Our Jewish Community Cultivators are building dynamic new communities that engage underserved Jews across North America. From October 2024 – December 2025, these leaders will participate in deep learning about how to build vibrant and sustainable communities, while acting as thought partners for one another.
Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder (she/her)
Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder Ph.D. lives and creates in Atlanta, Georgia. She has built a rabbinate dedicated to empowering others to engage with the riches of Jewish tradition and culture. She holds a Ph.D. in Jewish history from Yale with a focus on cookbooks. She is currently participating Jewish Studio Project creative facilitators program and will be leading a women's trip to Morocco in May 2025.
Rabbi Jill Avrin (she/her)
Rabbi Jill Avrin is the rabbi of YourJewish, a new organization in the Twin Cities serving those who are unengaged or under-engaged in Jewish life. She is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, received her BA from the University of Minnesota in 2004, and was ordained by Hebrew Union College in 2013. Following ordination, she moved back to Minnesota to work at Bet Shalom Congregation. She spent 10 years at Bet Shalom, first as Rabbi Educator and then as Associate Rabbi, and left in the summer of 2023 to found YourJewish. She gives back to the broader community through her participation on the Board of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition and the Board of Minnesota Hillel. She loves spending time with her three children, Ariella, Asher, and Emmett, her partner Jake, and her cats, Goldie and Milo. In her free time, she loves to run and to bake.
Jesse Epstein (he/him)
Soon-to-be-Rabbi Jesse Epstein believes taking risks and pursuing big ideas are essential to Jewish meaning-making in today’s ever-changing world. As the owner of Shmaltz Brewing Company®, and with the support of the Atra Fellowship for Rabbinic Entrepreneurship and 92NY’s Jewish Innovation Fellowship, Jesse aims to nourish community members with Jewish culture, text, and tradition via the conduit of a good pint of beer. He is currently pursuing rabbinic ordination at HUC-JIR, where he is a Tisch Rabbinical Fellow and volunteers on the supervisory team of a community Soup Kitchen. As a twice-named Be Wise Fellow, Jesse also continues to develop Torah and Tourniquets©, a textual bleeding-control workshop, which combines his background as an EMT background with his passion for Jewish learning. Throughout his studies, Jesse has served as rabbinic intern in a variety of institutions, including Lenox Hill Hospital, Northeastern University Hillel, Maryland Hillel, Temple Sinai (Saratoga Springs, NY), the Community Synagogue (Port Washington, NY), and Third Space at Shaarei Tefiloh. Whether traveling to new, exciting places or at home with his many houseplants, Jesse seeks to uncover and make relevant Judaism anywhere and everywhere.
Rabbi Jessica Marshall (she/her)
Rabbi Jessica Kessler Marshall passionately leads spiritual learning communities, soul-centered retreats, and weddings across the United States. She guides participants into deeper connection with Divinity by moving beyond intellect or logic to access soul-wisdom so their path lights up with ease and JOY! Championing spiritual inclusivity via creative rituals, integrating our spiritual, emotional, and communal lives, and the wisdom of the natural world, she guides with humor, authenticity, and sacred presence.
Rabbi Jackson Mercer (he/him)
Rabbi Jackson Mercer is the Rabbi of Base BSTN, a community for folks int heir 20’s and 30’s looking to engage with Judaism through Jewish creativity, Jewish learning, and Jewish community. He was ordained at the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in Newton, MA with a Specialization in Spirituality and Social Justice and a Masters in Jewish Education with a concentration in Israel Education in conjunction with the iCenter. Collaboration and creativity are at the core of his desire to cultivate meaningful Jewish experiences. Through his work, Jackson built singing prayer communities across the country in California (Congregation Rodef Sholom, URJ Camp Newman, Hillel at UCLA, University Synagogue, and NFTY) and New York (Kehilat Romemu) as well as here in Boston (Asiyah Jewish Community, Temple Beth Sholom of Framingham, Temple Beth Zion, Mishkan Tefilah, and now Base BSTN). He also founded and built a Judaica brand, Hiddur Mitzvah, with his partner and fellow artist Rachel Jackson and sings with R’ Josh Warshawsky in the Chaverai Nevarech Band.
Sandra Razieli (she/her)
Sandra Razieli is a Jewish Spiritual Leader, Cultural Anthropologist, and Movement Educator. She facilitates creative ritual and educational experiences that support people to live their fullest lives with joy, purpose, and meaning. Sandra lives on Maui and is the founding rabbi of mauijewishohana.org, a place for progressive Jewish life on the island. You can find more about Sandra at raziyoga.com and mauirabbi.com.
Rabbi Micah Streiffer (he/him)
Rabbi Micah Streiffer is a rabbi, teacher, and lifelong student who is known for his ability to make Jewish texts and ideas come to life. Micah founded LAASOK in 2022, as a place where liberal Jewish learners, and the Jewish adjacent, can deepen their connection with Judaism through engagement with sacred texts. He hosts the popular Seven Minute Torah podcast, and serves as a member of the Responsa Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Ordained a rabbi in 2007 at the Cincinnati campus of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Micah served as a congregational rabbi for nearly two decades before creating LAASOK. He lives in the Toronto area with his three sons and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Jewish thought at McMaster University.