Kol Koleinu 2024-25 Mentors

Em Besthoff serves as Assistant Director of Lifelong Learning; they create and oversee our teen experiences for grades 7-12 at Temple Emanu-El. Em grew up personally and professionally in shuls. A former NFTY kid, they use their natural ability to connect with people and their love of Judaism to follow their passions. They (concurrently!) earned their Masters in Religious Education from Hebrew Union College and Kids Yoga certification in 2019.Em has always known that Jewish teen experiences were vital and is constantly dreaming big. Recently, they co-created and participated in a Shabbat dinner experience called Queer Kehilah for Romemu Brooklyn. As a queer Jew, they want to bring spiritual experiences to those who are looking for community and conversation. A common theme in her life is silliness, and when not at work can be found reading in a cozy sweater, adding to her vinyl collection, and walking around New York City.

Lynn Anne Cutler serves as the Director of Education and Youth at Beth El Synagogue in Durham, North Carolina. One of the standout benefits of this career has been the opportunity to work closely with Jewish teens, whose passion for and dedication to changing our world for the better inspires her every day. She feels excited and blessed to be part of this work through Kol Koleinu this year. Lynn Anne holds an M.A. in Jewish Education/Communal Leadership from the Davidson School at Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and a B.A. in English Literature from Drew University in New Jersey.

Shayna Dollinger (she/her) is a rabbinical and education student at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles. She is currently studying in the Rhea Hirsch School of Education and teaching at Brawerman Elementary School. She is a proud graduate of Wesleyan University where she majored in Religion, Jewish Studies, and Global Engagement. Shayna spends her summers at URJ Camp Newman as the Education Director. When not discussing the future of the Jewish world, Shayna loves to dissect Taylor Swift lyrics, cook, and run half-marathons without training.

Dana Edell (she/her), PhD, MFA, is an activist-scholar-artist-educator. She has produced and co-directed 80+ original plays written and performed by teenage girls and nonbinary youth addressing social and racial justice issues. She’s the Director of The ART (Anti-Racism Theater) Project where she collaborates with multiracial groups of teenage girls and nonbinary youth in Delaware to create activist theater and collaborates with feminist Jewish teens and Jewish organizations in arts-based activist projects. She has published chapters and articles in more than a dozen academic books and journals, and currently serves as Co-Editor of Youth Theatre Journal. Her book, Girls, Performance and Activism: Demanding to Be Heard was published by Routledge in 2022. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts where she is an Assistant Professor of Applied Theatre at Emerson College.

Kate Flanagan is the Executive Director of Kehillat Ma’arav, a synagogue in Santa Monica, CA, and has been serving the Jewish community-on both coasts-for over twenty years. She has a BA in Sociology with a Minor in Women’s and Gender Studies from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a certificate in Non-Profit Management from Duke University, and most recently, a Master of Public Policy from California State University Long Beach. As a non-Jew, Kate’s academic background and professional experience lend themselves quite nicely in building and fostering communities that tie together shared purpose and unique traditions. On a personal note, she is most passionate about advancing women’s financial literacy and independence and hopes to pursue volunteer work in preventing domestic violence.

Abby Gore is the Director of Youth and Young Adult Engagement at Mount Zion Temple in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Originally from Los Angeles, Abby attended Macalester College where she received a BA in Religious Studies with minors in Philosophy and Classics. In May of 2024, she received her Masters in Jewish Nonprofit Management from HUC-JIR’s Zelikow School. Abby serves on the Alumni Board of her high school, Archer School for Girls, and serves as a Class Agent for Macalester. In her free time, Abby enjoys baking and cooking, walking and biking around Minnesota’s many lakes, reading, and spending time with her fiancé Sam.

Abby Grayson is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice in New Jersey who specializes in treating survivors of domestic violence and interpersonal trauma as well as those experiencing infertility and/or using assisted reproduction technology to build a family. Abby has a background working in all levels of clinical care, including two years running monthly groups for Yesh Tikva, an organization supporting Jewish people facing infertility. A longtime advocate for women’s health issues, Abby has been a faculty member at the annual Jefferson Medical School Infertility Counseling Conference and also volunteers with various organizations to raise awareness about hereditary cancer risk in the Jewish community. She is also the mother of a current Kol Koleinu fellow and another teenage daughter. She enjoys reading, making decorative cookies, British crime dramas, and being outside.

Rebecca Kahn (she/her) is the Director of Jewish Teen Leadership and the Pittsburgh Diller Teen Fellows Coordinator at the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh. Previously, she was the Associate Regional Director of Jewish Enrichment for BBYO Ohio Northern Region, and the Teen Director at URJ 6 Points West summer camp. Rebecca holds a degree in English and Creative Writing from Brandeis University and a Master of Arts in Literary and Cultural Studies from Carnegie Mellon University where her research focused on feminist theories of ritual practice and gendered performance in Jewish spaces. Rebecca lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her partner and their cat, Romeo.

Valerie Klein has her bachelor’s degree in education and her MARE from HUC in religious education. She was formerly a BBYO advisor and has run the CIT program at Greene Family Camp for the past several years. Valerie was the director of education at a synagogue where she ran a vibrant madrichim program and she is currently the Community Manager for the Institute of Southern Jewish Life. She has raised three phenomenal young women with her husband and lives in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of a suburb of Dallas.

Miranda Lapides is the Creative Marketing & Communications Manager at The Jewish Education Project and the author of the weekly Jewish newsletter, The Shabbat Drop, a newsletter of Jewish joy. Miranda lives in New York City and has her Bachelors Degree in Psychology from George Mason University. She loves reading and adventuring around the city!

Daniella Levine is a research associate at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies. She received her Master of Public Policy from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis, where she focused on gender policy. Previously, she served as the grants manager for The Miriam Fund, Boston’s Jewish Women’s Fund. A Cambridge transplant, she spends her time outside of work exploring and playing with her dog, Joey.

Hilarie Lieb is a professor of instruction emerita in the Department of Economics at Northwestern University. Her areas of interest are labor economics and economic history in the context of gender. During the past three years, she has helped in the development of Jewish Free Loan Chicago, a non-profit start-up, in the role of Chair of the Board. She looks forward to mentoring members of Moving Traditions Kol Koleinu 2024/25 cohort in their tikkun olam projects.

Rabbi Zoe McCoon (she/her) lives in Berkeley, CA, where she recently moved after 4 months of cross-country RV roadtrip adventures with her pup Ezekiel Shimshon. She earned her BA in Women and Gender studies from University of Michigan in 2015, and she was ordained from HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, OH in 2021. She participated in monthly Rosh Chodesh gatherings with Women of the Wall, created a half-day interfaith gathering on how faith communities can educate about signs of unhealthy relationships, and wrote a thesis on sexuality education in Jewish spaces. Rabbi Zoe most recently served as the Rabbi of Temple Beth Torah in Fremont, CA. She also has served in rabbinic roles at Michigan State Hillel, Hillel Campus Alliance of Michigan, and Hazon Detroit (now called Adamah Detroit).

Jessica Meirovici lives in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She is a youth professional currently coordinating the Diller Teen Fellowship program in Montreal for the 5th year. The program is run out of a Jewish community center called the Sylvan Adams YM-YWHA. Jessica received both her degrees from McGill University. She has a bachelors in International Development Studies with a focus on Education and Field Studies in Panama and a Masters degree in Education.

Lizzi Meister (she/her) is the public programs manager at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans, Louisiana. She’s originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she went to Jewish summer camp and fell in love with thinking and programming Jewishly. She has a BA in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia and a master’s degree in Museology from the University of Washington. After completing a fellowship in Jackson, Mississippi at the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, Lizzi decided to make the South her home. She loves to grapple with the complicated reality of her new home of New Orleans as a complex intersection of rich Jewish, queer, and American culture. In her free time she can be found finding amazing vegetarian food in her meat-loving city, snuggling with her cat, taking an adventure with a new foster dog, or having a feisty discussion about museums.

Orly Michaeli (she/her) is a social impact management consultant at BCG (Boston Consulting Group). The granddaughter of 4 Holocaust survivors, she was born and raised in Guatemala, where she was 1 of 5 Jews her age. Orly moved to the US for college after a gap year in Israel with Macabi Hatzair, and went on to work at education nonprofits and startups like Noodle and DonorsChoose. From 2016-2020, she founded and ran Wominyan, a Jewish-feminist organization exploring the intersection of Judaism and womanhood. Orly has a BA in Creative Writing from Columbia University and an MBA from Stanford University. She lives in New York City with her husband Ben, and consider herself a proud New Yorker after having spent over a decade in the city.

Rabbi Vanessa Ochs is professor emeritus of religious studies and Jewish Studies at UVA. Trained in drama and anthropology, she is the author of many books and cares deeply about Jewish feminist activism.

Michele Scher resides in Boca Raton, Florida and received her BS in Psychology from Tulane University and her MSW from Barry University. She has been in the field of social work for over twenty years serving children, families and seniors in a variety of clinical and community settings. Mrs. Scher has also taught social work and psychology courses for Barry University and Kaplan University as an adjunct professor. She has a strong passion for spreading awareness about mental health and social justice issues. When not working, Michele loves to spend time with her family and friends, volunteer in the community, and enjoy the outdoors.  

Haley Schulman (she/her) lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with her husband, where she has been for the past decade. Haley is a career Jewish professional who has worked at a number of Jewish organizations including the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Hadar Institute, Hillel at Baruch College, and the American Hebrew Academy. Haley graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Human Development after spending a year on the Nativ College Leadership Program in Israel, and is currently pursuing her MA in Jewish Professional Studies at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.

Stacy Shapiro (she/her) is the Northeast Regional Director for Moving Traditions. Stacy has been working with teens as a social worker and/or a Jewish Educator since college. She is passionate about her work with teens and families. Stacy has been a Rosh Hodesh leader for over 10 years, and has started Tzelem groups, for LGBTQ+ and gender-expansive teens, in NY and MA. Stacy has the title of Reform Jewish Educator from ARJE, has served as faculty at several Reform Jewish camps and has been involved in Jewish leadership since High School. She holds a BA in Psychology from Brandeis University, an MS in Social Work from Columbia University, and an MA in Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Stacy has two adult children who are both Chemical Engineers. She lives in Yorktown, NY with her husband.

Shoshi Shapiro lives in Chicago and is currently the Program Director for Teen Social Change Programs at the Jewish United Fund.. She is an alum of Northwestern where she studied learning science and human centered design. Shoshi is passionate about creating effective learning programs and workshops and supporting our democracy. Beyond work, Shoshi is a dog adoption counselor, big women’s sports fan, and fan of Bravo reality TV.

Jamie Wagman is a Professor and Chair of Gender & Women’s Studies and History at Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana. She teaches courses on gender history and feminist theory and advises senior capstone projects. She has a Ph.D. in American Studies from Saint Louis University and a M.A. in Writing from The Johns Hopkins University. She has been a Fulbright Specialist at the International University of Rabat, an NEH Summer Scholar, and an Indiana Humanities Suffrage Speakers Bureau historian. In her free time, she loves vegan baking with her daughters, walking her dog, reading, and doing yoga.

Amee Wurzburg is a Gender Advisor at USAID in the Office of HIV/AIDS. She has over 12 years of experience working globally and domestically on sexual health and rights, gender-based violence prevention and response, and LGBTQI+ rights. Her work has taken her to India, Kenya, South Africa, Brazil, and all over the US, as well as also supporting country teams throughout Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. Her commitment to human rights and social justice has led her to focus her career on ensuring that all people are able to live with the right to bodily autonomy and live free from violence. Amee received her MPH from UNC-Chapel Hill and her BA in History from Barnard College and currently lives in Silver Spring, MD with her wife, son, two cats, and too many books to count.