Counting Toward Sinai 2021

Presenting

• Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman
  Founding Director, OU Women's Initiative Watch Now! More about this speaker

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  Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman

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  Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman is the director of the newly formed Department of Women’s Initiatives at the Orthodox Union. She and her husband Rabbi Avraham Shmidman are Rabbi and Rebbetzin at the Lower Merion Synagogue in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. Prior to her position at the OU, she taught Advanced Placement Psychology as well as Judaic classes in addition to directing the staff professional development program at Kosloff Torah Academy Girls High School in Bala Cynwyd, PA. She previously taught at Hebrew Academy of Nassau County, Hebrew Academy of Long Beach and the Manhattan High School for Girls. While living in Birmingham, Alabama, she was the director of the Knesseth Israel Synagogue Sunday School.

  Rebbetzin Dr. Shmidman earned a Teacher’s Certificate from Beth Jacob Seminary (BJJ) in Jerusalem. She graduated from Queens College in New York with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology and later received a Master’s of Science in School Psychology from the same institution. She also has a Master of Arts in Jewish Education as well as a Certificate in Educational Technology from Azrieli Graduate Institute of Yeshiva University. She received a doctorate in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Learning and Instruction in the area of Literacy from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She and her husband are the proud parents of four sons.

• Mrs. Rachel Besser
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  Mrs. Rachel Besser

  Rachel Besser is the Nach Department Chair at the Frisch School in Paramus, NJ, where she also teaches Tanach and Jewish philosophy and is a member of the Israel Guidance Department. A graduate of Stern College for Women, Rachel received her master’s degree in English literature from Hunter College in New York City. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Rachel taught Sefer Yirmiyahu and Sefer Ezra to over 5,000 women worldwide as part of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi program.  She presented a Nach Yomi Siyum shiur, Rosh Chodesh shiur and served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence. Rachel lives in Clifton, NJ with her husband Donny and six children. 

• Mrs. Shira Schiowitz
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  Mrs. Shira Schiowitz

  Shira Schiowitz is a Tanach teacher at SAR High School where she also serves as Co-director of Professional Development. She previously taught Tanach and chaired the Tanach Department at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School in Teaneck, NJ.  Shira served as Assistant Dean at Lamdeinu of Teaneck during its first year, planning and implementing the opening of Lamdeinu, a full-time learning program initiative in Teaneck.  At the OU Women’s Initiative, Shira taught the first part of Yeshayahu to over 5,000 women worldwide as part of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi Program and an interactive in-depth course examining the relationships between the melachim and Nevi’im in Tanach at the ALIT Summer Learning Program. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Shira taught the first part of Sefer Yeshayahu to over 5000 women worldwide as part of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi Program and taught an in-depth course as part of the ALIT Summer Learning Program.  Shira is the rebbetzin of the Shaare Tefillah community in Teaneck, NJ where she and her husband have served for the past 16 years. She received her master’s degree in Bible from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University. 

• Rebbetzin Miriam Engel
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  Rebbetzin Miriam Engel

  Rebbetzin Miriam Engel is the Rebbetzin at Anshei Emunah Congregation in Delray Beach, Florida and Director of Friends of the IDF, South Palm Beach and Broward. She enjoys spending time with her six grandchildren from New York and Israel. In her spare time, Miriam enjoys working out at the gym, biking, swimming, reading, making jewelry and painting. 

• Mrs. Deena Rabinovich
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  Mrs. Deena Rabinovich

  Deena Rabinovich chairs the Rebecca Ivry Department of Jewish Studies and the Legacy Heritage Jewish Educators Project at Stern College for Women. She directs the PEP Program at the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. She received her bachelors from Stern College for Women, her Masters from New York University, and her doctorate from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education. Prior to teaching at Stern College for Women, Deena taught at Central-Yeshiva University High School for Girls and at the North Shore Hebrew Academy.

• Mrs. Yoni Schlussel
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  Mrs. Yoni Schlussel

  Yoni Schlussel is an artist, writer, and an educator. She teaches at Torah Academy of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Jewish Day School. She also directs the women’s programming for Congregation Beth Jehudah and is on the board of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. Her writing has been published in the Jewish Press, Binah and Ami magazines and her art has been displayed in the Var Gallery.  She is passionate about helping teachers bring their best selves to their classrooms, and providing women with support and programming that meets their unique needs. She lives with her family in Milwaukee, WI and can be reached at yonischlussel@gmail.com

• Rebbetzin Adina Morris
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  Rebbetzin Adina Morris

  Adina Morris, CPC, ACC , President of CRDL Coaching LLC has been successfully working with individuals for nearly 20 years as a Rebbetzin, educator, business entrepreneur, mentor, Kallah Teacher and Personal Leadership and Life Coach, Executive Coach and Career and Transition Coach. In October of 2018, Adina joined Esteemed Human Development International (EHDI) as a Corporate Trainer and Coach, and joined the Lee Hecht Harrison team as a Career Transition Coach and Consultant in January of 2019. Adina is a talented workshop presenter, connecting with her audience and sharing tools, skills and techniques to enhance participants personal and professional lives. Adina has a Blog INSIGHT OUT where she inspires her readership to live their lives with intention, to be present in their day to day interactions, how to best navigate their transitions at each stage of their life, to listen to the messages they receive in their lives every day, and to sustain meaningful relationships with the people they care about. Adina has the unique blend of experience, warmth, and passion for helping the individual navigate the challenges within their work and life transitions. Adina is trained, certified, credentialed and insured. She is a member of the Global and Michigan chapters of the International Coach Federation (ICF). She holds an ACC level of credentialing from the ICF. Adina lives in Southfield, Michigan with her husband, Rabbi Yechiel Morris and their five children, where she and her husband have and continue to serve as the Rabbi and Rebbetzin of the Young Israel of Southfield for the last 18 years. Adina is available for individual and group coaching sessions, corporate training and workshop presentations, locally in person and remotely via telephone and Skype. She can be reached at crdlcoaching@gmail.com 248.783.6926 www.crdlcoaching.com www.linkedin.com/in/adinamorriscrdlcoaching/ . 

• Ms. Shoshana Sturm
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  Ms. Shoshana Sturm

  Shoshana Sturm is an assistant director at SINAI Schools at JKHA in Livingston, NJ. She has spearheaded the Young Israel of Staten Island’s shidduch networking events and shabbatons. Previously, she headed the Washington Heights chapter of SUN (Singles Uniting Network). Shoshana holds a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology and an advanced certificate in pediatric feeding disorders.

• Mrs. Liat Mayerfeld
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  Mrs. Liat Mayerfeld

  Liat Mayerfeld is an international speaker. She has been brought to speak in seminars in Spain, Poland, Israel, Denmark and Australia. Liat is the co-director of Kii, an outreach organization engaging unaffiliated young professionals in NYC. Born in New York and raised in Israel, Liat spent over 2 years working for Israeli military intelligence. She holds a teaching qualification & degrees in Jewish studies and Special Needs Education from Michlala College, Jerusalem. Liat has worked and taught for Aish in England and New York City. While teaching and educating, she is completing her MA in Jewish education. Liat has an open-door policy, and together with her husband and their 8 children they have welcomed thousands to their Shabbat, festival and random weekday dinners! 

• Dr. Yehudis Sunness
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  Dr. Yehudis Sunness

  Yehudis Sunness is an ophthalmologist at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and a Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. But her first love has always been Limudai Kodesh. She has given a series of classes on Tehillim, Tefilloh, and other topics, and many shiurim at Shomrei Emunah and Women’s Institute of Torah in Baltimore. Her articles have appeared in The Jewish Press, Jewish Action, AMIT magazine, and locally in Where What When. She lives with her husband in Baltimore, and her children and grandchildren live in Yerushalaim, Lakewood, and Los Angeles. 

• Dr. Miriam Leah Gamliel
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  Dr. Miriam Leah Gamliel

  Miriam Leah Gamliel is an arts administrator, performing artist and scholar. She is the director of ATARA: The Arts & Torah Association, supporting arts expression in Orthodoxy with a focus on women’s needs. She holds a doctorate in school administration from YU’s Azrieli Graduate School with a dissertation on the overlap between spirituality and creativity, an MLIS in Library Science and an MA in Jewish Studies. She lives in Montreal and is currently producing a new musical for women!

• Rubissa Sharona Hassan
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  Rubissa Sharona Hassan

  Rubissa Sharona Hassan serves in many roles as an educator and community builder. She and her husband, Rabbi Benjamin Hassan are Rabbi and Rubissa at Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation in Seattle, Washington, where she also serves as youth director. Rubissa Sharona has been an educator for 20 years, fine-tuning her trade across three continents. She teaches a variety of groups from adults to preschool. Currently she oversees Judaics in Early Childhood at the Seattle Hebrew Academy. PJ Library now offers the Sense-ational Judaism curriculum, which the Rubissa created. She shares her lessons, videos, and projects on kosherkidz.blogspot.com and therubissa.blogspot.com. In adult education, Rubissa Sharona is the city leader for Momentum, moderates book clubs, teaches classes, writes articles and speaks on a variety of topics.

  Rubissa Sharona enjoys writing, crafts, and storytelling, which she often weaves into her teaching. She and her husband are the proud parents of four daughters. 

• Mrs. Shira Hochheimer
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  Mrs. Shira Hochheimer

  Mrs. Shira Hochheimer has been a noted educator of women and girls for over fifteen years.  She is passionate about empowering women to find more fulfillment in their lives by learning Torah. Shira was a Rebbetzin in Rochester, NY and currently serves in a leadership position in girls’ Jewish education in Baltimore, MD. She is the author of Eishes Chayil: Ancient Wisdom for Women of Today. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Shira taught Sefer Yechezkel to over 5,000 women worldwide as part of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi program. She also taught a series, Tefillah Challenges: Focus on Ashrei, for its Yemei Ratzon Ideas and Inspiration program. Her proudest accomplishment is her role as a wife and mother of five. 

• Mrs. Shuli Fuchs
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  Mrs. Shuli Fuchs

  Shuli Fuchs has been channeling her passion for Torah into adolescent and adult education for the past fifteen years. Her inner fire was fueled by her involvement in diverse programs directed towards inspiring and uplifting teens. She eventually discovered a deep love for the magic of the classroom and submerged herself into the world of formal Jewish education.  She founded Veha’er (www.vehaer.org), a non-profit organization aimed to fostering growth and continued Torah connection for women in various stages of life. Through a plethora of shiurim, Shuli, together with her team of acclaimed speakers, has delivered dozens of shiurim to hundreds of women.She is a devoted Kallah teacher and enjoys guiding women in both the halachic and emotional aspects of marriage. She balances her time teaching an array of subjects and advising students, Kallahs, and married women on a daily basis. Shuli and her family live in Monsey, NY.

• Mrs. Reva Judas
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  Mrs. Reva Judas

  Reva Judas is the founder and Executive Director of NechamaComfort, an organization that supports families dealing with infant and pregnancy loss. She has counseled people around the world and has trained medical staff, clergy, lay leaders, and communities in best practices for supporting grieving families.  Reva received her Chaplaincy Certification from Hackensack Medical center and is a Resolve Through Sharing (RTS) certified Infant Pregnancy Loss Facilitator. She holds a BS in Human and Child Development. Reva Judas participated in the OU Impact Accelerator as part of its first cohort. 

• Mrs. Rena Schochet
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  Mrs. Rena Schochet

  Rena Schochet was born and educated in Baltimore, Maryland. Soon after her marriage, she and her husband embarked upon a life of travel and new places. Their first home was in Israel, and their sojourn continued in Johannesburg, South Africa, Toronto, Canada; Silicon Valley, California; Las Vegas, Nevada, and finally Jacksonville, Florida. Each of these communities presented ideal opportunities to connect with congregants and expound and expand Torah ideas and ideals. 

   Rena Schochet found her niche in communication. She was most at ease with adults: teaching adults, and helping them communicate effectively with one another. Though her career began as a high school teacher she soon found her true passion,  adult education, motivation, and coaching. Rebbetzin Schochet is a Mentor for Core, an organizations that encourages women to develop and flourish in their relationship with Hashem, family, community, and Klal Yisrael.   

   In Jacksonville, where the Schochets reside, Rena speaks on a regular basis. She gives advanced shiurim in Navi and Mesillat Yesharim to the women in her community. The Yamim Nora’im afford Rena the opportunity to deliver inspirational messages during the ‘breakout sessions’ in her Shul. 

   Rena’s favorite pastime, is hosting people in her home, hearing their stories, filling them with good food and wine as they sit around a well-set, convivial table.  

• Mrs. Becky Katz
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  Mrs. Becky Katz

  Becky Katz teachers Navi and Halacha at Yeshivat Noam. She is a member of numerous boards including Project Ezrah, Rinat Yisael, OU Women’s Initiative and Yeshivat Noam. Becky lives in Teaneck, New Jersey with her husband Avi and four children.

• Rebbetzin Rifki Freundlich
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  Rebbetzin Rifki Freundlich

  Rifki Freundlich is the Rebbetzin of Congregation TBDJ in Montreal where she has lived with her husband, Rabbi Yechezkel, and their children since 2016. Rifki taught Tanach to high school girls for many years in Atlanta , Georgia and currently teaches at the Hebrew Academy of Montreal.  After teaching brides and guiding women of all backgrounds in their observance of Taharas Hamishpacha for nearly 20 years, Rifki completed the curriculum of study and was certified as a Yoetzet Halacha through Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center in 2019.

• Rebbetzin Gevura Davis
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  Rebbetzin Gevura Davis

  Rebbetzin Gevura Davis is the Director of Engagement for Aish Chaim, an outreach and engagement initiative serving the greater Philadelphia Jewish community and an affiliate of Aish HaTorah international. A popular international public speaker and teacher, Davis grew up Jewishly unaffiliated and in college decided to give Judaism another chance. She discovered there was a lot more than dreidels and bagels and dedicate her life to helping share the beauty, depth and wisdom of Judaism to anyone she meets. Her humor, down to earth style and ability to capture life’s beauty makes her beloved to a wide range of diverse audiences around the world.

• Rebbetzin Sima Becker
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  Rebbetzin Sima Becker

  Rebbetzin Sima Becker earned a Teacher’s Certificate from Beth Jacob Seminary (BJJ) in Jerusalem and worked as a computer programmer on Wall Street before moving to Miami 35 years ago. She and her husband, Rabbi Hershel Becker are Rabbi and Rebbetzin at Young Israel of Kendall in Pinecrest, Florida. She is a founding director of Jewish Blueprints, an outreach organization that coordinates programming and publishes educational material. Rebbetzin Sima combines her tech background and love of Torah to bring a refreshing and contemporary approach to Torah classes with a focus on practical application and personal growth.

• Mrs. Jodi Fried
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  Mrs. Jodi Fried

  Jodi is a mom of four and is an empowerment coach for women, podcaster, and Jewish community professional through and through who is committed to helping moms live to the fullest while managing the challenging, wonderful, and messy journey of motherhood. Many people remark that Jodi’s superpower is connection – her intent connection with clients and friends, as well as her ability to help women connect deeply to themselves.  Born in South Africa and having moved to the States as a child, Jodi has a unique perspective on Jewish life and community which influences her work today. Hobbies include skiing, hiking, baking, making jewelry, and snuggling with the kids under a thick, soft, blanket to read on the couch! Tune in to the To (Mom) Life Podcast for chizuk, insights, and tools for motherhood.
• Mrs. Batyah Brander
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  Mrs. Batyah Brander

  Batyah Brander, nee Lahasky, is a New York native, living in Los Angeles for over 30 years.   Batyah earned her bachelor’s degree from Cooper Union School of Engineering and her teaching certificate from Machon Gold Seminary. Over the past 30 years, she has been involved in Jewish Education on the High School and adult level.  She currently teaches Nach and STEM at Machon Los Angeles and for the LINK Kollel, which her husband founded. Mrs. Batyah Brander enjoys challenging herself and her students to delve deeply into the text and uncover the multilayered majesty that G-d has hidden beneath the surface of his Torah.
• Mrs. Eliana Sohn Cohen
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  Mrs. Eliana Sohn Cohen

  Mrs. Eliana Sohn Cohen is a Project Manager for the OU Women’s Initiative. Before joining the Women’s Initiative in January 2019, Eliana worked for Yeshiva University, first as a Project Coordinator for the YU School Partnership’s professional development division and then as the Programs Manager for Alumni Relations and Special Projects on the Yeshiva University campus in Jerusalem. She earned a BA in English Literature from City University of New York, Queens College and an MS in secondary Jewish education from Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. She lives in New Rochelle, New York with her husband, Benji.

• Dr. Zoë Lang
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  Dr. Zoë Lang

  Zoë Lang is an educator who brings her enthusiasm for Jewish text to students of all ages. She is on the faculty of Maimonides School in Brookline, MA, where she teaches Jewish and Israeli history. Zoë also teaches a weekly parshah shiur and has contributed articles to the Times of Israel. In 2021, she was honored as one of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance’s Ushpizot for her work to safely welcome women back to shul despite the challenges of the pandemic. 

• Ms. Ilana Bauman
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  Ms. Ilana Bauman

  Ilana Bauman is a passionate educator and community builder who teaches high school Sciences and Judaics, runs the Israel gap-year guidance program, and is the Student Activities Coordinator at Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy of Connecticut Upper School. She spent many years working for NCSY and has led numerous trips to Israel for diverse groups through Birthright, NCSY, and OU-JLIC. She has participated in various Torah and Jewish education fellowships, including the Prizmah Rising Orthodox Female Educational Leaders Fellowship. Ilana earned a B.S. in Biology and NEJS (Near Eastern and Judaic Studies) from Brandeis University, where she served in multiple leadership roles within the campus Jewish community, including Hillel President. She also spent two months studying healthcare in Madagascar. Prior to attending university, Ilana studied at Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim (MMY) in Jerusalem. She has always been an active member of her Jewish community, both in her hometown of Silver Spring, MD and now in the Upper West Side in NYC, and is frequently invited to give shiurim and divrei Torah in her community. Ilana was part of the inaugural OU Women’s Initiative Lay Leadership Summit as well as the Art of Speaking Fellowship and is excited to learn and share Torah through the Counting Toward Sinai initiative again this year.

• Rebbetzin Racheli Taubes
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  Rebbetzin Racheli Taubes

  Racheli Taubes grew up in Brooklyn, New York and studied in Israel at Michlalah, and majored in Jewish Education with a minor in chemistry at Stern College. She was in the first cohort of the Legacy Heritage Jewish Educators Program, which combines courses in education, psychology and Judaic studies, with intensive classroom fieldwork.  

  Racheli holds master’s degrees in Jewish Education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration and Bible from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. She is a Nishmat certified Yoetzet Halacha. She has taught Judaic Studies at Yeshivat Noam Middle School in Paramus, New Jersey and Torah Academy of Philadelphia, and Ramaz Upper School.  

  She previously served as the Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (OU-JLIC) educators at the University of Pennsylvania along with her husband Yaakov. She currently teaches Biology and Chemistry at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls, Marriage and Bible classes at Stern College for Women, and serves as the rebbetzin and Yoetzet Halacha at Mount Sinai Jewish Center. She is the proud mother of three children. 

  At the OU Women’s Initiative, Racheli has served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence and presented shiurim as part of the Simchat Torah program. 

• Mrs. Tzippy Staum
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  Mrs. Tzippy Staum

  Tzippy Staum is the Administrator of Judaic Studies at SINAI Schools at RYNJ in River Edge, New Jersey. Prior to that, she spent over a decade as a middle school girls mechanechet at Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey.  At RYNJ she also spent a few years coordinating the staff professional development program and created blended learning models in Judaic Studies for middle school inclusion classes.  Tzippy holds a master’s degree in educational leadership and was selected to participate in YU Lead, a nine-month intensive cohort geared to develop and advance emerging leaders in Jewish education. She worked at the Consortium for Jewish Day Schools piloting their distance learning program, reaching and enriching students with a Jewish education across America.  Tzippy organizes women’s learning and delivers shiurim at Congregation Beth Aaron in Teaneck. In the summers she works at Camp Dina as the Dining Room Manager for over 500 campers and staff. Tzippy lives in Teaneck with her husband and four beautiful children. 

• Mrs. Rivka Alter
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  Mrs. Rivka Alter

  Rivka Alter has taught Tanach and Halacha for over twenty years in New York, New Jersey and Colorado. Presently, she is a member of the Judaic studies faculty at Yeshiva University High School for Girls (Central). Rivka frequently teaches women and teens in Bergenfield, NJ, where she resides. She regularly teaches kallah classes and serves as a Yoetzet Halacha for the Riverdale, NY Jewish community. At the OU Women’s Initiative, Rivka taught Sefer Melachim II to over 5,000 women worldwide as part of Torat Imecha Nach Yomi, presented a shiur at the Siyum event, served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence and presented a recording on tefillah as part of the Counting Toward Sinai Tefillah Series. Rivka, and her husband Daniel, are the proud parents of seven children ranging in age from 6 to 22. 

• Ms. Avital Habshush
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  Ms. Avital Habshush

  Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Avital is delighted to call Cambridge her new home. Avital works at Dana-Farber’s Genetics and Prevention Division as a genetic testing coordinator and also serves as the clergy intern for the Orthodox students at Harvard Hillel. After receiving her B.A. in biology at Stern College, Avital spent a year studying Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program in Advanced Talmudic Studies (GPATS). Avital has lectured across the US on different topics in Jewish studies including Tanakh, Halakha, Ancient Jewish History, ethics and values, and archaeology. Avital has studied in many Batei Midrash in both Israel and the US including the Stella K. Abraham Beit Midrash for Women at Migdal Oz, Camp Moshava IO, Camp Stone, and the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education.

• Rebbetzin Dr. Jessica Kalmar
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  Rebbetzin Dr. Jessica Kalmar

  Rebbetzin Dr. Jessica Kalmar is Associate Professor of Psychology, Director of the Psychology Laboratory and Coordinator of the Honors Program at Lakeland University in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She and her husband, Rabbi Wesley Kalmar, are Rabbi and Rebbetzin at Anshe Sfard Kehillat Torah (ASKT) in Glendale, Wisconsin. Jessica takes an active role in the shul including teaching varied classes, leading book reviews, providing inspiration at Women’s Tehillim Group and teaching kallot.  Prior to serving as a Rebbetzin, Jessica’s involvement in Jewish communal work included teaching with Operation V’shenantem in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, YUSSR in Minsk, Belarus and T’Chiya Volunteers in Israel. Jessica studied at Michlalah in Jerusalem before earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology and political science from Stern College, Yeshiva University. She holds a master’s degree in psychology from Queens College, City University of New York and a doctoral degree in neuropsychology from The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Jessica and her husband are the proud parents of four children who love living in the wonderfully warm ASKT community. The Kalmars are one third of the way towards reaching their goal of hiking in the beautiful 79 Wisconsin state parks, forests and recreation areas.

• Ms. Sarah Robinson
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  Ms. Sarah Robinson

  Sarah Robinson teaches Talmud and Halacha to middle school girls in Manhattan Day School and serves as the Community Scholar in Beth Jacob Congregation in Oakland, California. Previously, Sarah taught a Nashim B’Gemara v’Halacha course in the OU-sponsored Bnot Sinai program in the 5 Towns; led 5 trips to Israel for millennials and emerging adults through OU Israel Free Spirit Birthright and World Mizrachi-Religious Zionists of America; and taught as the Visiting Scholar in Ohav Sholom in Merrick, Long Island for 5 and a half years. Additionally, Sarah has prepared over 20 girls for their bas mitzvah celebrations. Sarah previously studied in Maimonides School, Migdal Oz, Stern College, and Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program for Advanced Talmudic Studies (GPATS). 

• Mrs. Tamar Nusbaum
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  Mrs. Tamar Nusbaum

  Tamar Nusbaum is the founder of Ani Tefillah, a Tefillah-enhancement curriculum that imbues the process of prayer with deeper meaning and connection for school-age children, making the experience one that children can look forward to on a daily basis. She has been teaching all grade levels for the past thirty years and specializes in structuring scope, sequences and strategies to utilize classroom time to maximize student learning opportunities. She possesses both the technical know-how for curriculum development as well as the critical skills for classroom integration. Her pedagogic approach ensures that each individual child and the class as a whole are engaged in a process of learning and growth.

• Mrs. Jody Berkel
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  Mrs. Jody Berkel

  Jody Berkel is a Jewish educator, speaker and author. After 25 years of entrepreneurship in the children’s entertainment industry, Jody has switched gears to focus on building the Jewish people. Through her own Jewish journey, Jody inspires women to connect to the depth and beauty of Judaism through teaching and empowering women and families to give back to their community. You can find her inspiring weekly videos on YouTube and read her touching articles on Aish.com. As a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Jody shares her powerful story and message with both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences in high-schools, Shuls and community groups. Her passion and love of Judaism and her fellow Jew is infectious. Jody works as a coordinator of NCSY’s Jewish Family Experience in Toronto and has a Bachelor of Environmental Science. She lives with her husband and three children in Toronto.

• Mrs. Eve Levy
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  Mrs. Eve Levy

  Eve Levy, Rabissa of Ahavat Achim, is what one may call a magnetic force. Her Jewish journey has taken her to live in some of the most beautiful cities in the world: Montreal, Calgary, Toronto, Jerusalem, Denver, and now Portland, Oregon. Her passion is helping Jewish women find their unique light, connect to their Judaism in a way that is meaningful to them, and help guide women along their spiritual journeys. Eve gets her inspiration from the hundreds of women whom she is privileged to work with. Taking women to Israel to share her love of the land and of the Jewish people is Eve’s favorite work and she has been a city leader on the Momentum trips since 2010. Eve created and lead a unique woman’s trip called The Poland-Israel Journey, under the Portland Kollel, which is very dear to her soul, being a granddaughter of 4 Holocaust survivors. She is excited to now launch her own Poland-Israel trips along with destination trips through Inspired Jewish Women.  When Eve is not running inspirational programs or women’s retreats, for her community, she is either enjoying family time with her 6 children and husband, blogging, coaching, dancing, or baking challah.