Sunday, November 1 | 12:00 p.m. ET
Join us for a special program highlighting the impact of the Torah Fund campaign through the stories of four rabbinical students from The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles, and The Schechter Institutes of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.
Each student will share their personal journey to rabbinical school and how scholarships have helped make that journey possible. The program will conclude with a moderated question-and-answer session.
Registration coming soon!
Learn more about the students below:
Originally from Toronto, Shira Bodnar is a cantorial and rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary. She believes that art and curiosity are fundamental tools for creating strong, compassionate communities, and she is curious about what it means to honour all kinds of wisdom in an ever-changing world. As a descendent of Holocaust survivors, Shira is passionate about how music can be a tool for reclaiming one’s Judaism after generations of displacement.
Shira is honoured to be serving multiple communities this year in her work. She is serving the JTS community in her second year as a Gabbai for Women’s League Seminary Synagogue, Beth Tzedec Congregation in Toronto as their Tanenbaum fellow, and B’nai Jeshurun in New York City as the Family Life and Learning Rabbinic Intern. Shira has spent time over the past two summers working at Camp Ramah in Canada on their chinuch team. There, Shira was involved in teaching, facilitating Jewish ritual, and helping to support Ramah Canada’s efforts in building meaningful connections between young people and their Jewish tradition.
Bryan Limon first felt called to the rabbinate during college in the mid-1990s. Decades later, a chance encounter with then-Chancellor Shuly Rubin-Schwartz at a baby naming rekindled his long-deferred dream.
Bryan enrolled in the part-time Low-Residency Mekhinah program, which enabled him to begin rabbinic studies while continuing full-time work and raising two young children. Expecting that the program would enable him to study for a year, he was instead met with the full support of the JTS deans, who worked with him to design a path toward ordination that accommodates demanding full-time work.
Bryan holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Columbia University and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from Rutgers University. He lives on the Upper East Side with his husband, Dotan, their daughters, Liv (11) and Elena (8), and their dog, Ruby (5). This year, Bryan is the rabbinic intern at Northeastern University NYC Hillel, as well as teaching 8th and 9th graders at SAJ and mentoring them as madrichim for younger students. In his spare time, Bryan is writing a book on antisemitism for tweens, inspired by conversations with his daughters.
Bryan is honored to speak at Torah Fund, whose scholarships make paths like his possible.
Tsvia Weisberger is an educator and rabbinical student with extensive experience in teaching, leadership, and community engagement. She holds a B.A. in Bible and Jewish Studies and an M.A. in Jewish Education, both from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is currently studying for rabbinic ordination at the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem.
Tsvia currently teaches at a high school in Jerusalem. From 2021 to 2023, she served as a Jewish Agency emissary (Shlicha) in Rochester, NY, where she taught Hebrew and Jewish Studies. For the past three summers, she has served at Camp Ramah in Canada as both an educator and Head of the Israeli delegation.
Tony J. Westbrook, Jr. is an award-winning Jewish African-American activist, educator, and community leader. He recently served the USCJ community as the Racial Justice, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist. He is passionate about creating positive change, fostering inclusive communities, and helping Jews of all ages and stages build meaningful connections to Jewish life, especially children and young adults. He leads with compassion and strives to meet every Jew where they are, honoring the uniqueness of each person’s journey. Through his work, he aims to elevate racial justice education and cultivate a more welcoming environment for all. He has held leadership roles with Repair the World, Hillel at Washington University in St. Louis, Herzl Camp, Camp Havaya, and Capital Camps and Retreat Center. Tony also worked as Rosh Tefillah at Ramah Galim this summer. Tony has facilitated racial justice training for several major Jewish organizations and led immersive Jewish travel programs, from African American and Jewish Civil Rights Trips in the Deep South to Jewish Service Learning trips to Rwanda.
Tony holds a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Fontbonne University and certificates in Judaic studies and experiential Jewish education from the Pardes Institute. A recipient of the Covenant Foundation’s 2021 Pomegranate Prize, he recently graduated from the M2 Institute for Jewish Experiential Education Senior Educators program. He is currently a rising third year student at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies.
Thursday, May 6 | 7:00 p.m. ET
Join us for a special virtual concert and fundraiser celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first woman cantor invested in the Conservative/Masorti Movement.
Featuring cantors and cantorial students, this inspiring musical program will bring our 5787 campaign theme, Shema Koleinu: Hear Our Voice, to life through song as we celebrate 40 years of women’s voices in the cantorate.
Registration coming soon!
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