FOR THE FIRST TIME IN EUROPE
THE NEW JEW is a TV documentary series showcasing the cultural and political influence of the Jewish community in the United States, the variety of alternative models it offers for living a rich Jewish life and the rifts in relations between them and the State of Israel – presented by Guri Alfi, one of Israel’s most popular comedians.
The series was produced for the Public Broadcasting Corporation and aired on the Kan 11 network in Israel.
EXCLUSIVE FOR SUMMIT PARTICIPANTS
Jerusalem, Israel
Dr. Nachman Shai is Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs. Minister Shai took on this position after many devoted years both professionally and personally in service of Israel and the strengthening of the relationship between the Jewish state and Jewish people. The Minister served as a member of the Knesset representing the Labor party from 2009-2019. During his time in the Knesset, Shai founded and co-chaired the "Caucus for Strengthening the Jewish People."
Minister Shai has held a number of positions in government, military and media. Most predominantly, he served as the Israel Defense Force Spokesperson with the rank of Brigadier General and was Commander and Editor in Chief of Israel Army Radio. Following his military career, the Minister held several position in government, including as Director General of the Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport. The Minister also served as the senior vice president and director general of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) in Israel. Before taking on his current position, Minister was a visiting professor on US college campuses, teaching Israeli public diplomacy.
The Minister holds a Ph.D. in political science and communications from Bar Ilan University. His doctorate work was titled, ”Public Diplomacy and Low Intensity Conflict in Israel, 2000-2005.” Minister Shai has published three books focused on the intersection of Israeli diplomacy, media and security.
New York, US
President & CEO, Jewish Funders Network
The Jewish Funders Network works with Jewish funders, at the individual and collective levels, to improve the quality of their giving and maximize their impact as they make the change they want to see in the world. JFN leverages the power and the creativity of networks to produce change in the Jewish World.
Andres Spokoiny is a long-time Jewish communal leader with a history of leading successful organizational transformations. He served as the CEO of Federation CJA in Montreal and prior to that, Andres worked for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Community (JDC) in Paris. As Regional Director for Northeast Europe, he was responsible for a number of pan-European projects.
While at JDC, Andres also served as the Director of Leatid Europe, a leadership training institute for Jewish lay and professional leaders and directed the International Center for Community Development, a partnership of JDC and Oxford University to produce applied research and knowledge management for community development practitioners.
Before his Jewish communal work, Andres worked for IBM and was responsible for training, development, hiring, and recruitment for IBM's Latin America Southern Region during a period of major restructuring. Originally from Argentina, Andres has a multidisciplinary academic background including business, education and rabbinical studies in different institutions around the world. He is fluent in Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Yiddish, and is proficient in Russian and German.
Brussels, Belgium
As EJC Director of European Affairs, Ariella Woitchik focuses on raising awareness with the EU Institutions, the diplomatic corps of the EU Member States and representatives of various faiths of the issues faced by Europe’s Jewish communities. She also manages relationships with EJC affiliates and other relevant actors in the field and represents the EJC at the World Jewish Restitution Organization and Claims Conference.
Since 2016, Ariella has also acted as Secretary General of the European Jewish Fund, which was founded by Dr Moshe Kantor to support a range of educational and leadership programmes that reinforce Jewish identity and foster pride in religion, culture and sense of community. Ariella is also a board member of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, as well as a member of the Governing Board of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation.
Prior to joining the EJC, Ariella worked as an attorney in Brussels between 2003 and 2010.
Queenstown, MD
Sanford (“Sandy”) Cardin is the CEO of Our Common Destiny, a joint initiative of Genesis Philanthropy Group and the Israeli, Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, under the auspices of President Reuven Rivlin, the president of Israel. He is also a Senior Consultant for Philanthropy and Impact at Cresset Capital. Sandy spent 25 years leading the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, retiring as its president in 2019, and has written for the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel and other publications.
Stockholm, Sweden
Barbara Spectre is the Founding Director of Paideia, the European Institute of Jewish Studies in Sweden, an institute established in 2000 through a grant of the Swedish Government with the purpose of providing academic substance and creative stimulus for the renewal of European Jewish culture. She was formerly on the faculty of the Shalom Hartman Institute of Jerusalem, where she taught Jewish thought, was the founding chair of the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem, and was on the faculties of Yellin College, and the Melton School of Education of the Hebrew University. Her publications include: “A Theology of Doubt” (Hebrew) and, together with Noam Zion of the Hartman Institute, the two volume: “A Different Light: The Hanukkah Book of Celebration.” She is a recipient of the Max Fischer Prize for Excellence in Education, the 2016 Abraham Geiger Prize, and in 2018 received the King’s Medal of Sweden.
New York, US
Dr. Betsy Stone is a retired clinical psychologist who currently teaches as an adjunct lecturer at HUC-JIR, teaching pastoral and developmental topics in the School of Education.
Betsy teaches webinars and seminars, and serves as a Scholar in Residence, on topics including Trauma, Adolescent Spirituality, Gen-Xers as parents, Teenagers and their Brains, Leadership in Crisis, and Stress and Anxiety. She is an engaging speaker whose passion for wellness has brought her invitations to teach throughout North America. She also facilitates a group for Rabbis in her local community, and is a frequent contributor to eJewish Philanthropy, an online forum for opinion within the larger Jewish community..
Betsy consults on program development and community building. During the COVID-19 crisis, Betsy has led webinars on Trauma, Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth for congregations, Rabbis, Hillels, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, The Jewish Teen Funders Network, Hebrew Union College and the Jewish Education Project. She does not like chocolate in any form.
New York, US
Tel Aviv, Israel
Moshe Samuels - Creator, Chief of Research, Deputy Editor and Writer
Moshe is a "Professional Jew" with extensive experience as an emissary and educator in Israel and the United States. In recent years, he has served as CEO of Shazur / Interwoven, an organization founded to introduce Israelis to contemporary Jewish life and help bridge the growing gap between the two epicenters of the Jewish world. The idea for this series was inspired by the meaningful encounters he experienced during his travels, which influenced his own Jewish and Israeli identity.
Tel Aviv, Israel
Guri Alfi - Host and Creator of the Series " The New Jew"
Guri is one of the most well-known television personalities in Israel. He is an Israeli actor, director and comedian who has starred in numerous comedy and dramatic series, films (nominated for the Ophir Award for his role in "Human Resources Manager") and acting (winner of the Israeli Theatre Award for "Play It Again, Sam"). Guri is known for his role in the political-satirical show "State of the Nation", and host of the late-night shows "Tonight with Guri Alfi" and "Tonight with Guri and Lucy", both winners of the Israeli Academy Awards for television for best entertainment program. In the past year Guri has starred in two acclaimed dramas- "The Cook" and "Blackspace," and in the poignant satirical series "Transparent."
Los Angeles, US
Rhoda Weisman is a Los Angeles-based coach, mentor and skill-builder specializing in people and organizations dedicated to the social good. As the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Rhoda+Co, Rhoda is passionately devoted to developing purpose-driven and innovative leaders across the globe, challenging them to be more visionary and effective than they think possible.
Rhoda has coached and mentored 5000+ leaders in meaningful career positions over her 30-year career. While none of her positions required placing leaders, it became a driving passion for her early on. Rhoda has voluntarily helped place over 500 leaders in the social sector or what she likes to call the soul sector, as its mission is to improve society everywhere.
She champions organizations to hire, train, retrain and leverage their best and most diverse talent.
For Rhoda, being a coach and mentor is not a job. It is a calling. Her mission is to help leaders at all levels tap into their core values. Rhoda believes that when leaders are values-driven they build a better society; one that is more equitable, compassionate and creative in designing successful solutions to today’s difficult challenges.
London, UK
Alejandro Okret is the Executive Director of International Programs at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). In this role, he has overall responsibility for the organization's work in Europe, Africa & Asia, Latin America, JDC Entwine, and its international development and disaster relief operations. With wide-ranging experience living and working in diverse countries and globally-focused institutions, Ale has developed noted expertise in Jewish community development and engagement. Ale previously served as Chief Global Officer at Moishe House; is a former JDC Ralph I. Goldman Fellow; and held positions in Israel, including at JAFI, related to the social sector and Israel-Diaspora relations. Ale holds a BA from Hebrew University and an MSc. from the University of Oxford. He lives in London with his wife and daughters.
New York, US
In June 2020, Gideon Taylor was elected President of the Board of Directors of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference). For seven decades, the Claims Conference has led the way in successfully negotiating for restitution and compensation to Nazi victims (with over $90 billion distributed to date). The Claims Conference is also leader in funding a broad array of Holocaust education programs, ranging from teacher training to archival preservation to films. Further, the Claims Conference has released a series of Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Studies globally. These studies have been receiving worldwide media attention due to results showing a general lack of Holocaust knowledge. The studies have led to growing momentum for greater Holocaust education in the United States, Canada and now Austria.
Mr. Taylor previously served as Executive Vice President Claims Conference from 2000 to 2009. As Executive Vice President, he led a series of complex negotiations regarding Holocaust-era compensation and restitution with foreign governments such as Germany and Austria as well as the banking and manufacturing sectors. Negotiations included those leading to the establishment of the $5 billion German Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility, and the Future,” which provided compensation for former slave and forced laborers. He also supervised a program for recovery of unclaimed Jewish property in former East Germany through claims for, and sales of, buildings and land. He expanded a worldwide allocations program for social assistance and Holocaust education programs to 700 agencies worldwide. He oversaw the distribution of individual compensation totaling $6 billion to hundreds of thousands of Nazi victims in 70 countries worldwide.
In 2013, in a volunteer lay capacity, Mr. Taylor became Chair of Operations of the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO). WJRO is the representative of world Jewry in pursuing claims for the recovery of Jewish properties seized during the Holocaust in Eastern Europe. He oversaw the restructuring of WJRO and a major expansion of activity in 12 countries including Poland, Hungary, Romania and the Baltics. WJRO has secured the passage of legislation regarding heirless Jewish property in Serbia, former Jewish communal property in Romania and Latvia, and social welfare payments for Holocaust survivors from Poland. On International Holocaust Remembrance Day in January 2021, WJRO also helped secure a historic agreement with the Government of Luxembourg on Holocaust asset issues. Foundations established by WJRO together with the local Jewish communities in Romania, Poland, and Lithuania allocate funds for welfare and Jewish communal activity. WJRO has increased advocacy efforts in a range of countries and now has operations in Washington and Brussels.
Mr. Taylor also currently serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY).
In addition, he serves in a voluntary lay capacity as Co-Chair of the Board of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, and as a Member of the Board of Directors of a number of organizations including Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland.
Previously, Mr. Taylor served as Associate Executive Vice President at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the overseas humanitarian arm of the American Jewish community. He directed rescue operations in Syria and Yemen and coordinated activities in Ethiopia. He also oversaw JDC’s International Development Program, which implemented major disaster relief and development programs in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. He subsequently managed the global program and the $250 million budget of the organization.
Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Mr. Taylor is a law graduate of Trinity College in Dublin and received his master’s degree in law from Oxford University. He is admitted as an attorney in the State of New York, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
New York, US
Executive Vice President, Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference)
Gregory Schneider was appointed Executive Vice President of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) in 2009. A passionate advocate for Holocaust survivors, he joined the Claims Conference in 1995 as an assistant to the then Executive Vice President, becoming Director of Allocations and Chief Operating Officer.
Mr. Schneider has overseen the creation and implementation of several Claims Conference individual compensation payment programs for Jewish victims of Nazism. Chief among these was the Program for Former Slave and Forced Laborers, which paid $1.6 billion to 173,000 Holocaust survivors in 87 countries, the result of distributing and processing applications in eight languages, working with hundreds of local organizations worldwide that assisted applicants, and helping document tens of thousands of claims that otherwise would have been deemed ineligible. Mr. Schneider also guided the creation of many additional programs to compensate victims such as the victims of Nazi medical experiments, former refugees to Switzerland, survivors of the Nazi occupation of Budapest, first-ever one-time payments to Nazi victims in the former Soviet Union, child survivors, Kindertransport survivors, new pension programs, and pensions for Righteous Gentiles.
He has overseen negotiations with the German government that have substantially liberalized eligibility criteria for direct compensation programs, fundamentally altering their contours and enabling tens of thousands of additional victims to receive payments resulted in dramatic increases in funding for home care for Holocaust survivors. The increase in allocations has enabled pioneering care for Nazi victims as they age and require more assistance. In 2021, the Claims Conference will distribute approximately $625 million in direct compensation to over 260,000 survivors in 83 countries and will allocate approximately $640 million in grants to over 300 social service agencies worldwide that provide vital services for Holocaust survivors, such as home care, food, and medicine.
In addition, under his leadership, the Claims Conference is a leader in funding Holocaust education from teacher training programs to archival preservation and accessibility to Holocaust film. Further, the Claims Conference has released a series of Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Studies globally. These studies have been receiving global media attention due to results showing a general lack of Holocaust knowledge and have led to growing momentum for greater Holocaust education in the United States, Canada and now Austria.
Mr. Schneider received his BA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and his MA in Jewish Communal Service at Brandeis University. He earned a Master in Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. After working in the private sector for several years, Mr. Schneider joined the Claims Conference.
Jerusalem, Israel
Born in Bucharest, Romania, Avital made aliyah to Israel with her family in 1950. While still a student, she began working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a secretary in order to cover the cost of her tuition. Over the years, she rose through the ranks at the ministry; she served with the Israeli delegation to Paris between 1982 and 1985, as ambassador to Portugal from 1988 until 1992, and as Consul General in New York City between 1992 and 1996. Upon returning to Israel, she was appointed Deputy Director in Charge of Western Europe, the third most important position in the ministry.
In 1999, Avital decided to run for the Knesset on behalf of the Labor Party, which formed the One Israel alliance together with Gesher and Meimad. Although she claimed 24th spot on the party list, Labor won only 23 seats in the May elections (One Israel won 26, of which two went to Gesher and one to Meimad) and Avital missed out. However, she entered the Knesset in November 1999 when Labor MK Matan Vilnai resigned. She served briefly as Chair of the Ethics Committee and headed the Investigative Commission for the Identification and Return of the Property of Holocaust Victims, which submitted its conclusions to the government in 2005. She chaired the Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Committee and in addition serves as the International Secretary of the Israeli Labor Party.
In 2007, Avital was a candidate in the Israeli presidential election, together with Shimon Peres and Reuven Rivlin, the first ever woman candidate for the Israeli presidency. Despite voices from her own party calling her to withdraw from the race in favor of ex-labor leader Shimon Peres, Avital remained in the race.After an undecided first round, Avital withdrew from the race and endorsed Peres' candidacy, Rivlin followed suit, and Peres won the second round of balloting.
New York, US
Stefanie Seltzer is the Founder and President of the World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust and Descendants. The organization has hosted 32 annual conferences.
Stefanie Seltzer was born in Lodz, Poland, where her father’s family, the Fiszman family, owned a large glass factory and store called Rozalia. Its history is documented in the recently completed museum in Radomsko where several pieces of its glassware are exhibited.
Stefanie and her family lived in Radomsko, where in 1942, 10,000 Jews were deported to Treblinka, including most of the Fiszman family after her father was killed. Stefanie was smuggled out of the Radomsko ghetto as a very young child and hidden in several places. She was reunited with her mother during the Warsaw uprising. The two hid together in several spots after being liberated by the Russians. They made their way back to their hometown of Lodz where they remained until 1946. At that point they took a train to Vienna, to a Displaced Persons Camp and immigrated to the United States in 1952.
Following a Philadelphia meeting of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors, in 1985 she convened a group of Child Survivors from the northeast corridor and organized the first two international conferences of Child Survivors. This led to the formation of the World Federation of Jewish Survivors and their Descendants, which has 64 groups throughout the world.
Stefanie is also vice-president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and serves on the Leadership Committee of the Claims Conference. She is also a founder member of Champions of Caring, a regional project for educating, and empowering young people to take active roles in improving their communities, through the lessons of the Holocaust.
Since the mid-1970s,Stefanie has spoken about her eyewitness experiences during the Holocaust to educational and communal institutions, both locally and throughout the United States.
Stefanie holds a B.A. in Psychology and a master’s degree in Counseling.
Warsaw, Poland
Michael Schudrich is the Chief Rabbi of Poland. Born and raised in New York City, he received rabbinic ordination at Yeshiva University. In his work with the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation in Warsaw during the 1990s, as Rabbi of Warsaw and Lodz since 1998, and as Chief Rabbi since 2004 he has contributed significantly to the revival of Jewish life in Poland. Stressing the importance of fulfilling the requirements of Jewish law, Rabbi Schudrich pleads for dialogue and a patient explanation of Jewish tradition regarding mass grave sites. In some rare and extraordinary cases, finding creative solutions allowing for compromise might serve the benefit of the deceased, such as in the Jedwabne case of 2001.
New York, US
Ellen Bachner Greenberg is co-founder and president of Descendants of Holocaust Survivors/2G Greater New York, a forum for descendants of Holocaust survivors worldwide to discuss their shared experiences and learn about and teach Holocaust remembrance. Programs are held in partnership with other groups, including the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Ellen runs 2G Discussion groups and workshops on writing family stories.
Budapest, Hungary
For 20 years, he served as the scholar in residence and director of the Jewish Resource Center of the UJA-Federation of New York, the largest local Jewish philanthropy in the world. He also served for many years as the university chaplain at Columbia University, and as the Jewish chaplain at Dartmouth College.
On April 7, Rabbi Paley will present “A New Jewish Narrative,” this year’s Abraham Joshua Heschel Lecture at Elmhurst University. The free lecture will be given in a virtual format, and all are welcome to attend.
Before his arrival at UJA, Rabbi Paley was a professor of Jewish studies and dean at Bard College. He also served as vice president and faculty member at the Wexner Heritage Foundation, an organization dedicated to education and leadership programs in the international Jewish community. He also was founder and first director of the Edgar M. Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel, a program that brings together outstanding students from diverse Jewish backgrounds. Recently retired, Rabbi Paley has continued his work with Jews in Eastern Europe.
Jerusalem, Israel
David is the Dean of Pardes. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in History and a Ph.D. in Religious Education from New York University. He also attended Yeshivat HaMivtar.
David has been the Dean of Pardes since 1998. Previously, he was the director of Midreshet Lindenbaum, popularly known as Brovender’s, for 12 years. David was a Jerusalem Fellow at the Mandel School for Jewish Education in Jerusalem from 1996-1998.
Before making Aliyah in 1984, David was the director of informal education at the Ramaz Upper School in New York City, where he created and taught a 2-year curriculum integrating world and Jewish history.
Toronto, Canada
David Weitzner’s education includes a joint PhD in Strategy and Ethics, as well as an MBA in Arts and Media Management and a BA in Philosophy.
David is the author of Connected Capitalism (hardcover and e-book University of Toronto Press/audio version Penguin Random House) and Fifteen Paths (ECW).
David’s research focuses on the intersection of business ethics, strategy, and stakeholder theory, leading to publication in top-ranked peer-reviewed journals and collections including: SAGE Issues in Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility; Springer Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics; Academy of Management Review; The SAGE Encyclopedia of Business Ethics and Society; Organization Studies; Journal of Business Ethics; Critical Perspectives on International Business; The SAGE Encyclopedia of Case Study Research; Journal of Management Inquiry.
David co-edited Corporate Social Responsibility (Routledge) and co-authored Strategic Management: Creating Competitive Advantages (McGraw-Hill Ryerson). He has presented his work at a host of prestigious international conferences, including the Academy of Management, Strategic Management Society, Business Ethics Society, Trans-Atlantic Business Ethics Conference, Business as an Agent of World Benefit Global Forum co-sponsored by the UN Global Compact and the Business Ethics and the Global Credit Crisis Conference.
His work has appeared in popular media outlets like The Forward, Tablet Magazine, The Algemeiner, The Conversation, The Print, RealClear Policy, eJewish Philanthropy, Ladders, Phys.org, Spirituality and Health, Quillette, The Financial Post Business Magazine, The National Post, Sharp Magazine, Chabad.org and the “Big Ideas” television program.
David lives in Toronto with his wife and three children. He remains an active consultant for a number of religious, educational and cultural institutions, a teacher to hundreds of university students each year and a reluctant presence on Twitter and Clubhouse.
Warsaw, Poland
Helise Lieberman, Director of the Taube Center for the Renewal of Jewish Life in Poland Foundation.
A former Hillel director, Helise was the founding principal of the Lauder Morasha Day School in Warsaw and has served as a consultant to the Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) Baltic region, the Westbury Group, and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. She was appointed director of the Taube Center, and its flagship program, Taube Jewish Heritage Tours, in 2009.
Jerusalem, Israel
Judaism is a technology that makes the world better," says Rabbi David Levin-Kruss, Jewish Education Director for Yesod Europe, which supports European Jewish Professionals. David loves text-life interplay. Prior to JDC, DLK taught at Pardes, directed the overseas department at Melitz, and was community director of Stanmore Synagogue. David has a BA from Hebrew University in Jewish Philosophy and English and served in the IDF Spokesman's Unit.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Educated as an economist (Cum Laude) Ruben Koekoek worked for nine years in several roles for ABN AMRO bank. In 2018 Ruben co-founded Social Finance NL, a social enterprise which serves as an intermediary between government, service providers and impact investors in order to solve social issues more effectively. Since 2011 Ruben serves as treasurer of the Dutch Jewish Humanitarian Fund and since 2017 as its chair. The Dutch Jewish Humanitarian Fund is an endowment fund which supports Jewish communities in Middle and Eastern Europe.
London, UK
Dr. Helena Miller is the Director of Degrees, co-Head of teacher Training programmes, senior research fellow at the London School of Jewish Studies, and the director of the Jewish Lives Longitudinal Study, following the lives of young people in the UK. She oversaw the inspection of Jewish schools in the UK from 2004-2014. Helena has a doctorate in Jewish Education and has taught and written widely for many years. She has been involved in creating and supporting many Jewish education initiatives in the UK and overseas, notably JCoSS – the first cross communal Jewish secondary school in the UK. Helena is a past co-chair of Limmud International and is the 2012 recipient of the Max Fisher Prize for outstanding contribution to Jewish education in the Diaspora. She is the immediate past Senior Editor of the Journal of Jewish Education (2014-20). Three of her recent publications include the two volume International Handbook of Jewish Education (Springer 2011), Secondary School Choice as a Window on Jewish Faith Schools in Contemporary British Society, with Alex Pomson & Hagit Hacohen Wolf (2016) Journal of School Choice 10:4., and Community Matters: a window into Jewish Lives (2019) Religious Education, Routledge. Helena’s original training and career was as an art teacher, and she still enjoys teaching about Jewish art whenever she is offered the opportunity.
New York / Los Angeles, US
Rabbi Igael "Iggy" Gurin-Malous is a renowned Talmud teacher, spiritual counselor, artist, and educator. He grew up between Belgium, Israel, ( so expect him to be well dressed and blunt) and the United States in a traditional Jewish Orthodox home. He is a frequent author, speaker, teacher and contributor on subjects ranging from Talmud, Jewish text, spirituality, Addiction, recovery, fatherhood, and LGBTQI+ issues.
Today he is the founding rabbi and CEO of T’shuvha Center, a new long term Jewish recovery community in Bedstuy Brooklyn. Formerly the Director of Spiritual counseling at Beit T’Shuvah in Los Angeles. He is also Temple Israel of Hollywood Talmud Scholar in Residence, teaching weekly classes on Interpreting Talmud. Igael also serves on the board and faculty at the Academy of Jewish Religion of California.
Toronto, Canada
Tamara is the Founder and CXO of CORIPHERY, a social-impact consulting company that supports local, national and global Jewish organizations. She advises leaders on program optimization, building compelling engagement strategies and designing transformative experiences. Tamara has trained and coached over 2000 leaders, led numerous training sessions online and in-person, and has facilitated workshops as a subject matter expert at over 30 conferences across five continents. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two daughters.
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Leor Sinai is a global speaker and thought-leader in the field of Education Diplomacy. Originally from New York, Sinai made Aliyah with his family in 2011. Sinai serves as the Interim General Secretary of the World Confederation of United Zionists, JAFI Chair of Youth Aliyah, and is a doctoral candidate in the field of Education Leadership.
Jerusalem, Israel
Nechama Goldman Barash made aliyah from Philadelphia over 20 years ago after graduating from Stern College. She studied for three years in Matan’s Advanced Talmud Institute and finished a master’s degree in Talmud at Bar-Ilan University. She is a graduate of Nishmat’s Yoetzet Halacha program and has been certified to teach brides before their weddings, as well as qualifying as a sex educator through Yahel and the Eden Center. She also studied for three years in Matan’s advanced halakha program, Hilkhata.
She teaches contemporary halakha and Talmud at Matan and Pardes, as well as Talmud and women and halakha in Torah V’Avodah (TVA), a Bnei Akiva gap year program based in Matan. She is an active member of Beit Hillel and participates in interfaith dialogue through Roots, based in Gush Etzion, close to where she lives with her family. She is currently working on a book dealing with matters of gender and halakha.
Jerusalem, Israel
Ilan Cohn is based in Brussels and is the Director of HIAS Europe. For the past two decades he worked on migration at the international level through a number of intergovernmental organizations, as well as through JDC and the Center for International Migration and Integration in Israel.
Jerusalem, Israel
Olga Deutsch serves as vice president of theIsraeli applied research institute, NGO Monitor. She brings extensive experience in international politicsand Europe-Israel relations, with particular emphasis on international development, humanitarian aid, and civil society. Deutsch is an expert in advocacy and building effective strategies to address attempts to delegitimize Israel, BDS, and modern antisemitism. Before making Aliya in 2009, she served as the Chairperson of the European Union of Jewish Students, an umbrella organization for 34 national unions. Olga is fluent in Serbian, English, Hebrew, and German.
Rome, Italy
Urial Perugia is an engineer by background. He was elected to the position of Security Director - General of UCEI in 2019 with the vision of strengthening Italy's Jewish communities and creating space for more peaceful interactions between communities from different backgrounds. Most recently, he has been coordinating a project within Italy's Jewish communities, supporting Afghan refugees.
Jerusalem, Israel
David is the Head of JDC Europe Community Resilience Program
David is a social psychologist and expert in community resilience and emergency management. A Colonel in the IDF, David worked as an organizational psychologist in a variety of field units and served as the head of the civil emergency behavior branch in the home front command. He has worked as an expert consultant and senior researcher of emergency management and community resilience for private and public organizations in Israel and abroad. He continues to serve as a senior consultant for community resilience and emergency preparedness for numerous municipalities, government ministries, private and public institutions. Currently, David is leading a JDC-Europe program to strengthen community resilience in Jewish communities in Europe. David lives with his wife in a village outside of Jerusalem
New York, US
Ben Cohen is the Senior Correspondent of The Algemeiner, one of the leading Jewish news outlets in the United States. Based in New York City, he writes extensively on the challenges posed by antisemitism and political extremism around the globe, especially in western Europe, eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Originally from the United Kingdom, he moved to the United States in 2004 and is now an American citizen. He holds a BA (Hons) in Philosophy from the University of Manchester (1989) and an MSc. (Econ) in Political Theory from the London School of Economics and Political Science (1990).
A specialist on Jewish, Middle Eastern, European and international affairs, Ben Cohen's articles, op-eds, essays and features have been published by The Wall Street Journal, Tablet, The New York Post, Moment Magazine, Haaretz, Fox News, Real Clear World, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, PJ Media, The Huffington Post, The Congressional Quarterly, The Jerusalem Post, Jewish Ideas Daily, Mosaic and The Forward.
He writes a weekly column on international affairs for JNS.org that is syndicated to more than 100 media outlets in the U.S. and internationally. He is a contributor to the journal Commentary and also serves on the advisory editorial board of Fathom Quarterly, a London-based journal covering the Middle East. His policy papers have been published by leading research organizations, including the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (Israel) and the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (United Kingdom.) A frequent broadcaster, he has appeared on Fox News, CNN, Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, Arise TV, National Public Radio (NPR) and Voice of America (VoA).
Before moving to the US, Ben worked for the BBC and other British media outlets as a producer and reporter. As a foreign correspondent, he reported from Bosnia during the 1992-95 war, and has been on assignment in Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Macedonia, Bangladesh, India, Sierra Leone and many other countries.
Ben's widely-acclaimed book, Some Of My Best Friends: A Journey Through Twenty-First Century Antisemitism (Edition Critic, 2014), is available online in paperback and digital versions. He has contributed essays to several books, including "The New War on Israel," published by Commentary in 2014, and 'Anti-Judaism, Antisemitism and Delegitimizing Israel,' published by the University of Nebraska Press in 2016.
Barcelona, Spain
Marcelo Dimentstein is a Social Anthropologist and since 2009 directs the JDC International Centre for Community Development (JDC-ICCD). In his position as Director of the JDC-ICCD, he has been coordinating research on different phenomena of Jewish contemporary life in Europe and is himself dedicated to analyzing the transnational history of the reconstruction of the Jewish communities after the fall of communism. Marcelo also teaches at different JDC Europe’s Leatid leadership training seminars. He has also taken an active role in organizing and running inter-faith dialogue events in Europe. He lives in Barcelona with his wife and daughter.
Milan, Italy
Lela Sadikario serves as the director of Junction, an initiative that seeks to empower young Jews to take part of the pan-European Jewish community. As Lela so poignantly notes, “The story of European Jewry is my story. It’s a story of resilience, a story of persevering against the odds.” Today, as director of Junction, she creates innovative and creative frameworks for Jewish young adult engagement across international borders. For the past decade, she has pioneered various programs that have enabled thousands of young Jews to reconnect to their Jewish identity and to the broader Jewish world. Today, Lela lives in Milan, Italy with her husband and two sons.
Berlin, Germany
Jeremy Borovitz is the Director of Jewish Learning for Hillel Germany and the Co-founder of Base Berlin. Jeremy was raised in Paramus, NJ, the son of a Reform rabbi and a lawyer for the Jewish Theological Seminary. He got a BA in Public Policy from the University of Michigan in 2009, and, with no better ideas for his future, joined the Peace Corps. Jeremy served in the village of Boyarka, Ukraine as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 2010-2012, and then moved to Kiev, Ukraine, to work with the Jewish Community as a Jewish Service Corps fellow for the JDC. From Kiev, Jeremy moved to Jerusalem and spent two years studying study at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, where he received a certificate in Experiential Education. He worked for Moishe House as the European Director of Jewish Education, organizing Jewish Learning retreats in cities across Europe, from Paris to Moldova. In recent years, Jeremy was a co-founder and Director of Learning for Brooklyn Beit Midrash, a pluralistic collective of Jewish learners in Central Brooklyn. Jeremy received semikha (Rabbinic Ordination) with Rabbi Daniel Landes in his Yashrut program in February 2020.
Bologna, Italy
Sam has lived in Panama, Thailand, the United States, Hungary and now Italy and who spent a year serving as the International President of BBYO (the largest Jewish youth movement in the world). Sam has run a gubernatorial campaign office, interned for a Congresswoman’s Washington D.C. office, a Senate race, presidential PAC, the digital firm behind Bernie Sanders' rapid ascent, and worked as the Get Out The Vote Director for the Monroe County Democratic Party. Sam worked as Community Programme Manager for Junction, before becoming BBYO Western Europe Area Director
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbanit Surale Rosen heads Shayla - Matan Women's Halakhic Responsa Online where she writes and edits answers to Halakhic questions sent online. She's a graduate of Matan's Advanced Talmud Institute and headed Metivta - Matan's Advanced Talmud Programme. Rabbanit Surale is also a certified Rabbinic Arbitrator and has a (תעודה? ceritificate) in mediation for family conflict resolution (גישור ויישוב סכסוכים במשפחה) from The Israeli Centre for Negotiation and Mediation.
Surale graduated the first cohort of Matan's Hilkhata Programme. She holds degrees in Talmud and English Lit. from Bar Ilan University. She teaches Gemarah, Halakha and Midrash in Matan Hashmonaim and in various communities and shuls. Rabbanit Surale is a member of Beit Hillel where she's active in the organization's programmes for female religious leadership. Surale lives in Jerusalem with her husband, Rabbi D"r Shlomo Dov Rosen, Rabbi of the Yakar community and is a grateful mother of girls and boys.
Pardes Chana, Israel
"Yonina” (a combination of our names -Yoni and Nina Tokayer) began from the moment we met, on a beautiful balcony in Tzfat, Israel. We had both been pursuing music our entire lives, and once we met we began dreaming about making music together. We are an Israeli-American musical duo who first started sharing our music through weekly home videos posted to social media. Since we first began posting our videos in 2016, our music has reached millions of viewers, with the record being our cover of “One Day” which had over 40 million views from around the globe.
In September of 2017 we released our debut album, "Emet Pshuta" (Simple Truth), with original hit songs like “Ahava”, “Rega Mechuvan”, “Seriously” and “Shir Shel Boker”. For the past three years we’ve been performing throughout Israel, the US and Europe, in both large-scale concerts and private events. Currently, we’re working on our second album and continuing to write & record music, perform and produce music videos.
We've been married for four years and have two sweet children- Ashira (3) and Achiya Yehuda (1)- who make guest appearances in our videos. We live in the rural city of Pardes Chana in Northern Israel.
Paris, France
After a double master in law and finance (Dauphine and Paris IV), Richard Odier, worked in a consulting firm. Then he became an entrepreneur and a manager in different industries : retail, IT and luxury goods.
At the same time he was involved in NGO’s, mainly as president of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in France. At the age of 50, he sold most of his shares in business and became in 06/2018 the chief executive officer of the FSJU.
The FSJU is one of the main and biggest Jewish NGO in the fields of solidarity, education and culture .
Washington DC, US
Drew is a noted child wellness expert with experience educating, promoting, and implementing policies and practices to support children and adolescents’ physical, mental, and emotional health. She is an honors graduate of NYU Silver School of Social Work and Skidmore College (cum laude), and a licensed clinical social worker. She spent the last six years with the Baltimore Child Abuse Center in Maryland, most recently as the Director of Prevention and Education. Drew has been a key resource for Jewish and non-Jewish camps and youth serving organizations (YSOs) throughout North America, crafting policy and providing support and training to staff on various issues of child protection.
Rome, Italy
Ruth Dureghello was born in Rome on 5 of July 1967. She graduated from law school in the University of Rome La Sapienza and then she dedicated to business activities. Ruth Dureghello is married and she has two children. In 2008 she runs for the first time for election in the Jewish Community of Rome in the electoral roll "Per Israele", "For Israel", that was led by Riccardo Pacifici. She becomes alderman for the school of the Jewish Community, by handling formation and growth for seven years. In 2015 she led the electoral roll "Per Israele" as a presidential candidate. She got the 44,08% of the vote and on the Council's advice she becomes the first female president of the Jewish Community of Rome. As a president she receives, togheter with the Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, Pope Francis for the historical meeting in the Synagogue on the 17 of January 2016. In the same year, in the election for the renewal of the Council of the Union of the Jewish Communities in Italy. She turns out to be the most voted in Italy among the candidates.
Skopje, Macedonia
Rebeka Mucheva is the Director of BBYO Eastern Europe, supporting teen programs in 15 countries. Rebeka grew up in Skopje, North Macedonia where she is an active member of the Jewish community and currently serving on the Management Board. Rebeka has a BA in Public Relations and is preparing her Master Thesis in Human Resources.
Prague, Czech Republic
Born in 1990, Eva is an accomplished PR specialist and Jewish educator who currently lives with her husband in the beautiful city of Prague. Eva is the Director of Global Communities at Moishe House. She graduated from the Prague College of Journalism, majoring in PR and marketing, as well as from Paideia, the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Stockholm, Sweden. Eva loves reading poetry, DIY projects and painting, spending time with her loved ones, and cooking.
Maale Adumim, Israel
Ethel received a B.A. in Hebrew Literature and General Philosophy and an M.A. in Contemporary Judaism from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Ethel is also a graduate of the Toanot Rabaniyot (Rabbinical Court Advocate), a project of Ohr Torah Stone.
Ethel has extensive experience in both formal and informal education and advising directors and community leaders. In addition, Ethel has been involved in training teachers, developing curricula and community educational programs. Ethel spent four years as the Director of Jewish Studies in the Ibn Gabirol School in Madrid, Spain, and has worked in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.
She has published many articles on Jewish Education and on Gender and Judaism. Her last book Judaísmo en Femenino” (Judaism in Feminine) was published in 2018 in Spain.
Ethel works as a Consultant for EFI and teaches in the MA Programme from the Melton Center for Jewish Education, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Ethel lives in Maale Adumim, near Jerusalem, with her husband and son.
Cordoba, Spain
Makom Sefarad´s Executive Director is Haim Casas .After graduating from the Law School of the University of Seville (Spain), he committed himself to the recovering of Jewish Spain. He started in 2005 with a Spanish couple, who shared the passion for Sephardic Judaism, Casa de Sefarad, the Jewish museum of Cordoba (Spain). Meanwhile, along with other Jewish leaders, he started Beit Rambam, the first progressive congregation in South of Spain. In 2010, he opened Casa Mazal, a Cultural Café devoted to Sephardic gastronomy.
On 2012 he started his Rabbinic training at Leo Baeck College in London. He was ordained on 2017. He cooperates with some Jewish communities and cultural organizations in the UK, France, Switzerland, Spain and Morocco.
His dream is to promote spaces in Spain and Morocco where to encounter an inclusive and diverse experience of Judaism. Part of this dream is also to preserve and promote Spanish Jewish heritage.
Haifa, Israel
Avi Posen is the Assistant Director of Education at Unpacked for Educators, a division of OpenDor Media. His focus is on content creation and working with Jewish educators from around the world on incorporating Unpacked for Educators materials. Avi has worked as a Judaic Studies high school teacher, Hillel Director and Jewish camp director. He holds a Masters in Jewish Education from Yeshiva University in New York and lives in Haifa, Israel with his wife Illana and newborn daughter Lielle.
Rome, Italy
I was born in Rome to a Jewish Roman father (proud to be here since Caesar’s time!) and a Libyan Jewish Sephardic mother. I am married to Angelo and we have three sons, Gabriel, Nathan, and Isaac.
I have lived in Rome my entire life, except for one year I lived in Argentina and another year in Israel. I am in love with my city and that’s the reason why I decided to study Art History at Rome’s university. Traveling has given me the opportunity to meet other Jews, share my story with them, and compare my community with their and other communities. Throughout my time as a guide, while meeting people along my journey, I have come to realize how miraculous the existence of the Jewish Community of Rome really is.
I founded Jewish Roma Walking Tours in 2003 after completing my studies in Art History and a year of research at the central Archive of Rome where I was looking for documents about my family during the ghetto times.
Leeds, United Kingdom
Simon Myerson QC is a barrister and part-time judge authorised to try allegations of serious sexual crime. He is Chair of Leeds Representative Council and a Trustee of his (orthodox) shul. He has a longstanding interest in the way in which the Jewish community responds to the abuse of women.
Leeds, United Kingdom
Majorca, Spain
Dani Rotstein moved from New Jersey to the island of Majorca, Spain, in 2014. There, he learned of the taboo history of the Conversos of Chuetas of the island. In 2018, he founded Limud Mallorca and has run over 50 successful events promoting diversity and inclusion in the small, yet growing, Jewish community.
Sofia, Bulgaria
Executive Director, Organization of Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom”
Her early positions included working with the Claims Conference to obtain restitution for Holocaust victims, consulting on community development issues and running Bulgaria’s Jewish summer camp.
Former JDC director of JDC programs in Bulgaria . Julia is a graduate of the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria, and has also earned a master’s degree in insurance and social activity. Julia and her husband were both born and raised in Sofia. They have two children.
Garin Shuva, Israel
New York, US
Krakow, Poland
Since its opening in April 2008 by HRH, The Prince of Wales, Jonathan has served as the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Centre of Krakow, Poland, an organization devoted to rebuilding Jewish life in Krakow. Prior to the JCC’s opening in 2008, he lectured in Modern Hebrew at Krakow’s Jagiellonian University Department of Jewish Studies for 6 years and founded the “Gesher” association for Polish-Israeli dialogue. A native of New York City, Jonathan moved to Israel in 1994, living for 7 years on a kibbutz in the Negev desert and served in a combat unit in the I.D.F. before making his way to Poland in 2001. He is a founding member of the Krakow Association of Christians and Jews where he serves as vice president. He also serves on the boards of the Krakow branch of the Child Survivors of the Holocaust organization and JCC Global.
Jerusalem, Israel
Caron Sethill is Progamme Manager Europe at the National Library of Israel (NLI), managing Gesher L'Europa, (A Bridge to Europe), which aims to engage heritage institutions, educators, Jewish communities and the wider public in Europe with the NLI's unique collections.
Jerusalem, Israel
Shuvi Hoffman, Global Jewish Education Manager at The National Library of Israel, is a “Revivim” graduate, an honors program in Hebrew University, where she received her BA in Jewish studies and her MA in Biblical studies. Taught Tanach, Jewish philosophy and Hebrew, wrote Jewish studies curriculum and worked as a teachers’ mentor in various frameworks.
Jerusalem, Israel
Nechama Goldman Barash made aliyah from Philadelphia over 20 years ago after graduating from Stern College. She studied for three years in Matan’s Advanced Talmud Institute and finished a master’s degree in Talmud at Bar-Ilan University. She is a graduate of Nishmat’s Yoetzet Halacha program and has been certified to teach brides before their weddings, as well as qualifying as a sex educator through Yahel and the Eden Center. She also studied for three years in Matan’s advanced halakha program, Hilkhata.
She teaches contemporary halakha and Talmud at Matan and Pardes, as well as Talmud and women and halakha in Torah V’Avodah (TVA), a Bnei Akiva gap year program based in Matan. She is an active member of Beit Hillel and participates in interfaith dialogue through Roots, based in Gush Etzion, close to where she lives with her family. She is currently working on a book dealing with matters of gender and halakha.
Berlin, Germany
Benjamin focuses on developing and implementing initiatives with a digital portfolio and on projects addressed to younger generations. Before joining the Foundation, he worked as Chief Digital Officer of the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany and as Public Affairs Officer of the European Jewish Congress. He was also a consultant for European NGOs in Brussels and continental Europe in the fields of public affairs, combating online hate and change management.
Benjamin served as President of the European Union of Jewish Students, representing its members in front of EU-Institutions, the OSCE and the UNHRC. In addition, he was the founding President of the German Jewish Student Union and was a scholar of the Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk. Benjamin sits on the boards of the World Jewish Museum, the Muslim Jewish Interfaith Coalition and several European initiatives. He studied Politics and Law in Hamburg and currently pursues a Executive MBA at Central European University in Vienna.
Budapest, Hungary
Balázs Berkovits is currently a researcher at the Stephen Roth Institute, Tel Aviv University, and at the Bucerius Institute, University of Haifa. He is a member of the editorial board of the journal K. Jews, Europe and the XXIst century.
Trained as a philosopher and a sociologist, he has published on topics related to social theory, the epistemology of the social sciences, and antisemitism. He is currently working on a study on the reemergence of the “Jewish problem” in contemporary works of philosophical, social and political criticism, and on various projects, which deal with the relationship between conspiracy theories, critique, and antisemitism.
Tel Aviv, Israel
Senior educator and the director of the Online tours at "Anu the Jewish People Museum" ,has an Executive MA in Jewish Studies.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Henny van het Hoofd is the Director of Education of the NIK, the umbrella organization of Jewish Communities in the Netherlands. She developed the JELED program for children who do not attend Jewish day schools, which has been introduced in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. Henny taught Jewish studies at the VU University at Amsterdam and is currently finishing a Ph.D on the history of Jewish education in the Netherlands (1860-1940) with a specific focus on teachers. She was honoured with the Max Fischer Prize for Excellence in Jewish Education
Jerusalem, Israel
Nadia Gorodov is the World Confederation of United Zionists’ Director of FSU. She has joined the Confederation in 2017 and oversees expansion of its work and presence in the FSU. Nadia holds a PhD from Ariel University and is currently the Director of Strategic Project Development at theOffice of the University's Rector. Her Research interests are focused on the History of Zionist Movement in the FSU and the International Campaign in support of Soviet Jewry. Nadia is originally from Ukraine and made Aliyah in 2017.
Brussels, Belgium
Meiron Avidan is the Public affairs officer for HIAS Europe. She has years of experience volunteering with refugee and other social justice organisations. She also has years of experience in Jewish youth leadership, which has shaped here desire to work in social justice organisations today.
London, UK
David Hirsh is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is interested in antisemitism, right and left populism, totalitarianism and anti-democratic movements. He has written on antizionism and its associated antisemitism. His book 'Law against Genocide: Cosmpolitan Trials' won a prize for the best first book in Sociology in 2003. He published 'Contemporary Left Antisemitism' in 2018. He is currently editing a book to be published in 2022 on the 20th anniversary of the 'call for an academic boycott of Israel', written by scholars who were active in opposing that call.
London, UK
Graham Carpenter has been the UK Community Manager for OLAM since 2019. OLAM supports and partners with vulnerable communities in developing countries in order to foster a more just and compassionate world for all. Graham has years of experience working within Jewish humanitarian organisations, having also worked for JDC and Tzedek.
Join different synagogues and be part of a virtual minyan for Kabbalat Shabbat services – See timing of the services below, and in the Event page of the conference, on the right under Expos, you will find descriptions and details how to join. Shabbat Shalom
A Kabbalat Shabbat Service by Teenagers – Service will start at 18:30
A Kabbalat Shabbat Service by Young Adults – Service will start at 18:30
International Jewish Center – Liberal Jewish Community of Brussels – Service will start at 19:00
Beth Hillel Rome – Progressive Jewish Community – Service will start at 19:30
Bet-El Madrid – Conservative Jewish Community – Service will start at 19:30
Atid Barcelona – Conservative Jewish Community – Service will start at 19:30
Once again, we meet virtually, but ready to spend a good time together. Welcome to the Second e-Summit !!!
Greetings from
Mr. Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel
Mr. Michael Blake, Chairman ECJC
Mrs. Ariel Zwang, CEO JDC
Mrs. Raya Kalenova, Executive Vice President EJC
Mr. Silvio Joskowicz, Head of the Zionist Enterprises Department WZO
other European Jewish Organisations representatives’ greetings will be screened during the summit.
THE NEW JEW is a documentary series showcasing the cultural and political influence of the Jewish community in the United States, the variety of alternative models it offers for living a rich Jewish life and the rifts in relations between them and the State of Israel – presented by Guri Alfi, one of Israel’s most popular comedians.
The series was produced for the Public Broadcasting Corporation and aired on the Kan 11 network in Israel.
Interviewing the Producer Moshe Samuels and Guri Alfi, Producer & Actor on the rational of the movie. And if the film was based in US: What do they think that Europe has to offer differently?
Entertainment for all the tastes. Choose whatever you feel like to join, it is Saturday night …..
Missing your summer camp evenings? For the last 2 years or for the last 20? Grab a blanket, sit close to the screen and let yourself be guided with the amazing voices of teens & BBYO
Spending time in a Moishe House is one thing that Young Adults love the most. Join the fun for a bit, and we promise we wont check ID cards, you are welcome to feel Young again!!
Have you ever wished you were so famous and cool that you can enter to the most famous club wearing pyjamas?
Here is our kosher version of Studio54, no animals involved.
Dance to the sticky rhythm of 80s music
Can we talk about a Jewish view of the body-soul relationship? What is the relationship to the body? Did it change over the generations? From the Talmid Chacham to the Zionism of the muscles what do they have in common?
Grab your coffee and join some of the fantastic sessions
Explore highlights of the spectacular new museum to learn about the unique and ongoing story of the Jewish People. We will make stops on each of 3 expansive floors of the new building, where the diversity of the Jewish world is revealed through extraordinary artifacts, state-of-the-art displays, immersive video and world-class art. Topics include: modern Jewish identity and culture, the historical journey of the Jewish people from Biblical times to the present, and the foundations of Jewish life.
The vision and voice of women dealing with Halachic responsa. Join Rabbanit Surele Rosen and Ethel Barylka in this interesting conversation.
Over 25 years ago, a group of women pioneered in Jewish Education in Europe. Still active in different fields, we brought them together to see what changed, what remained and what are their thoughts. Join Barbara Spectre, Helise Lieberman, Helena Miller and Henny van Het Hoofd for an interesting conversation
Like the stars, you can have a personal training coming to your lounge…in this case, to your computer.
Guided by Rabbi Haim Casas, you cannot ask for more. See the city with the eyese and love of a local
Every region in Italy has its own recipes and many of them had a Jewish twist. Join Michaela for an immersive pasta & pizza workshop, live from her cosy home in Rome
Writing My Chapter: A Bar/Bat Mitzvah Journey by the National Library of Israel is a creative, interactive and modular programme, designed for various formats (group learning or hevruta pairs, online or in-person sessions) and settings (camp, youth groups, classrooms or even at home as a family experience).
Weaving together personal reflection and creative challenges, together with treasures from Jewish communities around the world, the programme opens teens up to a world of discovery as they deep-dive into the expansive Jewish story and add their own piece to it. As part of the process they document their unique journey in a shareable digital scrapbook we have designed especially for them, where they can create and collect the elements that make this milestone meaningful to them!
What is at stake for European Jewish communities today ? In Politics, on campuses, concerning memory and youth. What are the challenges Jewish citizens and leaders face today in different countries and contexts. To explore these questions, K. proposes a panel of European Jewish intellectuals, open to your questions.
The National Library of Israel is not only the holder of a rich and vast collection of Jewish, Christian and Islamic cultural treasures. It is also the creator of diverse cultural and educational resources based on these treasures: from festivals and exhibitions to lesson plans and video lectures. In this session we will show you highlights from these materials, and how you can access and use our collections can be used in a variety of ways to enrich Jewish education and cultural activities for all ages.
One of the most difficult target groups to attract and involve in Jewish community life, explained and made easy by one of the most successful Youth Movements Worldwide – BBYO
A conversational session with Junction and Moshe House showcasing how they are paving the road for meaningful young adult engagement ? How the initiatives of young people impact the overall community. What is the positive change we see occurs because of young adult engagement?
Learn from a professional in the field how to conceptualise, develop and execute a successful fundraising campaign for your community.
Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, Instagram, Tiktok can help us arrive further with your our message. But what should we transmit? And How?.
“This hub of Jewish life will be a beacon of Jewish identity with the power to cultivate interfaith relationships and make a lasting impact on the entire city. I hope that it will put Brighton on the Jewish map and the Jewish community on Brighton’s map” – The UK Chief Rabbi
so many sessions and so hard to choose………all are highly recommended
Join heads of foundations in Europe to learn and discuss which are the challenges our communities face in the near future and how philanthropy is setting up to help rebuild a more sustainable model for the future.
Join Simon and Susie from Leeds, sharing their experience of developing a relatively small community (c8,000 Jews) on a non-centralised model, the way they deal with problems, their vision for the future and the way in which lay leaders and community professionals can work together.
Explore highlights of the spectacular new museum to learn about the unique and ongoing story of the Jewish People. We will make stops on each of 3 expansive floors of the new building, where the diversity of the Jewish world is revealed through extraordinary artifacts, state-of-the-art displays, immersive video and world-class art. Topics include: modern Jewish identity and culture, the historical journey of the Jewish people from Biblical times to the present, and the foundations of Jewish life.
Let yourself be guided by the beautiful voices of Nina & Yoni, Yonina who will take us to fantastic places all around the Old City of Jerusalem.
Join Rabbi Jeremy Borovitz for a Taste of Kolel, a successful partnership model empowering Young Adults to learn & discuss Jewish texts.
Session by Hillel Deutschland
Join HSD founders and committee members for a session exploring this new global initiative, its genesis, goals, and impact.
We have seen so many programs that failed and did not bring engagement. There are some lessons we could learn from that experience and formulate a few basic principles for running a successful initiative/program that will motivate people to get involved.
Session by Junction
Some avoid or fear failure. Others are willing to take chances and learn from their mistakes. Using life coaching techniques and classic Jewish sources, this session examines how failure is essential to any success.
Session by YESOD Europe
Certain classical Jewish texts, read superficially, would make us believe that life is predictable. However, we all know that life is full of surprises, for better and for worse. This session attempts to present a traditional Jewish approach to the many uncertainties that life has in store for us.
Zionism is the physical manifestation of the Jewish neshama, the Jewish soul; activism, community efforts, and global continuity
are part and parcel of this manifestation. Zionism 3.0 provides us an opportunity to build upon the realization of our people’s
dreams and imagine the potential for our collective future. Through our collective efforts we have an opportunity to create open
dialogue and collaboration through the World Confederation of United Zionists and the World Zionist Organization to ensure that our children have a future that
is secure with great opportunity for a better tomorrow in Europe and the FSU.
the Fifth Survey of European Jewish Leaders will be presented Exclusively for the Second e-Summit participants.
This survey in 2021 faced the task of including an assessment of the impact of a new and unprecedented development: the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing global crisis.
How has it affected Jewish community life? The survey findings reflect the answers of over 1000 European Jewish leaders and communities representatives, the largest respondent base ever.
The findings will enable leaders to discuss and strategise for community life in a post-COVID era.
Seventy years ago, only a few years after the survivors of the Holocaust were liberated from the concentration camps of Europe, representatives of 23 major international Jewish organizations came together to advocate for the relief, rehabilitation and settlement of Jewish Holocaust victims. This organization – the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) – initiated lengthy and arduous discussions with the government of West Germany, joined by the State of Israel. The result was a milestone in the history of human rights and international law, marking for the first time an agreement by a sovereign nation to pay post-war restitution to individuals, including those who were not that nation’s own citizens.
Please join Holocaust survivors and Claims Conference board members, Amb. Colette Avital (Centre of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel) and Stefanie Seltzer (World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust and Descendants), in a conversation with Claims Conference President Gideon Taylor and Executive Vice President Greg Schneider, to learn more about the remarkable and historic achievements that have made such a vast difference in the lives of Holocaust survivors across the globe.
What do European Jews expect from the State of Israel? And what is expected from us?
Time for a mature conversation among the Minister of the Diaspora from the State of Israel, representatives from Europeean Jewish Organisations and the CEO of Our Common Destiny.
so many sessions and so hard to choose……… and they are all highly recommended
Join Dr. Betsy Stone Phd. To discuss how the pandemic can be used as a platform to grow on the base of what we learnt.
Change is hard, even for the most eager of visionaries. Respectful Disruption is a signature method developed by Tamara Rebick to produce change in organizations and organizational culture in such a way that challenges the status quo system by putting relationships at the core. By transparently addressing the real anxiety of loss and uncertainty that comes with any kind of change through a strategic design process, all stakeholders feel seen, heard and represented. The result is authentic and lasting buy-in from new and older generations, together.
Behind every successful organization is a courageous organizational leader. Through boldness, perseverance, and innovation, courageous leaders can propel their organizations to new heights. Let’s explore with Rhoda Weissman, one of the most experienced coach/mentors in the Jewish Professional world how we can embrace this idea to maximize our potential leaders.
What should our post-COVID work world look like? In Connected Capitalism, David Weitzner shows us how to draw from the classic teachings of Judaism in order to positively transform our workplaces and our working lives. He outlines a philosophy that will empower the disenchanted to build a stable future in a world of crony capitalism, global pandemics, racial injustice, and social disconnect. Join David for this interesting discussion with Alberto Benbunan
Humanitarian values are rooted in the belief that human life is a value itself. The value of humanitarian action can be linked to Jewish values through the principle of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). Within the humanitarian aid sector, the most important value is that of combatting human suffering. Therefore, the will to repair the world, seems to be very much aligned with that value. To understand the importance of Jewish involvement in humanitarian action, and to frame the discussion around ‘Jewish humanitarian values’, this panel asks: How does the value of humanitarian action interact with Judaism? Is there added value in having a (European) Jewish humanitarian organization? How can European Jews engage in this work?
An exclusive space to hear the result of research on the impact of the pandemic on Teenagers.
The covid pandemic presented unique challenges for community leaders both as community leaders and as the leaders of the community emergency response team. The present situation requires community leaders to a high level of flexibility and to adapt community emergency protocols to the dynamic characteristics of the situation.
Join us for an open and intriguing discussion with several top European Jewish community leaders regarding how they and their teams adapted the to meet the needs of the situation and especially what lessons they have learnt from the current situation on what is the most effective way to lead a future crisis.
We have tried to bring together leaders from communities that have very different characteristics to add to the scope of the conversation.
this will also be an opportunity for participant to share from their own experience and provide us all with a period of peer learning
This will be a chance to hear and discuss the topic with Simon Myerson and Susie Gordon ( the lay and professional leaders of the Leeds Jewish representative council), Ruth Dureghello (the president of Communita Ebraica di Roma) ) and Julia Dandolova (the Executive Director, Organization of Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom”)
The session will be facilitated by David Gidron the director of the JDC community resilience program
What stories do synagogues tell? On this tour, we will explore synagogues from Syria, Poland, Curacao, Holland, the U.S. and more, to discover the unique identities of Jews that pray (or prayed) there, and their commonalities. This gallery, based on the famous collection of (the former) Beit Hatfutsot synagogue models, showcases how these structures act not only as prayer spaces, but as community centers. We will encourage participants to reflect on their own Jewish spaces and ask: what do these spaces say about my personal Jewish story?
Join Rabbi Iggy for an interesting reading of Jewish sources and identifying Queer voices in the texts.
A presentation of useful resources for communities which do not have a Jewish School
Learn about the exciting revival that is taking place on Majorca island today. Some Chuetas are returning back to the faith and, with the help of Jewish expat residents, they are laying the building blocks to a strong, vibrant Jewish future in the Mediterranean. Hear interviews with Chuetas, see the new memorials that are being placed around the city, and experience exciting concerts and cultural learning conferences that are being organized jointly with the local authorities.
An awakening conversation among Andres Spokoiny and Casper Ter Kuile on the Future of Religion, specially of Judaism.
The celebration of being once again virtually together and singing the songs we all know. Sing your heart out!! lead by the amazing duo Yonina
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