VOCES Podcast by Jewtina y Co.

Dr. Sara Nell Kanoe Vogel… A native of the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, Sara is a dynamic, trauma-informed educator, who is focused on creating a world where women understand their potential, value, power, and worth. A  proud woman of many of cultures, Sara calls on her Hawaiian, Chinese, Puerto Rican, Portuguese and Jewish heritages to lead her in her work. Tune in for a conversation about her journey to owning the many parts that make her who she is. For more on Sara, follow her at Ladybits and Leadership. 

Also mentioned in this podcast:

 Ladybits and Leadership

Mariely Luengo was raised in a Cuban Sephardi family in Puerto Rico. She moved to the United States to partake in Georgetown University’s International Diplomacy masters program. She began her career in development with the Goldsmith Family Fund, and since moving to Ohio, she co-founded The West Tribe, a nonprofit that serves and assists the Jewish community on the west side of Cleveland. Mariely is a sought after nonprofit strategic consultant, specializing in urban research, development and comprehensive cultural marketing. She is the Board Chair of the Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center, is an active volunteer at the Cleveland Clinic-- which specializes in NICU babies and pediatric care-- and most recently, Mariely joined CNN en Español as a guest panelist and cultural commentator for Art and Culture in the Latinx community.

Rabbi Claudia Kreiman is the first Chilean-born woman to be ordained to the rabbinate. The daughter of Ángel Kreiman-Brill, Chief Rabbi of Chile, Rav Claudia grew up in Santiago under the repressive environment of a dictatorship, inspiring her vision for social justice from a young age. After her graduation from high school, she moved to Argentina and there she began to engage deeply with Judaism, both as a learner and as a teacher. The death of her mother and 84 others in a 1994 terrorist attack on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) bombing in Buenos Aires, led her to honor her mother’s legacy. She moved to Israel in 1996, made Aliyah, studied at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies and was ordained in Jerusalem in 2002 with a firm commitment to Social Justice and Torah. Today, as the first woman Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, Massachusetts, Rav Claudia continues to inspire and energize her community through Joyful Prayer, and dynamic and purposeful leadership. Tune in to hear Rabbi Claudia's journey from dictatorship to liberation. 

Dr. Bianca González-Lesser (they/elle) has spent the last decade centering equity, diversity, and anti-racist praxis in their life and community. A critical sociologist, Bianca recently pivoted their work to the Jewish non-profit sector, where they serve as the Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice at Hillel International. A proud Queer Puerto Rican Jew of Color, Bianca is passionate about equitable spaces that center belonging for all. Tune in to listen to Bianca speak about their experience growing up and living life at the margins of society. 

Nate Looney is the CEO and Owner of Westside Urban Gardens, an urban agricultural company based in Los Angeles, CA. Nate is also Avodah’s Manager of Racial Justice Initiatives, leading diversity strategies at Avodah with a focus on Jews of Color.  In addition to being a community organizer, entrepreneur, urban farmer, Nate is an Army Veteran-- having joined the US Army National Guard in 2003. Tune in to learn about this Panamanian-American's return to the land in search of regeneration and ancestral healing. 

Alexandra Corwin is native Chicagoan rooted in her Jewish, Ashkenazi, Peruvian, and Quechua heritages. A graduate of DePaul University and Harvard University’s graduate school of education, where she also received the selective Urban Scholars Award, Alexandra is a former Avodah Justice Fellow, JewV'Nation Fellow, Moishe House resident, 7th and 9th grade teacher, instructor at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and Teach for America director. Today, Alexandra is the President of Continued Learning Group LLC where she leads diversity, equity and inclusion audits for nonprofit organizations and small businesses. Tune in to hear Alexandra's experience with reclaiming her Ashkenazi and Quechua heritages, and how her grandmothers--her abuelita and bubbe--taught her to love without borders. 

Andrés Spokoiny is the President & CEO of the Jewish Funders Network--an organization that works with Jewish funders, at the individual and collective levels, to improve the quality of their giving and maximize their impact as they make the change they want to see in the world. A long-time Jewish community professional, Andrés is originally from Argentina and has lived in different parts of the world working to restore and renew sustainable Jewish communities.  Tune in to hear our conversation about quiet leadership, how Jewish communities differ around the world, and the future of funding through a democratization lens. 

Hannah Chonkan-Urow is a Chinese, Costa Rican, Ashkenazi Jew of color. She was raised in the northern suburbs of Chicago, and after 4 years in Minnesota, she returned to the Windy City to begin her career as a math teacher. A woman with a strong multicultural identity, Hannah reveals how the Yiddish value of Doikayt (hereness) has taught her--and the generations before her--the importance of finding home in the "here."

Meyer Grunberg was born in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to Miami, FL at the age of 7 with his family. Meyer is the co-founder of  the instagram page "On This Day in Jewish History" and the podcast "Two Tall Jews," with his friend Isaac Simon, with the goal of documenting a 'daily dose of Jewish history' that sheds light and context to the full and rich history that is the Jewish story. Meyer is a storyteller, a history fanatic (particularly the Jewish parts), is deeply connected to Jewish spirituality, and a person committed to making this world a better place.

Imani Romney-Rosa Chapman is the founder of imani strategies, llc, and has more than 25 years of experience developing curriculum, organizing, and educating for social justice. Whatever the modality, Imani co-creates brave and inclusive environments for learning, growth and justice.  Tune in to to episode of 3 of the VOCES Podcast to learn more about Imani's journey with her Latine identity development and to hear her thoughts on what it will take from Jews of Color (JOC) to strengthen the JOC community for future generations.