Our Team
Creators
Ariele Mortkowitz
FOUNDING DIRECTOR
Ariele Mortkowitz is passionate about the ways women* interact with their faith and their community and has dedicated herself to the pursuit of fulfilling female spiritual and communal experiences. In 2016, she created the Agam Center, establishing a Jewish communal home for women's spirituality, wellness, ritual, and education. Further committed to creating more unique spaces for women in Judaism, Ariele founded SVIVAH, where women are at the center – their lives, their Torah, and their leadership. She received certification in Spiritual Entrepreneurship from Clal and Columbia Business School, is a Hartman Created Equal Fellow, a member of the Kenissa Spiritual Communities Cohort, and is an inaugural participant in the JWI Jewish Communal Women’s Leadership Project for Executive Leadership. She has a background in nonprofit development focused on strategic planning, organizational growth, and culture creation. Ariele is also a JOFA/YCT/Maharat-certified premarital educator and a longtime mikvah ritual guide. Ariele lives with her family in Washington, DC where she is continually amazed by all she gains from the incredible women around her.
Rabbanit Aliza Sperling
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
Rabbanit Aliza Sperling is part of the faculty at Yeshivat Maharat and teaches Talmud at the Maharat-Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Beit Midrash Program. In addition to being SVIVAH’s educational leader and director of HerTorah, she has also served as a Hartman research fellow and a Wexner faculty member. She received her ordination from Yeshivat Maharat and a JD from NYU Law School. She also authored a halachic analysis of whether a blind person may read Torah for the collective in Braille.
Read more about HerTorah here.
Rabbanit Dalia Davis
DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL EDUCATION
Dalia Davis is a Jewish educator, artist, and spiritual leader dedicated to creating meaningful opportunities for learning, healing, and personal growth. She believes that Jewish wisdom comes alive when it is experienced with curiosity, creativity, and community. Dalia is the Director of Pastoral Education at SVIVAH and a Jewish educator in the Twin Cities.
Her educational background reflects a lifelong commitment to Torah learning. Dalia is a graduate of Yeshivat Maharat's Advanced Kollel, studied at Nishmat in Jerusalem, earned a B.A. in Jewish History and Dance from Barnard College, an M.A. in Jewish Education from Yeshiva University, and a Certificate in Talmud and Halacha through GPATS.
Much of Dalia's work is inspired by listening deeply to the needs of the Jewish community and creating spaces where people can connect, heal, and grow. She is the creator of Beit Midrash in Motion, an embodied approach to Jewish learning that integrates movement with Torah study. She is also a choreographer who creates dance works that reflect Jewish ideas and amplifies the voices of Jewish women.
Dalia also co-founded Uprooted: A Jewish Response to Fertility Journeys, where she helped cultivate compassionate, spiritually grounded support for individuals and families navigating infertility. She is the author of Fertility Journeys: A Jewish Healing Guide for Mayyim Hayyim and has designed and facilitated programs that bring Jewish ritual, learning, and community to those on the path toward building a family.
Dalia is currently pursuing certification as a Life Coach and is a recipient of the Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize.
Whether teaching Torah, facilitating conversation, or creating new rituals and educational experiences, Dalia is passionate about helping people discover connection, meaning, and belonging through Jewish life.
The Director of Pastoral Education position was made possible by a Covenant Foundation grant.
Jordyn Rozensky
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY
Jordyn Rozensky is an educator, justice-driven storyteller, and communications professional. She is currently enrolled at the Jewish Theological Seminary, earning her master’s in Spiritual Care and Counseling. She holds master’s degrees in Public Policy and Jewish Professional Leadership from Brandeis University. She completed her bachelor’s at Smith College and studied at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) at Kibbutz Ketura and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Her previous work includes roles with Keshet, the Boston Jewish Community Relations Council, and the Jewish Women’s Archive. She coordinated the PAWS training program at the El Paso County Jail with the El Paso Animal Rescue League, served as Communications Strategist for the National Immigration Justice Center, and co-founded Mascotas para Migrantes, supporting asylum seekers and their pets. Her photography, reporting, and writing have been published in The Washington Post, CNN, The Texas Tribune, Buzzfeed, The Bitter Southerner, The Times of Israel, and elsewhere. She lives in Florida with six hounds and two cats, where the howling is loud, the drool is endless, and the wisdom is surprising. She would love for you to send her a picture of your dog.
The Director of Community position was made possible by an UpStart grant.
Guidance Team
Board of Directors
SVIVAH is first-and-foremost a lay-led collective. From its start, it has been an exercise in responsiveness; seeking to uncover, understand, validate, and explore the varying needs and interests of women along their Jewish life journeys. While we do have a group of passionate and committed creators and guides, each member of the Guidance Team considers herself a follower rather than a leader - beholden to the larger community of women and devoted to representing the voices of our collective to the best of her abilities. Our growing Guidance Team commits to being comprised of representatives of our entire collective, ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table in our community. Reach out at any time at connect@svivah.org if you have suggestions or would like to be involved.
Andrea Deck
Andrea Deck is a DC native who currently works with HoneymoonIsrael, helping to make the Jewish community more accessible to couples around the DMV. She is a passionate supporter of Jewish women in the area- serving on the board of SVIVAH and JWI to connect more deeply to an incredible and diverse community of Jewish women.
Dalia Caplan
Dalia is the Senior Director of Learning and Evaluation at UpStart. She lives in Denver with her family and brings her significant experience in the world of Jewish communal entrepreneurship to SVIVAH.
"What I love about the vision of SVIVAH is that now more than ever, it is crucial for women to have safe spaces to gather, share stories and connect deeply. SVIVAH provides all of that and more with such talented educators. It is an organization that provides for our deepest, most unspoken needs."
Elisheva Thompson
Elisheva has an extensive background in marketing and communications, specializing in brand strategy, digital marketing, and design. An LA native and a Jewish spirituality enthusiast living in Minneapolis, she is passionate about giving Jewish communities a voice and an online presence. She is the founder and CEO of culture/shift, a consultancy which provides marketing, design, and systems solutions to mission-driven organizations. Previously, she served as the Director of Brand & Marketing at UpStart, and as Communications Director at Congregation Tikvat Jacob Beth Torah.
Sarah Allen
Sarah Allen is the Director of Board Relations at JDC. She has an impressive career history within the Jewish community, working with organizations like Hillel International and the American Associates of Ben Gurion University. Sarah has been with JDC since 2012, working in both their Jerusalem and New York offices. Sarah comes to Svivah with an expertise in Lay/Professional relationships, management and supervision, and curiosity. Sarah has a passion for community involvement. In New York she was an active part of a community walking group during the pandemic and helped establish a community fridge to provide food for those in need in her neighborhood. In Jerusalem, where Sarah lived for 20 years, she was an early and active member of Shira Chadasha, volunteered as a Big Sister, and was involved in dialogue and activities between Israelis and Palestinians.
Rebecca Leicht
Rebecca believes in using the myriad moments of daily life as generative departure points from which to think critically about and act intentionally in the world around us. She is thrilled to help foster SVIVAH as a member of its leadership team and is grateful to be part of SVIVAH'S beloved community. Rebecca lives in New York City with her husband, two sons, and their dog (who is probably a muppet). Better said: she is surrounded by testosterone.
Shari Kleiner
“Helping to build a sustaining community of Jewish women is as important to me as it is selfish. I am my happiest when I have a place like Svivah that gets my mind and heart and works hard to nurture both.” Shari recently relocated to DC from Boston.
Acquired Wisdom
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
One of the primary goals at SVIVAH is to bring together women from various points on the Jewish woman’s life journey so that we can all learn from each other and gain strength from the experience of others. It is precisely for this reason that we continually consult with our advisory committee. We consider ourselves so blessed to be able to learn from and engage with experts who have so much knowledge and experience to share. Their expertise offers insight to our community of women in a variety of ways, lifting us all up with their wisdom in the process.