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Rabbi Anna Calamaro
HUC-JIR
Rabbi Anna Calamaro is a mother, educator, and spiritual leader serving Congregation Hakafa in Glencoe, Illinois. Anna has served as a T’ruah Fellow, Bend The Arc Jeremiah Fellow, JDC-Weitzman Fellow, and as a chaplain intern at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. She merged her passions for Judaism and birth advocacy work by infusing Jewish spirituality and ritual into pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care through her business, TzimTzum Doula (www.TzimTzumDoula.com). Committed to birth justice, Torah study, and uplifting the voices of people with uteruses, she is working to launch a Jewish birth network that will educate and connect birthers to their bodies, babies, and Jewish communities. After five years away, Anna and her husband, Yaakov, have finally returned home to the northern suburbs of Chicago with their precious, Bamba-obsessed toddler, Solomon.
Rabbanit Tamar Green Eisenstat
Yeshivat Maharat
I’m a graduate of Yeshivat Maharat, chaplain-in-training at New York Presbyterian, transitioning over from a career in non profit law and a decade of stay-at-home parenting. Current explorations include learning/teaching meditation and mindfulness.
Rabbi May Ye
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Rabbi May Ye (she/her) is a Chinese-American Jew from unceded Wabanaki land. A weaver of tradition and fashioner of new liturgy and ritual, she seeks to center and highlight the experiences of those who have been disenfranchised and marginalized from Judaism and Jewish spaces. A passionate activist, she explores how to decouple Judaism from Zionism and is an ardent supporter of Palestinian liberation.
Rabbi Cat Zavis
Aleph Ordination Program
Rabbi Cat Zavis, rabbi at Beyt Tikkun: A Synagogue without Walls, shapes Jewish rituals and services that unite the spiritual, personal, and political. She brings her spiritual activism passion to her work on social justice issues and, as executive director of the Network of Spiritual Progressives, has trained over 1000 people in spiritual activism.
Rabbi Juliet Elkind-Cruz
Aleph Ordination Program
Juliet was ordained as a rabbi, mashpi’ah (Jewish spiritual director), and Hebrew chant leader in the tradition of the Jewish Renewal movement. She is the founder a cooperative of Jewish women clergy, which is about to launch its website. She lives in New York City with her Latino husband of 35 years and has two grown children.
Rabbi Deni Marshall
Aleph Ordination Program
Rabbi Deni Marshall is a newly ordained Rabbi through ALEPH, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal. A licensed clinical social worker in private practice for twenty-five years, Deni became a mashpia/spiritual director in 2011 through Morei Derekh Spiritual Direction Program. 2013 Deni became a Jewish Meditation teacher through the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and a few years later completed the Manchim program through The Mussar Institute. During the past decade, Deni has facilitated many Mussar va’ads, and led Jewish Meditation and Spiritual Direction groups. She also created and leads a Jewish renewal Shabbat morning service at the synagogue she affiliates with in Sacramento. In addition, Deni continues to offer individual spiritual direction and therapy online and she is a savta of three young children with whom she is very involved.
Rabbinic Pastor Nancy Shapiro
Aleph Ordination Program
At age 63 I decided to follow my heart. I retired from 40 years as a doctor of audiology and entered rabbinical school. It's been an amazing journey! I completed my studies and received smicha in 2022 as a rabbinic pastor. I chose this program because of its emphasis on pastoral counseling, spiritual care, healing, and death and dying.
Rabbi Rebecca Kaufman
HUC-JIR
Rabbi Rebecca Kaufman serves as Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Beth Chaim in West Windsor, NJ. Rabbi Kaufman received rabbinic ordination from HUC-JIR in 2023. She graduated from Princeton University in 2011 and worked for seven years in the nonprofit sector, designing and leading programs focused on collective giving and purposeful careers. During rabbinical school she was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. Rabbi Kaufman lives in New Jersey with her husband, Tavi, and their children Ari and Lily.
Rabbi Chaplain Nina King-Madlem
Academy for Jewish Religion CA
I was recently ordained as a rabbi at AJRCA. I live in Tacoma, WA. I am a board certified chaplain who loves to be outside near a tree.
Rabbi Taylor Baruchel
HUC-JIR
Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Taylor is a recent ordainee of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She is proud to be working in her home country, serving as the first Director of Outreach and Next Gen Engagement at the historic Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, Ontario.
Rabbi Jessica Jacobs
HUC-JIR
Rabbi Jessica Jacobs is the new Assistant Rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach, FL where beyond regular rabbinic duties, she advises the Social Justice Network and supports families and young adults. Jessica's loves include community organizing, womxn empowerment, mental health advocacy, sustainable decorating, and plants.
Rabbi Chelsea Feuchs
HUC-JIR
Rabbanit Myriam Ackermann Sommer
Yeshivat Maharat
Myriam Ackermann Sommer is the first Orthodox female rabbi of France. She received ordination from Maharat in 2023 and has created her own community. Simultaneously, she works in academia and is a passionate musician.
Rabbi Andrea Yonina Foster, Ph.D.
Rabbinical Seminary International
Community Rabbi Yonina, with her gentle pastoral presence, is as an independent Spiritual Leader, Sweet Songstress, and Reiki Master, serving Buffalo, New York, and elsewhere called! Tradition is Foster’s foundation as she incorporates a Neo-Chassidic Renewal approach into her services and lifecycle rituals. She also creates practices through healing circles with chant, song, forays into nature, and silence, as we share our stories, exploring the belief we are all the living Torah.
Rabbi Shanee Michaelson
Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies
Shanee B. Michaelson is the new assistant Rabbi and Religious School Director at Temple Beth Sholom (TBS) in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she directs and develops creative synagogue initiatives, and leads youth education. At TBS, Rabbi Michaelson brings her vision for building, engaging, and invigorating Jewish community through education, innovation, and spiritual leadership.
Calle Schuler, MA
William Davidson School of Jewish Education - JTS
A Syracuse native, Calle received their Masters in Jewish Education with a concentration in Jewish Educational Leadership from the Jewish Theological Seminary. As an educator, Calle is committed to inclusion along multiple lines of difference and takes great joy in working in pluralistic, non-denominational, and post-denominational Jewish communities.
Rabba Briah Cahana
Yeshivat Maharat
Rabba Briah Cahana graduated from Yeshivat Maharat and spent this past year in Israel through the Dorot Fellowship. She has a special love of building spiritual communities rooted in learning, care and niggunim. She's now based in Montreal, Canada where she is ready to apply her skills supporting the community in pastoral care and chessed projects.
Rabbi Avigayil Halpern
Hadar Advanced Kollel
Avigayil Halpern (she/her) is a teacher writer whose work focuses on feminist and queer Torah, most recently through her newsletter project, Approaching (avigayil.substack.com). Avigayil has taught in Torah institutions and synagogues nationally and internationally, and served as the Cooperberg-Rittmaster Pastoral and Educational Intern at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in 2023. Avigayil will be ordained as a rabbi by the Hadar Institute in June, and she holds a BA in Judaic Studies from Yale University. Avigayil has completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at New York Presbyterian/Columbia, is trained as a Mikveh Guide through Rising Tide, the national network of community mikvaot, and has participated in Faith Matters' Movement Chaplaincy Training. Avigayil was selected as one of the New York Jewish Week's "36 Under 36" in 2021, and as a Vatichtov: She Writes fellow in 2022.
Rav Amelia Wolf
Jewish Theological Seminary
Rav Amelia is the rabbi of Congregation Etz Hayim in Arlington, VA. A native of Portland, OR, she has lived in Brooklyn, NY where she co-founded Minyan Atara and Riverdale, NY, where she served as Rabbinic Intern at Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale.
Rabbanit Nomi Kaltmann
Yeshivat Maharat
Nomi is from Melbourne, Australia. She is a lawyer and journalist and recent graduate of Yeshivat Maharat. Nomi is an experienced writer. She is the Australian correspondent at Tablet Magazine and she writes regularly on religion. Nomi is also the founder and inaugural president of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA) in Australia. She is married to Daniel and they have four kids.
Rabbi Judith Weintraub
Academy for Jewish Religion, CA
Rabbi Weintraub was ordained as a Chaplain in 2020 at AJRCA, Los Angeles. Prior to that, with a background in psychology and special education, she worked in early intervention, trained teachers to work with hearing-impaired children and later, presented at conferences as a health advocate for many years. For the past 5 years, Rabbi Weintraub has been working with elders with varying levels of dementia in a non-sectarian setting. She is currently developing projects and working as a Community Rabbi in the Los Angeles.
Rabbi Heather Shore
HUC-JIR
Rabbi Heather Shore was ordained by HUC-JIR in 2023, and is currently pursuing an additional master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling & Spiritual Integration through Fordham University’s Graduate School of Religion. She is passionate about integrative, creative, and accessible modalities of Jewish spiritual support that foster personal resilience and communal care. Whether serving individuals, communities, experiential programs, or clinical clients, Heather strives to support spiritual ecosystems through sustainable, values-aligned strategic thinking.
Rabbi Cantor Elizabeth Bat-Sarah
Academy for Jewish Religion, CA
Elizabeth was born in Fairbanks, Alaska and raised in San Diego, California. She has served Jewish communities in San Diego, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and the suburbs of Chicago in diverse roles such as, chaplain, teacher, Cantor, and Education Director. She is committed to a Jewish expression which is intellectually challenging, spiritually uplifting, and deeply inclusive of LGBTQ+ Jews and Jews of Color.
Rabbi Megan Brumer
HUC-JIR
Growing up in Bellevue, Washington, Rabbi Megan was very involved in Jewish summer camp and her synagogue youth group, which influenced her to pursue a career in the rabbinate and as a Jewish Educator. She also grew up with a passion for Jewish music which turned into a love for songleading, leading communities in music and prayer. Rabbi Megan is currently the Assistant Rabbi at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck NY, focusing on education.
Rabbi Lily Goldstein
HUC-JIR
Lily Goldstein is beginning her rabbinate as the new assistant rabbi at Congregation BJBE in Deerfield, IL. She is originally from Westchester, New York, received her B.S. from Northwestern University, and was ordained at HUC-JIR's New York campus this past May.
Cantor Marilyn Selby Okoshi
H.L. Miller Cantorial School and William Davidson School of Education - JTS
Cantor Marilyn Selby Okoshi is the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Israel in Lebanon, PA. She was ordained as a cantor by JTS in 2023 and earned Masters degrees in Sacred Music and Jewish Education. Marilyn is excited to take up her pulpit after many years as a practicing corporate attorney in New York and Tokyo.
Rabbi Edie Yakutis
HUC-JIR
Rabbi Yakutis is a second-career rabbi, who is joining the rabbinate after working with the Microsoft Corporation for 23 years. Prior to coming to HUC-JIR, she and her spouse were one of the founding families of Temple Solel, near Charlotte, NC. She is looking forward to the next steps of her rabbinate, working as a hospital chaplain and as rabbi for Temple Beth El in Muncie, In.
Rabbi Rebecca Benoff
HUC-JIR
Rebecca Benoff is the new Assistant Rabbi at Chicago Sinai Congregation. She was ordained at HUC-JIR, Cincinnati and previously served as the Rabbinic intern at Beth Tikvah in Columbus, Ohio and as the student Rabbi for a small community in Bryan, Texas and in Kokomo, Indiana. Prior to HUC, Rebecca served as the Executive Assistant at the Edlavitch DCJCC and was the youth director at Etz Hayim in Arlington, Virginia. Rebecca grew up outside of Philadelphia at Shir Ami and attended The George Washington University in Washington, DC where she studied Psychology and Judaic Studies. In her spare time, she loves writing poetry, hiking, traveling and cooking.
Chaplain Leslie Klipstein
Academy for Jewish Religion, CA
I’m excited for a midlife career shift centered around Jewish values after 15+ years in public education. My goals include connecting people of all ages with themselves and their wisdom; exploring the creative richness of Jewish spirituality; magnifying intra- and inter-faith understanding and appreciation; accompanying people as we find wholeness through the transformative power of conversation and sharing our stories. I most recently graduated from AJRCA and also hold degrees from University of Phoenix, University of Washington, and Mt. Holyoke College. There is always more to learn! My chaplaincy thesis is titled: Nefesh and Neshama: Honoring Our Animal Companions and Each Other: Supporting Pet Loss & Bereavement. I am the co-founder of NELA Nashim, a spiritually supportive community for Jewish women in the North East Los Angeles Area.
Rabbi Miriam Hoffman
HUC-JIR
Rabbi Miriam Hoffman was ordained in May 2023, with two Masters degrees in Hebrew Letters and Jewish Nonprofit Management. She is headed to Brandeis Hillel to serve as their Reform Rabbi. The goal of her rabbinate is to help Jews find their passion and connection to Judaism, whatever that means to them.
Rav Hazzan Gabrielle Pescador
Aleph Ordination Program
Gabrielle Pescador serves as rabbi of the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation. Before stepping into that role, she served as Interim Spiritual Leader of Temple B'nai Israel of Petoskey Michigan and guest cantor at synagogues throughout the country for shabbat and High Holy Days. Gabrielle is also a harpist and composer of liturgical music.
Rabbi Ashira Stevens
Hebrew College
Rabbi Ashira Stevens was ordained at Hebrew College in June 2023. She now serves as the spiritual leader of Temple Emanu-El in Haverhill, MA Rabbi Stevens is originally from the Midwest and completed her undergraduate education at Indiana University in marketing and international studies. After moving to Boston, she discovered her passion for learning Hebrew and anything related to Judaism. In 2005, she completed a master of arts in Jewish studies at Hebrew College, where she also helped to develop the online learning programs. Through her experiences teaching in local area synagogues and at Prozdor, she fell in love with Jewish education which led to her decision to pursue the rabbinate. During her time as a rabbinical student, Rabbi Stevens served as the rabbinic intern at Temple Emanu-El, at the Jewish Learning Collaborative of Metrowest, and at Temple Beth David in Westwood. She also spent a summer as a student chaplain at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She finds particular delight in making Judaism accessible and relevant for people of all ages and backgrounds, whether through exploring sacred texts, sharing meaningful ritual moments, or talking over coffee or a meal. Rabbi Stevens lives in Natick with her spouse, Aaron, and their three children—Caleb (17), Ellie (15), and Jacob (10). In addition to enjoying time with her family and friends, Rabbi Stevens spends her free time reading, practicing Zentangle (a meditative art form), enjoying music—sometimes even playing clarinet—baking, and walking through the woods. She is thrilled to be returning to Temple Emanu-El and looks forward to meeting and reacquainting herself with the community.
Rabbi Rina Krautwirth
Yeshivat Maharat
Rabbi Wendy Love Anderson
Academy for Jewish Religion
Rabbi Wendy Love Anderson loves teaching, writing, and building Jewish communities. She holds a B.A. from Williams College, a Ph.D in History of Christianity from the University of Chicago, and an M.A. in Jewish Studies from the Academy for Jewish Religion, where she also received her rabbinic ordination. She is Rabbi at Temple Israel of Albany, New York.