Rabbi Lisa Bock enjoys teaching and learning about Judaism. After 25 years working in business and learning about Judaism, she closed her business and earned her Master’s in Rabbinic Studies and ordination at the Academy of Jewish Religion, California. While a real estate appraiser and business leader, she also volunteered and worked in various capacities in the Jewish community prior to becoming a rabbi, including being a URJ Certified Outreach Schindler Fellow for Conversion Mentoring and Interfaith Mentoring. She taught and mentored those new to Judaism and those returning to Judaism, as well as welcoming and integrating interfaith families into Jewish life, and was a frequently sought after teacher for the Peoplehood session of the URJ Introduction to Judaism program in Southern California. Rabbi Bock is also a Mussar leader and facilitator with the Mussar Institute, leads life cycle ceremonies, and in addition to chaplaincy work, teaches in various settings. Rabbi Lisa loves to walk with husband Ken and their dog Lilly. Rabbi Lisa and Ken have two grown children.
Revital Somekh-Goldreich, PhD, started teaching in the Israeli Defense Forces where she was one of the first women artillery officers. After receiving a BA in Architecture from the Technion in Haifa, she traveled around the world, settling in Los Angeles in 1988 where she was licensed as a CPA and became an executive at Mayer Hoffman McCann. Revital trained accounting staff while serving as Art Director for Leo Baeck Temple School. In 2008, she reinvented herself as a full-time artist and educator. Winning awards from the Israeli American Council and Hadassah for her unique brand of work, she proceeded to teach Bible and history with an emphasis on the visual and to serve as artist-in-residence in congregations and schools such as AJU, CSUN, AJRCA, and the Ezzree Institute. Revital received her MA in Judaic Studies and Interfaith Relations from the Academy for Jewish Religion, CA. Her thesis analyzes Artists and Art-Viewers as Biblical Commentators. Her PhD dissertation is based on the years-long Journey with the Artist© experiment at Shomrei Torah Synagogue (currently, Hamakom). There, dozens of congregants participated in the communal co-creation of meaning and art, culminating in a seminal stained-glass installation wrought by their spirits, minds and hands.
Jordanna Flores has been an Experiential Jewish Educator for over 20 years. She earned Masters Degrees in Jewish Education and Jewish Nonprofit Management from HUC-JIR in Los Angeles and has worked in museum education, family camping, adult education and summer camping. Jordanna has served as the Director of Camp Alonim, the Director of the LA Area Melton School, the Assistant Director of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at HUC-JIR LA and the Director of URJ 6 Points West, formerly known as URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech West. Currently, Jordanna is the Director of Year-Round Programs and Innovation for the west coast’s premier Jewish retreat center at Camp Newman in Northern California. She lives in LA with her husband, Aaron and teen twins, Reuben and Shira.
Ben Zion (Benzy) Kogen is a Consultant for Leadership and Education. He has devoted his career to senior leadership positions within the Jewish community, in Jewish Education and Nonprofits. He serves as Religious VP of Shomrei Torah Synagogue, on the Executive Committee of the Pacific Southwest Region of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and serves as Spiritual Leader of Congregation Bnai Jacob in Bakersfield. Benzy holds undergraduate degrees from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, as well as dual Masters degrees in Educational Administration from Teachers College of Columbia University. A master educator who has devoted himself to the building of communities and the enhancement of Jewish life, Benzy has led seminars for educators and taught in congregations across the U.S. and Canada, bringing the joy of classical Jewish text and tradition t learners of all ages.
Rabbi Shana Chandler Leon is the senior rabbi at Congregation Ner Tamid of San Francisco. She was ordained at the trans-denominational Academy for Jewish Religion-CA in 2015. Rabbi Shana served as a cantor and cantorial soloist in LA from 1995-2016, earned her Masters of Education from American Jewish University in 2005 and graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in English Literature (Summa Cum Laude 1992). She loves her adopted home of Los Angeles, but is first and foremost a San Franciscan. Shana loves books, music, playing guitar, chanting Torah, all things Jewish, the SF Giants, and most of all, her beloved husband Andrew and two adult children Adena and Jared.
Rabbi Sabine Meyer, Ph.D. is a dedicated teacher with over 20 years of experience in academic and congregational settings. She has taught in the German Studies and Judaic Studies departments at the University of Southern California. Her dissertation at USC, "Lives Remembered:Memoirs of German-Jewish Women Who Left Germany in the 1930s" examines issues relating to history, memory, gender and identity. As director of the URJ Introduction to Judaism program in Southern California and Arizona, Rabbi Meyer enjoys working with adult learners and guiding them on their Jewish journeys. She frequently officiates at life-cycle events and participates in interfaith events. When not teaching, Rabbi Meyer can be found hiking with her mixed-breed rescue dogs, Pepper and Finn.
Michael Raileanu was born and raised in El Paso, TX and grew up in a family of teachers and dedicated Zionists. Michael got his first classroom assignment at the age of 15 and has been teaching non-stop ever since. He has held leadership positions in many Jewish educational settings, both formal and informal. He has spoken before groups ranging from preschoolers and their parents to governmental symposia. Michael has taught all four of the basic Melton courses and directed the Melton program in Ft. Worth, TX. Michael got his B.A. in English from the University of Texas, Austin and his M.A.Ed. from the University of Judaism. Michael was the 2007 winner of the JProStl Peer Excellence Award for adult education. Additionally, he received both 2010 Stuart I. Raskas Outstanding Day School Teacher Award & Grinspoon/Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. Michael is a third year rabbinical student at the Academy for Jewish Religion. Michael is married to Lorie (Beaudry) and together they have four children. They have known each other since the age of 15 and have shared their odyssey of two countries, four states, 17 houses and myriad friends and acquaintances.
Rabbi Adam Schaffer is the 14-year Director of the Jewish Learning Center (JLC) at HAMAKOM in West Hills, California, a school of 200+ students. Prior to that he served seven years as the School Rabbi at Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School in Northridge where he taught Judaic Studies, Cantillation, Tefillah, and Jewish Ethics. Rabbi Adam prides himself on being an eclectic rabbi who defies denominational labels. He has served in a variety of capacities including as a congregational rabbi in Bremerton, Washington, an assistant education director in Santa Ana, California, and a chaplain at UCLA Hospital. He holds rabbinic ordination and a Master's degree in Jewish Education from HUC-JIR in Los Angeles and a Bachelor's degree in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania. His proudest role, however is being the abba to his two children, Ezra and River, and his greatest honor is to be married to the wonderful Melissa Sandler.
Micah Glass-Siegel received his Masters in History from UC San Diego where he focused on the Hebrew Bible and Jewish History. He completed the DeLeT educator's program at HUC and his BA at the University of Maryland, College Park in Art History and Archaeology. His studies included comparative ancient mythology and cultures of the Near East, along with ancient languages including Aramaic, Akkadian, Ugaritic, and Syriac. Micah helped to design and teach a number of University courses on the Hebrew Bible and ran an adult B'nai Mitzvah class in San Diego. Micah was the High Holiday chazan for the Hillel of UCSD. In addition he is a papercut artist specializing in Ketubot and other Judaic themes.