Meet our 2023 Gala Honorees

Former Congressman Andy Levin A former member of Congress, union organizer, human rights activist, workforce policy expert and green energy entrepreneur, Andy Levin brought his unique expertise to the halls of Congress as the proud representative for Michigan’s 9th District from 2018 to 2022. While in Washington, Andy authored, cosponsored, and helped pass legislation drawing...
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Meet our 2024 Gala Honorees

Raphael Lemkin Human Rights Award From the arts, to the United Nations, to Human Rights Watch, Marina Kaufman has dedicated her life to human rights for all people. In 1978, she became involved with an organization called the University for Peace in Costa Rica, where she was one of the “producers” of a benefit concert...
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Hannah Weilbacher

Hannah (she/her) comes to T’ruah having worked as an organizer and advocate in the field of Jewish social justice. Before T’ruah, Hannah served American Jewish World Service as Senior Program Officer for Jewish Advocacy and Engagement, where she worked with rabbis and cantors who are passionate about human rights. Hannah also worked at the Jewish...
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Rabbi Ali (Sagadencky) Lawton

Ali Sagadencky is a third year rabbinical student at the Academy for Jewish Religion, California. Ali was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She completed her undergraduate and graduate work at Pepperdine University, receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts as well as a Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis on Early Childhood...
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Sara LeMesh

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Sara LeMesh (she/her) is a cantorial student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (‘26). Sara earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Rice University and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the Bard College-Conservatory of Music. After graduate school, Sara relocated to San...
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U.S. Fellows

The T’ruah Rabbinical and Cantorial Student Summer Fellowship in Human Rights offers a select cohort of rabbinical/cantorial students an eight week experience working in a human rights/social justice organization in New York, learning about human rights in Jewish text and tradition, and gaining the skills to be human rights leaders in your own communities. Learn...
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Our Positions & Policies

Two Sovereign States for Israelis and Palestinians The world is sustained by justice, truth and peace: דין אמת ושלום. As rabbis, cantors, and Jewish community members who love and care deeply about Israel, we believe that a just and secure future for Israelis and Palestinians will best be achieved by a negotiated resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...
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Israel Fellowship

The T’ruah Israel Fellowship offers six students spending the year in Israel the opportunity for intensive study, experiential learning, development of a rabbinic voice, and cohort building.
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