May 29–30, 2024
Hosted at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City
For the conference agenda, click here.
GREETING
Mark S. Anshan
Coordinator, Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism
Mark S. Anshan is a lawyer and a former Canadian diplomat, serving on several nonprofit boards. He provides legal, business, strategic and organizational advice to not-for-profits and charities.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Mark served in the Canadian foreign service at the United Nations and the Canadian Embassy in Stockholm. Having served as a senior executive, chair and board member, he has been involved in managing and reorganizing several companies and nonprofits. He has extensive experience in management, strategic planning, governance and organizing businesses. He serves on several boards in the Canadian Jewish community and beyond. Mark is a past president of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, past president of ARZA Canada and past chair of ARZENU. He served on the Union for Reform Judaism board of trustees and as vice chair. He currently serves as a director of the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company, Project Abraham and other organizations.
PRAYER FOR THE STATE OF ISRAEL AND PRAYER FOR THE HOSTAGES
Rabbi Cantor Samantha Natov
Associate Rabbi, Stephen Wise Free Synagogue
Rabbi Cantor Samantha Natov grew up in Dundas, Ontario. She holds a bachelor’s from McGill University and a master’s in musicology and ethnomusicology from the University of Virginia.
Following her time as a cantorial soloist in Toronto, Rabbi Natov came to New York to earn her degree in sacred music from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. After working as a cantor at congregations in New Jersey and Brooklyn, she decided to become a rabbi. Rabbi Natov was ordained by HUC-JIR in 2015 and joined Stephen Wise Free Synagogue a few months later in July 2015.
As associate rabbi at Stephen Wise, she oversees the congregation’s adult education programming and social justice work.
INTRODUCTION TO KEYNOTE
Rabbi Dan Reichenbach
Chaplain, NYU Langone Health
Rabbi Dan Reichenbach grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and was deeply engrossed in the Reform movement from his youngest years. He is a product of URJ Eisner and Kutz camps, NFTY GER, NFTY in Israel, and NFTY EIE (Heller High).
Dan graduated from Clark University in 2012 with a degree in Jewish history and then made aliyah and served proudly in the IDF as an infantryman in the Nahal Brigade. He saw combat in the summer of 2014 during Operation Protective Edge.
Dan received his master’s in religious education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 2020, his master’s in Hebrew literature in 2022 and was ordained as a rabbi on May 5, 2024. Over the course of his education Dan had the opportunity to work at a number of reform congregations, including Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and most recently at Hevreh of Southern Berkshires. For the last year Dan has been engaged in three units of clinical pastoral education at NYU Langone Health, where he acted as a chaplain, providing spiritual care for people during their hospitalization.
Dan lives in New York City with his dog Chewbacca.
Rabbi Cantor Inna Serebro-Litvak
Senior Rabbi, Temple Shalom of Succasunna, New Jersey
Rabbi Cantor Serebro-Litvak is the senior rabbi at Temple Shalom in Succasunna, New Jersey.
Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, she made aliyah with her entire family to Israel, where she pursued her undergraduate studies at the Music Academy of Tel Aviv University. After graduating, she moved to the United States and enrolled at Jewish Theological Seminary’s Miller Cantorial School, becoming the first woman from the former Soviet Union to graduate from JTS.
Rabbi Inna served as the cantor at Temple B’nai Or in Morristown, New Jersey, and Temple Beth Am in Parsippany, New Jersey. While at Temple Beth Am, she earned her rabbinic ordination and master’s in Jewish studies from the Academy for Jewish Religion.
She is married to Anatoly Litvak, and they have two daughters, Emily and Abigail. In her free time, Rabbi Inna enjoys hiking, practicing yoga, going to theaters, listening to audiobooks, and learning French.
Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot
Rabbi Cantor, Temple Judea
Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot is best known for her joyful spirit, soulful singing and passion for Jewish learning. In her 21st year at Temple Judea of Tarzana, California, and jointly ordained as rabbi and cantor, Alison is dedicated to revitalizing worship, integrating the ancient sounds of Jewish tradition with contemporary music, and making the beauty and joy of Jewish texts and liturgy accessible to all.
Alison’s training includes master’s in sacred music and Hebrew letters, as well as her double ordination, from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institue of Religion, a bachelor’s from Wesleyan University, and certificates from British American Drama Academy in London, William Esper Studios in New York, and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Alison is currently a visiting instructor at HUC-JIR in LA.
She has served on the executive council of the Cantors Assembly, and the board of directors of StandWithUs, Rabbis United and AKLA, and she is an active leader in the American Conference of Cantors and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Alison has worked as an actress in New York and London and was awarded a Spielberg Fellowship to teach Jewish theater.
A native of the San Fernando Valley, Alison resides in Porter Ranch with her husband, Michael, and children Jacob, Abby and Daniel.
Cantor Natalie Young
Cantor, Beth Emet: The Free Synagogue
Cantor Natalie Young is an award-winning composer whose music is being used by communities all over the world. Her gift for writing beautiful and memorable melodies has made prayer experiences accessible for worshippers young and old. The power of music is something she takes seriously — not just in her music writing, but also in how she connects with people and crafts services as a cantor.
Natalie proudly serves as the cantor at Beth Emet: The Free Synagogue in Evanston, Illinois. She is also privileged to be able to share her musical gifts and teachings with communities as a cantor/composer-in-residence throughout the year.
Learn more about the Amplify Israel – Birthright volunteer trip for Reform Jews at reformbirthright.com.
Learn more, nominate a fellow or apply directly for the Amplify Israel Rabbinic Fellowship at rabbinicfellowship.com.
Rabbi Dr. Tracy Kaplowitz
Israel Fellow, Stephen Wise Free Synagogue
Coordinator, Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism
Rabbi Tracy J. Kaplowitz, Ph.D., is the inaugural Marilyn G. and Joseph B. Schwartz Israel Fellow at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and the Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism conference coordinator. She came to Stephen Wise from JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, which ensures the quality of Jewish life for Jews in the U.S. military and the Veterans Administration.
An experienced spiritual leader and educator, Rabbi Kaplowitz served as a reserve chaplain in the U.S. Air Force and on the professional staff of both the Schechter School of Long Island and the Jewish Education Project. She was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and earned her doctorate in the sociology of education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Rabbi Kaplowitz is a member of both the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Rabbinical Assembly.
HEALING SHACHARIT
Rabbi David A. Ingber
Senior Director, 92NY
Founding Rabbi, Romemu
Rabbi David A. Ingber is the senior director for Jewish life and senior director of the Bronfman Center at the 92nd Street Y, and the founding rabbi of Romemu — the largest Renewal synagogue in the United States — which he founded in New York in 2006, following his ordination by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, the founder of the Jewish Renewal movement.
Raised Modern Orthodox in New York, Rabbi Ingber studied at Ramaz, Yeshiva University, Beit Midrash L’Torah, Yeshivat Chaim Berlin, and Yeshivat Chovovei Torah Rabbinical School.
Rabbi Ingber was named by Newsweek as one of the top 50 most influential rabbis in the United States as well as by The Forward as one of the 50 most newsworthy and notable Jews in America. A major 21st Century Jewish thinker and educator, his rich perspective, open heart and mind, and full-bodied approach to Jewish learning has brought him to speak worldwide. He serves on the faculty for the Wexner Heritage Program, and the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America and Israel, and was an AJWS Global Justice Fellow. Rabbi Ingber has lectured extensively on the topics of spirituality, theology, Jewish mysticism, prayer, and meditation. He lives in Manhattan with his wife Ariel and their three children.
Cantor Shimon Smith
Director of Music and Youth and Family, Romemu
Shimon Smith is the cantor and director of music and youth and family at Romemu of Manhattan.
Having grown up in Israel, Shimon served as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces for five years where he received the presidential award for outstanding soldier. After his service, he became a Jewish Agency shaliach in the U.S. for two years and, upon his return to Israel, he studied music at the Rimon School for Music and Jazz. Shimon holds a bachelor’s in history and Jewish studies, and became a full member of the Cantors Assembly in 2024.
In Israel, Shimon was a leader in the pluralistic Jewish world, leading music in rallies and protests for a more egalitarian Jewish society together with the IMPJ, Women of the Wall, and other Jewish pluralistic organizations. He was the cantorial soloist and head of the b’nai mitzvah program at Beit Daniel Tel Aviv for 13 years before moving with his family to the United States, where he spent a year as an artist in residence at Temple Emanuel in Westfield, New Jersey, before moving to New York City.
Shimon is a celebrated Jewish rock radio artist. His original songs are featured in many transcontinental music publications and can be found on Spotify and other streaming services. Shimon also dubs voices for characters in the Israeli versions of cartoon movies and TV shows and has been the Israeli voice of characters such as Scar, Thanos and Hefty Smurf. He is also one of the Israeli voices of Waze.
Shimon lives on the Upper West Side in Manhattan with his wife Rebecca, daughter Lily, and dog Lucy.
GREETINGS FROM THE ISRAEL MOVEMENT FOR PROGRESSIVE JUDAISM
David Bernstein
Deputy Director General, Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism
David Bernstein was born and grew up in San Francisco, California, where he was president of Congregation Sherith Israel’s youth group and taught at its Sunday school, was active in NFTY, and attended Camp Swig (now Camp Newman) as a camper, counselor and associate director.
David made aliyah in 1979 and was a founding member of Kibbutz Yahel, the first Reform movement kibbutz in Israel, where he met his wife Nirit. From 1988 to 1992, David served as central shaliach to the North American Reform movement. Upon returning to Israel, David left began a 20-year career at the Jewish Agency for Israel, during which he served as director of the partnership and overseas relations department and was a founder and director of the Partnership 2000 project, which partnered 45 Israeli cities and regional councils with Jewish communities throughout the world.
David volunteered as an activist in the Israel Reform and Progressive movement, as chair of his congregation, Birkat Shalom at Kibbutz Gezer, and as chair of the national general assembly of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism. In 2014, David joined the senior professional team of the IMPJ as Deputy Director General. In the World Zionist Organization David has served in a number of volunteer positions on behalf of ARZENU, the federation of world Reform Zionist movements. In June 2021, David was appointed to the executive of the World Zionist Organization, and recently to the board of trustees of Karen HaYasod.
David has an undergraduate degree in history and economics from Pitzer College and an MBA from University of California Berkeley.
SONGS OF LOSS, RESILIENCE AND HOPE: MUSIC IN THE AFTERMATH OF OCTOBER 7TH
Cantor Irena Altschul
Cantor, Temple Israel of the City of New York
Cantor Altshul was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, but spent her formative years in Israel and came to New York City as a graduate student. There she was drawn into synagogue life through her love of Jewish music.
Since her cantorial investiture in 2003, Cantor Altshul has served on the clergy team of Temple Israel of the City of New York and as the first invested Cantor at Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation in Reston, Virginia, from 2007 to 2014. She holds a master’s in sacred music and was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music in New York. In addition to her cantorial studies, Cantor Altsul holds a master’s in music from Brooklyn College and a bachelor’s in music from Tel Aviv University.
A trained mezzo-soprano, her performance experiences have included appearances with the Russian Chamber Choir, the New York Brooklyn College Opera Theater, the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and the Tel Aviv Philharmonic Choir. Cantor Altshul was also twice invited to sing at the president’s residence in Jerusalem. In addition to her work toward enriching the worship life of the Jewish community, Cantor Altshul partners with other synagogue professionals to teach adults and youth, perform life cycle events, make pastoral visits and be available to all people.
Cantor Altshul is an active member of the American Conference of Cantors. She and her husband, Dr. Mitya (Dmitri) Chklovskii, Ph.D., and their children, Sammy and Mark Chklovskii, reside on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Cantor Rabbi Luis Cattan
Cantor, Sutton Place Synagogue
Cantor Rabbi Luis Cattan, currently based at The Sutton Place Synagogue in New York City, holds a rabbinical ordination and a master’s in Jewish studies from the Academy for Jewish Religion. He is the immediate past president of the Cantors Assembly.
Cattan’s musical style, influenced by his Sephardic and Ashkenazic heritage, is shaped by his upbringing in Uruguay, where Ladino and Yiddish cultures were integral. Starting his musical journey at 11 in the synagogue choir, he later earned a bachelor’s in social communication sciences from the Catholic University of Montevideo. Following studies in Israel, he received Ḥazzanut training in Uruguay and Argentina, eventually becoming Head Ḥazzan at NCI, a prominent Conservative Synagogue in Uruguay.
In 2003, he moved to the United States, serving in Miami Beach and North Miami Beach, introducing innovative concerts and releasing the album “On the Wings of Prayer.” His distinctive blend of traditional and contemporary Sephardic and Ashkenazic melodies is featured in CDs by the Cantors Assembly and USCJ. You can listen to his music here.
Rabbi Menachem Creditor
Scholar-in-Residence, UJA-Federation of New York
Rabbi Menachem Creditor serves as the Pearl and Ira Meyer Scholar in Residence at UJA-Federation of New York and was the founder of Rabbis Against Gun Violence. An acclaimed author, scholar and speaker with over 4 million views of his online videos and essays, he was named by Newsweek as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America. His numerous books and six albums of original music include the global anthem “Olam Chesed Yibaneh” and the post-October 7 two-volume anthology “Am Yisrael Chai.”
He and his wife Neshama Carlebach live in New York, where they are raising their five children.
Raya Creditor
Student, The Leffell School
Raya Creditor is an 11th grader at The Leffell School in Westchester, New York.
Cantor Galit Dadoun Cohen
Cantor, Temple B’nai Or
Cantor Galit Dadoun Cohen was born and raised in Ashdod, Israel. She earned her bachelor’sin music from the Ruben Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. She came to America to prepare for her master’s in music, which she received from City University of New York’s Brooklyn College. In 2010, Dadoun Cohen was ordained by Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. Since then, she has served as the santor of Temple B’nai Or.
Before becoming a cantor, Dadoun Cohen sang opera and classical songs in Europe, Israel and the United States. In addition to her service to Temple Bnai Or, Cantor Galit serves the larger Jewish community through invitations to sing in concerts, festivals, and diverse projects throughout the United States. In honor of her 40th birthday, she gave an opera concert to raise funds to buy a grand piano for the Temple B’nai Or sanctuary. She is also scheduled to take part in the revival of the Jewish Opera Hannah, which will be performed in December of 2014. Along with her husband Joe, Cantor Galit shares the gratitude and endless joy of raising their three daughters Danielle, Naomi and Maya.
Rabbi Emma Gottlieb
Rabbi, Temple Israel, Cape Town
Rabbi Emma Gottlieb is from Toronto, Canada and currently lives in Cape Town, South Africa, where she is the only female member of Temple Israel’s rabbinic team, and is the first woman to serve a congregation full time in Cape Town. Rabbi Gottlieb received ordination from Hebrew Union College, at the New York campus in 2010 and subsequently held pulpits in small congregations in New York, Boston and Toronto. She brings an infectious energy and love for Torah, music, social justice, teaching and prayer to her Rabbinic work. It has been particularly meaningful to be one of the first women rabbis in South Africa – to present a different perspective on what a rabbi is, does and looks like. Rabbi Gottlieb hopes to inspire women and girls to own their Jewish stories and experiences, and to embrace what it means to be empowered and educated Jewish women.
Rabbi Cantor Samantha Natov
Associate Rabbi, Stephen Wise Free Synagogue
Rabbi Cantor Samantha Natov grew up in Dundas, Ontario. She holds a bachelor’s from McGill University and a master’s in musicology and ethnomusicology from the University of Virginia.
Following her time as a cantorial soloist in Toronto, Rabbi Natov came to New York to earn her degree in sacred music from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. After working as a cantor at congregations in New Jersey and Brooklyn, she decided to become a rabbi. Rabbi Natov was ordained by HUC-JIR in 2015 and joined Stephen Wise Free Synagogue a few months later in July 2015.
As associate rabbi at Stephen Wise, she oversees the congregation’s adult education programming and social justice work.
Rabbi Elana Rabishaw
Rabbi, Temple Beth El of Boca Raton, Florida
Elana Rabishaw is a rabbi at Temple Beth El in Boca Raton, Florida. She completed her studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles in 2022, and most recently worked as a rabbinic intern at Congregation Kol Ami in West Hollywood, California, before landing in Boca Raton. Rabbi Elana has worked at numerous synagogues throughout greater Los Angeles and as a student rabbi in Yakima, Washington. She also spent a summer working as a chaplain intern at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Rabbi Elana spent her summers at URJ camp OSRUI in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. She loved summers in Wisconsin so much that she attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Go Badgers!), where she earned her bachelor’s in community and nonprofit leadership and modern Hebrew. She earned her master’s in Hebrew letters from HUC-JIR in 2019, and her master’s in Jewish education in 2020.
She lives in Boca Raton, Florida, with her rescue doodle, Busby.
Bob Remstein
Founding Member, The Helfman Institute’s Composers’ Group
Bob Remstein has composed nearly 50 Jewish liturgical works, including a complete “Sacred Service”; the sermon in song, “Moses and the Rock”; and “A Heart of Wisdom,” a song he later arranged for full orchestra and chorus. A founding member of the Helfman Institute composers’ group, Bob wrote his “Hashkiveinu” for their opening concert, as well as two pieces for the Institute’s “David’s Quilt” concert in 2017 and one for the “Amazed” concert held in 2022 honoring the memory of Abraham Joshua Heschel. In 2021, he composed a setting of “Hanerot Halalu” for the Judaic Sacred Music Foundation. Bob is currently completing a set of four songs based on poems written in response to the October 7 attacks. He is an active pianist and keyboardist, serving as the staff accompanist for the San Fernando Valley Master Chorale, has scored video games for SceneIt, arranged music for the hit film, “Little Miss Sunshine,” and as co-leader of the lounge/electronica group Supercasanova, has produced tracks used on many TV shows.
Cantor Shirel Richman
Incoming Cantor, United Hebrew Congregation
Born and raised in Jerusalem, Shirel Richman was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in May 2024. Starting in July 2024, Shirel will serve as the cantor at United Hebrew Congregation in St. Louis, Missouri.
Shirel was a Hebrew language teacher at HUC-JIR, and taught cantorial and rabbinical students. As a cantorial student herself, Shirel interned at Temple Emanu-El of Westfield, New Jersey, and was a song leader and educator at New York’s Central Synagogue while interning at Temple Israel of Staten Island.
Shirel has a master’s in vocal performance and an advanced certificate in music education from CUNY Brooklyn College. She also holds a bachelor’s in music performance from the Buchman-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University. Shirel has taught music, Hebrew language and Judaic studies in New York and Boston Jewish day schools. She worked as a soloist in the Israeli Opera and she served as a “Musician of Excellence” and commander in the Israel Defense Forces. She has performed as a soloist in Austria, Canada, England, France, Israel, Switzerland and the United States.
Karen Rivo
Reform Movement Lay Leader
An active member of the Reform movement since growing up in Greensboro, North Carolina, Karen taught religious school, served as a nurse at Camp Coleman, and attended URJ Kutz Camp. In Miami Beach, Karen was president of Temple Beth Sholom, her family’s sacred center for God, Torah and Israel. She became an bat mitzvah as an adult and graduated from the Florence Melton School.
Currently, Karen serves on the boards of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and the Union for Reform Judaism, where she was the founding chair of the URJ’s Israel Leadership Network.
A Temple Beth Sholom 2003 summer trip to Israel was a pivotal moment in Karen’s family’s life. Dozens of trips to Israel followed and in 2018, Karen and husband Marc made aliyah, becoming dual Israeli-American citizens, sharing their soulful work between Miami and Safed. Today they are proud supporters of Bar Ilan University Medical School initiatives in Safed to improve community health in the Galil.
Karen and Marc are parents of Jessica Rachel, a Pardes graduate and teacher at Temple Beth Am Reform Day School, and Julie Aviva, a family physician. Their greatest joys are their granddaughters Ayla Malka and Liel Antonia.
Rabbi Cantor Inna Serebro-Litvak
Senior Rabbi, Temple Shalom of Succasunna, New Jersey
Rabbi Cantor Serebro-Litvak is the senior rabbi at Temple Shalom in Succasunna, New Jersey.
Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, she made aliyah with her entire family to Israel, where she pursued her undergraduate studies at the Music Academy of Tel Aviv University. After graduating, she moved to the United States and enrolled at Jewish Theological Seminary’s Miller Cantorial School, becoming the first woman from the former Soviet Union to graduate from JTS.
Rabbi Inna served as the cantor at Temple B’nai Or in Morristown, New Jersey, and Temple Beth Am in Parsippany, New Jersey. While at Temple Beth Am, she earned her rabbinic ordination and master’s in Jewish studies from the Academy for Jewish Religion.
She is married to Anatoly Litvak, and they have two daughters, Emily and Abigail. In her free time, Rabbi Inna enjoys hiking, practicing yoga, going to theaters, listening to audiobooks, and learning French.
Cantor Lizzie Shammash
Cantor Lizzie Shammash has served congregations in the Philadelphia area since 2007, most notably Tiferet Bet Israel from 2007 to 2020. She divides her time between pulpit work as a visiting cantor and artist-in-residence, creating and performing concerts, leading retreats and working with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality as a faculty member of the Clergy Leadership Program and teacher of the weekly Jewish Online Yoga Studio, creating embodied practice to companion weekly Torah portions, holidays and liturgy. She has been a yoga practitioner for 30 years and is certified both as a yoga teacher and a teacher of Jewish mindfulness.
She began her career as an opera, concert and recital singer and has performed at the Tanglewood, Ravinia, and Marlboro Festivals and as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra, among others. Cantor Shammash has recorded extensively for the Milken Archive of Jewish Music, including recordings of Yiddish art songs, Yiddish theater songs, liturgical repertoire, and contemporary compositions by American composers. She travels nationally with Divas on the Bima, a group she co-founded with three colleagues. She holds degrees from Brown University, Manhattan School of Music, Boston University Opera Institute, and the Jewish Theological Seminary. She makes her home in Philadelphia with her husband, David Reed.
Cantor Daniel Singer
Cantor, Stephen Wise Free Synagogue
Cantor Daniel Signer is as comfortable singing 18th-century classical liturgical repertoire or leading the congregation in traditional Hasidic or Sephardic melodies as he is performing Jewish pop a cappella with Six13 or singing roles with the Yiddish theater. He has served as the cantor of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue since 2006. “A singing community” is one of Cantor Singer’s major goals, and together with Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, he has implemented a revolutionary model of worship for the congregation.
Cantor Singer majored in music and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin in Superior and holds master’s degrees in vocal performance from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and in sacred music from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion School of Sacred Music in Jerusalem and Manhattan. Before entering the cantorate, he was voice department chair, opera workshop director, and head start coordinator at the Flint School for the Performing Arts, and a resident artist with the Toledo Opera and other regional and international vocal arts programs including the Israel Vocal Arts and Brevard Music Center. Cantor Singer is a member of the American Conference of Cantors and the Cantor’s Assembly.
Cantor Shimon Smith
Cantor + Director of Music and Youth and Family, Romemu
Shimon Smith is the cantor and director of music and youth and family at Romemu in Manhattan.
Having grown up in Israel, Shimon served as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces for five years where he received the presidential award for outstanding soldier. After his service, he became a Jewish Agency shaliach in the U.S. for two years and, upon his return to Israel, he studied music at the Rimon School for Music and Jazz. Shimon holds a bachelor’s in history and Jewish studies, and became a full member of the Cantors Assembly in 2024.
In Israel, Shimon was a leader in the pluralistic Jewish world, leading music in rallies and protests for a more egalitarian Jewish society together with the IMPJ, Women of the Wall, and other Jewish pluralistic organizations. He was the cantorial soloist and head of the b’nai mitzvah program at Beit Daniel Tel Aviv for 13 years before moving with his family to the United States, where he spent a year as an artist in residence at Temple Emanuel in Westfield, New Jersey, before moving to New York City.
Shimon is a celebrated Jewish rock radio artist. His original songs are featured in many transcontinental music publications and can be found on Spotify and other streaming services. Shimon also dubs voices for characters in the Israeli versions of cartoon movies and TV shows and has been the Israeli voice of characters such as Scar, Thanos and Hefty Smurf. He is also one of the Israeli voices of Waze.
Shimon lives on the Upper West Side in Manhattan with his wife Rebecca, daughter Lily, and dog Lucy.
Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot
Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot is best known for her joyful spirit, soulful singing and passion for Jewish learning. In her 21st year at Temple Judea of Tarzana, California, and jointly ordained as rabbi and cantor, Alison is dedicated to revitalizing worship, integrating the ancient sounds of Jewish tradition with contemporary music, and making the beauty and joy of Jewish texts and liturgy accessible to all.
Alison’s training includes master’s in sacred music and Hebrew letters, as well as her double ordination, from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institue of Religion, a bachelor’s from Wesleyan University, and certificates from British American Drama Academy in London, William Esper Studios in New York, and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Alison is currently a visiting instructor at HUC-JIR in LA.
She has served on the executive council of the Cantors Assembly, and the board of directors of StandWithUs, Rabbis United and AKLA, and she is an active leader in the American Conference of Cantors and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Alison has worked as an actress in New York and London and was awarded a Spielberg Fellowship to teach Jewish theater.
A native of the San Fernando Valley, Alison resides in Porter Ranch with her husband, Michael, and children Jacob, Abby and Daniel.
Cantor Natalie Young
Cantor Natalie Young is an award-winning composer whose music is being used by communities all over the world. Her gift for writing beautiful and memorable melodies has made prayer experiences accessible for worshippers young and old. The power of music is something she takes seriously — not just in her music writing, but also in how she connects with people and crafts services as a cantor. Natalie proudly serves as the cantor at Beth Emet: The Free Synagogue in Evanston, Illinois. She is also privileged to be able to share her musical gifts and teachings with communities as a cantor/composer-in-residence throughout the year.
NEXT STEPS + CLOSING SUMMARY
Mark S. Anshan
Coordinator, Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism
Mark S. Anshan is a lawyer and a former Canadian diplomat, serving on several nonprofit boards. He provides legal, business, strategic and organizational advice to not-for-profits and charities.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Mark served in the Canadian foreign service at the United Nations and the Canadian Embassy in Stockholm. Having served as a senior executive, chair and board member, he has been involved in managing and reorganizing several companies and nonprofits. He has extensive experience in management, strategic planning, governance and organizing businesses. He serves on several boards in the Canadian Jewish community and beyond. Mark is a past president of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, past president of ARZA Canada and past chair of ARZENU. He served on the Union for Reform Judaism board of trustees and as vice chair. He currently serves as a director of the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company, Project Abraham and other organizations.
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch
Senior Rabbi, Stephen Wise Free Synagogue
Rabbi Ammi Hirsch is the senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York. With a fiery voice, a listening heart and a brilliant mind, Rabbi Hirsch articulates a clear vision for the survival and success of American Judaism while tending compassionately to the needs of his growing congregation.
In 2018, The Jerusalem Post named him among “The 50 Most Influential Jews of the Year” and City & State praised him as “the borough’s most influential voice” for Manhattan’s more than 300,000 Jews.
Prior to his arrival at Stephen Wise, he served for 12 years as executive director of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA), the Israel arm of the North American Reform movement. An accomplished teacher, author and public speaker, he is also a trained lawyer and a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces. He is the host of the bi-weekly podcast “In These Times with Rabbi Ammi Hirsch” and his new book, “The Lilac Tree: A Rabbi’s Reflections on Love, Courage, and History” is available now wherever you get your books online.
Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism is sponsored by Amplify Israel: A Stephen Wise Free Synagogue initiative. Stephen Wise Free Synagogue is a 501(c)(3) religious organization (Tax ID #13-1628215) and any donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowable by law.
