Sasha T. Goldberg

Sasha T. Goldberg is the Associate Director and the Director of Student Programming for Nehirim. A Jewish scholar, educator, and community organizer, Sasha brings a unique passion for creating innovative programming on the intersections of Judaism and various cultural, social, sexual, and religious identities. Prior to joining Nehirim in 2007, she taught grades K-12  in Religious Schools, led Jewish teen retreats, and worked with a wide variety of Jewish organizations in  the Bay Area. Sasha holds a Master’s Degree in Judaism from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, where she focused on issues of grief, loss, and pastoral care. In September of 2008, she facilitated Nehirim’s  first Grief and Loss group, entitled, “Bearing Witness: Sharing Grief in Queer Community.”

In addition to her work at Nehirim, Sasha has a long history of queer advocacy and activism, and has organized conferences, film festivals, fundraisers, workshops and events throughout the country, as well as having spoken and published on sexuality, gender, and identity; her most recent work appears in the ground-breaking anthology Keep Your Wives Away From Them. Currently, Sasha is honored to serve a member of the GLBT Advisory Committee for the Jewish National Fund and as the Programming Chair for Butch Voices 2011. Most recently, Sasha served as the President of the Board of Directors for NUJLS, The National Union of Jewish LGBTQQI Students, before Nehirim and NUJLS merged in June of 2010.

Sasha hails from the good Midwestern stock of the United States, and makes her home in Oakland, California.

Kohenet Ellie Barbarash, MS

Ellie Barbarash received ordination as Kohenet in June 2009 from the Kohenet Priestess Institute (www.kohenet.org.) She has an MS in occupational and environmental safety and is board certified as a environmental compliance auditor.  Ellie’s creative writing has been published in Bridges, Off Our Backs, and Jewish Book World.  She cofounded AWARE, a feminist anti-racism project that explored issues of class, gender, queerness, disability, and ethnic identity in NYC not-for-profit organizations in the 1990s.  A native New Yorker, she currently lives and works in Philadelphia,  focused on disability rights and advocacy in the federal workforce.  Passions include reviving ancient women’s Jewish practices, making music, midrash, and raising her beautiful son. Ellie’s been out since 1982.

Zvi Bellin PhD

Dr. Zvi Bellin is the Engagement Associate for Nehirim and is responsible for student outreach, internal community relations, and programming at Nehirim retreats. He leads workshops and directs retreats that integrate body-heart-mind-soul in a variety of spiritual and religious contexts. Zvi earned a PhD in Pastoral Counseling and an M.A. in Counseling and Guidance. He is a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance. He has worked as a therapist in a number of mental health settings, and has interned as a Psychiatric Chaplain. Zvi’s most recent interests include exploring the raw experience of meaning in life, and the integration of personal spirituality into a practice of holistic well-being. He is a co-founder of the Silver Spring Moishe House, a Jewish community house sponsored by the Schusterman Foundation.

Becky Emet, MBA, MSW

Committed to social justice and community building, Becky brings her passion and warmth to the Nehirim community. As a past co-director of The Gathering at Easton Mountain and the Women’s Retreat, Becky has been to ten Nehirim retreats and led seven workshops. Professionally she has worked as a psychotherapist with at-risk youth and families, a case manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters, a project manager for Harvard faculty at McLean hospital, and a business consultant to social enterprises on issues related to budget analysis, marketing, and social responsibility. With an MBA and an MSW, Becky is both a problem solver and an idealist at heart who strives for an ever-compassionate, present-focused perspective.

Rabbi Steven Greenberg

Jessica Halem

Called “Brave and Bawdy” by Time Out Chicago and “Righteous and Chipper” by the Times-Picayune, Jessica Halem was raised by hippie Jewish artists from the East Coast which was anything but normal – or easy – in small-town Ohio, but did help to foster this very funny “on-your-face” comic who puts her queer spin on everything from Sudafed to Feminism to Glory Holes. Jessica Halem was trained at Sarah Lawrence College and earned her chops as a social justice activist working for Bella Abzug; as a writer working for failed Internet start-ups; and as a LGBT health and non-profit expert running the Lesbian Community Cancer Project. Jessica Halem performs at every college, Pride, and bathhouse where she can help find the funny in even the toughest of times: www.jessicahalem.com.

Dr Warren Hoffman

Warren Hoffman is the Director of Arts and Cultural Programming for the Gershman Y in Philadelphia.  Prior to that he served as the literary manager and dramaturg for Philadelphia Theatre Company.  In New York, Warren was the Associate Artistic Director of Jewish Repertory Theatre in New York.  In addition to working in the theater community, Warren holds a Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of California-Santa Cruz and has taught at Temple University, the University of Delaware, Rutgers, and Hunter College.  He recently earned rave reviews for his new book The Passing Game:  Queering Jewish American Culture published by Syracuse University Press.  Warren is also a playwright and his new play The Last was recently named a recipient of the 2008 Foundation for Jewish Culture Theatre Projects Grant and was a finalist for the Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition.   Warren is currently writing a book about race and the American musical.

Rabbi Joshua Lesser

Rabbi Joshua Lesser leads Atlanta’s growing Congregation Bet Haverim as a place dedicated to celebrating all aspects of Jewish life and creating a spiritual home that is accessible to those who have not connected in other settings. As a former Teach For America corps member, Rabbi Lesser is committed to creating innovative programs and events to further their Jewish education in fun and exciting ways. At Bet Haverim, he has worked with a wide variety of groups and coalitions to build a better community for Atlanta, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s Task Force on Healing and Spirituality. In partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and Jewish Family & Career Services, he founded The Rainbow Center, a place of support and information for GLBTQ people, as well as their families.

Jay Michaelson

Jay Michaelson is the founder and executive director of Nehirim. For the last ten years, Jay has been a leading advocate for the inclusion of sexual minorities in religious communities, and writes and teaches frequently on issues of sexuality and religion. His work on the subject has appeared on NPR, and in Tikkun, the Jerusalem Post, the Duke Law Review, the Michigan Journal of Gender & Law, and anthologies including Mentsh: On Being Jewish and Queer (2004), Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice(2007) and Jews and Sex (2008). Jay is a columnist for the Forward newspaper, Tikkun, and Reality Sandwich magazine, and a featured contributor to the Huffington Post. He is the author of God in Your Body: Kabbalah, Mindfulness, and Embodied Spiritual Practice (Jewish Lights, 2006), Another Word for Sky: Poems (Lethe Press, 2007), and Everything is God: The Radical Path of Nondual Judaism (Shambhala, 2009).

Marlene Rachelle

Marlene Rachelle is the Communications Manager of Nehirim.  She recently received an MA in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary with a concentration in informal and communal education.  Marlene went back to school after leaving her position as Senior Producer at MTV Networks where she had worked for over ten years. She was an Education Intern at the JCC in Manhattan’s Family Life and Community Programs department where she designed and marketed programs for the LGBTQ community.

Jase I. Schwartz

Jase I. Schwartz is a counselor and community organizer. Jase is proud to work for the NYC Anti-Violence Project (AVP) as the Police Relations and Hate Violence Counselor/Advocate. Jase is also a MSW Candidate at the Hunter College School of Social Work in their One Year Residence Program. Jase utilizes an anti-oppressive practice in his work as an activist and clinician. He is also a member of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah where he serves as a co-chair of the Trans Empowerment Coalition. For more information on the Trans Empowerment Coalition e-mail trans@cbst.org. Jase lives in Brooklyn with his partner Jeremy.

Jeremy D. Schwartz

Jeremy D. Schwartz is a MSW candidate specializing in policy practice at the NYU Silver School of Social Work, where he is President of the Graduate Student Association. He is a member of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) and is actively involved in CBST’s Koleinu social justice initiative and Trans Empowerment Coalition. He is committed to anti-oppressive social work practice that not only empowers individuals but, more importantly, transforms communities. Jeremy lives in Brooklyn with his partner Jase.

Audrey Beth Stein

Audrey Beth Stein is the author of the memoir Map, a 2010 Lambda Literary Award Finalist. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College and is a two-time national prizewinner in the David Dornstein Memorial Short Story Contest. She teaches memoir and novel development at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. Her website including samples of her writing and links to order Map can be found at http://audreybethstein.com.