Holocaust survivor transplanted to East Tennessee, "it was vital to know what supports my beliefs and celebrations." Cantor Rabbi Jacquie glories in lifelong learning and wants to pass on that love to others. Many folks have consulted her in a rabbinic capacity on life questions, tough situations, and as lifecycle officiant, for which she values the spiritual trust people place in her. Her dual title enables her to deepen her efficacy as "kley kodesh." For her work at PRS, she wanted to "evolutionize" Tisha B'Av as more accessible to Jews in modernity. She wants 9 Av to be less punitive, more reflective, and the beginning of a sacred set of stepping stones to the Days of Awe. She also wants to demystify the cantillations of the Book of Psalms; write a dissertation on "Mental Illness in the Jewish Community Through TaNakh, Rabbinical/Medieval Eras, and Modernity"; and write a memoir on raising the children of clergy, "We Have Seen God in Her Underwear, and We are Not Impressed," as well as an updated resource book/memoir on infertility and adoption in the 21st century Jewish community. She is currently working on "Ovarian Dancer: A Jewish Journey Through the Whispered Word," with which she has first-hand experience as a survivor and previvor. She is the founder and co-Rabbi of Oranim NC: A New Jewish Community in North Carolina.
Rabbi Heather Miller is a professional educator who is passionate about creating embracing and supportive spaces for all of the intersected identities in both the religious and secular parts of her life. Through her published work and public speaking, she has reached over 8 million people. She is honored to have been recognized as one of NY Jewish Week’s "36 to Watch 2023," to have had her work featured in the nationally syndicated PBS show "Table for All" with Buki Elegbede, and was humbled to be asked to speak on the main stage at the 60th continuation of the March on Washington. Her favorite role of all, however, is as the mother of three amazing boys who are proudly descended from both formerly enslaved people and Holocaust survivors. Rabbi Heather merges her skill sets to serve the Jewish community in several capacities, including but not limited to: - Board Chair at Ammud Jews of Color Torah Academy - Social Justice Commission’s Racial Justice Subcommittee co-chair - USCJ Board member - UJA’s Brooklyn Advisory - Black Jewish Clergy Group member - Jewish Women’s Archive DEIA Advisory Council
Rabbi Shara is a passionate and devoted leader in the Jewish community with a deep love for Torah, study, and Jewish tradition. Born and raised in Albany, New York, Rabbi Shara has always felt a strong connection to her Jewish roots, which has shaped her journey as both a scholar and a teacher. A day school graduate, with an undergraduate degree in Jewish Philosophy from the State University of New York at Albany with a combined certificate from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, she holds a Masters in Jewish Educational Leadership with a specialization in Israel Education from the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion and a Masters Certificate in Israel Education from The George Washington University. The Covid pandemic afforded the opportunity to pursue her smicha and, being a lifelong learner, she is currently a doctoral student in Jewish Education and Communal Leadership at American Jewish University. In addition to her rigorous academic training, Rabbi Shara has spent years engaging with the Albany Jewish community, serving as a religious school teacher, middle school Judaics educator at the local day school, director of the Temple Israel Midrasha high school program, and most recently as the Director of Lifelong Learning at Congregation Beth Emeth. As of August 2025, she has happily embraced the position of sole clergy as the Rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom, Clifton Park (https://bethshalomcp.com). Rabbi Shara is also active in the Jewish camping movement, having served as the Head of Education for Camp Ramah in New England for eight years and working as an Israel Education coach for the Foundation for Jewish Camp. A lover of learning and travel, most of all Rabbi Shara enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her husband David; their four children Zev, Ariel, Aden, and Chaz; and their yellow Labrador Retriever Ellie.
Rabbi Sam works as one of the clergy at Emanuel Synagogue in Sydney, Australia, a pluralist egalitarian community, offering various minyanim, services, and programs on our campus and in the community. He firmly believes that a pluralist ideology and a multi-faceted approach within Judaism will be a key driver in determining the success or failure of Jewish communities, for some that will be as soon as the next 10-15 years. Rabbi Sam has a keen and engaging interest in technology and new innovations, especially in terms of all the benefits they bring. His idea is to encourage and enable others to work with, not against, what has been termed the next revolution in Judaism, so that we facilitate and empower the needs of communities through technology. He loves connecting with people and learning about their stories. Jewish geography is one of his favorite games when he meets someone! Rabbi Sam is married to Michelle and they have two children, Rachel and Ben. They have lived in the Harbour City in Sydney, Australia since 2006.
Rabbi Jo Beilby is an Australian-born rabbi, scholar, and creative leader whose work bridges spirituality, science, and community innovation. As Executive Director of the World Council for Pluralistic Judaism Foundation (WCPJ Foundation Inc.) and founder of The Wandering Temple, she is dedicated to building inclusive pathways for Jewish life beyond traditional synagogue walls while providing global support, visibility, and opportunity for Jewish professionals. Rabbi Beilby also serves as CEO of Jewishly, a global digital learning and ritual platform, and is the visionary behind The Zechariah Centre—Australia’s first dedicated pluralistic Jewish space—bringing together a social, cultural, and spiritual hub for Melbourne. Inspired by four millennia of Jewish evolution, The Zechariah Centre’s core theology is relational and renewal-based, with a strong focus on creative, diverse, and integrative expressions of mind, body, and spirit. As a neurotheologist and Research Fellow, Rabbi Beilby leads the Centre for Narrative Intelligence, exploring the intersections of theology, neuroscience, philosophy, and consciousness. Her pioneering concept, Torah as Co-Narrator, advances an integrative neurotheology that unites empirical insight with sacred narrative to deepen understanding of moral cognition, meaning-making, and narrative identity. Rabbi Beilby’s signature interdisciplinary contributions model a bidirectional, dialogical framework—theology that informs neuroscience as much as neuroscience illuminates theology. Her research spans neurotheology, international health, gender studies, Israel, and AI ethics. Her acclaimed 2025 "Fear–Freedom–Conscience" trilogy has been recognized internationally for its groundbreaking integrative synthesis of neurotheology, philosophy, and moral psychology.
Avi has been the Ritual Director for Congregation Shearith Israel in Dallas, TX for the past 21 years. He is the very proud and loving husband of Shelley Meyers and father of Evan, Leora, Jonah, Sam and Jacquie Mitzner (biological) and of Saul (and Kate), Rebecca and Tammy Schisler (step). He is an active person, loves to run, and has completed many marathons and ultra marathons. He love to balance his running with hot yoga. He is a guitar enthusiast and lover of blues and jam-band music. He also loves cooking for family and friends, with his specialties being Texas-smoked brisket and many varied flavors of cheesecakes.
Adam is a graduate of Concordia University where he studied music. A native Montrealer, Adam went to Hebrew Academy and spent many summers at Camp Massad. Upon graduating high school, Adam spent some time in Israel learning in Yeshiva. A lyric tenor vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Adam has spent the last decade as Cantor of Shaare Zion Congregation of Montreal, singing and performing at concerts and weddings here in North America, Europe and Israel. Adam is married to Yahel and has four children, Shaya, Yahav, Eden and Aria.
Laila describes herself as “the pink lady, voluptuous, overwhelming, creative and passionate” as well as the proud mother of Sarah and Edi. “I have been a Jewish lay-leader since my youth, covering fields in board-membership to Chevra Kadisha. Before my career at JCCs, I was self-employed within marketing, consultancy, event mangement, promotional articles and translations. I also ran a lunch restaurant and catered parties.” For her innovation, Laila says “We can market Judaism for all persons by teaching them that nearly everything they do is based on our law, the halacha, etc. As an example, playing soccer is Jewish. How come? You respect your peers and your opponents. You try your best as an individual and as part of the team. You have a goal (a physical and an immaterial one) and you work towards it.”
Margot Behrend Valles grew up in Pittsburgh where she was a regular shul-hopper, trying out many different styles of Judaism. Before she realized her passion was for pluralist Jewish education, she tried out being a Yiddishist and an academic. In her doctoral studies and later as a professor, she studied Medieval and Early Modern tales about King Arthur and other knightly heroes written in Jewish languages. Now she lives in East Lansing, Michigan where she serves the small Jewish community as the Director of Lifelong Learning at Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
My name is Lindsay and I currently live in Wisconsin. I have a certification in Jewish Special education, State certified in Texas for special education and general education, and a minor in English and History. I love to explore, meet new people, learn about different cultures, cool, create, read, and learn about ancient herbalism and history. I am a wanderer and love to travel and see the world. My hope is to create programs, seminars, services, and maybe even retreats that give all women a voice to express themselves and learn with and from each other. I also want to bring the traditions of herbs, mysticism, and cooking back into our daily life and helping others connect to their inner spirit.
Rabbi Daniel Bubnis has been a vegetarian for the last decade because of his love for animals and a desire to be as healthy as possible. He very much enjoys working out and is a Certified Personal Trainer. He and his husband are patrons of the local Rabbit Rescue, and they have provided a forever home to four beautiful bunnies. Rabbi Daniel has been the family genealogist for nearly thirty-five years and especially enjoys collecting old family photographs. Finally, he has a great love for the beautiful forests of Pennsylvania and especially enjoys visiting the Commonwealth's forest fire towers. Currently, Rabbi Daniel is serving as the congregational Rabbi at Temple Israel of Scranton, PA.
Rabbi Doctor Kitty Hoffman lives in Montreal and is available in person and online. As a spiritual director, she listens for the underlying narrative that makes meaning, and as a rabbi she fosters the stories that, building on the past, will carry us into the next phase of the long Jewish journey. She teaches kabbalah, facilitates sessions in Writing as a Spiritual Practice, and fosters interfaith relations through participation in Solidarity Dialogue. Kitty's award-winning writing has appeared in journals and anthologies, and her current book project explores the resonances between searching for her medieval ancestor, the father of European kabbalah, and growing up with Shoah survivor parents: kittyhoffman.com.
Sifu (See-fu) Matthew Klein is the creator of Sober Martial Arts. He is a Kung Fu and Wellness Recovery Master, specializing in the recovery of addictions,chronic injuries, conditions, and all imbalances. His unique forms of knowledge involving the electromagnetism of the body, which he masteredthrough 4 + decades of Martial Arts training, has inspired him to lecture, teach and lead intensives globally. His clients include hedge funds, techcompanies, execs, physicians, rehab clinics, athletes, and celebs.
Shari Dollinger Magnus serves as the Co-Executive Director of Christians United for Israel along-side Diana Hagee. In 2021, Shari was included, along with Diana, in the Algemeiner newspaper’s ‘Jewish 100’ list as one of 100 individuals with the greatest positive influence on Jewish life and the same year, she was also included in the Jerusalem Post’s list of 50 Most Influential Jews. Shari became a certified yoga instructor over Covid. . Shari and her husband, Eric, reside in Atlanta, Georgia with their two children and three beagles.
I live in Burlington, Vermont, where I am fortunate to serve as the Executive Director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of VT. My partner Jacob and I have three kiddos ages six and under who keep us on their toes with their mischievous plots, frog catching (and releasing, sometimes in the house), and liberal application of sprinkles to all foods. I love to sing, eat, play, make art, pray, grow food, discuss, organize, imagine, and help build new possibilities-- always in, with, and for community.
Rabbi Robbie Schaefer is a rabbi, singer-songwriter, and theatre/film artist who is head over heels in love with the Jewish people. He received smicha from Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary in 2024. Before that, he did some things: www.robbieschaefer.com. Rabbi Robbie currently serves as the rabbi at Har Shalom in Missoula, Montana and is the founder of Lamplighters, an online and in-person chavurah that cultivates small-batch, relationship-driven, inclusive Judaism. Mostly, he loves creating livable, breathable, accessible Torah with others. And olives. He really loves olives.
Rabbi Doron was born in Tel Aviv, raised in San Francisco, and loves his life! That life changed in all sorts of fun ways when he met his bashert and within four years was blessed with a wife, a home, a dog, and three beautiful children. Rabbi Doron stays busy in various sacred ways: he currently serves as both Cantor and Interim Rabbi at Peninsula Sinai Congregation, Foster City, CA and tries his best daily to volunteer, read, journal, meditate, and drum!
I have lived in the Chicago area almost my entire life, with some "blips" in LA and Norwalk CT and Yardley PA. I majored in voice at the University of Iowa, and did an MA in Jewish Education at Spertus Institute in Chicago. I was theater director at the Reform summer camp in Wisconsin (OSRUI) and balance (?) my passion for all things Jewish with all things musical theater. I live in the Chicago suburbs with my husband of 35 years, one actor-daughter in town, another daughter and new son-in-law in Denver, and a son in grad school in Syracuse.
Jeanne (MFA, MAJS) serves as the Executive Director of Mizzou Hillel. She has extensive prior experience in arts non-profit organizations and community outreach and education and, along with her husband Dave, was an independent business owner. Jeanne is interested in the performance of Jewishness and social justice, the ways we find connections to Judaism in a diverse and pluralistic society, and in the relationships we, as Jews, build with one another. In addition, she serves as an elected member of her local school board and enjoys dancing, reading, hiking, and occasionally revisiting old knitting projects and pretending she's actually going to finish them.
Rabbi Lisa Ann Wharton has been leading Jewish prayer with a guitar in hand since her Bat Mitzvah at Community Reform Temple on Long Island in the 1970s. Today, she co-leads P’nai Shore (PnaiShore.org), a welcoming, Renewal-style spiritual community that gathers at her beachside home in Huntington, Long Island, together with her husband, holy drummer Akiva the Believer. P’nai Shore offers daily online davening, Shabbat mornings filled with song, Rosh Chodesh circles, Sukkah celebrations, and many other pathways into learning, creativity, and connection. Rabbi Lisa is the founder and program director of Shir Chadash! (ShirChadashRetreat.org), an annual Jewish music, arts, and spirituality retreat that brings together clergy, musicians, artists, seekers, and lovers of Jewish creativity for singing, learning, rejuvenation, and soulful exploration. Since 2010, she has served as Cantor of Temple Beth Emeth of Mt. Sinai, New York, where she interweaves traditional chant, Chassidic niggunim, and contemporary Jewish music—inviting every voice in the room to participate. Before becoming a full-time spiritual leader, Rabbi Lisa balanced her spiritual work with a 36-year career in publishing technology management at The New York Times.
I'm in my mid-60's and have had a happy and spiritually meaningful Jewish family life as part of a wonderful marriage to my wife Shelley, a practicing Christian. Together, we have raised four children and now have one grandchild. Through both my active involvement on the Board of the Shalom Hartman Institute and my synagogue engagement, I have been an active Jewish learner for many years. The "passion project" of my life is to speak and understand Hebrew both to pray more meaningfully and be more connected to Israel.
Cristina is Central Virginia's only multilingual tattooed Latina Jewish library manager. She uses the lens of creating seats at the table to help Latinos/Hispanics/Spanish-speaking to have more services, resources, and access to government services and education. She also brings this lens to creating a more inclusive and expansive Jew of Color (JoC) community. One of her passions is connecting to other Latinos who share Jewish roots and are interested in exploring their roots, returning to Judaism, or sharing history, language, and culture. She is also interested in emergent Jewish communities in the Spanish speaking world.
Martin Rawlings-Fein is a Beit Sefer Phyllis Mintzer teacher at Sha'ar Zahav in San Francisco. When he's not busy at shul, he writes and presents about gender, sexuality, prayer, and ritual for the broader Jewish community. The rest of the time, he works at UCSF, keeping Radiology connected over Zoom and general video conferencing. He is also a California Democratic Party elected Assembly District Delegate for AD 19 on the west side of San Francisco and San Mateo Counties.
Marcia is a Cantorial Soloist, Shlichat Tzibur, Jewish Educator, and song leader, with over 14 years of experience teaching in religious schools, preschools and synagogues, leading Shabbat, Festival and High Holiday services, while incorporating Jewish music every step of the way. Marcia discovered the joy of Jewish songleading in 2008 and, since then, has been studying Jewish liturgical music, guitar, song leading and Cantorial skills in an effort to help others experience powerful Judaism. Enrollment at the Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary is the next step in her continuing journey to serve the Jewish people, and share her passion for building community, creating a Kehilah Kedosha, and bringing Joyful Judaism into all of the sacred spaces she serves. Marcia is currently the Spiritual Leader of Congregation Etz Chaim in Wilton Manors, Florida.