Conference Session: Keynote

Date: Monday, October 24th 12:15 - 1:00 pm ET

Bio: Laura van Dernoot Lipsky is the founder and director of The Trauma Stewardship Institute and author of Trauma Stewardship and The Age of Overwhelm. She is the host of the podcast Future Tripping, which is dedicated to conversations about overwhelm. Widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of trauma exposure, she has worked nationally and internationally for more than three decades. Much of her work is being invited to assist in the aftermath of community catastrophes - whether they are fatal storms or mass shootings. Simultaneously, she has long been active in community organizing and movements for social and environmental justice and has taught on issues surrounding systematic oppression, structural supremacy, and liberation theory. Laura is on the advisory board of ZGiRLS, an organization that supports young girls in sports. She is a founding member of the International Transformational Resilience Network, which supports the development of capacity to address climate change. Laura also served as an associate producer of the award-winning film A Lot Like You, and was given a Yo! Mama award in recognition of her work as a community-activist mother.

Conference Session: Building Robust Faith Support Systems for Jewish Survivors

Date: Wednesday, October 26th, 2:00 to 2:20 p.m. ET

Bio: Rabbi Gershon Albert has been the senior rabbi of Beth Jacob Congregation in Oakland since 2014. Originally from Montreal, Canada, he received his rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS). Rabbi Albert believes in the nexus of Torah and modern life, and in the power of lifelong learning to transform communities, families, and individuals. Being a passionate musician, he is committed to enhancing Jewish ritual and spirituality through music and song.

In addition to his full-time responsibilities at Beth Jacob, Rabbi Albert is the halachic advisor for Oakland Hebrew Day School, where he also serves on the board. He is a regional vice president of the Rabbinical Council of America and a member of the Chicago Rabbinical Council, the Rabbinical Alumni Association of RIETS, and the rabbinic advisory committee of Shalom Bayit.

Rabbi Albert and his wife, Meira, a Jewish community professional, have three children, and their family loves the natural beauty and outdoor lifestyle of Northern California.

Conference Session: Envisioning Next Steps & Reflection Space

Date: Wednesday, October 26th, 2:15 to 2:45 PM ET 

Bio: Dr. Guila Benchimol is a researcher, educator, consultant, and victim advocate whose work focuses on gender, abuse, and power in faith communities. Guila holds a PhD in Sociological Criminology from the University of Guelph and is also a trained restorative and transformative justice facilitator whose work incorporates the survivor perspective and her Jewish identity. She was one of the key advisors who guided the launch of the SRE Network and continues to serve as their Senior Advisor on Research and Learning while she consults on other projects. Guila has been invited to address Jewish professionals and clergy across Canada and the US, as well as other faith communities, where she educates, trains, and develops and implements policies on abuse prevention and intervention. She also sits on the board of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and is a research associate at the Center for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence where she has worked on projects related to homicides and domestic violence deaths. Her first 10+ year career as a Jewish educator in and outside of the Orthodox Jewish community informed her understanding of the need to address victimization of all kinds. Guila lives in Toronto, Ontario and was raised in its Spanish Moroccan community that was built by the families who fled Tangier.

Conference Session: Abortion Access, Reproductive Coercion, and Domestic Violence

Date: Wednesday, October 26th, 12:15 - 1:00 PM ET

Bio: Steph Black is a Jewish activist and writer based in D.C., where she fights to expand abortion access and reproductive justice. She writes newsletters, funds abortion, and shares information about self-managed abortion. Read her writing, follow her work, and subscribe at stephblackstrategies.com. All typos in her work can be attributed to her cat, Goose.

Conference Session: Befriending Our Nervous System Workshop

Date: Monday, October 24th, 1:15 - 2:00 PM ET

Bio: Linda Chamberlain, Ph.D. MPH is a scientist, author, professor, and founder of the Alaska Family Violence Prevention Project. She has worked in the field of brain development, stress, and trauma for over two decades. Known for her abilities to translate science into practical strategies with diverse audiences, she is an internationally recognized keynote speaker who conveys a message of hope and empowerment. Her current focus is on brain-mind-body practices to address how stress is stored in our bodies and the instinctive capacity of the brain-body to heal. A trainer with Capacitar, an international network for transforming trauma, she shares a wide range of practices that use breathwork, mindfulness, movement, and poly-vagal-informed strategies to promote resilience, self-regulation and healing. Dr. Chamberlain taught at the University of Alaska and earned public health degrees from Yale School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Recognition for her work includes a Scientist Scholar with the Fulbright Arctic Initiative, a National Kellogg Leadership Fellowship, an Alaska Women of Achievement Award and the Inaugural Scattergood Foundation Scholar on Child Behavioral Health.

Conference Session: Responding to Get Abuse

Date: Tuesday, October 25th, 12:15 to 1:00 PM ET

Bio: Naomi Dickson became Chief Executive of Jewish Women’s Aid in 2014. Since becoming CEO, Naomi has supported the organisation through significant growth. In addition to ensuring a high professional standard in augmented frontline services for Jewish women experiencing domestic abuse, she oversaw the expansion of the charity’s offer through the launch of the specialist Dina Sexual Violence Support Service in 2019. The charity also has a newly enhanced education programme in schools and on campus, promoting consent and healthy relationships.

Naomi has been involved in Jewish Women’s Aid for 18 years, initially as a volunteer, and she then focussed on creating JWA's training programme to raise awareness in the Jewish community and empower rabbis and communal professionals to better identify and support women and children who are affected by domestic abuse. She is proud that Jewish Women’s Aid is held in high regard across the Jewish community and in the national domestic abuse and charity sector.

Naomi was a trustee of Women's Aid Federation of England for three years until 2021 and currently holds roles as trustee of Home-Start UK and Cavell Nurses’ Trust. She is, a founder of the Faiths Against Domestic Abuse Coalition, and a Fellow of the Cambridge Senior Faith Leadership Programme.

Naomi was privileged to be named on the BBC’s global list of 100 inspiring and influential women in 2020.

Conference Session: Responding to Get Abuse

Dates: Tuesday, October 25, 12:15 to 1:00 PM ET

Bio: Kylie is the Chairwoman of Mavoi Satum’s Board and Founder & CEO at Workwell. She is an Australian born lawyer who practiced intellectual property law in the Israeli hi-tech sector for five years before moving to the non-profit world. For 10 years, Kylie served as a Senior Associate with the International Relations Division of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). In 2014 Kylie left to establish a practise in organizational behavioral design, executive coaching and management consulting. She has an MA in Organizational Behavior and Development from IDC. Kylie joined Mavoi Satum in 1998, contributing suggested legal reforms to the legal committee, then serving on the board for 20 years, before becoming the Chair in 2020. She lives in Jerusalem with her husband Boaz and five children. She is passionate about leadership and behavioral design, enjoys pilates, spinning and running with good friends, and cares deeply about her friends and family. Kylie feels that she cannot rest until women in Israel are protected from extortion and abuse. Kylie strongly believes that aginut is a man-made problem that can and should be solved in our lifetime.

Conference Session: Demonstrating Impact & Writing Survivor Testimonials

Dates: Monday, October 24th, 1:15 - 2:00 PM ET

Bio: Rachel (pronouns: any) joined the SRE Network team as Director of Community Investments in December 2020. As educator, organizer, coach and consultant, Rachel has dedicated her personal and professional pursuits to ensuring equity in the education field and Jewish communal spaces. She previously served as the #JWOCMarching National Organizer with Dimensions Consulting, where she conducted hundreds of one-on-one meetings to better understand the needs of and ensure the safety of Jewish Women of Color (JWOC) in Jewish spiritual, communal, and professional spaces. She also consults with dozens of Jewish organizations from around the country in anti-racist leadership, practice, and operations. She holds a BA in Sociology and Urban Studies from the University of Connecticut and lives in Washington, D.C.

Conference Session: Supporting Survivors & their Children: Child Custody and Communal Responsibility

Date: Tuesday, October 25th, 1:15 to 2:15 p.m.

Bio: Dr. Shana Frydman is the Executive Director of Shalom Task Force, a national organization whose mission is to combat domestic violence and foster healthy and safe relationships in the Jewish Community through its core services including a hotline/chatline, legal services and expansive preventative educational programming. Dr. Frydman leadership is informed by her work as a trauma informed therapist and advocate and her work in the field of domestic abuse and family violence within the Jewish community for over twenty years. She is the co-chair of the UJA Task Force on Family Violence and serves on the advisory board of the New York City Mayor’s Office. Shana ​lectures regularly about domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexuality, trauma and culturally informed practice and has published on related topics. She earned her MSW at University of Maryland, and Doctorate at Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work/CUNY Grad Center.

Conference Session: Demonstrating Impact & Writing Survivor Testimonials

Dates: Monday, October 24, 1:15 to 2:00 PM ET

Bio: Mirele B. Goldsmith is an independent evaluator who helps organizations to use the tools of evaluation to improve their programs. Mirele is the evaluator for Jewish Women International’s Here For You: Jewish Communal Support for Domestic Violence Survivors and their Children project. With many years of experience in the trenches as a non-profit manager, she adapts the evaluation process to fit real-world time and resource limitations. She has completed over 70 projects for clients including Americorps, Brandeis University, Foundation for Jewish Camps, UJA Federation of New York, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Prior to establishing her independent practice, Mirele created and implemented an accreditation program for Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. Mirele’s volunteer activities have included service on the boards of the Hadassah Foundation, the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, and Hazon. She currently co-chairs Jewish Earth Alliance. Mirele is a graduate of Barnard College. She holds an MSW from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, and earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Psychology from the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Conference Session: Has #MeToo Been a Game Changer? Leveraging Communal Awareness for Culture Change

Dates: Monday, October 24, 2:15 to 3:00 PM ET

Bio: Meredith Jacobs is CEO of Jewish Women International. Since assuming the role of CEO in 2020, Jacobs has shepherded the development of numerous JWI initiatives, including the National Center on Domestic & Sexual Violence in the Jewish Community; the Collaborative of Jewish Domestic Violence Agencies; the Women’s Financial Empowerment Institute; ReStart: job readiness for survivors; the Jewish Communal Women’s Leadership Project; Men As Allies: Leading Equitable Workplaces; the Jewish Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable;, and the international expansion of Young Women’s Leadership Network. Jacobs is an award-winning journalist and former editor-in-chief of Washington Jewish Week.

Conference Sessions: Wellness Sessions with Porchlight Wellness

Dates:

Monday, October 24th 1:00 - 1:15 PM ET

Tuesday, October 25th 1:00 - 1:15 PM ET

Wednesday, October 26th 1:00 - 1:15 PM

Bio: Lenna Jawdat is a yoga teacher, psychotherapist, Reiki master, and survivor. She believes trauma healing happens through the body, brain and breath and is passionate about making these tools accessible to all. She received her 200-hour yoga teacher training through Yoga District, advanced training in trauma-sensitive yoga in Denver, and restorative yoga training through Ashé Yoga. Lenna lives in Washington, DC (Piscataway and Anacostan land) with her two cats and additional fosters, who often make cameo appearances in her classes.

Conference Session: Supporting Survivors & their Children: Child Custody and Communal Responsibility

Dates: Tuesday, October 25, 1:15 to 2:15 PM ET

Bio: Monte Jewell is a lawyer with Project DVORA at Jewish Family Service in Seattle where he focuses on litigation, appellate, and legislative advocacy for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Monte is an active member of the Kehillah working group. He also serves on the ethics committees for the state bar associations in Montana and Washington, the WSBA Equity & Disparity Workgroup, and the Delivery System Committee of the Washington State Access to Justice Board. Before joining DVORA, Monte worked in Seattle for the Sexual Violence Law Center and the King County Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence.

Conference Session: Gun Violence and Domestic Violence

Dates: Wednesday, October 26th, 12:15 - 1:00 PM ET

Bio: Dorian Karp, MPA, currently serves as the director of policy and advocacy at Jewish Women International, where she focuses on federal advocacy, grassroots engagement, and coalition building. Her work centers around ending gender-based violence, gun violence prevention, economic security, and reproductive justice. Dorian is an active member in more than 15 coalitions, holding leadership positions on the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, the Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence, and is an inaugural member of Everytown for Gun Safety’s Interfaith Advisory Council. Before moving to D.C. metro area, she spent nearly a decade working in state government, the nonprofit sector, and political campaigns. Dorian earned her master’s in public administration from the University of South Florida in 2016 and holds a B.A. from Barnard College at Columbia University.

Conference Session: Building Economic Security for Jewish Survivors

Date: Wednesday, October 26th, 1:15 - 2:00 PM ET

Bio: Amanda Katz is the Executive Director of The Greater Washington Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (JCADA). JCADA empowers all survivors of intimate partner violence in the Greater Washington Area to live safely and educates the local Jewish community about intimate partner violence, and the general community about the needs of Jewish survivors. Amanda has been working in the Greater Washington Jewish non-profit community for over 20 years.

Conference Session: Building Robust Faith Support Systems for Jewish Survivors

Date: Wednesday, October 26th, 2:00 to 2:20 p.m. ET

Bio: Donna Kirshbaum serves as rabbi of Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation in northern New Hampshire both in-person during the summers and by Zoom for weekly study throughout the rest of the year from her home in Israel. A member of JWI’s Clergy Task Force since 2009, she conceived and edited its Holiday Guides which have evolved into the popular Unboxed series and has written op-eds and more on behalf of the Task Force for the American and Jewish press. Rabbi Kirshbaum urges advocates to check out the CTF’s numerous resources here including the recently updated Clergy Guide on Domestic Abuse and a mi sh’berach for families experiencing abuse. She would like to hear from anyone at the conference with knowledge of the possible correlation between prolonged national conflict and an increase in domestic abuse.

Conference Session: Supporting Survivors & their Children: Child Custody and Communal Responsibility

Date: Tuesday, October 25, 1:15 to 2:15 PM ET

Bio: Karen has been at JWA since 2012 and is JWA’s newly appointed Client Services Director. She is responsible for all Advocacy and Therapeutic Services, including the Helpline & Webchat and is the Designated Safeguarding Lead for the organisation. Karen is an accredited Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Service Manager and has a background in community advocacy. She has previously established and managed a mental health advocacy service and also ran projects for Barnet Children’s Services in North London, including an Independent Visitors Scheme for children in the care system. Karen has recently been appointed to the board of Home Start Barnet, a local charity that supports families in times of need.

Conference Session: Responding to Get Abuse

Date: Tuesday, October 25th, 12:15 to 1:00 PM ET

Bio: ESTHER MACNER, Esq., is the founder and president of Get Jewish Divorce Justice, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, dedicated to the prevention of abuse in the Jewish divorce process.

She launched the International Agunah Day in Los Angeles, in solidarity with Israel and Jewish communities throughout the world and has coordinated conferences, communal learning along with Agunah support groups through art and creative writing. As of December 2019, she has assisted 98 women and men in getting the get or being freed.

Esther Macner received her J.D. from Cardozo Law, M.A. from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and B.A. from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Ms. Macner, a New York trial attorney, divorce mediator, and former Assistant District Attorney, specializes in family law, domestic violence, and rabbinic court representation. With fluency in Yiddish, Hebrew, and rabbinic texts, she is one of a handful of women who have practiced before rabbinic courts.

Conference Session: Gun Violence and Domestic Violence

Dates: Wednesday, October 26th, 12:15 - 1:00 PM ET

Bio: Rabbi Tamar Manasseh founded MASK – Mothers and Men Against Senseless Killings in 2015, following the shooting death of Lucille Barnes on the south side of Chicago. Since then, the mother of two, who received her rabbinical training from the The Israelite Academy, presented by The Israelite Board of Rabbis, has been focusing on preventing gun violence and addressing its underlying causes of poverty, joblessness, food insecurity, and a failing educational system.

Conference Session: Demonstrating Impact & Writing Survivor Testimonials

Date: Monday, October 24th, 1:15 - 2:00 PM ET 

Bio: Cynthia Roberts, PhD, is the evaluator at the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV) where she leads the evaluation of the RICADV’s CDC-funded statewide primary prevention strategies, including (1) Ten Men, a statewide engaging men strategy; (2) a statewide Economic Justice strategy; and (3) a community-level greening urban spaces strategy implemented by our longtime community partners, the Women’s Resource Center, in Newport, RI. Roberts is also the empowerment evaluator for the Newport Health Equity Zone, and provides strategic planning and evaluation support to the Blackstone Valley Health Equity Zone. Through these roles, Roberts works with communities and organizational partners to define, design, and implement approaches to evaluation that are community-centered, anti-racist/anti-oppressive, and focused on meaningful use of evaluation findings. Roberts co-leads equity focused civic engagement work in her own community and is a leader in her church. Throughout her professional evaluation and community advocacy endeavors, Roberts actively works to use an intersectional feminist, racial justice lens. Roberts is past Co-chair of the RI Commission for Health Advocacy and Equity and is a founder of the Evaluation Network of RI, an Affiliate of the American Evaluation Association.

Conference Session: Responding to Get Abuse

Dates: Tuesday, October 25, 12:15 to 1:00 PM ET

Bio: Deborah Rosenbloom, JD/MPA is JWI’s Chief Program Officer and leads JWI’s innovative social justice initiatives engaging Jewish, interfaith and secular communities in collaborative work to address gender-based violence through advocacy, trainings, resource development and community building.

Deborah served as the primary researcher of JWI’s 2021 Needs Assessment of Jewish domestic violence survivors in the US. The Needs Assessment’s findings are driving JWI’s new work, for which Deborah has ongoing primary responsibility: the National Center on Domestic & Sexual Violence in the Jewish Community; the Collaborative of Jewish Domestic Violence Programs; the Women’s Financial Empowerment Institute; ReStart -job readiness for survivors; and the Jewish Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable.

Deborah’s recognition that the faith-based community can play an important role in addressing domestic violence led her to establish in 2008 JWI’s advocacy portfolio on Capitol Hill, as well as the Clergy Task Force on Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community and the Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

Deborah holds a B.A., cum laude in history from Cornell, attended Hebrew University and earned a JD/MPA from Syracuse University. She lives in Washington, DC and is a member of Congregation Kesher Israel.

Conference Session: Building Economic Security for Jewish Survivors

Dates: Wednesday, October 26, 1:15 to 2:00 PM ET

Bio: Sierra Schnitzer is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. For the last 5 years she led the Domestic Violence Program at a Jewish nonprofit, providing direct services to survivors. Sierra will be spearheading JWI's National Collaborative of Jewish Domestic Violence Programs and directing JWI’s ReStart program, coaching survivors to achieve job readiness.

Conference Session: Building Survivor Economic Security Panel

Dates: Wednesday, October 26th 1:15 - 2:00 PM ET

Bio: Amy Slater-Ovadia is the VP of Women’s Spirit, Israel. Ms. Slater-Ovadia holds a Masters of Social Welfare from Yeshiva University, NY. Prior to joining Women's Spirit, she served as Director of Resource Development for the non-profit, Supportive Community and for many years as the West Coast Director of American Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro. Amy has rich experience on the topic of Economic Abuse and its effects on day-to-day life.

Conference Session: Responding to Get Abuse

Date: Tuesday, October 25, 1:15 - 2:00 PM ET

Bio: Keshet Starr, Esq., is the CEO of the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA), the nonprofit organization addressing the agunah (Jewish divorce refusal) crisis on a case-by-case basis worldwide. At ORA, Keshet oversees advocacy, prevention and early intervention initiatives designed to assist individuals seeking a Jewish divorce and eliminate abuse from the Jewish divorce process. Keshet writes for outlets such as the TImes of Israel, The Forward, and Haaretz, as well as academic publications, and regularly presents on Jewish divorce, domestic abuse, and the intersection between civil and religious divorce systems. Keshet was named one of The Jewish Week's 36 Under 36. A graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Keshet lives with her family in New Jersey.

Conference Session: Supporting Survivors & their Children: Child Custody and Communal Responsibility

Dates: Tuesday, October 25, 1:15 to 2:15 PM ET

Bio: Dr. Fernanda Tarica is the founder and director of Shalom Bait. In addition to carrying out the directing of the organization, she conducts admission interviews, co-coordinates groups of women who are victims of gender-based violence, and devises projects for presenting in both national and international calls. Her work in Family Violence began in 1999 in the Argentine Family Violence Prevention Association, where she was part of the team assisting men who inflict violence. She was a member of the Board of Directors of ASAPMI (Argentine Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse) and of the supervision team at the Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson Shelter for Women who are Victims of Gender-Based Violence in the City of Buenos Aires. She has been a guest lecturer in congresses and graduate classes related to this issue and in institutions related to the fields of health, health centers, hospitals, and the School of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). After conducting extensive research and field work, in 2001 she began the process of creating a project to provide comprehensive assistance to gender-based violence victims, which led to the founding of Shalom Bait in 2003.

Conference Session: Has #MeToo Been a Game Changer? Leveraging Communal Awareness for Culture Change

Dates: Monday, October 24, 2:15 to 3:00 PM ET

Bio: Naomi Tucker is the founding executive director of Shalom Bayit, a Jewish domestic violence agency in the San Francisco Bay Area where she has worked for 28 years. With over 36 years of expertise in the field, Naomi has been instrumental in developing a national Jewish communal response to abuse. She co-authored some of the first Jewish healing rituals for survivors of abuse (1992), the Love Shouldn’t Hurt Jewish teen dating violence prevention curriculum (2007), multiple training curricula for Jewish domestic violence advocates, and Faith in Violence-Free Families, an interfaith clergy training manual in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health. Naomi serves on the national task force to combat Jewish poverty, the We Commit Steering Committee organizing a communal response to sexual harassment in Jewish workplaces, and the advisory board for REVEAL, a national research study on domestic abuse in affluent communities. Naomi is a writer, trainer, and national expert on faith-based approaches to ending gender-based violence.

Conference Session: Building Economic Security for Jewish Survivors

Dates: Wednesday, October 26, 1:15 to 2:00 PM ET

Bio: Sarah C. Welch is the Vice President of Workforce Development Services at NJHSA. In this role, Sarah oversees the NJHSA workforce and economic development portfolio. She works closely with member agencies across the U.S., Canada, and Israel who are providing meaningful career and workforce development services to job seekers and helping employers establish strong, diverse talent pipelines. Through collaborative efforts, Sarah works to bring best practices, innovative ideas, and funding opportunities to NJHSA member agencies. Sarah also oversees Project EM: Empowering and Employing our Community, a program of 19 NJHSA member agencies designed to meet the needs of unemployed and underemployed job seekers across the U.S. Through Project EM, job seekers have access to free individualized career counseling, workshops, financial literacy, training, and other supports. Prior to NJHSA, Sarah was Director of the Career Development Center at JFCS Pittsburgh. While there, Sarah oversaw a dynamic workforce development center, assisting thousands of job seekers annually and working closely with area employers. Prior to moving to Pittsburgh, Sarah worked as an Associate Director at the University of Oklahoma and in human resources in the oil and gas industry. Sarah received her Masters of Human Relations with an emphasis in Organizational Human Resources and a Bachelors in English Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of Oklahoma.