Rabbinic Leadership

Senior Jewish Educator - Johns Hopkins Hillel, Baltimore, MD | July 2018-Present

Community Engagement & Advancement

•Mentor and grow the Reform community: develop services with student leaders, co-lead Shabbat and holiday worship with guitar, engage new participants, and plan social and educational programming.

•Counsel and oversee the advisement of student groups including J Street U, Oy Gay (LGBTQ+), the Hillel Student Board, the Hillel Welcome Squad, and the Conservative minyan.

•Brainstorm, design, and implement relevant and pluralistic initiatives and programs for the entire Hillel community, e.g., “Hillel Hangouts,” “HIP: Hopkins Ideas Platform,” and wellness initiatives.

•Provide leadership and education around differing views of Israel, including co-coordinating Israel trips.

•Participated in Johns Hopkins Safe Zone Training to support the LGBTQ+ community.

Education

•Create, plan, and lead the new Tikkun Olam Fellowship for service, education, organizing, and reflection.

•Recruit for, adapt, and teach “Life’s Big Questions,” part of the Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF).

•Design and teach educational experiences to allow students to explore their lives and identities, such as “#MeToo and Torah”, “Forbidden Judaism,” and “[Netflix’s] Unorthodox Unraveled.”

Pastoral Care & Relationships

•Build relationships with a diverse student and stakeholder population including over 100 students each semester via coffee dates, Design Thinking interviews, meals, classes, and pastoral meetings.

•Provide pastoral care to students facing plights such as a parents’ death, sexual assault, and loneliness.

•Implement wellness experiences via Hillel International’s “Masterclass Wellness” seminar.

•Offer personalized mentorship for JLF interns, conversion candidates, worship leaders, and more.

Visionary Leadership

•Direct Hopkins Hillel’s engagement strategy to develop relationships with a diverse student population, to create a welcoming community, and to foster leadership, education, and personal growth.

•Collaborate with the Hillel team and supervise other staff members (the Israel engagement associate and former program director) to achieve Hillel’s mission, vision, engagement strategy, and other outcomes.

•Cooperate with university partners, including the interfaith chaplains, for campus-wide programming.

•Manage finances, write grants, and cultivate donor relationships, including fundraising a $10,000 gift.

•Led the Hillel staff in a two-year Design Thinking process to build an inviting and accessible community: organized 75+ discovery interviews and innovated a new platform for student-led programming.

Rabbinic Intern - Larchmont Temple, Larchmont, NY | Sep. 2016-May 2018

•Wrote sermons, crafted teachings, led prayer, and played guitar for Shabbat and holiday worship.

•Taught classes and led programs for all ages, from nursery school to religious school to adult education.

Summer Rabbinic Intern - Temple Isaiah, Lexington, MA | May-June 2017

•Wrote and preached divrei Torah, led prayers, and taught in Shabbat evening and morning services.

•Taught an adult education course, led music for an interfaith “Rally Against Hate,” and shadowed clergy.

Student Rabbi - Temple Beth Am, Monessen, PA |Sep. 2014-May 2015

•Served as the sole rabbinic presence for this congregation: crafted Shabbat and High Holiday worship, read Torah, delivered sermons, taught adult education, and offered pastoral care.

Educator & Supervisor

Resetting the Table Facilitator Training - RTT, Washington, DC | Nov. 2019-May 2020

•Honed facilitation techniques for conversations and reflections on difficult topics, especially around Israel.

•Practiced relational conversation skills to lean into difference, listen deeply, and elevate multiple voices.

Kaplan Supervisory Leadership Program - Hillel International, Washington, DC | July-Oct. 2019

•Developed supervisory leadership skills, e.g., performance management, goal setting, and mentorship.

•Applied the in-class experience directly to supervising two Hopkins Hillel staff members.

Education Intern/Grade Level Coordinator - Shaaray Tefila, NY, NY | July 2015-May 2016
Former role: Religious School Teacher (6th Grade) | Nov. 2014-June 2015

•Supervised 3rd/4th grade teachers, developed curricula, and crafted programs for staff/students/families.

•Addressed school-wide needs, including leading worship and managing opening day logistics.

Adventure Director - URJ Eisner Camp, Great Barrington, MA | June-Aug. 2014
Former role: Adventure Assistant Director | June-Aug. 2013

•Led team building, personal growth, and Jewish educational activities for campers and staff.

•Trained and supervised over ten staff members and directed safety and operation of the ropes course.

Social Justice

Balfour Brickner Fellowship - Religious Action Center, Washington, DC | Jan. 2020-Mar. 2021

•Studied and discussed social justice topics and strategies, e.g., organizing, racial equity, and policing.

•Collaborated with clergy from across the country to apply social justice learning to the field.

Volunteer Coordinator, Soup Kitchen - HUC-JIR, New York, NY | Sep. 2015-May 2018

•Communicated with and organized groups and volunteers for the HUC-JIR Soup Kitchen. 

•Coordinated supplies, managed requests, and served food for approximately 100-150 guests each week.

•Organized and implemented a $100,000 capital campaign for the renovation of the kitchen facilities.

 Rabbinical Student Fellowship in Human Rights - T’ruah, New York, NY | June-Aug. 2016

•Participated in rallies, developed organizing skills, gained activist experience, and studied justice texts.

•Shadowed a full-time organizer with Faith in New York (FINY) and gained community organizing experience, including holding one-to-one conversations and attending neighborhood meetings.

Community Organizing Leadership Course - JOIN for Justice, New York, NY | Oct.-Dec. 2014

•Studied and applied the basics of community organizing in an interdenominational Jewish setting.

Fellowships

Leffell Israel Fellowship - AIPAC, New York, NY | Jan. 2016-July 2017

•Discussed and debated topics related to US-Israel relations, support, and education.

•Participated in interdenominational conversations and bonded with other rabbinical students.

Rabbis Without Borders Student Fellowship - Clal, New York, NY | Sep. 2014-May 2015

•Engaged in interdenominational learning and dialogue with rabbinical students from other seminaries.

•Discussed contemporary issues and values regarding modern Jewry and the rabbinate.

CPE

Chaplain Intern - Clinical Pastoral Education Level 1, Memorial Sloan Kettering, NY, NY | June-Aug. 2015

•Ministered as a pastoral caregiver to patients and family members of all faith backgrounds.

•Led interfaith worship with students from other religious seminaries across the New York area.

Education

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) - New York, NY             

Rabbinical Ordination | May 2018

Thesis: “‘I Lift Up My Eyes’: Mountains in the Bible and Their Application Today” –Advisor: Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Ph.D.

M.A., Hebrew Literature | May 2017

M.A., Religious Education | May 2016

Capstone: “Middot V’Harpatka’ot [Values and Adventures]: A Resource Guide for Jewish Adventure Course Education” –Advisor: Rabbi Lisa D. Grant, Ph.D.

University of Massachusetts Amherst - Amherst, MA        

B.A., Judaic Studies, summa cum laude | May 2010

Thesis: “Justifying Reform Judaism: An Analysis of Changes in Judaism from both Secular and Halakhic Points of View.”

Awards

Rabbi Jill Kreitman Prize in Homiletics - HUC-JIR, New York, NY | July 2017

Rhoda & Jerome Malino Prize in Bible - HUC-JIR, New York, NY | July 2017

Sylvia Levenstein Prize in Human Relations - HUC-JIR, New York, NY | July 2016

Helman Memorial Prize for Academic Excellence - HUC-JIR, Jerusalem, Israel | June 2013

Eagle Scout - Troop 183, Warwick, RI | Mar. 2006

Publications

“Awesome Heights: Mountains in the Bible and What They Teach Us Today”

The Sacred Earth: Jewish Perspectives on Our Planet (CCAR Press) | Publication Pending

This article explores how the mountains of ancient Israel evoked awe for the people of the Bible and inspired them to encounter God, asking how we might cultivate similar experiences today.

“Preparing for Passover and Transforming Our Traditions”

Prophetic Voices: Renewing and Reimagining Haftarah (CCAR Press) | Publication Pending

This essay examines the maftir Torah and Haftarah readings for Shabbat HaChodesh and relates them to our modern Passover celebrations, encouraging us to be radically inclusive and spiritually bold.

“Parshat Chukat-Balak: Opening Our Tents and Bettering Our Nation”

Baltimore Jewish Times | July 2020

This d’var Torah compares the Torah portion Chukat-Balak to conflicts over dignity, equality, and human rights raised by Black Lives Matter and other social justice movements.