Recordings of Tikkun Zoom Shavuot are now available on our Youtube channel.
More are added every day, so check back if you don't see the one you are looking for.
25 Hours of Online Learning
Starting Thursday, May 21 at 5:00 p.m.
Schedule and Course Descriptions
Join us on Thursday, May 21 through Friday, May 22 for our annual Tikkun Zoom Shavuot. Learn alongside people from around the world as dozens of teachers, artists, and facilitators lead us in study, prayer, art making, music and more over 25 hours in the zoomosphere. Sessions run back to back all night and day; you can pop in for an hour or two, or brew a pot of coffee and stay with us for the long haul.
This event is free for all who wish to participate. Registration is required. Questions? Email Lily Van Cleave at cajl@tisrael.org.
Curious to watch the sesions you couldn’t attend?
Find them on our Youtube Channel in the Tikkun Zoom Shavuot 2026 playlist. There were 50 learning sessions on a wide range of topics! We are gradually adding them to the playlist so if you don’t see the one you’re looking for just yet, tune in again tomorrow. We aim to post all of them by early next week.
Schedule and Course Descriptions
Thursday Evening, May 21
5:00 p.m. | Rabbi Rick Jacobs | We Stood Together at Sinai but Today We’re Coming Apart at the Seams
Room 1
Is our diversity our superpower making us smarter, more creative, more compassionate and more committed? We may have stood together at the foot of Mt. Sinai but are we still bound together for good? At the revelation at Sinai, we may have stood together but that doesn’t mean that we all experienced the revelation in the same way, with the same “take aways.” Today toxic polarization is tearing our communities apart after an initial surge of unity after October 7. Too many calls for unity come with an expectation of uniformity. Through selected ancient and modern texts and current events we will prepare ourselves to receive Torah anew on this Shavuot standing together as One large community of individuals who are proudly and divinely different just like their ancestors.
About Rabbi Rick Jacobs
Rabbi Rick Jacobs is the President of the URJ (Union for Reform Judaism)
6:00 p.m. | Dr. Lily Rabinoff-Goldman, JCC Greater Boston | "I’ll Take It All" – A Poetry Workshop on Revelation and Acceptance
Room 1
What does poetry have to teach us about moments of revelation? What is the relationship between revelation and radical acceptance? This is a structured, interactive way to connect through poetry!
About Dr. Lily Rabinof-Goldman
Lily Rabinoff-Goldman is President/CEO of JCC Greater Boston. Previously, she was an English teacher and Assistant Head of School at Gann Academy.
6:00 p.m. | Rabbi Ebn Leader | The Blessings and Curses of Torah
Room 2
Engagement with Torah has been a defining force of life for the Jewish people. And yet from early on, the rabbis recognized that as a source of life and power, it was also dangerous. “R Yehoshu ben Levi says: If one merits, Torah is an elixir of life. If not, it is poison” (Yoma 72b). In this session we will follow some of our ancestors’ reflections on this tension, and on the meaning of taking responsibility for Torah.
About Rabbi Ebn Leader
Rabbi Ebn Leader has been a student of Rabbi Arthur Green for 25 years. He joined Green in the founding of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College, where he taught for 20 years. He was also privileged to study extensively with Rabbis David Hartman OBM and Zalman Schachter Shalomi OBM. His published work is in the field of Hasidism and Neo-Hasidism, most notably “Speaking Torah — Spiritual Teachings from Around the Maggid’s Table” published by Jewish Lights. He is married to Rabbi Claudia Kreiman, and together they parent two daughters.
7:00 p.m. | Rabbi Suzie Jacobson, Temple Israel of Boston, & Rabbi Jaimee Shalhevet, Northshore Synagogue | Disagreement for the Sake of Heaven: How to Talk About Israel When You Disagree
Room 1
The rabbis taught that the Jewish community becomes holy through machloket l’shem shamayim—disagreement for the sake of heaven. On Yom Kippur, Rabbi Suzie Jacobson of Temple Israel, Boston, and Rabbi Jaimee Shalhevet of North Shore Synagogue, Syosset, NY, shared how their ongoing conversations about Israel and the Gaza war have shaped the way they think and engage with others on this difficult topic.
Join us as we continue that dialogue—complex, sometimes contradictory, and always respectful—and see this sacred practice in action. Through real-time conversation, we will model what it means to engage across differences with openness, courage, and care—and invite our congregations to join the conversation.
About Rabbi Suzie Jacobson
Rabbi Suzie Jacobson (she/they) serves as Rabbi and Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Israel of Boston, a community that has long been her home. She received a Masters in Jewish Education and was ordained as Rabbi by Hebrew College in 2015 after a six-year immersion in the texts and tenacious creativity of the Jewish people. Prior to rabbinical school, Suzie was on the path to becoming a scholar of Jewish Philosophy, receiving a MA from the University of Chicago Divinity School, a BA in Jewish thought from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a BA in history from Columbia University. Though formal study provided many necessary skills towards the rabbinate, her dearest teacher was her six years as educator and intern at Temple Israel where she learned what it means to be a part of a creative and loving congregation.
About Rabbi Jaimee Shalhevet
Rabbi Jaimee Shalhevet is the Senior Rabbi at North Shore Synagogue in Syosset, New York, a Reform congregation. A native Long Islander who grew up in Sayville, she graduated from Brandeis University in 2000. She was ordained by the Hebrew Union College in May 2008. Rabbi Shalhevet joined North Shore Synagogue in July 2008 as Assistant Rabbi, became Associate Rabbi in 2011, and was appointed Senior Rabbi in July 2015. Her interests include Jewish mysticism, interfaith relations, music and storytelling. Before her rabbinic career she worked at Synagogue 3000 (formerly Synagogue 2000) and served at Temple Sinai of Roslyn. Rabbi Shalhevet is married to Rabbi Helayne Shalhevet. They live in Plainview, New York, with their four children — Samuel, Gabrielle, Benjamin, and Jacob. She is actively involved in the broader community, including participating in interfaith initiatives and local education efforts (for example, serving as co-chair of the Syosset-Woodbury Interfaith Clergy Coalition).
7:00 | Heather Klein | Shabes Koyote: Songs, Stories and Poetry from the Desert
Room 2
Enjoy new songs, poetry and stories influenced by my time living in Las Vegas.
About Heather Klein
Heather Klein is a singer/composer/instumentalist/cantorial soloist/teacher.
7:00 p.m | Eyal Tarchitzky, Dror Israel | Can We Imagine a Vision of Hope for Israel?
Room 3
We’ll explore, through Jewish texts, how a vision of a more just and equal society can serve as an effective response to Israel’s post–October 7 crisis, and how Dror Israel is working to bring that vision to life.
About Eyal Tarchitzky
Eyal Tarchitzky is a veteran educator with over 25 years of experience at Dror Israel, an organization that reaches over 200,000 Israelis each year through educational and social change initiatives. Following his family’s evacuation from Sderot after the October 7th attack, Eyal helped lead emergency educational programs for evacuees at the Dead Sea, supporting resilience in a time of crisis. He founded Dror Israel’s Shared Society Center for Jewish–Arab programming in southern Israel, and as a teacher has advanced alternative evaluation and project-based learning across Dror Israel’s network of nine high schools for at-risk youth for which he was honored by the Ministry of Education. Today, as Dror Israel’s representative in the Boston area, he shares its mission of education, resilience, and social responsibility with communities abroad.
8:00 p.m. | Rabbi Elaine Zecher and Rabbi Andrew Oberstein, Temple Israel of Boston | What’s Love Got to Do With It? Everything!
Room 1
Some of us are familiar with the important and captivating book by Rabbi Shai Held called Judaism is About Love. What makes love foundational to Judaism and what impact might the pursuit of love have on Judaism in general and in our own particular lives? We will engage one another in the conversation and use sources from Jewish tradition to help elucidate our responses. No previous experience with love is necessary, but we might discover that we all do have that experience.
About Rabbi Elaine Zecher and Rabbi Andrew Oberstein
Rabbi Elaine Zecher and Rabbi Andrew Oberstein work together at Temple Israel of Boston and enjoy engaging in conversations that challenge and enlighten us.
Rabbi Elaine Zecher, Senior Rabbi, Temple Israel of Boston:
As the senior rabbi of Temple Israel of Boston, she leads the largest congregation in New England, forging close personal relationships within the congregation and the larger community. Rabbi Zecher speaks passionately about social justice; she is a tireless worker in interfaith partnerships, and an advocate for progressive legislation and policy.
Rabbi Andrew Oberstein, Assistant Rabbi and Director of the Riverway Project at Temple Israel of Boston:
Previously, Rabbi Oberstein served this community as a Rabbinic Intern and, prior to rabbinical school, as Coordinator for Social Justice and Young Adult Engagement. As a student at Hebrew Union College, Rabbi Oberstein was honored as a Wexner Graduate Fellow, a T’ruah Rabbinical Student Human Rights Fellow, and an ARZA Fellow. He worked as a Rabbinic Intern at Columbia/Barnard Hillel and completed a unit of chaplaincy training at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
8:00 p.m. | Gilad Skolnick of American Friends of Leket Israel | Israel’s Food Crises and How We’re Solving It
Room 2
Gilad will bring audiences beyond the headlines, exploring how Israel’s war-ravaged agricultural sector is being restored, the challenges still facing the country, and Israel’s uniquely Torah and Jewish values based approach to food rescue, with innovations unlike anything anywhere else.
About Gilad Skolnick
Leket Israel is the national food bank of Israel. It collects surplus food from over 800 sources, including farms, hotels, cafeterias, and army bases, and delivers it to over 346 non-profit partners, serving over 470,000 people every week. One quarter of Israelis — including Holocaust survivors, families, immigrants, and vulnerable children — struggle to access nutritious food.
Gilad Skolnick is the New England Director of Leket. He has been involved in the New England communal Jewish non-profit world for 15 years, including five years as the Executive Director of Northeastern University Hillel. Born on a kibbutz in Israel, he grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, and returned to Israel to be the third generation to serve in the IDF.
8:00 p.m. | Alyssa Frank Reichman | Song as Prayer: Ever Listened to a Song and Feel Like it Speaks to Your Soul?
Room 3
Ever listened to a song and feel like it speaks to your soul? Come to this session to share the songs that move you, and together we’ll make a Spotify playlist/list of songs to share with the community.
About Alyssa Frank Reichman
Alyssa Frank Reichman is the Director of the Schawbel College Resource Center at Boston Latin School. When not working with students to plan their futures, she loves music, musical theatre, reading fiction, Jewish studies, and Jewish life, and hanging with her two kids and husband.
9:00 p.m. | Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, President of Hebrew College | Poetry as Midrash in Motion
Room 1
In this session, I will share some original poems, written in response to texts of Torah and tefilah. We’ll leave time for questions and reflections on poetry as a form of contemporary midrash.
About Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld
Rabbi Sharon Anisfeld is the President of Hebrew College.
9:00 p.m. | Efraim Yudewitz | Youtube: The Viral Torah for Every Day Revealed
Room 2
Using various Youtube clips we will explore various reflection questions to help us better share what is important to us as individuals and how we can shape the communities we are part of. Choose this program if you are interested in sharing and getting to know other members of the TI community.
About Efraim Yudewitz
Efraim Yudewitz (he/him) joined the URJ Crane Lake Camp team as Director in 2021 after having served the Northeast Jewish community for 15 years. Most recently, Efraim spent seven years as the Director of Camp Tel Noar in New Hampshire, and previously held leadership positions at Gann Academy, Greater Boston’s independent Jewish high school.
Efraim is a big believer in the transformative impact of Jewish camp! Camp has played a very special role in his life — he has been a camper, staff member, consultant, board member, and director. Efraim, his wife (whom he met when they were both campers!), and their two kids live in Sharon, Massachusetts where their home is filled with tie dye, spontaneous dance parties, and snacks, and always has room for camp friends and extended family.
9:00 p.m. | Ruth Klepper | The Jewish Men who Influenced John F. Kennedy
Room 3
Never mentioned in the JFK biographies, these men, many from Boston, influenced and implemented some of the administration’s major accomplishments.
About Ruth Klepper
Ruth Klepper is a retired Planned Parenthood ED, TILLI (Temple Israel Lifelong Learning Institute) study group leader, and political activist.
10:00 p.m. | Rabbi David Woznica, Stephen Wise Temple | Human Nature, Free Will, Family Relationships and Ultimate Responsibility: Twelve verses in the Torah that may change the way you view the world
Room 1
The Cain and Able story, though brief, has more to say about these issues than you may ever have imagined. Join us as we uncover the layers of wisdom on some of the most important questions of life.
About Rabbi David Woznica
Rabbi David Woznica has served Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles, one of the largest Reform Temples in the country — for 22 years. He was the founding director of the 92nd Street Y Bronfman Center for Jewish Life for over a decade where he created and directed one of the most distinguished adult Jewish studies programs in the world. He is a passionate teacher who has a goal that students embrace the ideals, values, and beauty of living a committed Jewish life. He has given speeches and served as scholar-in-residence to synagogues throughout the United States, and is also a highly sought after speaker for the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) where he teaches about family relationships, business ethics, and God.
10:00 p.m. | Julia Kupferman, RAC-MA (Religious Action Center) | Storytelling for Action
Room 2
Sharing our values through stories has the power to move people and inspire change. Join us to learn how to harness your own experiences to move to action!
About Julia Kupferman
The Religious Action Center is the social justice branch of Reform Judaism, and RAC-MA organizes the 39 Reform congregations and almost 14,000 households in Massachusetts to build a more just commonwealth for all.
Julia Kupferman is the RAC-MA organizer and has been organizing in Massachusetts since 2020.
10:00 p.m. | Amy Sherr, Temple Israel of Boston | The Torah of Katmai: Triumph, Tragedy, and the Title of Fat Bear
Room 3
What do the brown bears of Katmai National Park have to do with the Torah? More than you might expect. This class introduces four legendary Fat Bear champions and examines how each of their survival strategies is reflected in the teachings of the Torah. In a place where boundaries, respect, restraint, and decisive action can mean the difference between life and death, how do we see ourselves and our sacred texts reflected in the waters of Brooks Falls… and how do we truly define what it means to be the “fattest bear”?
About Amy Sherr
Amy is the Executive Coordinator to the Senior Rabbi and Pastoral, Lifecycle, and End of Life Coordinator at Temple Israel of Boston. Amy got her start in the Jewish non-profit world during ten magical summers on staff at Camp Laurelwood in Madison, Connecticut. With an M.Ed. from Lesley University, she has enjoyed a variety of positions in Jewish formal and informal education, museum learning, and camp administration. Her interests include camping, hiking, swimming, Fat Bears, and Prince Edward Island.
11:00 p.m. | Rabbi Ron Stern, Stephen Wise Temple | What If Sinai Never Happened?
Room 1
How can we understand and celebrate Shavuot today if modern Biblical criticism concludes that the events at Sinai (including the desert wandering) are of mythological origins. In short: What if Sinai never happened? What is the nature of authority and obligation if the Torah is a human creation?
About Rabbi Ron Stern
Rabbi Ron Stern serves as the rabbi at Stephen Wise Temple, where he focuses on fostering commitment to Tikkun Olam and community engagement. He has carved out a unique teaching style derived from his passion for critical Biblical Studies. Additionally, he is involved as the Vice Chair of the Board of Hope the Mission, the largest provider of services to the unhoused in the country.
11:00 p.m. | Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback | You’ve Got a Friend (B’ezrat Hashem)
Room 2
It can feel like the Jewish people has fewer and fewer friends in the world. So thank God our tradition won’t let us forget to be friends to each other. Every single month, at the moment of renewal, we stop and pray: Chaveirim kol Yisrael — all of Israel, friends. Not a slogan. A prayer. The rabbis knew this was hard — that’s the whole point. On Tikkun Leil Shavuot, the night we stood together as one people at Sinai, we’ll sit with this ancient, urgent, deeply human aspiration — and ask what it’s going to take to mean it.
About Yoshi Zweiback
Rabbi Yoshi is Senior Rabbi of Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles, California.
11:00 p.m. | Michaela Harari | Looking at the Jewish Enlightenment through the Life of HaRav Tzair/Chaim Tcernowitz, My Great-Grandfather
Room 3
About Michaela Harari
Michaela Harari is a member of Temple Israel of Boston.
Friday, May 22: Midnight - Dawn
12:00 a.m. Rabbi Suzie Jacobson, Temple Israel of Boston | Talmudic Ghost Stories
Room 1
Did you know the Talmud is haunted? Beyond its legal debates and ethical teachings, the rabbis of late antiquity preserved a startling collection of ghostly encounters — restless spirits eavesdropping in cemeteries, demons negotiating with sages, souls returning with messages from beyond, and the dead offering testimony the living couldn’t access. In this class, we’ll explore these eerie tales and ask what they reveal about rabbinic beliefs in the afterlife, the boundaries between worlds, and the surprisingly porous border between the living and the dead. Bring your curiosity — and maybe a flashlight.
About Rabbi Suzie Jacobson
Rabbi Suzie Jacobson (she/they) serves as Rabbi and Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Israel of Boston, a community that has long been her home. She received a Masters in Jewish Education and was ordained as Rabbi by Hebrew College in 2015 after a six-year immersion in the texts and tenacious creativity of the Jewish people. Prior to rabbinical school, Suzie was on the path to becoming a scholar of Jewish Philosophy, receiving a MA from the University of Chicago Divinity School, a BA in Jewish thought from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a BA in history from Columbia University. Though formal study provided many necessary skills towards the rabbinate, her dearest teacher was her six years as educator and intern at Temple Israel where she learned what it means to be a part of a creative and loving congregation.
12:00 a.m. | Rabbi Josh Knobel, Stephen Wise Temple | Call Your Mother! Holy Jewish Guilt Gave Birth to Monotheism
Room 2
About Rabbi Josh Knobel
Born and raised in rural Pennsylvania, Rabbi Josh served as a telecommunications officer in the United States Army from 2001-2008, including deployments to Kuwait and Afghanistan where he learned firsthand the profound impact that Judaism can have upon our identities, and the ways in which we meet the opportunities and challenges that await us in all walks of life.
After completing his active duty service in 2008, Joshua began his studies at the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), where he met and married his beloved wife, Lisa, who serves as a rabbi at Leo Baeck Temple.
Rabbi Josh has served the Stephen Wise Temple community in Los Angeles for 12 years.
1:00 a.m. | Roberta Axeloons, Temple Israel of Boston | Why do we stay up all night on Shavuot?
Room 1
We’re up in the middle of the night studying, but why? Have you ever wondered the reasoning for this sacred practice? Come to this session to learn about the roots of this fascinating tradition! We’ll do our best to keep everyone awake.
About Roberta Axeloons
Roberta Axleoons is the Director of K-12 Education at Temple Israel. Roberta is a passionate educator and looks forward to teaching the eager learners of Tikkun Zoom Shavuot each year!
2:00 a.m. | Alba Toscano | Synagogues in Spain: Anecdotes about Founding and Running Synagogues in Spain: Anecdotes about Founding and Running the Sinagoga "La Javurá" in Valencia, Spain over 30 Years
Room 1
This is the story of the motives behind the founding of a modern synagogue in a country where such a concept had never existed, neither historically nor psychologically before. I will also discuss what preparations were necessary to pull it off, such as, internet, formal education, outside assistance both moral and financial.
3:00 a.m. | Friedhelm Glauner | Dreaming Tanakh — An Incoherent Journey of What Ifs and Why Nots in the Wee Hours of the Night
Room 1
Take a deep breath and prepare to strap on your wings of Midrashic liberties.
About Friedhelm Glauner
Friedhelm Glauner has a profound love for Jewish texts.
4:00 a.m. | Lawrence Green | The Influence of the Hebrew Bible on the Authors of the Declaration of Independence
Room 1
As we look ahead to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence,” the most influential document in the advancement of democracy and liberty in the history of the world, we take great pride in the influence our Torah had upon the authors of the Declaration. The session will examine not only the Torah’s influence upon Thomas Jefferson and his collaborators, but also the principles of Torah that pervade the text of the Declaration.
About Lawrence Green
Larry Green is a retired attorney, and a member and past president of Temple Ohabei Shalom. His legal practice concentrated in trial and appellate advocacy. Larry has taught in past years at Tikkun Zoom Shabbat.
He now lives with his wife, Denise, in Ogunquit, Maine, where he is devoting his time to non-profit board service and writing. He has published several short books, including Alphabet of the Invisible and What If the Mystery of Dark Matter Has a Spiritual Solution?
5:00 a.m. | Rabbi Willemina Davidson | Receiving Tradition with Prayer
Room 1
Our liturgical tradition is constantly evolving to reflect our commitments to and struggles with our tradition, as well as the needs and wants of our contemporary lives. Join Rabbi Willemina to learn how to write a prayer responding to the themes of Shavuot, which they will then offer up to G,d/the universe/the collective on behalf of the group. This is for everyone, from those with no relationship to prayer to those with a dedicated prayer practice, and everyone in between and beyond!
About Rabbi Willemina Davidson
Rabbi Willemina Davidson (they/them) is a Hebrew College graduate and Jewish educator. They love Talmud, the Rambam, learning languages and good questions without clear answers.
6:00 a.m. | Dan Caplan | Patrilineal Descent, is my Kid Jewish?
Room 1
Rabbi Alexander Schindler’s role in creating Patrilineal Descent, including his life, the topic of Patrilineal Descent, and who is a Jew/is your child Jewish, with a focus on the Halachech justification for this position.
About Dan Caplan
I am a former Religious School teacher and administrator who completed Reform Teacher Certification from the School for Advanced Jewish Studies in Pittsburg (the school has since closed). I’m a former staff member (many years ago) at URJ’s Camp Harlem. I am an Avodah Award winner at Washington Hebrew Congregation (WHC) for outstanding service to the community, a former WHC Brotherhood president, and long standing board member. I am also a frequent Shiva Service Shaliach Tzibbur when WHC clergy are unavailable.
7:00 a.m. | Musical Dawn Shavuot Service with Temple Israel of Boston Clergy
Room 1
Friday Morning, May 22
8:00 a.m. | Katie Kelsall | Finding the Torah in Game of Thrones
Room 1
Let’s celebrate Shavuot and the 15th anniversary of Game of Thrones by exploring themes and storylines that resemble those in the Torah. All are welcome, but some knowledge of the books or series is suggested as there will be spoilers!
About Katie Kelsall
Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard Kennedy School. I majored in English in college where I pursued my passion for reading and discussing literature, including the Bible. Weekly Torah study has rekindled that passion. I’m also a huge Game of Thrones fan because, like the Torah, every time I engage with it I notice or learn something new.
8:00 a.m. | Matthew Lowe | Adopting from Foster Care: Lessons from the Exodus and Wilderness
Room 2
God’s early relationship with the Israelites is similar to that of a new parent adopting an older child from foster care, with all the challenges of transition, bonding, and traumatic history. What steps and missteps does God take in this process? This session fulfills part of Matthew’s (and partner Naomi’s) participation in the YATOM Family Fellowship, a program which is meant to inspire hope for families striving to foster/adopt.
About Matthew Lowe
Matthew Lowe is a current psychotherapist, former Monday night school teacher at Temple Israel, and the author of Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Mapping Your Inner World for Greater Clarity and Satisfaction in Life.
9:00 a.m. | William Petok | Love, Sex, and Aging — A Jewish Conversation
Room 1
An interactive session that explores text regarding how love and sex evolve with age. Participants will discuss with the session leader intimacy, connection, and desire as we age.
About William Petok
Psychologist in independent practice specializing in infertility and reproductive health for men and women.
9:00. a.m. | Barbara Frank | Brit Milah: The More Modern Ritual
Room 2
About Barbara Frank
Barbara Frank is a local mohelet!
9:00 a.m. | Sheryl Gross-Glaser | Genesis: A Story of Decreasing Female Authority
Room 3
From Eve through the Matriarchs, we see a trajectory from individual women expressing themselves out in the open as powerful figures to women acting through subversion and subterfuge. In this session, we will look into the stories of Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel and Leah, with some discussion of Sarah’s handmaid Hagar and the handmaids given to Jacob: Bilhah and Zilpah.
About Sheryl Gross-Glaser
Sheryl Gross-Glaser retired from a first career as a criminal defense attorney at the appellate level, and a second career working across the country with rural and small urban publicly available transportation projects.
10:00 a.m. | Rabbi Lisa Eiduson, Temple Shir Tikva | Voices at Sinai: Jewish Approaches to Revelation
Room 1
How do we receive Torah in Judaism? What did it mean to stand together at Sinai, and what is the implication of the Sinai experience for today? We will examine models of Revelation over time and explore the varieties of ways that classical Jewish scholars and creative poets and artists have understood and internalized Revelation for themselves and their communities.
About Rabbi Lisa Eiduson and Temple Shir Tikva
Temple Shir Tikva (TST) is a Reform congregation located in Wayland, Massachusetts. In addition to being a congregational rabbi at TST, Rabbi Eiduson has adjunct teaching appointments at Emerson College, Boston College, and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she teaches both undergraduate and masters level students.
10:00 a.m. | Alison Petok | Wrestling with Invisible Illness
Room 2
Have you ever felt unseen? An estimated 10% of Americans live with invisible illness: physical, mental, and neurological conditions which are not be visible, often stigmatized, and may impact sense of self. Grounded in the wisdom of our traditions and text, we will explore the world of invisible illness.
About Alison Petok
Alison Petok is a Clinical Social Worker in private practice based in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Her career has been focused in oncology and chronic illness, as well as behavioral health research. Alison has worked extensively with individuals facing a cancer diagnosis, as well as chronic illness, chronic pain, end-of-life issues, and survivorship. In addition to supporting patients, Alison supports caregivers, family members, and medical professionals who are coping with burnout. Additionally, Alison has specialized training from Postpartum Support International to support individuals with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
Alison received her Master’s in Social Work and Public Health from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked in various hospital based and outpatient settings, including the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University, Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Massachusetts General Hospital.
10:00 a.m. | Caroline Kaufman | Fostering Jewish Resilience in the Context of Antisemitism
Room 3
This session will focus on helping individuals to identify sources of strength and resilience in the context of anti-Jewish hate and/or antisemitism. Attendees will learn about theories of resilience and will be able to identify one-to-three skills for use in times of turbulence or challenge.
About Caroline Kaufman
Dr. Caroline Kaufman is a licensed clinical psychologist and academic researcher in the area of spirituality/religion, mental health, trauma, and antisemitism. Her clinical work and research agenda are devoted to identifying areas of risk and resilience to facilitate positive functioning in the context of adversity. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology (with a focus on Child & Family) from the University of Memphis, completed her internship at Yale School of Medicine/Yale-New Haven Hospital, and her postdoctoral training at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
11:00 a.m. | Rabbi Dan Slipakoff, Temple Israel of Boston | Daf Simpsons
Rabbi Dan Slipakoff
Room 1
Together we will study a page of “Simpsons Talmud,” based on the work of Rabbi Noah Gradofsky and The Simpsons episode “Like Father, Like Clown,” to explore how a page of Talmud works. The session will pair humor with serious questions about forgiveness, authority, and interpretation. Students will analyze how classical Jewish texts and pop culture can intersect and deepen an appreciation for both!
About Rabbi Dan Slipakoff
Rabbi Dan Slipakoff serves Temple Israel of Boston as Associate Rabbi and Director of Social Justice. A love of storytelling lies at the core of Rabbi Dan Slipakoff’s rabbinate. Whether teaching Torah to toddlers or building value-based relationships for righteous impact, identifying and celebrating our core stories drives Rabbi Slipakoff’s passion for Jewish communal life.
11:00 a.m | Rabbi Ora Weiss | The (not so very) hidden messages in Torah on the evolution of human consciousness, past and future.
Room 2
The (not so very) hidden messages in Torah on the evolution of human consciousness, past and future.
We’ll uncover some known and some surprising steps leading to today’s level of consciousness. And some strong clues as to how we will advance in consciousness and abilities beyond what we now know, in the future.
Some presentation, and time for discussion and questions, in hevruta (small groups or pairs) and whole group.
About Rabbi Ora Weiss
Rabbi Ora Weiss is ever seeking new meaning in Torah for our times.
11:00 a.m. | Ted Greenwood | Understanding the Upcoming Israeli Election
Room 3
An Israeli election will be scheduled soon. With 10-14 parties likely to win seats in the Knesset and neither coalition of Jewish parties likely to win enough seats to form a government, the Arab parties could be kingmakers. In this session, we will sort out the complexities of the Israeli electoral system, sort out the different parties and leaders, and explore the posibilities for the election’s outcome.
About Ted Greenwood
Ted Greenwood is a former poliitcal science faculty member at MIT and Columbia, and a student of the Israeli politics.
Friday Afternoon, May 22
12:00 p.m. | Rabbi Barbara Symons | Will You Marry Me? Marriage Through the Lens of the Hebrew Bible, Liturgy, Poetry, and Beyond!
Room 1
Together we will look into the metaphor of God and the Jewish People as a married couple through the lens of the Hebrew Bible, liturgy, poetry, and beyond. What do we learn about our relationship with God? What do we learn about marriage? Say, “I do” and join in!
About Barbara Symons
Barbara Symons serves as the rabbi of the Reform Temple of Putnam Valley and Temple Beth-El of City Island. She is the editor of Prophetic Voices: Renewing and Reimagining Haftarah (CCAR Press 2023)
12:00 p.m. | Laura Mandel, Vilna Shul | Torah in the Tarot
Room 2
Did you know there are Jewish roots in tarot?
Author Stav Appel believes that there are hidden Torah stories in tarot cards as we know them today, created by Jews in post-inquisition times trying to retain their Jewish traditions. Join Laura Mandel on an exploration of this theory and encounter theorist and author Stav Appel, who released the book about this theory in October 2025.
About Laura Mandel
Laura Conrad Mandel is an artist, public art advocate, and social entrepreneur. She joined The Vilna as Managing Director of Program Strategy and Impact after serving as founding Executive Director of the Jewish Arts Collaborative. Laura came to the non-profit world after graduating Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Art and English, and began her career as the Director of Alumni and Parent Relations for the Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh. She is past Board Chair of the Council of American Jewish Museums and is co-chair of the Boston Lyric Stage Advisory Committee. Mandel writes regular arts and culture blogs for JewishBoston.com.
12:00 p.m. | Peggy Morrison | Judith: Saint or Seducer?
Room 3
Devout, beautiful, and resourceful, Judith saved Jerusalem from Assyrian invaders. However, this exemplary Jewish matron is not included in the Hebrew Bible. This session will examine the ways Judith captured the imagination of old master painters which may explain why The Book of Judith is not included in our canon.
About Peggy Morrison
Peggy Morrison has a PhD in English and American Literature, and has taught at the secondary and college levels. She is interested in the intersection of visual art and literature, and has studied both art history and biblical and rabbinic texts at the graduate level.
1:00 p.m. | Rachel Levy Wexler | What's Really Happening in the Room: Building the Trust that Changes Everything
Room 1
Our tradition teaches that every person contains a world. Yet, how often do our teams and communities operate as if the people in the room are interchangeable? People inherently want to feel seen, and trust is what happens when leaders are willing to be authentic, clear, and genuinely empathetic with each other.
In trust-based rooms, where tensions surface early and the dynamics that usually stay hidden finally become visible, machloket l’shem shamayim becomes possible: the kind of constructive, principled disagreement aimed not at winning, but at finding truth and acting with integrity toward something larger than ourselves.
During this discussion, Rachel will bring leadership stories, research-backed frameworks, and actionable practices that participants can take back to their organizations, boards, and communities. When we build trust, collaboration, innovation, and exceptional performance don’t just become possible. They become inevitable.
About Rachel Levy Wexler
Rachel Levy Wexler is a leadership development partner who works with leaders and their teams to surface the unspoken dynamics holding organizations back and build the capacity to operate differently. With 20+ years of cross-functional leadership and executive experience, Rachel has led integrations, run re-orgs, launched products, and served as chief of staff to CEOs, COOs, and company presidents. She’s not observing from the outside; she’s been in the seat. Through JEWEL and Full Picture Leadership, her ongoing research initiatives, Rachel has conducted hundreds of in-depth interviews with senior executives, building one of the most extensive collections of real leadership stories in the field. That pattern recognition, combined with her warmth and directness, is what makes her work land differently. Her clients span industries and sectors, from Fortune 500 C-suites to PE-backed growth firms to nonprofits — all talented, hardworking leaders trying to inspire their teams, grow their organizations, and drive meaningful change. Rachel is also Vice President at Temple Israel of Boston, where she brings that same commitment to leadership and community.
1:00 p.m. | Amy Bolotin, FJECC Preschool at Temple Israel of Boston, with Michaela and Lily Schwartz | A Boomer, a Millennial and a GenZ Walk into a Shul: Exploring and fostering Jewish Identity from Generation to Generation
Amy Bolotin
Room 2
A Boomer, a Millennial and a GenZ walk into a Shul: Exploring and fostering Jewish identity from generation to generation. Together, Amy and her daughters will discuss the cultural, religious and ethical threads that can connect one generation of Jews to another, particularly in times during which Jewish identity can feel immensely complicated, volatile and vulnerable.
About Amy Bolotin, Michaela Schwartz, and Lily Schwartz
Amy Bolotin is an early childhood educator, the executive director of FJECC at Temple Israel and the mother of 2 adult (very smart and wonderful) children.
Michaela Schwartz is an educator and writer living in New York City.
Lily Schwartz is currently completing a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science at Simmons University.
2:00 p.m. | Cantor Alicia Stillman, Temple Israel of Boston | The History and Mystery of Akdamut
Room 1
The history and mystery of Akdamut: Understanding the sound of Shavuot through the historic and musical poem that defines the music of the holiday.
About Cantor Alicia Stillman
Cantor Alicia Stillman has been serving as the Cantor at Temple Israel of Boston since 2020.
Cantor Stillman was ordained in 2013 at the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music of the Hebrew Union College (HUC). She has an extensive background in theater and music, and holds a master’s degree from HUC as well as a Bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University, after which she performed professionally in such theater favorites as Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, Annie, 1940’s Radio Hour, Into the Woods, and The Threepenny Opera.
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2:00 p.m. | Amanda McFarland | Jewitches: From Antisemitism to the Zohar
Room 2
This session explores witchcraft as it moves from a product of antisemitic imagination to a lens for engaging with Jewish mystical traditions, including teachings from the Zohar. We’ll examine how “Jewitches” have reclaimed this identity and explore folk magic practice today.
About Amanda McFarland
Amanda is a facilitator, program manager, and data storyteller focused on creating thoughtful, engaging spaces for learning, reflection, and connection. Her work centers on designing both trainings and systems-level solutions in the healthcare space to improve economic mobility and belonging for employees, patients, and community members.
Outside of her professional sphere, she is deeply interested in Jewish mysticism — its history, symbolism, and the ways it invites deeper questions about the meaning of life and what it means to be spiritual. In this session, she brings together her facilitation experience and personal interest to create an interactive space for curiosity, conversation, and exploration.
2:00 p.m. | Rabbi Em Mueller | Let’s Write: Midrash on the Mountain
Room 3
Writing is a way of letting out what you have taken in. This is an opportunity to reflect on your experience of Shavuot. We may also look at Moses on the Mountain, Exodus 29:1-20:23 as prompts to generate our own writing. None of this has to make sense, but it sure can feel good, especially when you’ve been up all night and day.
About Rabbi Em Mueller
Rabbi Em Mueller received her MA in Creative Writing-Poetry from Boston University. She taught Creative Writing, English Composition, and Literature at UMass-Boston for 10 years. She has been teaching poetry workshops for the past 20 years.
3:00 p.m. | Rabbi Daniel Klein, Hebrew College | Want to change the world? Go to the beit midrash!
Room 1
Our world is clearly in need of change and healing. How do we bring it about — protest? direct action? An ancient midrash says we should go to the beit midrash (house of study). What?! In this time of urgency, we will study this midrash and consider what Talmud Torah (learning Torah) may offer us as a path to a better world.
About Rabbi Daniel Klein
Rabbi Daniel Klein is the Dean of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. A lifelong seeker, Rabbi Klein was ordained by Hebrew College in 2010. He has served as the Dean of Students and Director of Admissions for Hebrew College, as well as the Rabbi-in-Residence of the Boston Synagogue. Rabbi Klein is a graduate of the University of Chicago and lives in his hometown of Newton, Massachusetts with his wife Jen and their two children, Micah and Nora.
3:00 p.m. Teddy Manning, JALSA | Judaism & Free Speech
Room 2
Judaism & Free Speech — Discusses the connection between Judaism and freedom of speech, outlines our history with freedom of speech, and explores modern definitions and issues in free speech today. The curriculum focuses on book bans and antisemitism.
About Teddy Manning
Teddy Manning is an Organizer at JALSA (Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action). Teddy graduated with a Master’s degree in Digital Humanities from the City University New York Graduate Center, after completing her Bachelor’s in Linguistics at Boston University. Teddy grew up in the political sphere, going all the way back to her first protest at the age of 11, at the We Are The 99% protests. Most recently, Teddy has worked with organizing safe spaces for Queer Jews in university spaces, as well as combatting antisemitism on campus, and organizing food pantries for struggling graduate students. Her research in the past has worked on archiving transgender language. Her previous professional work includes working with accessibility standards in online education, primarily working with first generation college students. In addition to English, Teddy fluently speaks Dutch, Arabic, and American Sign Language. In her free time, she enjoys writing, and frankly not much else.
3:00 p.m. Michael Simon | Add Some Chi to your day
Room 3
About Michael Simon
4:00 p.m. | Rabbi Or Rose, Hebrew College | Soulful Torah: A Hasidic Tale of Master, Disciple, and Angelic Dancers
Room 1
In this session we will explore an early Hasidic story about the first meeting of the Ba’al Shem Tov (d. 1766) and the Maggid of Mezerith (d. 1772). The tale explores different modes of Torah study, inviting us to expand our vision and practice.
About Rabbi Or Rose
Rabbi Or Rose is the founding Director of the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership of Hebrew College.
4:00 p.m. | Adam Mazo, Upstander Project | Two Films and an Ancestral Secret
Room 2
When filmmaker and Temple Israel member Adam Mazo set out to document a first-of-its-kind truth commission for Native people, he didn’t anticipate how that would lead to his own ancestral journey. Watch two short films together and hear what Adam found in his family history.
About Adam Mazo
Adam Mazo (he/his) is the copresident and creative director for Upstander Project and an Emmy® Award-winning social issue documentarian. Adam has (co)directed and/or produced all of Upstander Project’s films, including Dawnland, which won an Emmy® Award in 2018. His films have been broadcast on domestic and international television (Independent Lens), programmed at film festivals (Sundance, Hot Docs, Camden) and international conferences, and screened at universities and K-12 schools, where they are also often used in curricula. He is Ashkenazi Jewish, a member of Temple Israel, and lives with his family in the territory of the People of the Blue Hills — the Massachusett Tribe.
4:00 p.m. | Emilia Diamant, Avodah | Those Darn Kids are Actually Alright
Room 3
There’s a lot of handwringing about Gen Z and beyond, but the truth is they are leading and shaping the current moment, not just the future. Using both ancient and contemporary texts we’ll look at how Jews may approach generational differences, and what it means to build intergenerational community today.
About Emilia Diamant
Emilia is an educator, social worker, facilitator who has taught on power and justice, whiteness, pop culture, feminism, and the arts for 15 years. She currently serves as the Chief Program Officer at Avodah.
She was a JOIN for Justice Organizing Fellow in 2012-2013 and is also a proud first generation member of Tzedek Lab. She is on the board at Boston Worker’s Circle. Emilia earned a degree in Informal Urban Education from New York University and a Master’s in Social Work from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Outside of work, she prides herself on being a Beyhive member, a Bostonian, and a dog lover.
4:50 p.m. | Concluding Moment of Blessing with Rabbi Suzie Jacobson
Room 1
5:00 - 5:30 p.m. | Yizkor for Shavuot: A Service of Remembering with Temple Israel of Boston Clergy | Onsite and Online
Room 1 and Onsite
6:00 p.m. Qabbalat Shabbat
Onsite and Online (via Facebook Live, Youtube, or Temple Israel’s livestream.
Gather with us onsite and online. All are welcome to join this service full of prayer, meditation, and music!
Co-Sponsors
Tikkun Zoom Shavuot is presented by the Center for Adult Jewish Learning at Temple Israel of Boston in partnership with Avodah, Hebrew College, JCC Greater Boston, Stephen Wise Temple, Temple Beth Zion, Temple Ohabei Shalom, Temple Shir Tikva, and Vilna Shul.