Rabbi Jeffrey L. Falick
Rabbi Falick serves as rabbi at the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Metro Detroit. His education includes ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He has held leadership positions in the Society for Humanistic Judaism and the Association of Humanistic Rabbis. He has served as a faculty member in numerous programs, including the Melton School. He serves on the executive committee of Freedom House Detroit and the advisory committee of the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights. In 2018 he was recognized as “Freethinker of the Year” by the Center for Inquiry of Michigan for his work in Humanistic community building.
Rabbi David Lazar
Rabbi Lazar lives with his wife Sascha in Palm Springs, California, where he serves as spiritual leader of Or Hamidbar. Having lived most of his life in Israel, he studied and fulfilled his army obligations at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh, his BA in Bible Studies is from the Hebrew University and rabbinic ordination and MA in Jewish Studies (1993) are from the Schechter Institute. Rabbi Lazar was a Jerusalem Fellow at the Mandel School for Educational Leadership; a founder of Moshav Gan Or in the Gaza Strip; and served congregations Mevakshei Derech and Ya’ar Ramot in Jerusalem and Tiferet Shalom in Tel Aviv. He has been active in many non-profit organizations such as the Israel AIDS Task Force, the Jerusalem Open House and the Rabbinical Assembly. From 2010 to 2013, Lazar was the rabbi of the Jewish Community of Stockholm, Sweden and has been active in LGBTQ advocacy and interfaith dialogue throughout his career.
Rabbi Michal Loving
Rabbi Loving received her rabbinical ordination from the Reform Jewish seminary, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She is the recipient of numerous education awards and is currently faculty for the Union for Reform Judaism’s Introduction to Judaism program. When not reading, writing, or watching Star Trek, you’ll find her baking a cake, playing Minecraft, or tripping over the LEGO pieces of her three young sons. She resides in Southern California.
Rabbi Stephen Roberts
Rabbi Roberts is one of the world’s leading professional multi-faith chaplains. He has authored/co-authored the three major textbooks in in the field of multi-faith chaplaincy including: Professional Spiritual and Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain’s Handbook. Rabbi Roberts was one of the first three openly gay students admitted to Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 1990. He knows first hand the power of both inclusion and exclusion based upon arbitrary perceptions of who should and should not be part of the Jewish world. He strongly believes in an inclusive, open, welcoming Jewish world.
Rabbi Lori Shapiro
Rabbi Shapiro founded Open Temple in Venice, CA, with the desire to create an open door for everyone to go on their Jewish Soul Journey. Her transdenominational rabbinate was informed by her studies at the American Jewish University, years studying in Israel within an Orthodox Jewish framework and graduation from the Academy for Jewish Religion/California and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. She is a proud Lion of Judah philanthropist and holds membership in the Interfaith Inclusion Leadership Initiative, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California and the Sandra Caplan Beit Din.
Rabbi Elyse Wechterman
Rabbi Wechterman is the Executive Director of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. She served as longtime spiritual leader of Congregation Agudas Achim in Attleboro, Massachusetts; has taught at the college and adult level in many settings; was a founding faculty member of Camp Havaya; and has worked broadly with children and families with special needs to create inclusive communities for Jews of all abilities and backgrounds. A graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Rabbi Wechterman brings an open and inclusive approach to teaching Jewish life and traditions.
Rabbi Dr. Tzemah Yoreh
Rabbi Yoreh, leader of The City Congregation, is one the intellectual leaders of Jewish humanism. His newest book is Why Abraham Murdered Isaac: The First Stories of the Bible Revealed (2021). He has been a student of the Bible since his earliest days, winning the Diaspora Division of the International Bible Contest in childhood. He attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he obtained his Ph.D. in biblical criticism in record time. He earned a second Ph.D. in Ancient Wisdom Literature at the University of Toronto for the joy of studying ancient text.
