ELI Talks

Ahchoo! Judaism even has what to say about how to sneeze like a Jew. It certainly has what to say about today's headlines from refugee crises to mass incarceration and gay marriage. Most importantly: How do we break down the barriers that keep adults from self-selecting to participate in Jewish text study? There is only one way to find out.

Rabbi Dan Horwitz is the founding director of The Well, a nationally recognized Jewish community-building, education and spirituality outreach initiative in Metro Detroit geared to the needs of young adults. Committed to lifelong learning, Dan holds a BA in Politics from Brandeis University, an MA in Jewish Studies from Gratz College, a JD and an MA in Sport Management from the University of Michigan, and an MA in Jewish Education from Hebrew College. Ordained by the non-denominational Mesifta Adas Wolkowisk, he worked for a number of years as the Rabbi and Director of Immersive Learning for Moishe House, has been designated one of America's Most Inspiring Rabbis by The Forward, is a graduate of the Clergy Leadership Incubator housed at Hazon, and is 1/4 of The Open Dor Project's inaugural cohort of spiritual entrepreneurs. A regular basketball player, Jewish jam session participant and hummus enthusiast, Dan makes his home in suburban Detroit with his spouse Miriam and their kiddos Jonah and Micah.

Home sweet home. Home is safety. Home is comfort. Home is familiar. What happens when you need to flee your home? It's not just the stories of our grandparents that inform a Jewish sensibility about how to treat the refugees and immigrants--our texts and laws have an opinion, too.

Melanie Nezer is Senior Vice President for Public Affairs at HIAS, the global Jewish organization for refugees. She has spent her career as an attorney and advocate representing people who are seeking a chance at a productive future for themselves and their children, in a place where they can be safe and free.

Sex education has been historically delegated to the state for American Jewry, but Judaism has a very rich tradition of teaching about sex, consent, and pleasure that we need today. Merissa Nathan Gerson leads us on an exploration of what it means for all Jewish bodies--cisgender and otherwise--to respect, to honor, and to teach one another about consent and to communally atone for our sins. Filmed at Repair the World: Detroit.

Merissa Nathan Gerson is a trained rape prevention worker and sex educator. Her writing on sexuality and Judaism appears in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New York Observer, Tablet, Playboy, Elle and beyond. She holds an MA in Jewish Studies from The Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California with a focus on sex and gender as well as inherited trauma. Merissa has studied at the PARDES Institute for Jewish Studies, The Jewish Theological Seminary, The Academy for Jewish Religion, Hebrew College, Naropa University, Middlebury's Hebrew Language School, The Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute and with many rabbis across the country including the great Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. Her work focuses on the inheritance of trauma and memory and how this impacts tradition.

Spoken from the mouth of a Relationship Expert: "Our relationship wasn't about the two of us. Our relationship was actually about the three of us...together, we could build our lives and navigate those ups and downs."

Aleeza Ben Shalom is known as the Marriage Minded Mentor. She is a professional dating coach and the author of Get Real, Get Married, your guide to get over your hurdles and under the chuppah! Aleeza is a passionate speaker and regular contributor to Aish.com and Yated Ne’eman. She works with clients from around the world as well as trains future dating coaches. You may also recognize Aleeza from her appearance in the web series Soon By You. She has been interviewed by BBC World News, and NPR. Aleeza is committed to creating marriages that endure the test of time, starting with her own: she is a dedicated wife and loving mother of five children. To learn more about her and her coaching, which focuses on empowerment and developing successful support networks, visit www.marriagemindedmentor.com.

We all know that bubbies are brilliant, but this bubbie has universal wisdom that could change your approach to everyday life. Do you really need more of a clickbait? Whether or not you are a bubbie, have a bubbie, met a bubbie or adopted a bubbie, Jane's reflections can impact your perspective if you let them.

Dr. Jane Shapiro is a founder of Orot: Center for New Jewish Learning where she teaches a variety of classes and workshops blending text study with other intentional practices. As Associate Director of the Florence Melton School she helped many communities build capacity to start local schools and ran professional development seminars for Melton faculty. Jane is a graduate of Princeton University and studied Jewish History at Columbia University. in 2016 she received her doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary researching the experiences of longterm adult learners. She is a graduate of the Mandel Teachers Institute and Vision Projects. She is passionate about all aspects of Jewish teaching and learning.

This ELI talk is sponsored by The Covenant Foundation.