Our Rabbis

Rabbi Daniel Atwood serves as the Field School Director at the Institute for Jewish Enrichment in Chicago. He was previously on the Hebrew and Judaic Studies faculty at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. Before coming to Chicago, he was a public policy/ media strategy consultant for community organizations in New York, an Uri L’Tzedek Fellow and a board member of Jewish Queer Youth. The first openly gay man ordained as an Orthodox Rabbi, R’ Daniel held rabbinic internships at NYU Hillel and Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel in Chicago. He completed chaplaincy training at Columbia University Medical Center, received a masters degree in education from Gratz College and graduated from Yeshiva University’s Honors Program.

President and CEO of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (CJP), Rabbi Marc Baker is a nationally recognized Jewish professional leader known for his teaching and for bringing the voice of Jewish tradition to contemporary issues. He previously served as Head of School at Gann Academy and Director of Judaics and Student Life at Weber Jewish Community High School. In 2011, he was an inaugural winner of the Pomegranate Prize recognizing emerging leaders in the field of Jewish Education. R. Marc studied at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem as a Dorot Fellow. A graduate of Yale University with a B.A. in Religious Studies, he also earned an M.A. in Jewish Education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Rabbi Jeremy Borovitz is the Director of Jewish Learning for Hillel Deutschland and co-founder of Base Berlin. He also serves as an advisor for Mem Global’s Jewish Learning Collaborative. R’ Jeremy previously served as European Director of Jewish Education for Moishe House. Before he began studies toward the Rabbinate, R’ Jeremy served in the Peace Corps in Ukraine and then remained in Ukraine as a JDC Service Corps Fellow.  He is a graduate of University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy and spent a semester studying at the Warsaw School of Economics. R’ Jeremy spent multiple years studying at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah before beginning his studies in Yashrut’s Semikhah Initiative.

A Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and a T’ruah Rabbinic Educator, R’ Shoshana Cohen is also on the faculty of the Dorot Fellowship in Israel Beit Midrash and the Schechter Rabbinical School. She has held leadership and senior faculty positions at the Conservative Yeshiva, the Hevruta Gap Year Program at the Hartman Institute, and Yeshivat Talpiot, which she helped found. R’ Shoshana studied at Midreshet Lindenbaum, Matan, the Shalom Hartman Institute, and Drisha, and holds degrees from Brandeis University and Hebrew University, along with a teaching certificate from the Hartman Institute and the Open University. She is part of the Hartman Institute’s M-Squared Senior Educators Cohort, as well as the Created Equal and Seder Nashim Fellowships.

Rabba Yaffa Epstein is the Senior Scholar and Educator in Residence at The Jewish Education Project. Previously, she served as the Director of the Wexner Heritage Program at the Wexner Foundation, and as the Director of Education, North America at Pardes. She has taught Talmud, Rabbinic Literature, Liturgy, Jewish Pluralism, and Women in Jewish Law at tens of institutions including Yeshivat Maharat, Drisha Institute, JFNA, UJA, and the Dorot Foundation. She has trained educators and rabbis throughout North America, and also has developed innovative educational programs for Hillel and Limmud. Rabba Epstein was the recipient of the prestigious Covenant Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. She received an additional ordination from Yeshivat Maharat and her LLB from Bar-Ilan University.

Currently the Senior Jewish Educator at Silverstein Base Lincoln Park and a faculty member of Pardes North America, R’ William Friedman previously taught at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America and was a member of the second cohort of North American David Hartman Center Fellows. He was the founding director and former Rosh Yeshivah of Nishma: A Summer of Torah Study in the JTS Beit Midrash. He holds a BS in Computer Science from MIT and an MA in Talmud and Rabbinics from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and is pursuing a PhD in Ancient Judaism at Harvard University. R’ William studied at the Conservative Yeshiva, the Pardes Kollel, and Yeshivat Chovevei Torah.

As Assistant Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Academy for Jewish Religion (AJR), R’ Matthew Goldstone combines academic scholarship with extensive educational leadership. He has taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the University of Pennsylvania, and Hunter College, and previously served as Head of Education at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. R’ Matthew holds a PhD from New York University, an MA from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a BA from Brandeis University. He is the author of The Dangerous Duty of Rebuke: Leviticus 19:17 in Early Jewish and Christian Interpretation. R’ Matthew studied at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and Yeshivat Shvilei HaTorah.

A rabbi, scholar, poet, and award-winning translator, R’ Atar Hadari serves as Acting Rabbi of Shomrei Hadass in Leeds. He holds a PhD in Theology from Liverpool Hope University, where his dissertation examined the influence of Jewish commentators in the Biblia Rabbinica on William Tyndale’s translation of Deuteronomy and its revisions through 1611. R’ Atar studied at Open Shiur at Yeshivat Maale Gilboa and is the author and translator of numerous works, including Rembrandt’s Bible, Gethsemane, Arik and Co., Songs from Bialik, and Lives of the Dead: Collected Poems of Hanoch Levin. His work has been recognized with the PEN Translates Award, the Hadassah-Brandeis Research Award, and the Authors’ Foundation Award.

Rav Avital Hochstein serves as the President of Mechon Hadar in Israel. R’ Avital has been a researcher and she has taught at many institutions, including the Shalom Hartman Institute, where she was a faculty member and a research fellow. She was on the Faculty of the Pardes Institute, where she also served as the Rosh Kollel. R’ Avital received her BA from Hebrew University and her Ph.D. in Talmud and Gender Studies from Bar Ilan University and was ordained by the Beit Midrash Le’Rabbanut Yisraelit. R’ Avital co-authored Women Out, Women In – The Place of Women in Midrash and is a co-founder and leader of Shira Hadasha, an Orthodox egalitarian synagogue in Jerusalem.

The Founder and Spiritual Director of Or HaLev, R’ James Jacobson-Maisels was also the founding Rosh Yeshiva of Romemu Yeshiva. He has taught Jewish thought, mysticism, meditation, and spiritual practice at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Haifa University, Yeshivat Hadar, Drisha, and in communities around the world. R’ James holds a Doctorate in Jewish Studies from the University of Chicago, an M.St. in Modern Jewish Studies from the University of Oxford, and a BA in Philosophy and Judaic Studies from Brown University. He studied at the Conservative Yeshiva, the Shalom Hartman Institute, and in the Pardes Kollel.

Rabbi Elie Kaunfer is the President and CEO of the Hadar Institute, an organization committed to Jewish learning and community building. A Wexner Graduate Fellow and Dorot Fellow, Elie is the author of Empowered Judaism: What Independent Minyanim Can Teach Us about Building Vibrant Jewish Communities (Jewish Lights). A graduate of Harvard, he has been named multiple times to the Forward 50 and to the Newsweek list of “Top 50 Rabbis in America.” Elie holds a doctorate in liturgy from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he was ordained in 2007. He serves on the faculty for Wexner Heritage, and has lectured widely on prayer and building grassroots Jewish communities.

Rabbi Jon Kelsen is Chief Education Officer at Drisha where he was previously Rosh Kollel and taught Talmud and pedagogy. He also served for multiple years as Dean of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and as adjunct faculty at the Pardes Institute. R’ Jon holds ordination from R’ Zalman Nehemiah Goldberg z”l and spent several years studying in the Pardes Kollel. He received a BA from University of Pennsylvania, an MA from Hebrew University, and a doctorate in Education and Jewish Studies from NYU as a Wexner Graduate Fellow. R’ Jon serves as a reservist in IDF Combat Logistics.

A leader in Jewish life and education in Central Europe, R’ Menashe Kliment serves as the Chief Rabbi of Brno in the Czech Republic and helped found ŠTETL, a center dedicated to Jewish culture, education, and community life. Before receiving Semikhah from Rav Arye Strikovsky z”l and Rav Daniel Landes, he studied at institutions including Paideia in Sweden, Ohr Sameach, Shapell’s Darchei Noam, and Pardes. R’ Menashe holds a bachelor’s degree from Charles University and also received rabbinic ordination from Dayan Zalman Nehemia Goldberg z”l.

Rav Na’ama Levitz Applbaum serves as the Director of Educational Leadership and Engagement at Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. She was previously the Director of Ramah Israel Seminar and was a member of the faculty of Hadar and the Schechter Institute. An educational consultant for Hillel International and the Dorot Foundation, R’ Na’ama is also a podcast creator and co-host and serves as a co-chair of Amutat Yashrut and as Gabait for Kehilat Hakhel in Jerusalem. She studied at both Hebrew University and the Schecter Institute.

Rabbi Adam Mayer is Dean of Jewish Studies at Weber High School and Mashpiah Ruchani (Rabbinic Counselor). He previously taught Jewish Studies at Kohelet Yeshiva in Philadelphia where he also served as a coach of track and cross country. Over the course of several years living in Israel, R’ Adam served as an IDF Medic, received Semikhah from R’ Zalman Nehemiah Goldberg z”l  and completed the Pardes Educator’s Program. He received his BA from Brandeis and his MA in Jewish Education from Hebrew College. Outside of the classroom, R’ Adam is known for his contributions to the Jewish camp experience, to bringing together Hip Hop and Judaism and for his work with Rappers and Rabbis.

Rav Sarah Mulhern is the Rabbi of Silverstein Base Lincoln Park in Chicago, serving 20 and 30-somethings and the undergraduate students of Metro Chicago Hillel. She worked as an experiential educator at the American Jewish World Service and as a faculty member and the Director of the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Created Equal Project. A Wexner Graduate Fellow, R’ Sarah was in the first cohort of the North American David Hartman Center Fellowship. Originally from Utah and a descendant of Jewish pioneers, R’ Sarah studied at Pardes, Hadar, Drisha, Beit Midrash Har-el and was ordained by Hebrew College in 2017, where she also received an MA in Jewish Education. She has a BA in politics and history from Brandeis University.

Following his Semikhah studies, R’ Ben Mernick completed his PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Haifa and now works as a clinical psychologist at Sheba Medical Center while also serving as an active reservist in the IDF. He also studied at Yeshivat Maale Gilboa, Beit Morasha, Yeshivat Hadar, and the Center for Modern Torah Leadership. R’ Ben is known for his Torah teaching and chazanut and has served as a rabbi in diverse communities in the United States, Europe, and Israel. R’ Ben is active in Chuppot and is widely sought after to officiate wedding ceremonies in Israel and beyond.

Contributing to the Jewish community of Paris as a teacher, writer and Rabbi, R’ Ruben Perez also works as an Associate Lawyer for the George Schneider Professional Corporation in Toronto. Ruben’s academic accomplishments include degrees in Jewish Studies, Religious and Social Sciences, a JD from University of Windsor and LL.M degrees from Queen Mary University of London and Pantheon- Sorbonne in Paris. He has also worked in business development and campaign organizing. Before joining Yashrut’s Semikhah Initiative, R’ Ruben studied at Yeshiva Guedolah in Montreal and Yeshivot Heichal Hatorah Betzion and Yeshiva Pachad Yitschak in Jerusalem.

A teacher of Talmud, Tanakh, and Jewish Thought at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, R’ Rafael Jonathan Polisuk is also a member of the Kollel for Psak at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and studies at Hebrew University. Before studying for Semikhah at Yashrut, R’ Rafael studied at Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav and led the Beit Midrash Initiative of Bnei Akiva Israel. He has worked in the training and education department at Shoval and is particularly known for his activism and efforts for Religious LGBTQ inclusion.

As a Rosh Yeshiva at the Hadar Institute, R’ Aviva Richman is known for her scholarship and teaching in rabbinic literature. Before receiving Semikhah, she studied at Midreshet Lindenbaum, Drisha, Pardes, and Yeshivat Rambam. R’ Aviva holds a PhD in Hebrew and Judaic Studies from New York University and was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. Her dissertation, “The Problem of Consent: Sexual Consent and Coercion in the Babylonian Talmud,” explored questions of gender, law, and ethics in rabbinic literature.

After more than a decade teaching Limmudei Kodesh at the Abraham Joshua Heschel School in Manhattan, R’ Ayal Robkin returned home to serve as the inaugural Director of Hadar Atlanta. He is a graduate of the Pardes Educator’s Program and holds a B.A. from the University of Maryland and a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. R’ Ayal lived in Israel for several years, where he studied at Eretz HaTzvi Yeshiva and served in the Israel Defense Forces.

Rabbi Shani Rosenbaum serves on the faculty of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College, where she teaches Talmud and Halakha. She was project coordinator for the Jewish Law and Ethics Hackathon produced by T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights and served as a program manager at Olam: Improving the world together. A recipient of Dorot and Wexner Graduate Fellowships, R’ Shani studied in the Pardes Kollel, Midreshet Lindenbaum, Matan, Beit Midrash Har’el and Yeshivat Hadar. She was ordained by Hebrew College in 2021 and received her BA from Brandeis.

Known for her teaching and community activism, R’ Bitya Rozen-Goldberg serves as the Director and Rosh Yeshiva of Ta Shma, a French Beit Midrash in Jerusalem. Outside of teaching, she officiates weddings in Israel through Chuppot, is a senior guide with Ir Amim, consults for Jewish Educational Media (JEM), and teaches Talmud at Tenoua. R’ Bitya studied at Midreshet Lindenbaum, Beit Morasha of Jerusalem, Pardes, and Matan, and holds a Master’s degree in History from Sorbonne University.

An educator, coach, and scholar of rabbinic literature, R’ Miriam-Simma Walfish serves as a Senior Coach for Pedagogy of Partnership and on the faculty of Mechon Hadar. She has taught Tanakh, Talmud, and Jewish law in numerous settings, including the Conservative Yeshiva, Hadar, Harvard University, Hebrew College, the National Havurah Committee Summer Institute, and Northwoods Kollel/Ramah. R’ Miriam-Simma holds a PhD in Rabbinics from Harvard University, an MA from Hebrew College, and a BA from McGill University. She is a graduate of the Pardes Educators Program and studied at Drisha and Midreshet Ein HaNatziv.

Since 2021, R’ Joshua Weiner has served as Senior Rabbi of Congregation Adath Shalom in Paris, France. Prior to moving to Paris, he coordinated educational programming at the Fraenkelufer Synagogue in Berlin, participated in interfaith dialogue initiatives with schools and mosques, and helped lead the Kreuzberg Kollel and Berlin Tisch projects reconnecting young Jews with Jewish learning and tradition. R’ Joshua studied at Hebrew University, the School of Jewish Theology at the University of Potsdam, and the Conservative Yeshiva/Fuchsberg Center. Before receiving Semikhah from Yashrut, he received rabbinic ordination from the Zacharias Frankel College in Berlin.

Rabbi Sarah Zager is Assistant Professor of Religion at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Before coming to St Olaf, she was a Fellow at the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at University of Pennsylvania. R’ Sarah received the 2021 Salo Baron New Voices in Jewish Studies Award for her work on Jewish responses to contemporary virtue ethics from the Association for Jewish Studies. She earned her Ph.D. from Yale University, MA in Religion from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a BA from Williams College.