Current Fellow

Michelle Dardashti 2009-2011

Michelle Dardashti.  Prior to her rabbinic training at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Michelle lived in Uruguay, teaching at a Jewish Day School, running Hillel programs, and writing for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. She then journeyed to Israel, first on a Dorot Fellowship—volunteering at Israel Democracy Institute, studying at the Conservative Yeshiva, and learning Arabic—and later working for the Nesiya Institute. While at JTS Michelle served as Director of Family Programming at Shaare Zedek, and was the educator for Interfaith Community, a rabbinic intern for Interfaith Worker Justice, chaplain at Bellevue Hospital, and rabbi and hazzanit for JTS’s High Holy Day services. She also participated in a cross-seminary course in congregation-based community organizing through Jewish Funds for Justice, traveled to El Salvador as part of an American Jewish World Service Rabbinical Student Delegation, and produced “Esther in Africa,” a Purim-themed musical fundraising event for the AJWS Sudan Relief Fund. Michelle returned to Jerusalem for her fourth year of rabbinical school; while there, she studied at the Schechter Institute, facilitated Encounter Programs study tours to Bethlehem, and organized an event exploring homosexuality in Israel through the arts. Michelle was ordained and received a Masters in Jewish Education from JTS in May 2010.

Past Fellows

Ezra Weinberg 2008-2010

Ezra Weinberg graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and was ordained in June 2009. He was privileged to spend two and a half years studying in Jerusalem at over seven different learning institutions. Upon his return from Israel he joined B’nai Keshet in Montclair, New Jersey as their Rabbinic Intern. He was also active in creating musical Shabbaton experiences at Congregation Kol Tzedek in Philadelphia. Many of his emerging leadership skills and Zionist inspiration developed as a result of growing up within the Habonim Dror Youth movement. In 2010 he became the rabbi at Mishkan Ha’am, the Westchester-Riverdale Reconstructionist Group.

Esther Lederman 2007-2009

Esther Lederman graduated from Hebrew Union College and was ordained in May 2008. She received her B.A. in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from McGill University in 1996. Before HUC, she held positions with the Israel Policy Forum in Washington, DC and directed a project on Middle East peace for the Union for Reform Judaism. In her years at HUC, Esther has been closely involved with Jewish Funds for Justice and their work of community organizing in synagogues. She was the student rabbi for the Jewish community of Indiana, Pennsylvania for two years. If you’re ever in Washington, D.C. you can find her at Temple Micah.

Brent Spodek 2006-2007

Brent Chaim Spodek graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2007 with rabbinical ordination and a master’s degree in Jewish Philosophy. Brent has been involved with the American Jewish World Service for many years as a participant, group leader, and educational consultant. Prior to coming to rabbinical school, Brent graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in Political Theory and worked as a daily journalist in Durham, NC. Through his work at American Jewish World Service be became their first Rabbi in Residence and Director of Jewish Communal Relations. He lives in New York with his wife Alison and their daughter. Alison is a post doctoral fellow at Columbia University.

Chen Ben Or Tsfoni 2006-2007

Chen Ben Or Tsfoni attended Hebrew Union College, which she was inspired to do after attending the B’nai Jeshurun Women’s Retreat in 2002. She spent two years with BJ part-time while in NYC with her husband and three children and then headed back to her congregation, Niggun Halev, in Israel. Before beginning rabbinical school, Chen worked as a social worker and a facilitator at HaMidrasha.

Dara Frimmer 2005-2007

Dara Frimmer graduated from Hebrew Union College in 2006. Dara received her B.A. in Feminist Studies and Religious Studies from Stanford University in 1998. Before rabbinical school, she volunteered for Project Otzma, a Federation sponsored service and leadership program in Israel, and spent two years at Harvard Divinity School studying religious approaches to healing and illness. Dara is one of the assistant rabbis at Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles.

Lauren Holtzblatt 2005-2007

Lauren Holtzblatt graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary. After graduating Sarah Lawrence College in 1999, she spent two years studying at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem and Drisha in Manhattan. During her time at Drisha, Lauren taught in the BJ Hebrew School. Lauren has spent two years working with the labor movement, organizing clergy and faith communities in low wage worker struggles. Lauren is now in New Haven as one of the rabbis at the Slifka Center, Yale Hillel.

Kate Mizrahi 2004-2006

Katie Mizrahi graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia in June 2006. Katie has been on the rabbinic path for a long time, graduating from Stanford University with a BA in Philosophy and Religious Studies, spending three of the past seven years learning and working in Jerusalem, and serving as a teacher, chaplain, cantor, and student rabbi in various communities over the past several years. She is currently at Or Shalom Jewish Community in San Francisco.

Kliel Rose 2003-2005

Kliel Rose graduated from Jewish Theological Seminary in 2004. He is currently at West End Synagogue in Nashville, Tennessee. He spent the last year of his MTM Fellowship working with the Emanu-El community in South Miami, Florida. Our Rabbis and Board of Trustees also worked extensively with the Temple to help them adapt some of BJ’s successful programs and models.

Meir Feldman 2002-2005

Meir Feldman was ordained by Hebrew Union College in 2003. In July of 2004, Meir became assistant rabbi of Temple Israel of Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to rabbinical school, Meir practiced law as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and with a Wall Street law firm. Meir received his J.D. from Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law where he was a member of the Law Review.

Jessica Zimmerman 2001-2003

Jessica Zimmerman serves as the Grace and Horace Goldsmith Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel of Scottsdale, Arizona. Jessica graduated from Hebrew Union College in 2003. During her studies, she worked extensively with Jewish communities abroad, and performed the first Jewish wedding led by a female rabbi in Colombia. She is a STAR PEER fellow and a member of the Synagogue 3000 Leadership Network.

Rachel Gartner 2001-2003

Rachel Gartner was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2002. She is co-author of “Rosh Hodesh: It’s A Girl Thing – Sourcebook for Leaders”, a project of Moving Traditions. Upon completion of her MTM Fellowship, Rachel became the second rabbi at the Reconstructionist Congregation Bnai Keshet in Montclair, New Jersey.

Sharon Brous 2000-2002

Sharon Brous was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in 2001. She is the founder and rabbi of IKAR, a vibrant new Jewish Spiritual Community in Los Angeles. Sharon was included in the Forward Fifty, an annual list of the 50 most influential members of the American Jewish community in 2004 and 2005. She serves on the faculty of REBOOT, a network of Jewish trend-setters, thinkers and activists, and is on the board of Progressive Jewish Alliance. She teaches a course at Hebrew Union College and the University of Judaism on Social Justice and Spiritual Activism. She is a fellow in the Jewish Life Network‘s Common Judaism Project, as well as a member of the Synagogue 3000 Leadership Network.

Eric Solomon 1999-2001

Eric Solomon was ordained in 2000 by Hebrew Union College, and currently serves as the spiritual leader of Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh, North Carolina. Upon completion of the MTM Fellowship, Eric helped found Congregation Tehillah, the first congregation intentionally created to provide the BJ experience for those living in Riverdale and Lower Westchester. More recently, he participated in the inaugural cohort of the STAR PEER program (Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal/Professional Education for Excellence in Rabbis) for “up and coming” rabbis, and was accepted into the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly.

Felicia Sol 1999-2001

Felicia Sol received her rabbinic ordination in 1999 from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. While engaged in studies at HUC, Rabbi Sol began her involvement with Congregation B’nai Jeshurun as the Family and Youth Director (1996-1999). After two years as an MTM Fellow, she was appointed to serve as one of the rabbis at BJ, joining her mentors in their rabbinic partnership. She served as a Board Member of Kavod, is a founder of Lishmah and in 2005 received the Pace Setter Award from the New York City Council.

Joshua Levine Grater 1998-2000

Joshua Levine Grater was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1999. He was rabbi of Congregation Ahavath Israel in Kingston, New York, before becoming the spiritual leader of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center in 2003. Joshua regularly contributes to publications including the LA Jewish Journal, Tikkun Magazine and SocialAction.com. He chairs the social action committee of the Southern California Board of Rabbis, serves on the board of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom as well as other community and justice organizations. Joshua also teaches Jewish meditation.

Shoshana Dworsky 1997-1999

Shoshana Dworsky was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in 1998. She served as the rabbi of the Battery Park Synagogue, as the assistant Rabbi of Neve Shalom in Portland, Oregon and as the assistant director of University of Michigan Hillel. She was the Associate Jewish Chaplain at McAllister College in Saint Paul, Minnesota and recently joined Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota as the Associate Chaplain.

Yael Ridberg 1998-2000

Yael Ridberg graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1997, and currently serves as the rabbi of West End Synagogue in New York City. She has been invited to speak, lead workshops and services for many organizations across the country and across the Jewish denominational spectrum. Rabbi Ridberg served on the Executive Committee of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. In 2003, Jewish Women International named her as one of Ten Women to Watch.