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Rabbi Sidney Schwarz, Founder and President
Rabbi Sidney Schwarz founded PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values in 1988 as a means to spark greater interest in Jewish values and tikkun olam, repair of the world. He previously served as executive director of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington, D.C. and was the founding rabbi of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Rockville, MD, where he is now rabbi emeritus.
Dr. Schwarz is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) and holds a Ph.D. in Jewish history. He has served on the faculties of the University of Maryland, Temple University and the RRC as well as the Wexner Summer Institute and the Whizin Family Education Institute. Schwarz’s first book, Finding a Spiritual Home: How a New Generation of American Jews can Transform the American Synagogue (Jewish Lights) was not only widely read and quoted, but has been used by hundreds of synagogues and rabbis across the country. In it, he offered a new paradigm to help reclaim the American synagogue for a younger generation of American Jews. Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World (Jewish Lights, 2006) uses a similar blend of history and sociology to offer a new vision for a Jewish community built around a commitment to social justice.
Schwarz is the co-author of Jewish Civics: A World Repair/Tikkun Olam Manual (1994) and Jews, Judaism, and Civic Responsibility (1998). He has written more than 100 articles for various journals, including Judaism, Moment, Sh'ma and Reconstructionist, and is a frequent lecturer on contemporary Jewish affairs. In 2002, Rabbi Schwarz was awarded a Covenant Award for Exceptional Jewish Educators by the Covenant Foundation. To view Rabbi Schwarz's remarks at the awards ceremony please click here.
Rachel Meytin ,
Vice President for Programs
Rachel originally joined PANIM as the project manager for the Jewish Civics Initiative (JCI), prior to which she taught the JCI course at Los Angeles Hebrew High School. She has a master’s degree in Education and an M.B.A. in Non-Profit Management from the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. She is originally from upstate New York and earned a B.A. from Boston University where she majored in psychology.
Megan Brudney, Development Associate
Megan was born and raised in Athens, Georgia, the home of the Georgia Bulldogs. She is a proud graduate of Duke University, where she majored in linguistics. Megan began her PANIM career as the 2006-2007 Pollin-Cohen Fellow and is excited to have since joined the permanent staff. Megan’s primary interests include living in the District of Columbia, playing guitar, cooking, and watching Duke basketball.
Hershel Cohen, Smith Fellow
Hershel Cohen grew up in Torrance, CA, and graduated from West Chester University of Pennsylvania with a degree in communicative disorders and a minor in psychology. On campus, Hershel was active in Hillel and held leadership roles in his student newspaper, his speech and debate team, and the University Ambassadors service club. Off campus, Hershel did grassroots work on issues ranging from presidential campaigns to school bonds. Hershel has also participated in several prestigious conferences, including the World Information Transfer's 17th International Conference at the UN Headquarters focusing on Chernobyl and youth action. After the PANIM fellowship, Hershel plans to pursue either a doctorate in audiology or a master’s in public policy and Jewish leadership.
Rafi Glazer, Stone Fellow
Rafi Glazer was born in Princeton, NJ, and graduated from the University of Rochester with majors in political science and Middle Eastern studies. During college he focused on interfaith dialogue, working at the Interfaith Chapel and participating in the Israel Council and the Jewish-Muslim Forum. He also took part in fellowship programs through Koach and MASA Israel. Rafi has visited Spain, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel, and aspires to do more international travel. After the PANIM fellowship, he plans to further his education with a master's degree and continue to focus on interfaith dialogue. In his free time, Rafi enjoys basketball, frisbee, and crossword puzzles.
Mikah Goldman, Program Associate
Mikah, a Rutgers University graduate, joined PANIM in November 2008 as a Program Associate. An experienced educator, Mikah recruits agencies for and serves as a lead faculty on Panim el Panim seminars. Prior to working for PANIM, she worked for the Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Education Center at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, NJ. In 2008 Mikah was selected to attend the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous Summer Institute for Teachers, making her a JFR Alfred Lerner Fellow. During her spare time, Mikah enjoys volunteering, cooking, reading, and exploring the DC area.
Holli Hartman, Office Administrator/Registrar
Holli Hartman joined PANIM in December 2004 as our Registrar/Administrator. She finished the Master of Arts in Legislative Affairs program at George Washington University in December 2005, and has worked on a number of political campaigns. Originally from Lawrence, Kansas, Holli attended the University of Kansas where she received her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. In her free time, Holli enjoys reading and participates in medieval recreation.
Lia Katz, Director of the Center for Jewish Service-Learning
Lia Katz joined PANIM in 2006 as the Smith Fellow, and has stayed on to be a full member of the staff. She graduated from the University of Toronto after completing a degree in international relations. She was very involved with the Hillel on her campus, serving as chair of Israel programming in her junior year and public relations coordinator in her senior year. She spent a summer volunteering in Ghana and Ukraine through the American Jewish World Service. As well, she worked as a news editor on an undergraduate international relations journal and volunteered as an adult literacy tutor in the Toronto Public Libraries. Lia works on J-Serve and as a lead faculty on Panim el Panim seminars among other projects in the office.
Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Director of Education
Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block is the Director of Education at PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values. He is the co-editor and co-author of Just: Judaism. Action. Social Change andhis articles have been published in Sh'ma: A Journal of Jewish Responsibility and Newsweek.com. He has launched two Jewish serving-learning programs: Summer JAM (Judaism, Activism, and Mitzvah work), which he directed for four summers, and PanimWorks. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Grinnell College and rabbinic ordination from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He currently serves on the board of Jews United for Justice, the Advisory Board for The Selah Leadership Program of the Jewish Funds for Justice, and is a founding member of Eastern Village Cohousing, an award-winning, green cohousing community, where he lives with his family in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland.
Hannah
Lipman, Acting Director of Development
Hannah Lipman has been with PANIM for 15 years. She has served in numerous capacities as PANIM has grown. For the past nine years, she has been involved with development. Her primary responsibilities are coordinating PANIM's annual benefit dinner, donor relations, board relations, and special events.
Debbie Monroe, Director of Finance and Administration
Debbie joined PANIM in June, 2005 as the Director of Finance and Administration. She is a graduate of Salisbury University. Debbie has more than 20 years of experience in Finance and Human Resource Administration in both for profit and not for profit organizations.
Reisa Shanaman, Pollin-Cohen Fellow
Reisa Shanaman graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in psychology and a specialization in Jewish studies. She was active in the MSU Adolescent Diversion Project for two years, first as a youth advocate and then as an assistant instructor, helping other advocates lead successful interventions. Reisa has done fundraising work for non-profits and has also spent a summer interning for JARC, a non-profit that provides services and assisted living homes for individuals with developmental disabilities. She has recently visited Washington on two separate lobbying missions: one with the National Council of Jewish Women, and the other through a student-led MSU Hillel trip, which she helped to plan and promote.
Natalie Sukienik, Program Associate
Natalie is originally from East Windsor, NJ, and graduated from Dickinson College with a psychology major and political science minor. After graduation, Natalie relocated to Louisiana to participate in City Year Louisiana, a program that allowed her to work with students affected by Hurricane Katrina. Prior to joining the PANIM team, Natalie worked at KaBOOM!, a national non-profit committed to building playgrounds in low income areas using a community build model. Natalie became a member of the PANIM family in November 2008 as a Program Associate working on PanimWorks and J-Serve.
Ben Wacks, Wohl Fellow
Benjamin Wacks graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in political science and a minor in Judaic studies. During his time at FAU, he served as a tour guide for prospective students and was the campus AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) liaison, leading political initiatives on campus. He also participated in American University’s Washington Semester program, during which he interned for the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He also studied abroad at Hebrew University in Jerusalem for a summer term. For fun, Ben enjoys going to the movies, working out at the gym, and watching FAU football games.
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