Past Cohorts — Orthodox Leadership Project

COHORT 1

Bracha Rutner

Chana Shefa

Keshet Starr

Dr. Aimee Baron is the Founder and Director of “I Was Supposed to Have a Baby,” which is a social media platform that supports Jewish Families struggling to build a family. It provides a supportive space for families who are going through infertility, pregnancy loss, infant loss, surrogacy or adoption, in addition to connecting those families to resources in the Jewish Community. Dr. Baron was formerly the Director of Innovation and Growth at NechamaComfort, and has also worked as an Attending Pediatrician in the Newborn Nursery and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital before taking a leave of absence after her third miscarriage. Aimee lives in Riverdale, NY, with her husband and five children.
Lauren (Ahavya) Deutsch, Esq. is the Executive Director of the Worker Justice Center of New York, a non-profit legal services and advocacy organization dedicated to dismantling structural labor oppression. Lauren received her Bachelor of Arts from Smith College in 2001, and worked in migrant women’s health in San Diego, California, prior to law school. She graduated with her Juris Doctor from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2008, and began her legal career in New York City as a Postgraduate Domestic Violence Fellow, before joining the Domestic Violence unit at The Legal Aid Society of Rochester in 2010, and becoming the Executive Director of the Healthy Baby Network, a reproductive justice non-profit, in 2014. Lauren’s research interests include bruising injuries in victims of color, effective care management for traumatized clients, and the impact of poverty on health equity. Lauren attended Midreshet Rachel V’Chavya Women’s Seminary, and lectures on Torah and Family law, as well as anything else she finds interesting at the moment. She lives in Rochester, New York, with her Husband and three children.
Leslie Ginsparg Klein is the Academic Dean of Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary/Maalot Baltimore, an Orthodox Jewish college for women. An accomplished scholar and author, Dr. Klein has lectured across the United States and internationally, and taught at Gratz College, Touro College and Hebrew Theological College. Dr. Klein received her Ph.D. in Education and Jewish Studies from New York University, where she researched the history of Orthodox girls’ education in America and the Bais Yaakov movement. She is an alumna of Michlalah, Stern College for Women and the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, and a recipient of the New York Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36” award (2009). Dr. Klein is on the editorial board of Lehrhaus and the founder and director of Girls’ Night On, a not-for-profit organization that promotes Jewish women in music and the arts. Dr. Klein lives in Baltimore with her husband and children.
Shoshana Polakoff serves as the Director of Facilities Management and Logistics for the Orthodox Union where she oversees the physical operations and internal policies and procedures. She uses her organizational skills and love of puzzles to create efficient procedures for the OU. Notably, Shoshana managed a 75,000 square foot renovation including an overhaul of physical security and its policies. Over the past fifteen years, Shoshana has held various positions at the OU, working her way up from an NCSY Summer Programs registrar to her current position. Shoshana holds a BA in Judaic Studies from Yeshiva University, Stern College for Women and a Masters in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management from New York University Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Shoshana lives in Washington Heights with her husband and three children.
Bracha Rutner is Assistant Principal and the Director of Judaic Studies at Central/YUHSG. Bracha teaches Talmud and Halakha, including Women in Jewish Law. Bracha also serves as the Yoetzet Halakha at the Kemp Mill Synagogue in Silver Spring, MD. She previously served as the Yoetzet at the Riverdale Jewish Center and the Riverdale Minyan. She has given numerous lectures across North America on the interface of halacha and various women's issues. She is the longest serving congregational Yoetzet in the United States. Bracha is a graduate of Stern College for Women and completed her Yoetzet Halakha training in Nishmat in Jerusalem. She participated in the Bruria Scholars Program in Midreshet Lindenbaum, and completed the ATID Fellowship Program in Jerusalem and the Lookstein Continuing Education program. Bracha holds a masters degrees, in Talmud from the Hebrew University and in Education Administration from St. John’s University. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Educational Administration at the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. She lives with her husband and four children in West Hempstead, NY.
Chana Shefa's passion for life lies in Jewish community development, and youth leadership through Jewish education. Chana seeks out spaces to bring people together to bolster individual skills and to strengthen their communities. She has been a General Studies teacher in grades 3-5 at SAR Academy for the past 13 years, where she worked to inspire and educate the children in and out of her classroom. In addition, she was the 'Founding Mother' of the SAR Student Council, where representatives as young as 6 years old gathered with 14 year olds to facilitate meaningful discussions with the principal on various school issues.
In addition to working as a teacher, Chana served as the Executive Director at Sephardic Adventure Camp in Seattle, Washington for 6 years, an orthodox Sephardic overnight camp, which dedicates itself to continuing the life, passion, and knowledge of Sephardic culture to the next generation of Sephardic Jews in America. She currently serves as a volunteer for the Orthodox Leadership Project on the cohort design team, allowing for Jewish women to enrich their communities using their unique skills and passion.
Keshet Starr, Esq., is the Executive Director of the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA), the only nonprofit organization addressing the agunah (Jewish divorce refusal) crisis on a case-by-case basis worldwide. At ORA, Keshet oversees advocacy and early intervention initiatives designed to assist individuals seeking a Jewish divorce, along with prevention initiatives to eliminate abuse from the Jewish divorce process. Keshet has written for outlets such as the Times of Israel, The Forward and Haaretz, and frequently presents on issues related to Jewish divorce, domestic abuse, and the intersection between civil and religious divorce processes. Keshet has also authored academic work focused on get refusal and domestic abuse, and is a Wexner Field Fellow. A graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Keshet lives in central New Jersey with her husband and three young children.

COHORT 2

Tal Attia

Stephanie Erez

Rachel Cyrulnik

Dena Block

Chumi Friedman

Miriam Gedwiser

Zoë Lang

Rachel Mohl
Abrahams

Dr. Esther Rollhaus

Elise Saks

Orit Barnea Seif

Abbey Soclof

Dr. Aimee Baron

Lauren (Ahavya) Deutsch

Leslie Ginsparg Klein

Shoshana Polakoff

Shoshana Batya Greenwald

Rachel Kravetz

Dr. Gillian Steinberg

Tal Attia is from Elizabeth, NJ. She spent a year at Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim (MMY) and then went on to study at Stern College for Women, where she received her BA in Psychology. Straight out of college, Tal pursued her MA in Nonprofit Management & Leadership at Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School. She has since worked for Ayeka Center for Soulful Education as a Development Associate, and MMY as an Activities Coordinator/ Guidance Counselor (Rakezet). She has also served as Program Coordinator for multiple programs, including Counterpoint Israel and the Run4Afikim for Israeli youth at risk, the Bar Ilan Summer Research Program, and Yeshiva University’s Midrashia, which partners with Machon Puah to provide kallah teacher courses for rebbetzins-in-training. Tal is the proud mother of Abie and Zoey, is an avid reader, enjoys nature hikes, and plans to pursue a further degree in Psychology/Family Counseling in the long run.
Dena Block serves as Yoetzet Halacha for Congregation Agudath Sholom-Minnie Manger Marcia Lieberman Mikvah in Stamford, CT, and mentors newly certified Yoatzot Halacha through Nishmat's Miriam Glaubach Center. Dena is also the Director of Admissions at Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School for girls and teaches Gemara and Halakha there. She first studied at the Stella K. Abraham Beit Midrash for Women in Migdal Oz in Israel before graduating cum laude from Barnard College. She holds an M.A. in Medieval Jewish History from Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, an M.A. in Biblical and Talmudic Interpretation from the Graduate Program for Advanced Talmudic Studies (GPATS) at Yeshiva University and Yoetzet Halakha Certification from Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center’s U.S. Yoatzot Halacha Fellows Program. She lives with her husband and 4 children in Stamford, CT.
Rachel Cyrulnik serves as principal at RAISE Nonprofit Advisors, where she helps nonprofits achieve measurable and strategic growth. With more than fifteen years of experience in nonprofit management, Rachel leads a team of experts in helping organizations increase revenue, strengthen governance, plan strategically and communicate powerfully. Before she began her consulting career, Rachel spent a decade as a development officer at Yeshiva University and UJA-Federation of New York. She established the funding model at the YU School Partnership and ran three community campaigns for UJA-Federation of New York, where she raised and stewarded millions of dollars in grants and private support from national foundations and individual donors.
Rachel is an expert in philanthropic trends, a frequent contributor in thought leadership, and a sought-after presenter in the nonprofit community. She serves on the advisory board of Nonprofit Pro. Rachel graduated from Yeshiva University summa cum laude with a BA in Journalism and earned her MPA, with honors, from New York University, where she studied Nonprofit Management. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and five children.
Stephanie Erez is the Coordinator of Jbaby Detroit for Jfamily at the JCC where she organizes prenatal courses for first-time expectant parents. Stephanie hires the top experts in their field to deliver the most informative classes on newborn care, labor and delivery, infant CPR and baby feeding. Stephanie also coordinates post-baby programs like the Jbaby New Moms postpartum support group for moms, parenting education workshops and young Jewish family programming. Most recently, Stephanie has taken on overseeing new dad-focused programs like the Daddy Boot Camp workshop for prenatal dads and the monthly Sunday morningDaddy & Me: Bagels and Boot Camp for fathers and little ones. Stephanie is a native Detroiter and she received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her Master's in Jewish Civilization from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Before beginning her career with Jfamily, Stephanie worked remotely as a freelance writer and editor for six years and "mommed" full time. Before that, she held a position in the Israel and Overseas Department at the Jewish Federation.
Chumi Friedman is the director of HUG, the pregnancy and infant loss program at ATIME, an organization which supports couples experiencing infertility. She is also a certified doula with a focus on comfort and bereavement. She facilitates support groups and doula trainings.
Miriam Gedwiser teaches Talmud and Tanakh at the Ramaz Upper School and is a faculty member at Drisha. She has a B.A. in the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science and Medicine from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from N.Y.U. School of Law. Miriam studied at Midreshet Lindenbaum and in the Drisha Scholar’s circle. She previously practiced commercial litigation at a large law firm and clerked for the Hon. Debra Freeman, U.S.M.J., in Manhattan. Miriam serves as a guest lecturer at synagogues and programs around the Northeast. Miriam's written work on topics of Jewish and Torah interest has appeared in outlets including the Forward, Project 929, and the Lehrhaus, where she is a Consulting Editor. Miriam lives in Teaneck, New Jersey with her family.
Shoshana Batya Greenwald is a speaker, writer, educator and design historian passionate about making positive change in the Jewish community. She has collaborated with several organizations on issues surrounding antisemitism advocacy and racism within the Jewish community including Repair the World, USC Hillel, Hasbarah Fellowships and OKClarity. She was previously Director of Collections at Amud Aish Memorial Museum where she oversaw the Holocaust museum’s archival, artifact and photography collection. She worked on both on-site and traveling exhibitions and developed and taught workshops to middle, high school and college age students . She has worked at and with several museums and institutions on exhibitions and collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York State Supreme Court and Brooklyn Public Library and and holds an MA in design history and material culture from Bard Graduate Center.
Rachel Kravetz, MS, OTR/L, lives in Fair Lawn, NJ with her husband and 2 children. Rachel is an active member of the Darchei Noam community, serves on the general board, and is the events coordinator of the Yoetzet Halacha Program in Fair Lawn. Rachel works as an occupational therapist at CTC Academy, a non-profit school that services children with multiple disabilities.
Zoë Lang is the Director of Ma'ayan, a learning organization in Boston dedicated to creating rich, dynamic encounters with Jewish text. She is also on the faculty of Maimonides School, where she teaches Jewish History and Israel Education. Previously, Zoë was on the leadership team of the Cambridge-Somerville Open Beit Midrash, where she helped to organize three International Women's Talmud Day events. Zoë has spoken at synagogues around the Boston area and teaches a weekly parshah shiur.
Rachel Mohl Abrahams is the Senior Advisor for Education Grants and Programs at The Mayberg foundation. For 21 years, she was the Senior Program Officer at The AVI CHAI Foundation, where she developed and managed an array of Jewish day school related projects. Her portfolio included managing the Foundation’s blended/personalized learning agenda in North America. A graduate of Stern College for Women, Rachel holds a J.D. from the Cardozo School of Law and an M.A. in Bible from the Bernard Revel Graduate School.
Dr. Esther Rollhaus is a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow at Montefiore Medical Center and will be graduating in June 2020 with plans to open a private practice for children, adolescents, and adults. She has particular interests in pregnancy and post-partum mental health, bonding and attachment, and family psychotherapy. A graduate of Stern College for Women, Esther received her medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine with distinction in medical education. She completed general adult psychiatry residency at Montefiore Medical Center with awards in family therapy and medical education. She is passionate about reducing the stigma of psychiatry and encouraging safe and open dialogue about mental health.
Elise Saks currently works as an Administrative Director at the Katherine Thomas School, a special needs school serving Pre-K through 12th grade, in Rockville, MD. She received her B.A. from the University of Maryland. Elise has always been interested and involved in serving the Jewish community. She has served as the Banquet Director, Youth Chair, Trustee and Secretary of the Board at her synagogue, Young Israel Shomrai Emunah, in Silver Spring. Elise and her husband Ken were honored at the synagogue's 2019 Annual Banquet and received the Youth Leadership Award. She most recently has ventured out of her comfort zone and joined the Chevra Kadisha. Elise and Ken live in Silver Spring with their two daughters, Talia (11) and Mira (8).
Orit Barnea Seif has been working in the Jewish community for nearly twenty years. Following her graduation from Columbia University, Orit, along with her husband, Yehuda, started the OU's Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus program at the University of Pennsylvania, where she taught and ran innovative programs for University students for four years. Following her work at Penn, Orit practiced law at a tax litigation firm representing Fortune 500 companies. Orit's true passion for working in the Jewish community beckoned, and in 2012, Orit joined a Philadelphia-based Foundation where she started and managed a project geared at enhancing the Jewish Day Schools in the Philadelphia region. Orit made Aliyah to Efrat, Gush Etzion with her husband and five sons. She is currently the Director of Kedma, a non-profit that enables gap year students to give back within Israeli society through weekly volunteering activities.
Abbey Soclof is the Senior Executive Director of Advancement Operations (it's a mouthful!) at Yeshiva University's Institutional Advancement (aka fundraising) department, where she leads the operations team and plays a strategic leadership role across the department. Before coming to YU, Abbey was the Executive Director for six years at a synagogue, and help a variety of roles in the Jewish community prior to that. Abbey has a degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a Masters of Public Administration from Baruch College.
Abbey currently lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side with her husband Adam and two toddlers, Sova and Rocky, where she serves on the Board of Congregation Ramath Orah, is a founding member of a Cookbook Book Club, and enjoys hosting meals, reading, and sports in her non-existent free time.
Dr. Gillian Steinberg is an English teacher at SAR High School where she also co-directs faculty Professional Development. She is the author of two books and numerous articles about literature and pedagogy, runs a small business as a writing coach, and serves as a vice president on the executive committee of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale.

COHORT 3

Rebeccah Appelbaum

Lori Ben-Ezra

Rabbanit Ellyse Borghi

Adira Lautman Botwinick

Henny Ephron

Olivia Friedman

Nomi Kaltmann

Meirav Kravetz

Evonne Marzouk

Aviva Oppenheim

Bracha Poliakoff

Rebeccah Appelbaum grew up in Rochester, New York in a close-knit Jewish Community. After attending college at New York University she remained in New York City and joined the Teaching Fellows Cohort of 2003. She currently teaches U.S. History in a public middle school in the Bronx. Rebeccah’s passion is youth involvement in the Jewish Community. From an early age, she and her peers were expected to be involved in their community (all hands on deck in small communities). Rebeccah is looking to find ways to recreate that empowerment and urgency in the larger community that she is now a part of. Rebeccah has always spent her time off from work or school in leadership roles in the Jewish Community. In high school she was on the board of her local NCSY chapter. In college she was involved in shabbos and holiday programming. After getting married, Rebeccah helped run The Greenpoint Shul in Brooklyn with her husband, Rabbi Maurice Appelbaum where she worked to create an environment of involvement and empowerment for people of all walks of life. Four kids and 2 pets later, Rebeccah and her family moved to Teaneck, NJ where she is an executive member of her shul board thus continuing her involvement in the Jewish community in her off time.
Lori Ben-Ezra is a licensed psychologist in Hollywood, Florida. Her professional focus is on facilitating improved academic performance and social functioning for students through the administration of psychological tests. Dr. Ben-Ezra also works with individuals to improve their relationships and live more joyfully. She has held numerous volunteer positions in Broward County Jewish organizations. She is passionate about supporting programs that facilitate Jewish continuity. Currently, Dr. Ben-Ezra serves as the Campaign Chair of the Broward County Jewish Federation. Dr. Ben-Ezra lives in Hollywood with her husband, Marc. They are proud to have raised three adult children who continue their value of community service.
Rabbanit Ellyse Borghi was the first woman in Australia to receive smicha (Orthodox rabbinic ordination) from Yeshivat Har’El in Jerusalem in 2019. She spends her days as a children’s lawyer for Legal Aid and her nights learning and teaching Torah. Ellyse is a member of the Unchain My Heart Australia agunot advocacy organisation and worked with the Melbourne Beth Din to review their Gett procedures. She is currently drafting an updated halachic prenuptial agreement for use in Australia. Ellyse is trained by Yad L'Isha to appear as a lawyer in Batei Din and is currently completing training with the Eden Centre as a Kallah teacher. Rabbanit Ellyse is passionate about enabling wide access to the beauty of Jewish tradition and encouraging people to bring their full selves into Jewish life. She lives in Melbourne Australia with her husband Adam and their two daughters.
Rachel is an expert in philanthropic trends, a frequent contributor in thought leadership, and a sought-after presenter in the nonprofit community. She serves on the advisory board of Nonprofit Pro. Rachel graduated from Yeshiva University summa cum laude with a BA in Journalism and earned her MPA, with honors, from New York University, where she studied Nonprofit Management. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and five children.
Adira Lautman Botwinick has been an active leader in each community she has lived in. She brings her passion for mental health to Jewish children, especially young Jewish women, in much of her work. Her core mission is to allow children to develop confident, healthy relationships with themselves, with G-d, and one day with their spouse. After graduating with her masters in social work, Adira worked at Yachad NY, JBFCS Break Free Clinic, and Camp Stone. At the latter, she has served as the Director of the Yachad Vocational Program. Since moving to Kemp Mill in 2018 she has organized programs with Yoetzet Bracha Rutner, the Yoetzet Halacha of Kemp Mill Synagogue. She currently works as a guidance counselor at Berman Hebrew Academy. Together with her husband Simeon and their three children, Adin, Hadar and Raanan, she enjoys hiking, cooking and reading in addition to finding ways to add sparkle to whichever community they are a part of.
Henny Ephron is an ultrasound technologist specialist who has worked at Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas for the past 14 years. Henny is passionate about the importance of chinuch/Jewish education and teaching. Henny and her husband proudly served as faculty of TORCH, a local outreach organization that prompted their move to Texas. Henny also served as Co-President of Yeshiva Torah Emet's PTO, where she initiated and implemented many new programs and served on the Board and Welcome Committee of her local synagogue, where she organized many events and Scholar in Residence speaking engagements. Henny was also an active member of the community’s Chevra Kadisha. Henny lives with her husband and four energetic children in Houston, Texas. She thoroughly enjoys gardening and entertaining.
Olivia Friedman is a creative thinker with a penchant for literary analysis, pop culture and Tanakh. She currently teaches Tanakh, Jewish Law and Oral Thought and serves as an Instructional Technology Coordinator at Ida Crown Jewish Academy. Previously, she taught at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, MD, where she developed the curriculum for a course comparing Western and Jewish thought on evaded issues and ethical dilemmas. Olivia earned her M.A. in Bible from Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, MSEd with a concentration in Gifted Education from Northwestern University, and B.A. in English Literature from YU’s Stern College for Women. She served as Rosh Chinuch at Moshava Ba’ir Chicago during its inaugural summer in 2021. She has also completed the Matan Bellows Eshkolot Professional Development Fellowship, serves as a No Shame on U Teen Mentor, and facilitates the Erika’s Lighthouse Mental Health Awareness club at Ida Crown. Olivia has presented and spoken at numerous venues, including NewCAJE, Legacy Heritage Instructional Leadership Institute, Prizmah, NILI, Torah Educators Network YHShare Conference, Young Israel of Skokie, Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob, the University of Maryland JLIC and Kemp Mill Synagogue. Her articles have been published in The Lehrhaus, Tablet Magazine, The Forward, The Times of Israel, Jewish Action and Hypable.
Nomi Kaltmann is from Melbourne, Australia. After earning her Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Politics and Jewish Civilizations from Monash University. She earned her Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Politics and Jewish Civilizations from Monash University. Previously Nomi has worked for the Shadow Attorney General of Australia and as an advisor to the former Minister for Small Business in the Victorian Legislative Assembly. Nomi also coordinated and accompanied a Parliamentary delegation to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Specializing in charities and not-for-profit law, Nomi has worked for the Australian Charities Commission. In 2020 Nomi was selected for a fellowship at Hillel International's Centre for Rabbinic Innovation and in 2021 Nomi became Tablet Magazine's Australian correspondent . Nomi is one of the founding members of the Women’s Orthodox Tefillah Group in Victoria. She is also the founder and inaugural president of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance in Australia.
Meirav Kravetz is an educational consultant with a vast experience in coaching, facilitation, and teaching. She holds a Master Degree in Education from Nova Southeastern University and studied Judaic Studies in Nishmat Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women in Israel. Meirav is certified as a blended learning and student centered learning expert. Meirav mentors teachers in many schools in the US and the world, and facilitates interactive workshops and seminars both, in person and virtually. Meirav Kravetz strongly believes that the teacher's mission is to support the students as they develop critical thinking, and to encourage them to become independent learners who contribute to the Jewish community, to Israel, and to the world. Meirav Kravetz was born and raised in Israel and lives today in Hollywood, Florida. Meirav is fluent in Hebrew, English, and Spanish and speaks some French and Italian.
Evonne Marzouk is the author of the Jewish inspirational novel The Prophetess, published in 2019 by Bancroft Press. She has spoken virtually and in person to schools, synagogues and book clubs about the writing process and the book’s themes. The Prophetess is also the centerpiece of the new Grow Into Your Gifts Bat Mitzvah Present and Inspiration Package, meaningful gifts empowering today’s heroines to grow into their full potential. As the founder and director of Canfei Nesharim (now merged with GrowTorah), Evonne worked with rabbis, scientists, educators, and community leaders to create and distribute Torah teachings and programs on the environment, including a comprehensive set of core teachings on the environment, later gathered into a book, Uplifting People and Planet: Eighteen Essential Jewish Lessons on the Environment, published in 2013. Since 1999, Evonne has worked professionally for the Environmental Protection Agency, focusing both on communications and international policy. She lives in Maryland with her family.
Aviva Oppenheim is an engineer with almost 20 years of experience in design and construction of large infrastructure projects. Her love of science and her professional experience deeply connect with her Jewish communal efforts - each informs and enhances the other. Aviva recently played a major role in a beautification program at her synagogue, which included the replacement of the main sanctuary’s 40-year-old mechitzah. Recognizing the importance of designing a mechitzah that both incorporated halachic requirements and addressed the needs of many constituent groups, Aviva applied her project management and engineering expertise to the challenge and realized that other synagoigues could benefit by following a similar approach. Publishing an article in the OU’s Jewish Action about the importance of women’s voices in the creation of a mechitzah is only Aviva’s first step toward implementing her vision of improving mechitzah design in the larger Orthodox community. Aviva is a member of the first graduating class of HALB’s Stella K Abraham High School, studied at Michlalah Jerusalem, and has a mechanical engineering degree from The Cooper Union. She enjoys teaching Torah from the perspective of science and lives in Fair Lawn, NJ, with her husband and three children.
Bracha Poliakoff, LCSW-C is a licensed clinical social worker, speaker, and writer. She currently serves as the Founder and Director of Continuing Education at Bright Ideas Continuing Education, where she provides high quality continuing education programs for social workers in the United States and Canada. Bracha is also working on a book, together with Rabbi Anthony Manning, on the often misunderstood topic of tzniut. As a passionate member of the Orthodox community, Bracha often finds ways to give back and make a difference and has served on the board of Keneseth Beth Israel (Richmond, VA) as well as the Women’s Institute of Torah (Baltimore, MD). In addition, Bracha is very involved in directing and promoting the Connections Chaburah Project (originally formed as part of the Orthodox Union’s Women’s Initiative Grant) for Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion in Baltimore, MD. Bracha is passionate about personal and professional development and has participated in The Associated’s Young Leadership Council and the Orthodox Union’s Women’s Initiative Leadership Summit. Bracha lives in Baltimore, MD with her husband and three children.

COHORT 4

Shterna Althaus

Reena Basser

Lakie Blech

Dalia Davis

Sharon Gabin

Talia Goldman

Anne Gordon

Ruthie Hollander

Suri Kinzbrunner

Tziri Lamm

Tamar Livingstone

Sarah Osborne

Anastasia Quensel

Raphaela Singer

Leora Skier

Miriam Stein

Chaya Tova Thum

Tzivia Weiss

Rochel Ziman

Shterna was born in the USA and lived in NY for 18 years before winning a scholarship to study in a seminary in Australia. She studied for one year and then finished her teaching degree in NY.
Shterna went to St Petersburg (FSU) for two months to run a summer camp and retreat for women.
In 1994-95, she met and married her husband, who is Australian, and they were headhunted to run a program in Sydney for one year — social and educational functions for young adults for Jewish continuity.
They have stayed on for the past 28 years and Shterna has taught in day schools for 27 years.
Shterna has started a women's group called Women in Unity and she runs classes and talks for women of all ages. She volunteers weekly shiurim, teaches brides and couples for conversion for the Beth Din, and runs a support group for better marriages called the “Harmonious Marriage Support Group.”
Shterna has a weekly podcast called Soulcafe and she runs classes online for mikvah reviews and parenting/communication lectures . She has studied over 185 hours for mikvah.org and The Eden Centre, and she is currently studying for the Maaglei Nefesh mental health and halacha group weekly.
Reena was a lawyer in Ontario and moved to Flatbush in 2020. She is a practising (not practice) Toenet, and is interested in seeking to expand the whole new profession of a legal representative in Beit Din so that women will be trained and comfortable in that space. Reena has a passion for access to justice and education.
As an out-of-the-box thinker growing up in Monsey, NY, Lakie wanted to make her mark on the world. Fitness drew her in as she loves movement and growth. She grew her name and her business to teach hundreds of women each week. She also released a Fitness DVD to promote it to all. Following some interstate moves, Lakie had to reinvent the way she supported her family. She fell into a Montessori School where she became a teacher. Due to her vision, the school transitioned the school to become a fully integrated Montessori institution from a dual traditional and Montessori curriculum. Another move brought her into traditional Jewish Education, where she taught deep lessons and wrote a curriculum that embraced color for students to connect and understand the Chumash teachings. As the current Director of Innovation, Lakie now focuses on the marketing and technology side of the Phoenix Hebrew Academy to continue to bring its vision toward the future.
Dalia Davis is a Jewish educator and artist who is passionate about creating opportunities for healing and spiritual growth. She graduated from Yeshivat Maharat’s Advance Kollel, majored in Jewish History and Dance at Barnard College and studied in Israel at Nishmat. Dalia also received an M.A. in Jewish Education from Y.U. and a certificate in Talmud and Halacha from GPATS.
Dalia has enjoyed a variety of Jewish educational opportunities. She has served as Rosh Beit Midrash for Merkavah Women’s Torah Institute in Berkeley, taught Melton courses in Springfield, MA, and served as Jewish dance educator for the Foundation for Jewish Camps. Currently, she also teaches Judaic studies at Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School, is designing a youth curriculum for Congregation Darchei Noam, and serves as a research fellow for M2: Institute for Experiential Jewish Education.
She has created new initiatives inspired by the needs of the Jewish community and her desire to offer opportunities for growth and healing. Dalia created Beit Midrash in Motion, a fully embodied approach to Jewish learning, and has led workshops at various conferences including Limmud and NewCaje. She also co-founded Uprooted: A Jewish Response to Fertility Journeys, and serves as its spiritual leader. She authored Fertility Journeys: A Jewish Healing Guide for Mayyim Hayyim, and has designed and led programming to support those struggling to grow their families.
Dalia’s newest creation is Ye’ud: Making Life’s Liminal Moments Truly Sublime. Through this work she is creating community, offering pastoral support, and using her passions for Jewish text and the arts to support people along their life journeys.
Sharon is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Adelphi University.
Living in Woodmere, New York, she is constantly frustrated by the limitations our religion and community have established for women. However, Sharon is blessed to have met some like-minded women, and together they have established a successful grassroots organization, the Five Towns Orthodox Feminists, who were brought together by a post on Facebook asking about local women’s Megillah reading. Together, Sharon and the Five Towns Orthodox Feminists have created monthly events in the Five Towns area for women such as dancing with a Torah on Simchat Torah, women-led Megillah reading, and lectures by leading female Torah scholars that local shuls refuse to host.
In addition to Sharon’s leadership role in the Five Towns Orthodox Feminist organization, she is a proud member of the local Hadran of Long Island group, a passionate group of women learning Daf Yomi under the leadership of Rabbanit Michelle Farber. This group is into its third year of the cycle and has only missed one gathering to celebrate a completion of a Masechet. When Sharon was first learning the Daf, her son’s Rebbe was also learning and asked if any of the dads had completed the recent masechet. One of her three sons bravely stated: Not my dad but my mom!
As a stay-at-home mom and homemaker, Talia is always looking for opportunities to keep her brain and soul nurtured with in-depth Torah study and meaningful ritual experiences. She grew up in Baltimore, MD, where she attended Beth Tfiloh Community Day School. After a year at Midreshet Lindenbaum in Jerusalem, she studied English and Classics at the University of Maryland, College Park. Currently she lives in Fair Lawn, NJ, where she leads and hosts an annual women’s reading of Megillat Esther each Purim, enabling women of the community to connect on a deeper level with this positive time-bound mitzvah in which women are uniquely obligated. She is passionate about women’s growth and commitment to Judaism, advocating for women’s engagement with Jewish learning and ritual, and fostering community by building relationships with women from multiple shuls.
Perhaps the most important thing about who I am is that, while my approach to Judaism and most other things is complicated, multi-faceted, nuanced, and often contradictory, I take a fairly simple and straightforward approach in handling the complexity.
Born and bred in Boston, I “own” many cultural norms from there that do sometimes clash with Israeli expectations in Jerusalem, for example. I first attended a venerable Boston prep school, then graduated Maimonides, attended Michlalah (as it was back in the day), earned a BA/MA at Harvard (with a semester at Stern College), and, before I eventually began an as-yet incomplete PhD in Jewish Education, dedicated nearly a decade to full-time Torah study (including a Scholars Circle certificate from Drisha Institute, before such certification became fashionable, and before it later morphed into ordination). I used that education to teach high school and post-high school, nearly always developing my own courses and curricula. I came to Israel in 2005 to teach full-time at Midreshet HaRova, eventually shifted gears to make progress on my doctorate, and put the brakes on that plan when I gave birth to a son in 2014. I still teach when I can, not the least of which is the Talking Talmud daf yomi podcast, but much of my professional focus has shifted to writing and editing (the hours are more flexible). My “day job” as the deputy opinion editor at The Times of Israel affords me the means to promote women in writing divrei Torah, especially via our Chochmat Nashim/OLP Parsha Initiative. And left to my druthers, I would develop my own creative and Torah writing, and that of others, especially women, who are only now really joining the conversation, as it were.
Ruthie was born in Germany, grew up in Michigan, spent five years in NYC, and now lives in New Jersey. As the Principal of NYC-based extracurricular religious school Jewish Youth Connection, she is able to indulge in her passion for educational accessibility and asking "the big questions" with her students.
Currently, Ruthie works as the Programming and Development Manager for a creative arts sleep-away camp for observant girls, is the Director of Institutional Advancement for women’s beit midrash and learning program Bnot Sinai, and operates as the founder of Achayot: a community network that enables Jewish women to find support, friendship, free events, and Shabbat meals. With a background in administration, programming, marketing, and graphic design, she hopes to make an impact on the lives of people who are searching for a place in the Jewish world. Ruthie lives with her husband Max, a nonprofit professional and RIETS semicha student; her daughter Mila; and her dog Momo.
Suri has been married for over 17 years to an active duty officer in the U.S. Navy. At every duty station she has sought to find the best way to serve her Jewish community, whether through helping plan synagogue programming, parenting classes, leading youth Shabbat programming, teaching a Parsha class, or as an early childhood educator. She currently resides with her family in Silver Spring, Maryland where she home educates her 8 children in addition to running a licensed in-home part time preschool program. She also recently started a women's learning program at the Silver Spring Jewish Center and has goals to create more infrastructure for the Silver Spring Jewish homeschool community.
Tziri Lamm grew up in Brooklyn, daughter of a rabbi in a large family, went to a fairly standard Bais Yaakov, got married, moved to Israel, and had three children in quick succession. She didn’t wonder much about what she’d be when she grew up — Tziri knew she’d be a teacher.
In 2010, at the beginning of a very contentious divorce, soon after her youngest child was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, as things had moved lightyears from standard, Tziri decided to fully lean into the thing she knew and become an English teacher. She oversaw her son’s myriad therapy appointments in the morning, taught in the afternoon, and went to school at night. But amid all the chaos, she found her place in the classroom — as both the student and the teacher.
After six years in a variety of all-girls schools, Tziri was hired to the Yeshivah of Flatbush in 2015. It was there that she realized that she loves learning new things more than she loves English, so she has spent the last eight years weaving through subjects and courses. She currently runs the computer science department, complete with a self-paced, state-of-the-art Makerspace, though she knew nothing about coding or fabrication five years ago. Tziri also teaches electives on data analysis and social entrepreneurship, two other new-to-her fields.
However, the most significant influence on Tziri in the post-COVID world has been her immersion back into the world of Tanach through Shnayim Mikra and Nach Yomi. Returning to text she hadn’t really looked at in over 20 years has radically shifted the way she perceives herself in the Orthodox community and how she sees the world.
Growing up in an outreach focused home, Tamar always had a deep love of and interest in people. She was intrigued to see many people becoming drawn to Judaism, when she, as a frum teen, had her own struggles to work through. Tamar became so inspired by watching this process that she made a commitment to embark on this process for herself. Fast forward several years, and she was privileged to get married and work with her husband in outreach as well. Since then, Tamar has grown into many other avenues of communal investment and dedication: she trained as a kallah teacher 25 years ago and has taught hundreds of brides from across the spectrum of the Jewish community, she a social worker working in a Bais Yakov high school and at a private practice, she teaches shalom bayis classes and a weekly middos vaad as well. Tamar is passionate about helping our frum communities live with passion, inspiration and dedication to Torah values.
Sarah Osborne has a Master’s degree in Jewish education and close to ten years of formal teaching experience. Personal experiences with needing to eat on Yom Kippur and the dynamics of shame, hiddenness and isolation led her to found A Mitzvah to Eat, which supports Jews with a vast range of physical and mental health conditions, disabilities, life circumstances, trauma and more who need to eat on Yom Kippur, use a device on Shabbat, or relate differently to other mitzvot. To reduce isolation, support those who are suffering, and bring holiness to acts of self-preservation, A Mitzvah to Eat provides Jewish learning, original personal prayers, and virtual support gatherings, in addition to providing thought leadership and advocating to clergy, educators and leaders to meet the needs of these community members.
As part of her work for A Mitzvah to Eat, Sarah built an advisory board, learned how to create social media graphics for Facebook and Instagram, grew an international pluralistic audience, taught Jewish texts, engaged in advocacy, worked collaboratively with leaders across the Jewish denominational spectrum, and carved out space in the Jewish community that did not previously exist.
Sarah is committed to creating and building an observant community that is supportive of a variety of life experiences, that is led and improved by women's voices, and that does not condone or encourage suffering in the name of Torah and mitzvot. She lives with her family in the Washington D.C. suburbs.
Anastasia was born in the Soviet Union and moved to Germany in 1991. Through the Lauder Foundation, she learnt more about Judaism and became observant. In 2001, Anastasia moved to Frankfurt to learn at the newly established Midrasha. Today, she works for the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany, in the field of Jewish Education, runs a program for students and young adults, and is on the board of the Jewish community in Frankfurt.
Raphaela Singer is an active member of her local shul, Darchei Noam. Raphaela is a member of the executive board, runs a semi-monthly shiur program for women that brings in outside speakers while encouraging socializing pre and post shiur, and is involved in the Yoetzet Halacha Program of Fair Lawn. She is passionate about bringing Torah and learning opportunities to women in the community. Raphaela lives in Fair Lawn, NJ, with her family.
Leora serves on the leadership committee for Koleinu, a Jewish social organization which offers programming to a diverse Jewish community in Fair Lawn, NJ. She studied at Bruriah High School, Midreshet Tehillah, Midreshet Rachel V'Chaya, and the UnYeshiva, and holds a BA in Studio Art from Yeshiva University. Leora is a professional video producer and editor. She directs the video production department at TypoDuctions, a healthcare marketing agency, and also runs a freelance video editing business. Leora has worked on videos for nonprofits like NCSY, Yeshiva University, and the Hadar Institute. She volunteers as a security guard at her local shul, and is currently working on a passion project about the history of Jewish religious feminism in the United States. Leora lives in Fair Lawn with her family.
Miriam grew up in the heart of the New Jersey Jewish community and attended Yeshiva day school (Moriah then Frisch), one year at Midreshet Lindenbaum, and then studied Jewish History at University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, she had an “Aha!” moment that opened her eyes to the world of non-Orthodox Jewish communities, and before she knew what the word “pluralism” was, she realized the importance of being able to build bridges and communication lines between denominations in Judaism. While always maintaining her observant lifestyle, she worked in educational institutions that promoted communication and collaboration between groups in Judaism, knowing that individuals make up the strength of our larger community. As her career grew, Miriam obtained her Masters in Education and Judaic Studies through George Washington University, and went on to teach at Charles E. Smooth Jewish Day School where she got interested in higher level administration. After working in education and in strategic enrollment for more than 20 years. Miriam founded her own consulting practice, Saddlerock Strategies, a boutique consulting service that works with organizations in enrollment strategy, organizational health, and professional development.
As a lifelong learner, Miriam is a graduate of Atidenu, Prizmah’s signature program in enrollment strategy training, in the Day School Leadership Training Institute (DSLTI), is a certified facilitator of The Six Types of Working Genius, and participant in numerous other leadership and learning programs. She works with organizations around the country, presents nationally, and loves helping people get better at what they do. Miriam lives in the suburbs of Washington, DC with her co-pilot husband, their children, and their dog.
You can learn more about Miriam and her work at www.saddlerockstrategies.com.
Purpose-driven, passionate, a huge people-person, and firm believer in the Oxford comma, Chava Tova is a leader in the communications field who specializes in women’s & girls’ confidence. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, and graduated from Barnard College in 2014.
With an indomitably positive attitude, Chava Tova harnesses her empathy and assertiveness to build meaningful relationships both personally and professionally. She is constantly searching for common ground with everyone she meets.
Right out of college, Chava Tova started her career at Bloomingdale's in the Executive Development Program. She dedicated about six months as an Assistant Buyer (in the Home Department/Electrics business) and about 9 months as the Digital Marketing Promotions Analyst for the company. While there, Chava Tova and three coworkers founded Bloomingdale’s new private label home brand, Sparrow + Wren. She then jumped ship and moved to Hawaii on her own in December 2015; she made wonderful friends and a life there for about 2.5 years.
Considering her life experiences and, especially, from 2018 onward, Chava Tova can identify three true loves/common threads: 1) written and verbal communication, 2) spreading the joy of Yiddishkeit, and 3) encouraging her beloved women and girls.
Chava Tova is the Founder and Chief Encouragement Officer of The Confidence Class, which she started in Hawaii, and which is her platform to equip women and girls with effective communication and conflict resolution skills. Simultaneously, she is the Communications and Engagement Lead for a Chabad organization, where she has worked for about 2.5 years (and which she sees as her shlichus, more than just a "job").
Chava Tova is currently on the east coast and works mostly remotely.
Tzivia grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated from CTA in Columbus. After high school, she spent a year in Israel studying at both Hebrew University and Neve. Tzivia has a BS in Business Management from Yeshiva University along with an MBA from Touro College.
Tzivia began her career in retail management In New York. In 2007, she became the Director of Young Leadership at the Orthodox Union. Though Tzivia was just discovering her leadership and management style, this has helped guide her love of community service especially in the Orthodox community.
She and her family then made Aliyah living in RBS. While living in Israel, Tzivia worked for Aish Hatorah planning special events for corporations and individuals in its Old City headquarters.
After living in Israel for five years, Tzivia and Benny relocated to Houston, Texas to be closer to her family.
Tzivia sits on the board of various local and national causes and is always there to lend a hand. The last several years, Tzivia organized and staffed a table at the OU Community Fair in New York promoting Houston as a great community. As a result of her efforts, several families have visited and moved to Houston.
Tzivia is the Co-founder of two Houston based non profit initiatives: Kivun Houston —- an organization for women by women, dedicated to the inspiration and growth of the women in our community, and Lev Echad — created as a generalized chesed initiative for medical, financial and emotional support on an individual level and a community wide scale.
Since 2015, Tzivia has been the Executive Director of the Houston Kashruth Association where she lives with her husband and 4 children.
Rochel is the Executive Director of A Single Impact, a non profit organization that provides support, resources, and advocacy for frum singles. She is well known in the Baltimore community for creating opportunities that fill in the gaps not yet met by local organizations. She has spearheaded a grief support group, an all-women’s theater group, and has been a big advocate and resource for Jewish Caring Network in fundraising and marketing. Rochel is now using her creative talents to effect positive change for singles in the frum community. She has formed important connections with community leaders and is working to change the way singles are spoken to and about, to ensure that all singles, no matter the age or hashkafa level, are treated with respect and dignity.
A licensed mental health therapist, Rochel utilizes lots of humor and (some) quirkiness while working with adult clients on achieving their goals to better their everyday lives. Working in various customer service jobs for 12 years, she went back to school at 30 and earned her Masters in Social Work from University of MD School of Social Work. Rochel can usually be found planning an event, hosting a Shabbos meal, kayaking, and being favorite Auntie Rochel to her friends' kids.