Topic: Spiritual Connectivity
Times: 9AM (PDT) / 11AM (CST) / 12PM (EST) / 7PM (IDT) / 2AM (AEST)
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Chaya Gilboa, Director of Jewish Engagement, The Leichtag Foundation
Chaya was born in Jerusalem to an ultra-Orthodox family. Her B.A. in Jewish Philosophy from Ben Gurion University (2008) was followed by a stint as a Hillel International Israel Fellow at Berkeley University and an M.A. in Public Policy from Hebrew University (2013), where she wrote her thesis on Haredi women, religion and state. In 2012, she was scholar-in-residence at the Paideia Institute in Sweden, where she taught Talmud and established an educators’ track.
In 2014, Chaya became Founding Director of Hevruta, a pluralistic, integrated gap-year program for Israeli and North American post-high school students at the Hartman Institute. Chaya is committed to creating alternatives within the realm of religion and state, establishing Hashgacha Pratit, an alternative kashrut system and active in crafting egalitarian wedding ceremonies and other initiatives that combine feminism and Jewish identity. Chaya is the mother of Michael and Avshalom and partner to Marek.
James Evans, Program Operations Manager, SVARA
James has been a Chicago resident since the fall of 2012 and has been an active SVARA learner since 2016. He attended Florida State University, where he studied Political Science and French. As an Eagle Scout, his personal motto is “Always be prepared!” When not working on making sure you have the most AMAZING learning environment, he can often be found with his nose in a sci-fi/fantasy book or cooking a delicious meal with friends.
Nimrod Baratz, Program Associate, Jewish Activism Summer School
Nimrod Baratz is a Jewish social activist and community builder, based in Berlin, Germany. Born and raised in Israel, Nimrod moved to Germany in 2015 and established himself there as a non-profit professional. In 2018, Nimrod co-founded a non-profit association, community and social framework of living, called JVB (Jenseits Von Birkenstraße e.V.). JVB operate a small club, hosts events and promotes culture, ecological and political activism. Nimrod consulted the Alexander Haus e.V. foundation for community dialogue and Works in the management of the Jewish Activism Summer school (JASS) a leadership program for Jewish Activists. He is an active member of Eruv Hub a network for Berlin-based Jewish activism and social entrepreneurship. Nimrod is now finalizing his thesis on Jewish intercultural dynamics in medieval Europe at the university of Potsdam, Germany.
Stacie and Jeff Cook understand commitment. They live it.
Black, Jewish and Queer. These three identities weave the fabric of who I am, but it took a long time to believe that they could exist together.
Lee and Toni Leichtag established the Leichtag Foundation in 1991 following the sale of their business. Lee and Toni were lifelong entrepreneurs with a passion for innovation and for supporting talent. They believed that only with big risk comes big reward. Both born to families in poverty, Toni to a single mother, they strongly believed in helping those most in need and most vulnerable in our community. While they supported many causes, their strongest support was for young children and the elderly, two demographics who particularly lack voice in our society.
Lifelong Baltimoreans, Rabbi George and Alison Wielechowski and their sons, 11-year-old Lennon and 9-year-old Gideon, are more than pursuing the good life in Southern California. Having moved to San Diego more than three years ago, they are fulfilling a lifelong dream.
You would think that as the executive director of San Diego LGBT Pride, Fernando Zweifach López Jr., who uses the pronoun they, has done all the coming out they possibly can. A queer, non-binary individual who has worked for many years on civil rights issues, López also speaks openly and often about their father’s family, Mexican-American migrant workers who tilled the fields of rural California.