Be sure to check back as we continue to update our 2025 Presenters!
2025 Featured Presenters
THE BIBLE PLAYERS
The Bible Players are a comedy team dedicated to Improv-ing Jewish Lives. Since 2011, they have performed in 35 states, visiting hundreds of schools, synagogues, camps, and more, using improv and comedy to teach mitzvot and Jewish values. Co-founder Andrew Davies received the Young Pioneers Award from the Jewish Education Project. Co-founder Aaron Friedman earned a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education from JTS and was named “The Funniest Jew in New York” by the Jewish Week. |
RABBI LEAH BERKOWITZ
Leah Rachel Berkowitz a rabbi, educator, and author based in Philadelphia, PA. Leah teaches for Hillel at Temple University, Gratz College, the Union for Reform Judaism, the Jewish Learning Collaborative, and Laasok.org. Each summer, she serves on the faculty at the URJ 6 Points Creative Arts Academy. She is a current Jewish Studio Project Fellow, a Rukin Rabbinic Fellow at 18 Doors (formerly Interfaith Family), and a Past President of the Women's Rabbinic Network. She contributed to The Sacred Calling: Four Decades of Women in the Rabbinate (Winner of the 2016 National Jewish Book Award) and several of the CCAR Press prayer books. Rabbi Berkowitz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Journalism from Brandeis University. She was ordained at HUC-JIR, where she also earned dual masters degrees in Hebrew Literature and Religious Education. Leah is the author of three children's books: The World Needs Beautiful Things, Queen Vashti's Comfy Pants, and The Moving Box Sukkah, as well as the middle-grade midrash collection Maybe It Happened This Way: Bible Stories Reimagined with co-author Erica Wovsaniker. |
Presenters
ANA BERMAN
Ana Berman is the ISJL’s Special Projects Coordinator. Originally from New York, she graduated from Macalester College with a degree in History and Religious Studies. Ana joined the ISJL in 2023 as a public history intern and then as the 2023-2024 Education and Culture Program Associate. In her current role as Special Projects Coordinator, Ana has served as the researcher and author of the ISJL’s new Southern & Jewish Teen Tour Curriculum, consulted groups traveling to the Jewish South, and created meaningful southern Jewish history programming for religious school and secular classrooms alike. Ana lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota and enjoys cheering on the New York Rangers, learning new historical facts, and exploring the Twin Cities. |
ANA BONNHEIM
Rabbi Ana Bonnheim is the founding executive director of the Jewish Learning Collaborative. Previously, she was the director of the Open Dor Project, an accelerator for emerging clergy-led spiritual communities, was the director of the Founders’ Fellowship, an incubator for Jewish leadership on college campuses, and served as the associate director of URJ Greene Family Camp in Texas. Rabbi Bonnheim is the immediate past chair of the Central Conference of American Rabbis Ethics Committee and co-chaired the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte’s allocations committee. She received rabbinical ordination from Hebrew Union College and a BA from Dartmouth College and is currently a Wexner Field Fellow. Ana lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and two children. |
RAE ESKIN
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CARLA FRIEND
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ROBIN FOONBERG
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BETH R. GOLDSTEIN
Beth R. Goldstein, RJE is the Curriculum Manager for the ISJL. She has been a Jewish educator for 18 years working with students and families to support their Jewish growth and exploration. Beth has worked with learners of all ages, created several religious school curricula, developed and implemented family education programs, and been a song leader for many synagogue and camp communities. A graduate of Brandeis University, Beth also holds a Master of Arts in Jewish Education and a Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service, both from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Beth believes her role as a Jewish Educator is to help each person find their own Jewish path while connecting to others in the community. Having grown up in the South, Beth is excited to be back in the region living in Greensboro, NC. |
RABBI AMY HERTZ
Rabbi Amy Hertz serves the historic Jewish community in Greensboro, North Carolina, as a rabbi and educator at Temple Emanuel. Known for her creativity and joyful leadership, Rabbi Hertz has a passion for Jewish education, as well as supporting youth and adults on their unique and meaningful Jewish journeys. Rabbi Hertz received her B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and went on to receive her Master’s Degree in Hebrew Letters and Rabbinic Ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Jerusalem and Cincinnati in 2008. She also received her Master's Degree in Jewish Education from HUC-JIR in 2020. Rabbi Hertz is married to Beth Goldstein, the curriculum manager at the ISJL. They love leading services together and are delighted to get to lead a workshop on youth worship together at this conference! |
ROSE KANTORCZYK
Rose Kantorczyk (they/them) is the Communications and Legislative Affairs Coordinator at SOJOURN: the Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender & Sexual Diversity. In this role, they spread the word about SOJOURN's programs, partnerships, and resources, mobilize Southern Jewish communities to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and write often about queer Judaism. Rose cut their teeth in Jewish advocacy and storytelling as a fellow at Rice University's Religion and Public Life Program, and landed at SOJOURN following a stint in digital fundraising for politics. They hold a bachelor's degree in Sociology and Policy Studies from Rice University, and completed the 2023-2024 HUC-JIR Jewish Ideas Fellowship. Rose lives in Houston with their roommate and two cats. |
ANDI KAUFMAN
Andi Kaufman is the Midwest and Canada Regional Director for Moving Traditions. Andi firmly believes in engaging local teens on a lifelong path of Jewish involvement. A native of Nebraska, she has spent the bulk of her professional career in the Jewish non-profit space. Andi has been heavily influenced by her experiences at overnight camp and in youth groups which she attributes to establishing her strong connection to Judaism. She holds a B.A. in Telecommunications and Jewish Studies from Indiana University and is an alumna of USY’s Nativ program. In her spare time, you can find Andi playing board games, crafting and listening to Broadway show tunes with her husband and twin boys in Buffalo Grove, IL. |
VALERIE KLEIN
As the Community Manager for the ISJL, Valerie is excited to share her 18 years of experience as the director of education in Plano, Texas and her years of experience at Greene Family Camp with the ISJL Community. Valerie has a bachelor’s degree in education with a minor in early childhood and earned a master’s in religious education (M.A.R.E) from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. Valerie’s additional experiences in Jewish education include teaching kindergarten at the Fort Worth Hebrew Day School, teaching religious school to all ages, being a BBYO advisor, leading the URJ Garin Greene Israel tour as well as living and working in Israel for 2 ½ years. Valerie lives in Frisco, Texas with her husband and is the proud mother of 3 phenomenal young women. |
MAX KLEINMAN
Max L Kleinman is the principal of Max L Kleinman Consulting, LLC, specializing in non-profit consulting and strategic planning. With nearly 20 years as CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest in New Jersey, he has extensive experience in Jewish communal leadership, having also led federations in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Atlanta. He was on the faculty at Rutgers University's Graduate School of Social Work and Yeshiva University. He served as president of the Jewish Communal Service Association (now JPro) and has authored over 20 publications in prominent non-profit journals, including his book "Maximum Potential." He holds degrees from City College of New York and Yeshiva University, and executive certificates from Case Western and Stanford Universities. He resides in Fairfield, New Jersey. |
MOLLY LEVY
Molly Levy is the Director of Education for the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL). She's excited to be leading the ISJL team into its next evolution. Molly's institutional and communal roots are deep; she was an ISJL Education Fellow from 2009-2011, and grew up in a small Jewish community in North Georgia which has benefited from the ISJL's services. Molly is an alum of the University of Georgia and Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University. Since her time at the ISJL she has served as an Educator at many synagogues from DC to Miami, as well as Program Director for URJ Camp Coleman. Molly lives in Tampa, Florida, with her husband, Justin, and their two kiddos, Max and Jonah. |
LIZZI MEISTER
Lizzi Meister is the Public Programs Manager at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. She's originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she went to Jewish summer camp in the north woods and developed a love for engaging programming. Her love for the South came during her time as a Community Engagement Fellow in Jackson, Mississippi. Before moving to New Orleans to work at the Museum, Lizzi lived in Seattle, getting her Masters in Museology and working with a Jewish co-op! She enjoys continuing to weave her love of museums, programming, and Jewish stories at the MSJE. |
SHIRA MUROFF
Shira Muroff is the ISJL's Director of Programs. She is a California native and a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with a degree in Human Development. A Jacksonian since 2016, Shira first joined the ISJL as an Education Fellow from 2016-2018. After the fellowship, she created Mississippi history materials for students and teachers across the state with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Back at the ISJL since 2022, Shira has enjoyed connecting communities across the South to Jewish speakers, musicians, comedians, and more. |
RABBI SALEM PEARCE
Ordained in 2018 by Hebrew College, Rabbi Pearce’s career has exemplified values of justice, compassion, and service to all. Most recently serving as the Executive Director of Carolina Jews for Justice, Rabbi Pearce has also worked for T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, and several synagogues and community organizations. Her internships while a rabbinical student included working for the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts, and spending a summer as the ISJL’s Rabbinical Intern in 2017. Rabbi Pearce originally hails from Houston. Personally and professionally, she has strong ties to the southern region. |
LAUREN RHOADES
Lauren Rhoades is a writer, editor, and grantmaker living in Jackson, Mississippi. Originally from Denver, Colorado, Lauren has served with AmeriCorps, started Mississippi's first fermentation company, and helmed the Eudora Welty House & Garden. She is now director of grants at the Mississippi Arts Commission and a host of MPB’s The Mississippi Arts Hour. In 2022, Lauren founded Rooted Magazine, an online publication dedicated to telling unfiltered stories about what it means to call Mississippi home. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the Mississippi University for Women. Her debut memoir Split the Baby was published in 2025. |
MCKENZIE WREN
McKenzie Wren is a facilitator who works in multiple arenas to support connection and growth. She is Special Projects Manager with SOJOURN and also works under two of her own organizations: As Ma’ayan Spiritual Arts, she uses Earth-based, embodied Jewish art, ritual and spiritual practices to support deeper connection to the Divine Mystery. As Wren Consulting, she works with businesses and nonprofits to support inclusion and belonging. At the heart of everything she does is the belief in the power of relationship, community and connection to nature. McKenzie works with individuals and groups of all sizes to create spaces that are nurturing, creative and brave and support personal and communal transformation. |