emerging scholars in israel 2021-2022
"The goal of this year’s program was to gain a critical understanding of inclusion within Judaism. Inclusion has become a beloved term and is a shared goal. Still, the challenges to inclusion are many, especially when the mere presence of one group makes another feel excluded. At our first meeting we spoke about what that means as Orthodox women who have different ideas of what Orthodoxy might mean than many other Orthodox Jews. Throughout the year we met with people in Israel who work on the cusp of inclusion in Israel, such as inclusion in education, conversion, prayer space at the Kotel, and the secular religious divide in Israel. We had a chance to tour Rabbi Daniel Sperber’s library and sat with him for a few hours in his home in the old city. After each meeting, we made sure to sit together over delicious food, while we reflected on our past meetings and caught up with each other and our respective programs. The program culminated in Jerusalem, where each fellow had a chance to reflect and discuss their experiences, and we had a chance to visit and paint with an Armenian potter whose family was commissioned to design the street signs in the old city and the Dome of the Rock." - Rabbanit Atara Lindenbaum ('22), 2021-22 program facilitator
Emerging Scholars in Israel meeting on Friday, November 5th, 2021
meet the scholars
Cara Lopatin
Cara attended Chicago Jewish Day School, SAR Academy and High School, and graduated from Farber Hebrew Day School in Southfield, Michigan. This year, Cara is learning at Midreshet Amudim in Jerusalem. Cara is a long-time leyner (Megillah and Torah) and chazanit at Tefillat Esther, Shachar, Kehillah, and The Atria in New York and then a children’s programming facilitator, Gabait, community-builder, and all-around volunteer in Michigan. Cara was a Bronfman fellow, co-chair of Bnei Akiva Detroit, Jewish Fund Teen Board member, Honeycomb Youth Ambassador, and Moot Beit Din team member. As a two-time cancer survivor, Cara also speaks publicly on behalf of Chai Lifeline. After her year in Israel, Cara is planning on attending the University of Michigan.
Dahlia Krebs
Dahlia graduated from St. Louis Park High School and currently learns at Midreshet Lindenbaum. One of the most transformative Jewish experiences of Dahlia’s life was participating in Drisha’s summer learning program before her sophomore year in high school. After that program, Dahlia became active in her shul and community by leyning Torah and Megillah, attending lectures and classes and requesting even more learning opportunities, and cooking for a local homeless shelter. With her sister, Dahlia founded and remained active in her local Bnei Akiva group, rising to rank of mazkira, a formative leadership experience for her.
Devorah Feder
Hailing from Sharon, MA, Devorah Feder is studying at Midreshet Ein Hanatziv and next year will attend Yale College. Devorah loves participating in women’s davening and Torah reading, both at Ein Hanatziv and at home. Before graduating from Maimonides High School, Devorah enjoyed playing varsity basketball and varsity tennis, leading the Model UN and Moot Beit Din teams, and coordinating the literary magazine. Devorah’s passion for pluralism has led her to find meaningful Jewish communities through participation in the Drisha Summer High School Program, Diller Teen Fellows, and the Bronfman Fellowship. During her free time, Devorah loves painting and being active in nature.
Ellie Klibaner-Schiff
Ellie Klibaner-Schiff is a student at the Hevruta gap year program from Newton, MA. She graduated from Maimonides School and is passionate about using writing and journalism as tools to share untold stories. Throughout high school, Ellie was involved with Girls Who Code, both as a participant in their Summer Immersion Program and as founder of the Girls Who Code club at her high school. Ellie connects to her Judaism by studying texts and empowering women to actively engage with Jewish community; she is an alumna of the Drisha High School Summer Program and the Rising Voices Fellowship of the Jewish Women's Archive. Next year, Ellie will attend Harvard University.
Joy Goldkrand
Joy Goldkrand is from the San Francisco Bay Area and currently lives on Kibbutz Alumim. Joy graduated from Kehillah Jewish High School in 2019 where she held various community leadership roles. She studied at Midreshet Lindenbaum in 2019-2020 after which she made Aliyah. Joy is passionate about creating inclusive and open-minded spaces in the Orthodox community and fostering belonging and active community-building in every group. Joy learned with the Dr. Beth Samuels Drisha High School program in the summer of 2018. Joy enjoys learning, teaching, baking, and long walks. In 2023, Joy will return to America to attend Yale University and plans to study Philosophy and Gender Studies.
Rivka Krause
Rivka graduated from Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School in Teaneck, New Jersey and is currently learning at Midreshet Amudim. Rivka believes in the importance of fostering inclusive spaces within the Jewish community. She is also passionate about the environment and established conservation programs within her high school. Rivka participated in the Brandeis Moot Beit Din competition, coming in first with her team, loves immersing herself in literary worlds, practices krav maga, and enjoys debating the complexities of U.S. history.
Tal Bresler
Tal is currently studying at Nishmat. Tal grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, attended the Berman Hebrew Academy, and was deeply invested in the Kemp Mill Jewish community while she was living there. Passionate about politics, theology, and social activism, throughout high school Tal could be found reading, writing, and arguing about every nuance of whichever new book she was reading and that hasn’t changed during her Shana B’Aretz. Tal holds a deep love for and commitment to learning, Judaic and secular. Outside of academic pursuits, Tal loves to sing, paint, embroider, and write.
Tifi Grossman
Tifi is a 2021 graduate of SAR High School in Riverdale, New York. This year, she is learning at the Hartman Institute’s Hevruta Gap Year Program. In high school, Tifi was active in Model UN, the school newspaper, and the Girls Who Code Club. Tifi is passionate about increasing female leadership and herself led the Women’s Tefillah Group at her high school and enjoyed leyning and leading tefillah. In addition, Tifi participated in the Israeli-Palestinian program, Kids4Peace. After her gap year in Israel, Tifi will attend Barnard College.