Our Clergy

My calling as a Rabbi is deeply rooted in the progression of every aspect of my life, in every career choice I have ever made and in every job I have ever held. Each of life’s episodes has taught me something absolutely necessary to be the Rabbi that I am. And even though as a young man, I never even imagined becoming a Rabbi, perhaps it has never really been within my power to choose.

I began my spiritual journey as a child. I attended the (Orthodox) Yeshiva of Hudson County grammar school and Lubavitch staffed Rogosin Yeshiva High School.

In college I majored in Voice and obtained a B.A. in Music Education from Jersey City University. Following college, I performed as a singer/actor off and on Broadway, most notably, in the show “STRIDER” in 1978-79. I was a film extra (look for me in “The Chosen” but don’t blink) and I wrote an Off-Off Broadway Musical, which I produced in 1981.

In 1986, I co-founded Blane & DeRosa Productions, an audiobook and children’s audio production company. To date, we have produced thousands of audio recordings for major publishers.

More than two decades ago, when my first daughter was born, I began studying to become a Cantor with my mentor Hazzan Noah Schall.

I then began my professional Cantorial career by leading High Holiday services at Conservative Temples Beth Israel in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1991 and Shaarey Zedek in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1992. I served for four years as Cantor (1994-98) at Conservative First Hebrew Congregation in Peekskill, New York, and one year (1996) as Cantor at Reform Temple Beth Haverim in Mahwah, N.J.

During my final year at First Hebrew Congregation, I served as Spiritual Leader. I then became Cantor at Congregation Beth Israel in Bergenfield, N.J. from 1999-2006.

From 2001-2009, I was a member of the Cantor’s Assembly- a collection of the finest Hazzanim in the world. I resigned from the CA in 2009 when I was offered the option of resignation or expulsion by the Cantor’s Assembly when I began officiating at Interfaith Weddings.

I was ordained as Rabbi in June 2001 at Rabbinical Seminary International after completing a course of study with Rabbi Joseph Gelberman in New York City. I am a member of the International Federation of Rabbis (IFR).

Prior to founding Sim Shalom, I served as Rabbi and Spiritual Leader of Congregation Beth Tikvah-New Milford Jewish Center from 2006-2009.

​While I am rooted in Jewish tradition, I have always been comfortable among all of the movements, and have led services in Lubavitch, Orthodox, Conservative and Reform communities. As Rabbi and Cantor, my commitment is to nurture, heal and bring joy to the community. My vision has always been one of universal kindness, peace and inclusiveness.

While I was serving the New Milford community, it became clear to me that my vision for the Rabbinate was much larger than I could realize in the Conservative or any particular movement. “I became very sad. Yes, I was doing well- I was paid fairly and I loved being the Rabbi. But I was surely not growing- and neither was the community.

And so I left that traditional pulpit to journey on my own.” Echoing the experience of my mentor Rabbi Joseph Gelberman (of Blessed Memory), I chose a new path.

In 2010, I founded Congregation Sim Shalom, an Online Jewish Universalist Community that meets every weeknight at 7PM. The Sim Shalom community welcomes everyone to participate in all rituals and has online members all over the world who join in joyful, uplifting worship.

I have envisioned and founded a new Jewish Movement, Jewish Universalism.

 

Jewish Universalism espouses SEVEN key doctrines:

• JU honors our Jewish rituals, traditions, teachings and texts and seeks to repair the world, Tikkun Olam, through acts of loving kindness, G’milut Hasadim.
• JU accepts the Ten Commandments and believes the Torah is divinely inspired and is Holy.
• JU is creedal and founded on the core statement “Hear oh Israel (and Humankind), the Lord is G-d, the Lord is One.”
• JU believes all paths to the divine are equally Holy and that one’s religion is not the sole and exclusive source of truth.
• JU asserts that all people who follow the dictate to love your neighbor as yourself are “chosen.”
• JU believes Judaism is a constantly evolving spiritual practice.
• JU welcomes all people to participate in our Jewish worship and rituals.

Website: Rabbi.net

Rabbi Nancy Tunick is a Nashville, TN based Rabbi, cantorial soloist and composer who has served congregations in Philadelphia, PA; Meridian, MS; Jacksonville, FL and currently serves as Rabbi and cantorial soloist for Temple B’nai Israel in Florence, AL. Tunick began serving Temple B’nai Israel as their cantorial soloist and composer in 2000 and became the congregation’s spiritual leader in 2008.  She was ordained as a Rabbi in July 2013 as part of JSLI’s 6th graduating class.

Tunick is a graduate of Temple University with a B.M. in Voice Performance. She began her music career in broadcasting as an on-air personality, music director and news director in various formats of radio and also hosted talk and music video television programming in Meridian, MS; Jacksonville, FL; Key West, FL and in national syndication.

Tunick then moved to Nashville where she served in executive roles at Asylum Records and Warner Bros. Records. She currently is co-owner of GassRoots Promotion, a music promotion, consulting and social media marketing company.

In addition to her rabbinic and cantorial work at Temple B’nai Israel, Tunick leads weekly Ma’ariv services for Sim Shalom and is a “Keynote Cantor” delivering motivational speeches underscored by original cantorial music. Her primary presentation, “Songs for the Unsung,” is a tribute to the Christian rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust. This moving multi-media event incorporates photos, music and words to encourage conscience and courage for Jewish and Christian audiences. Nancy also recently completed her first Jewish children’s book titled, “Eli Goes To Heaven” and has a corresponding presentation for adult Jewish audiences titled “We Have Heaven Too” that blends cantorial music with insights into Jewish traditional beliefs about soul survival and techniques for teaching Jewish children about those beliefs.

Tunick serves on the Advisory Council for Country Cares for St Jude Kids, consults Hear The Music Live, a non-profit that sends foster children to their first concerts, and is a member of Source and the CMA in addition to being a founding Rabbi of UJUC.

www.rabbinancytunick.com

Rabbi Ivan Browner is the Spiritual Leader and Rabbi at Congregation Ner Tamid Shel Torah, a Jewish Universalist Congregation located in Tokyo, Japan. Through Congregation Ner Tamid Shel Torah, Rabbi Ivan is doing outreach into the community by offering counseling as well as life cycle events in a unique and joyous atmosphere.

Ivan has worked hard to create a non-profit organization called “The Peace Initiative.” Within the tenets of The Peace Initiative, inspired teachers, musicians, artists and businessmen have a platform from which they create and host educational lectures and classes. The proceeds from these classes and lectures are then donated to charities around the world.

Ivan’s Jewish and spiritual education is a tapestry of experiences weaving threads of Orthodox Jewish and Kabbalistic influence, with studies in Jewish meditation, Japanese Zen / Martial Arts training and real world life experience.

Ivan received his rabbinical ordination through Sim Shalom and the JSLI Rabbinical School, and is honored to witness and participate in the inception of the UJUC “The Union of Jewish Universalist Communities.”

Website: Rabbi Ivan Browner

Originally from Israel, Rabbi Eran Bar-Adon’s experience in  Jewish Education spans two decades in American Jewish Institutions.  As an independent Rabbi, who welcomes all; affiliated, unaffiliated and interfaith families, he believes that living Jewish, while embracing our modernity is essential. Eran was the Director of Family and Hebrew Education at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Los Angeles.  He was a Hebrew Specialist and Teacher at Temple Beth Am and Temple Ohr Ha-Torah.  He has prepared hundreds of Students for their Bar- and Bat-Mitzvahs with great success and continues to do so  at BarMitzvahSchool.com, of which he is the Founder.

Additionally, Rabbi Bar-Adon is a licensed Marriage and Family Psychotherapist (LMFT) and Coach; working with Children, Young Adults, Couples and Families.  He completed his Clinical Practicum at Thalians Department of Psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and at The Woman’s Clinic, and worked at the former after his training.  He was also a Clinical Supervisor at Cheerful Helpers Child and Family Center, a therapeutic pre-school dedicated to children with special needs.

Rabbi Bar-Adon was ordained by the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute, under the auspices of Rabbi Steven Blane of Congregation Sim Shalom in New York.  He has a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University.  He graduated Cum Laude with Departmental Honors from the Annenberg School at USC with Bachelors in Communication.  He has Certification in Film from UCLA and studied Theater at the Lee Strasberg Institute.  He is also a Registered Yoga Instructor (RYT) and teaches Yoga to children with special needs.

Rabbi Bar-Adon celebrates life, traveling and serving the community.  He lives in Los Angeles  with his wife, Lisa Donna and their son, Elia.

Website: Rabbi Bar-Adon

Rabbi Betzel serves the Greater Columbus metro area where he officiates life-cycle events for Jewish and interfaith families.  Rabbi Betzel also serves as an Ohio Ambassador for Sar El–The National Project for the Volunteers for Israel. Rabbi Betzel spends several weeks each year in Israel volunteering on various IDF bases.

Rabbi Betzel was ordained as a Rabbi in July, 2017 through JSLI—The Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute, located in New York City.  Prior to beginning his Rabbinic Studies, Rabbi Betzel earned an M.A. in Jewish Studies from Gratz College.  Prior to his ordination, Rabbi Betzel also attended The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, Israel.

Rabbi Betzel also earned a Juris Doctorate from The Ohio State University College of Law.  He has practiced law and provided financial services for most of his adult life; however, he has always found time to be active in his synagogue and to teach.  He has taught Hebrew Classes, served as a Bnai’ Mitzvah tutor, a Confirmation Class teacher and has taught many Adult Education Classes at his synagogue.

Rabbi Betzel’s goal is to use his varied educational and life experiences to assist others in creating meaningful life cycle events that are both enjoyable and memorable.

Rabbi Betzel explains that Judaism must serve the Jew, not the other way around. This is the guiding principle of his work as a Rabbi. “To serve each individual Jew requires each of us to view our tradition as organically changing.  Judaism is an overarching umbrella, ever expanding to INCLUDE rather than exclude; to EMBRACE rather than reject. How can we reject when we know that God LOVES each person? It is only in this manner that the Jewish people will be an eternal blessing to humankind.”

Rabbi Betzel lives in Gahanna, Ohio with his wife of 31 years, Elizabeth.  Rabbi Betzel and his wife have two beautiful children, Anna who is a graduate student in New York City, and Kye an undergraduate student in Columbus, Ohio.

Website: Rabbi Daniel Betzel

Rabbi Deborah Reichmann serves the Washington DC metro area where she officiates life-cycle events for Jewish and interfaith families. She was ordained from the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute in 2012 and is a member in good standing of the International Federation of Rabbis.

She has received her Juris Doctor and Master of Liberal Arts from Georgetown University, and also has a MPH from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. Her previous work experience includes seven years as staff member of the Campus Ministry Department at Georgetown University where she implemented religious programming for the Jewish community, as well as interfaith programming for all students.

Before that, she spent a decade as a health policy attorney. In this capacity, Rabbi Reichmann worked as in-house counsel at industry associations with a focus on advocacy and analysis of healthcare legislation and regulations on local, state and federal levels. As such, her primary focus was on public programs, specifically Medicare.

Here’s a link to a widely published Op-Ed by Rabbi Reichmann, entitled “Jewish Denominationalism- On the Rise or in Decline.”

Website: Rabbi Deborah Reichmann

In 1994, Galit accepted the cantorial position at Congregation Sholom of Leisure World in Seal Beach, California, eventually moving into Leisure World, a gated retirement community of 9,000.

It became increasingly clear that the Jewish community of Leisure World needed a rabbi, one who was an integral part of this unique community and so Galit began to explore the possibility of becoming a rabbi. She found the perfect solution through JSLI (Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute), founded by Rabbi Steve Blane.

Rabbi Blane and JSLI were a perfect fit. Galit could complete the course of study and did not have to leave the community she served. She maintained her position as cantor until 2012, when she was ordained a rabbi through JSLI, and was accepted into the IFR, the International Federation of Rabbis, in 2013.  In 2013, Galit was elected Vice President of the Leisure World Interfaith Council; for the last two years, she has organized the program for the National Day of Prayer for the community.

Rabbi-Cantor Galit continues to be affiliated with JSLI; Sim Shalom, the Online Synagogue; and the newly formed UJUC, the Union of Jewish Universalist Communities.In the spring of 2016, Rabbi Galit formed a new Universalist synagogue in her retirement community.  Beit HaLev, House of the Heart, Inc. is dedicated to reaching those who are unaffiliated, shut-ins and Leisure World residents who are seeking a gentler approach to Judaism.  In addition to bringing services to the sick and those who cannot attend regular services, Beit HaLev conducts livestreamed services on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, including online Torah services.

R’ Galit: “As a Jewish Universalist, I embrace all branches of Judaism and I welcome all people to worship, no matter their beliefs, to find comfort, joy, peace and love. There is no “one way” to seek God. All paths are open to those who seek them.”
Rabbi-Cantor Galit has not stopped performing. She and her husband and singing partner, formed “Duets & Other Good Stuff;” they perform scenes from Broadway musical theater shows – in costume, changing onstage behind a Shoji screen – including Phantom of the Opera, Oklahoma, Brigadoon and Carousel.

Website: Rabbi Galit Levy-Slater

Rabbi Deborah McKenzie has served as a Jewish spiritual leader and counselor for more than 20 years.  She works interfaith and people of faith who seek to enhance or add a Jewish spiritual perspective to their understanding and experiences.

As lifelong learner, Rabbi Deborah enjoys studying and engaging on the Tanach and wisdom of the Rabbi to find practical relevance and application for today’s reality.  She also enjoys examining scientific principles within the texts.  Her love of Torah and teaching she attributes to her parents and their tenacity to provide a strong Jewish and spiritual foundation amidst during a time when being African-American and Jewish was unique in the African-American, Jewish, and Christian communities.  Nevertheless, it is in living and learning at the intersection of diverse perspectives that established multiple bridges of understanding and cooperation that continues to reinforce her faith and supports her work with all people of faith.

She learned of the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute (JSLI) and Jewish Universalism in 2013 after an internet search for rabbinic online learning resulted in JSLI and Sim Shalom.  She logged onto Sim Shalom website for a  Friday Kabbalah Shabbat Service with founder and Dean Rabbi Blane and that was it.  In January 2015, she fulfilled her childhood dream when she was ordained a rabbi through JSLI.  She streams weekly Ma’ariv services for Congregation Sim Shalom.

Rabbi Deborah also has a BA and MS in Bioanalytical Chemistry.  She resides in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC where she also is a senior director at AOAC INTERNATIONAL where she implements processes for voluntary consensus standards development and conformity assessment programs for analytical test methods used in global food safety and public health.

Website: Rabbi Deborah McKenzie

Rabbi Judy is perhaps best known for her music and work as a cantorial soloist for over 30 years. She has produced a number of award-winning recordings of Jewish music for families and was commissioned by the URJ (Union for Reform Judaism) to write a preschool music curriculum titled My Jewish World. She has sung and conducted Jewish worship services all over the world. Of course, her beautiful, uplifting voice is a part of everything she does. For more about Judy’s music, please visit www.judymusic.com

After many years of study, Judy received her Rabbinic ordination in 2014 from JSLI. She specializes in creating and conducting life cycle events that are personal, meaningful and spiritual. She is available to conduct worship services, B’nai Mitzvah training and services, weddings (including interfaith and same sex marriages), baby namings, funerals and unveilings. Pastoral care is a large part of Rabbi Judy’s pulpit as she visits the sick and comforts family members. She is a certified Prepare-Enrich Facilitator helping couples make the most of their dating, engagements and marriages. She serves as a faculty member for JSLI (Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute) teaching classes on Jewish views on abortion, adoption and infertility and is a member of the Union of Jewish Universalist Communities (UJUC).

Rabbi Judy currently serves Congregation B’nai Israel in Monroe, Louisiana as their part-time Rabbi.  Although she lives in Louisiana, she is available to travel anywhere to meet your needs. She has performed destination weddings in Florida and Mexico and has conducted Shabbat services in India and Sri Lanka.

I would imagine my upbringing within Judaism was not so different from that of a great many people. My parents forced me to go to Hebrew School at the Reform synagogue where our family belonged. I resisted tooth and nail, had a Bar Mitzvah and only set foot in the building thereafter when attending High Holy Day services with my father (my mother refused to go). Fast forward 20 or so years and I was now the father of a young son, and my wife and I were confronted with the question of where he would go to pre-school. Now, as it happened, a Reform synagogue in Berkeley, CA, where we then lived, had one of the best programs in the city, so we chose it, and so began my re-emergence into Judaism.

When we moved back to the East Coast, it didn’t take us long to join the fledgling Reform synagogue in Northampton, MA, to which we had moved. Before I knew it, I was on the Board of the temple, and the next stop was its presidency. While I wouldn’t wish being the president of a Jewish organization on anyone (you know what they say… two Jews, three opinions), one of the great aspects of being the president of a synagogue is that you get to spend a lot of private time with a rabbi, and through this process I came to appreciate a rabbinic view of the world, attempting to bring the wisdom of Torah into our daily lives. I also did whatever I could at the synagogue, teaching in the Hebrew School, leading services from time to time, offering Torah study, etc.

I had been for 20+ years the Executive Director of a non-profit I founded in 1990 that sends US high school and college students abroad to do community service work and experience in-depth cultural immersion. While I cherished the work the organization accomplished, I was getting very tired of doing the same things. At that point I found the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute (JSLI) and my eyes were opened. Now, an ordained rabbi through JSLI, I have very strong feelings about Jewish Universalism.

Our small Reform synagogue worked as hard as it could to accommodate the needs of the many interfaith households that comprise it. Try as it might, there were too many times when in spite of its stated desire to be inclusive and egalitarian, people walked away from some interaction, some established policy, some organizational hurdle feeling less than cared for, less than well-considered. Too many times both within the context of that synagogue and surely beyond it, I saw or heard of both Jews and non-Jews feeling alienated, pushed away, not accepted and more. Why on earth would we want to do anything that makes Judaism LESS attractive to people when at this point only 30% of American Jews choose to affiliate with a synagogue!

In my view Jewish Universalism isn’t only about making Judaism more accessible to more Jews; it’s just as much about taking the beauty and uniqueness of the Jewish wisdom tradition, celebrating it, and making it available to anyone, Jew or non-Jew, who has an interest, meeting that person wherever she or he is, and offering teaching without any judgement whatsoever. I am committed to this endeavor, and try to bring my love of teaching, and openness to many spiritual paths to any encounter.

Rabbi Karen Becker-Marcelo took her passion of Judaism, working with people and teaching, to it’s culmination, by receiving smicha from the Jewish Spiritual Leadership Institute in January 2017. As a member of Union of Jewish Universalist Communities (UJUC),  she embraces the doctrines of Jewish Universalism including  encouraging ‘Interfaith families and all people to participate in our Jewish worship and rituals.’Rabbi Karen is a rabbi at SimShalom Online Synagogue,a Jewish Universalist online synagogue, leading weeknight Ma’ariv services.

Her family was not religious, but had a strong Jewish identity. Born and raised in New York, this identity was the impetus for her to learn.  At Queens College in Flushing NY, Rabbi Karen continued her studies in Conversational Hebrew (her professor was the grandson of David Ben-Gurion) and studied history, in particular history of the Jewish People and Israel.  Upon graduating in 1977, Karen put a backpack on her back and lived on a kibbutz, where she picked grapefruits while studying in the Ulpan and touring the country.

With an MS in History/Secondary Education, Rabbi Karen taught for 32 years in the private and public schools of New York City.  When her son was ready to begin Hebrew School, Rabbi Karen and her husband became very involved in their synagogue in Westchester NY.  She was hired to teach there and this was the beginning of almost 2 decades of teaching in various Jewish Synagogue schools.  Her subjects range from Hebrew (various levels), history of the Jewish people, prayers and Jewish Ethics and Values, to all age levels.

She was on several Synagogue and Religious School Boards in NY.  Rabbi Karen was also a director on the Jewish Council of Yonkers.  Now living with her husband in South Florida, she continues to teach Hebrew School and is a director at Tree of Life Chaverim in Lake Worth Florida.

Website: Rabbi Karen Becker-Marcelo

Rabbi Linda’s passion is helping Jews and interfaith families of all backgrounds and interests enhance their lives with Judaism. She is an independent rabbi, serving individuals as opposed to a congregation; and she did her research project on Jews who are not members of synagogues in order to serve them better and make their experience an important positive one.

Born and brought up in New Bedford, MA, Linda was an active student of Judaism from an early age. She was president of the New England Region of Young Judaea and represented them in the year-long Institute for Youth Leaders from Abroad in Israel.

A graduate of Wellesley College, Linda had a long, successful business career, starting as a computer programmer in the mid-1960s. She worked 26 years at IBM, co-founded an executive consulting firm, and served as CEO of a managed care company.

But what Linda most wanted was to be a rabbi. So after 15 years of studying with several significant rabbis in the New York area and teaching adult and youth students, Linda was educated and ordained at Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute (JSLI).

Based in Westchester County, NY, Rabbi Linda travels to officiate life cycle events throughout the United States (as for a baby naming in Los Angeles) and abroad (as for a wedding in Cape Town). Whether meeting with a couple or family in person, by phone or video chat, Rabbi Linda loves working with them to create a highly personalized, meaningful experience and bringing them closer to their own unique Judaism.

Rabbi Miriam Van Raalte was ordained from the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute in June 2020. She serves as a rabbinic fellow at Temple Beth Tikvah in Fullerton, California, where her work focuses on engagement with emphasis on the senior population. She is a welcome addition to the congregation, where her parents were members throughout Rabbi Miriam's teen/early adult years. In addition to her weekly lunch & learn sessions, she does outreach within the congregation and throughout the local Jewish and interfaith community.

 

Growing up, we called my synagogue the “ice palace” because it was large, had marble walls, and because the people were cold. Yikes. As you can imagine, after becoming a Bat-Mitzvah, I said I was done with Judaism. So, how did I end up deeply involved in Jewish thought and eventually decide to become a Cantor and later a Rabbi? As a young adult, I was searching high and low for a philosophy, a theology, a guru that made real world sense, that helped me lead a more beautiful and peaceful life, that helped me live in gratitude and be inspired to leave the world better than I found it. My search brought me home. I realized that if I looked at Judaism through a slightly different lens than I was shown in Hebrew school, I didn’t get bogged down in the do’s and don’ts of Judaism but could focus on the “nougat center” of each word of Torah, each tradition and each law. I discovered I already had in the palm of my hand all the beauty I was searching for. I was born Jewish, but as a 30 year old, I chose to live Jewish.

My formal education has been a-typical for sure. It has been pieced together through seminary classes, one-on-one mentoring, synagogue hopping, and reading A LOT of books. The Rabbis, Cantors, writers and teachers who taught me and opened my eyes have been Reform, Renewal, Conservative, Orthodox, even “Zen.” Because of this a-typical education, the lens through which I now see Judaism (and spirituality in general) doesn’t fit under the narrow umbrella of one movement or one teacher. What feels honest and true to me is synthesizing all of these disparate sources. I soaked up incredible lessons from each, found I could apply them to my life, and got excited about sharing those discoveries with others through words and music.

I was a music teacher at Fairfax High School and at Ramona Convent Secondary School. I was a choral conductor at Beth Shir Shalom, and with the University Campus Choir at UCLA. I was the founder and director of the Namaste Women’s Choir. I have also been a singer/songwriter (with an album for children), a Cantor, and most importantly, a mommy. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from NYU, a Masters’ Degree in Choral Conducting from Cal State LA, was Invested as Cantor through the American Seminary for Contemporary Judaism, and was ordained as a Rabbi through the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute. I am a member of the UJUC (Union of Jewish Universalist Communities). I served as the Cantor/Educator at Shir Hadash and at Beth Shir Shalom, and I am now the spiritual leader of a wonderful new community, Cool Shul (Kehillah Sababah)!

Rabbi/Dr Elisheva Irma Diaz, is a born and raised Angelino. She is an International Author, Public Speaker and lecturer and is well known for her spiritual gifts and communication skills.

In addition to her  far reaching interfaith universal ministry, she has a progressive chavurah that meets frequently to study, pray and worship through a Jewish lens. She also is in charge of the Bereavement Department for Emanate Health Hospice and home care, (previously Citrus Valley Hospice and Home Health) which is affiliated with Emanate Health; Queen of the Valley Hospital, Inter-Community Hospital and Foothill Presbyterian Hospital in San Gabriel Valley, California.

As a Sephardic (Hispanic) Jew she has a passion for the awakening that is taking place in the Anusim as they find their way back to their Jewish heritage. She is a leader in Los Angeles and serves as Vice President and co-founder of The Coalition for Sephardic Hispanic Ladino legacy.  (http://www.coalitionforladinolegacy.org/)

She holds a Master’s in theology and Doctorate of Divinity from Covenant Life Theological Seminary in Gainesville, Georgia. She furthered her education with her focal point on Rabbinic studies where she graduated in 2013 from Gratz College (a private, coeducational Jewish college in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania).  Rabbi Elisheva simultaneously attended the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute (JSLI). In addition to her ordination as a minister  in 1986, she was also ordained a Rabbi in 2012.  She is the founder and President of Ayekah Jewish Foundation based in Los Angeles.

She is an Author whose recent books are; 

• The Impossible Possibility The power of the divine Soul) Archway Publishing from Simon & Schuster (2019) (A book for the grieving to be released Fall, 2019)
• Coexisting in a Religious World of Divide –WestBow Press ,a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, (To be released Fall, 2019)
• Wrestling for my Jewish Identity, Friesen Press, (released December, 2017) (her story)

Rabbi Elisheva was recently Honored and acknowledged (partial list)
§  Awarded by Faculty at Gratz;  the L. Bernard Rabinowitz Memorial Award for unique leadership commitment and service to Jewish Institutions both religious and secular. May 2013
§  Certificate of Recognition for work in preserving (Hebrew Castilian language) of Ladino , State of California Senate, Senator Dr. Ed Hernandez, 2013
§  Commendation from Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti for work in Jewish Education.  2013
§  Honored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for Building Community. 1986 and again in 2013

To reach Rabbi Elisheva:

https://www.elishevairmadiaz.com/

or email her at elishevairmadiaz@gmail.com

Rabbi, Cantorial Soloist, Educator with an M.Ed, and nationally known recording artist and entertainer, Rabbi Jon Nelson comfortably wears many hats. As the founder of the groundbreaking, Jewish Rock Band, “Yom Hadash”, he’s had the privilege of spreading his welcoming and inclusive brand of Jewish music across the country for close to two decades, performing over 1,000 concerts for audiences of all ages. In addition to appearing on several nationally distributed original CDs and music compilations, Rabbi Jon has released ten original CDs, with music that crosses genres and boundaries.

A proud native of New Bedford, MA, Rabbi Jon graduated from UMASS Amherst, has a Masters Degree in Education from Cambridge College, and is a proud alumni of JSLI where he received his Rabbinic Ordination.

Rabbi Jon lives in Massachusetts with his wife Beth, their kids Ben, Evan and Emily, and their “Brisket” the dog. In addition to touring with his band and officiating at life cycle events across the country, he also sings at worship services and heads up the music program at Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead, MA.

Rabbi Jennifer Rudin is the founder of Simcha Services and Congregation Derech HaShalom. She is a Liberal Rabbi and experienced Jewish educator who believes that Judaism is relevant, meaningful and inspirational. Rabbi Rudin supports families in uniquely celebrating Jewish life events. Her work is grounded in the belief that every person experiences and expresses Judaism differently…Your Judaism….Your Way!

Rabbi Rudin holds an Undergraduate Degree in Urban Bilingual Education from Wheaton College, Norton, MA where she was a Wheaton Scholar. She earned a Masters in Jewish Education and a certificate in Jewish Family Education and from Hebrew College, Newton, MA.

Rabbi Rudin was ordained by The Jewish Spiritual Leader’s Institute and received her Rabbinic Semicha in July, 2017.

Rabbi Rudin was twice honored by the Boston Bureau of Jewish Education when she was awarded the Keter Torah Award for her groundbreaking work in Jewish education and her commitment to Jewish education. Rabbi Rudin teaches in the Middle School at Metro West Jewish Day School.