Claire Bergen (they/them) is a rabbinic student at the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism (IISHJ), with ordination expected in 2025. For over 15 years, Claire taught Los Angeles public school students, primarily as a Teaching Artist in music, with organizations including the Los Angeles Philharmonic and YOLA (Youth Orchestra LA). They served as lead…
Julie Fishbach (she/her) is a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, expecting ordination in 2026. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she worked as a counselor and Program Director at Camp Tawonga. She studied Sociocultural Anthropology and Theater at UC San Diego, and completed coursework in…
Michelle Katz (she/her) is a rabbinical student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, expecting to graduate in 2027. She is excited about navigating the spaces between the written word and lived experiences, and creating opportunities to center liminality. Her passion for community building and religious ritual brought her to study Sociology and Jewish and Israel Studies…
Eliezer Weinbach (he/him) is a rabbinical student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in New York City, with expected ordination in 2024. He graduated from Yeshiva University with a BA in Psychology, and slowly made his way from that field to the Jewish professional world. As a retreat coordinator at The Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, Eli…
Victoria Cano (she/her) joins T’ruah as a creative administrator with a diverse background working across the arts and nonprofit sectors. Originally hailing from Brooklyn, she recently returned Stateside after spending a decade living in London working as professional playwright, producer, and fundraiser. Her international artistic and administrative experiences have enabled her to craft a bespoke…
Audrey (she/her) is a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College (’27). She grew up in Chicago, and her passion for Jewish life was sparked during her summers as a camper and staff member at URJ Camp OSRUI. As a student at Kalamazoo College, Audrey deepened her love of community-building through Hillel, interfaith dialogue, and with…
Allen Lipson is a learner of Torah and a faith-based community organizer, most recently at the Faith in Action national network and the hotel workers’ union UNITE HERE. He has studied at Hebrew College (for ordination), the Yashrut Institute, the Yeshivat Hadar year fellowship, and the Jewish Theological Seminary. His writings on rabbinic literature and…
Gabby Tropp (she/her) is a rabbinical and Jewish education student at Hebrew Union College, expecting to graduate in 2028. She grew up in Trumbull, CT, and graduated from Lafayette College with a BA in history and Spanish and a minor in Jewish studies. At Lafayette, Gabby took pride in leading the Friday minyan and was…
Matthew Schultz is a rabbinical student and a writer. He is the author of the essay collection “What Came Before” (Tupelo, 2020) and a writer for the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles. In edition to his work as a writer, Matthew has worked as a Jewish educator. He is passionate about the intersection of literature…
Matthew Berman (he/him) is an incoming rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College, expecting to graduate in 2027. Born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, Matthew attended The Ohio State University with a major in Political Science and double minors in Music and Jewish Studies. After graduating during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, he took a gap…