Ari is an attorney whose practice focuses on employment and higher education law. In this role, Ari advises organizations on how to avoid employee conflict and minimize the risk of litigation. Ari also represents businesses and non-profits in state and federal court. In addition, Ari serves as an investigator of claims of workplace misconduct and allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment on university campus. Ari frequently presents and writes about anti-discrimination laws and workplace issues, with a special focus on the creation of inclusive and equitable workplaces for LGBTQ+ employees.
Ari graduated from Tufts University and received her law degree from Boston University.
Tamar Prager is a mother, wife, percussionist, and outdoor enthusiast living in Westchester, New York. She comes from a background in health care with years of service in public health and clinical nursing. Tamar founded a consulting business in 2020 called Tamar Prager, teaching people how to radically transform their relationship to their possessions, so they can access freedom and joy in their everyday lives. She received her BA from Barnard College, Columbia University, and her MPH, RN, and NP degrees from Columbia University. In the past two decades since coming out, she has spoken in synagogues, support groups, and non-profit Jewish organizations with the aim of cultivating awareness about the intersectionality between Jewish and queer worlds. Tamar’s published articles have been featured in print and online publications. In 2006, she wrote the feature article for Lilith magazine entitled “Coming Out in the Orthodox Community.”
Adam Simon has worked in philanthropy in and out of the Jewish community for 15 years. He currently is Executive Director of a global family foundation advancing Jewish learning, Judaism in Israel, peace between Israelis and Palestinians, civic engagement in the US, Democratic politics, and children within the US welfare and education systems. Prior to his current roles, Simon advanced leadership in the Jewish community and Jewish engagement at the Schusterman Family Philanthropies. He launched integrated funding, thought leadership, and digital communications strategies to maximize the impact of investments in Jewish life, and led efforts to recruit, develop, and retain exceptional professional and volunteer leaders for causes central to the foundation’s mission. Earlier in his career, Simon was Executive Director at Northwestern University’s Hillel and a manager of warehouse operations at an industrial supply company.
His significant contributions to the field of philanthropy include presentations for the National Center for Family Philanthropy, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, and Jewish Funders Network, as well as board service, committee leadership, and technical assistance for numerous national and local organizations. Simon is a member of the Leap Ambassadors, a network of social change leaders seeking to maximize impact by focusing on data, leadership, and evidence. He is an adjunct faculty member at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education, and is a regular lecturer at Georgetown University School of Law and University of Maryland Graduate School of Public Policy, and has contributed to numerous publications.
Adam Simon attended Washington University in St. Louis, earning both a B.A. and an MBA in organizational design and marketing. He currently lives outside Washington, DC with his wife and is the father of two amazing children.
Idit is a national leader for social change with more than 30 years of experience in the non-profit justice sector. Since 2001, she has served as the leader of Keshet, the national organization for LGBTQ equality in Jewish life. Idit built Keshet from a local organization with an annual budget of $42,000 to a national organization with offices in six states and a multi-million budget. Under her leadership, Keshet has mobilized tens of thousands of Jewish leaders to make LGBTQ+ equality a communal value and priority for action. Idit created national community building programs for queer Jewish teens and organized Jewish communities nationwide to join the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. In addition, she served as the executive producer of Keshet’s documentary film, “Hineini: Coming Out in a Jewish High School” which inspired the formation of GSAs in Jewish schools around the country.
Prior to leading Keshet, Idit worked professionally in the Israeli-Palestinian peace movement and social justice sector in Israel. She also was a leader in the Israeli LGBTQ community and helped envision the Jerusalem Open House. A magna cum laude graduate of Yale University, Idit earned her Master’s in Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a focus on social justice education. She serves on the board of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable and publishes frequently in the Jewish and LGBTQ press. Idit has been honored by Jewish Women International, the Jewish Women’s Archive, Mayyim Hayyim, Brandeis University’s Hornstein Program in Jewish Professional Leadership, and the Forward as one of its ‘Forward 50,’ a list of American Jews who have made enduring contributions to public life. She lives in Boston with her family.
Neil has worked in the healthcare industry for most of his 30-year career as a business leader and strategic advisor to health systems, payers and pharmaceutical companies. In this role, he has led multiple commercial & operational projects and, most recently, has guided hospitals on how best to leverage telehealth to achieve improved clinical & financial outcomes. Outside of work, Neil has served as a Board of Governor in the New England region for the Human Rights Campaign, the largest organization committed to LGBTQ+ equality in the United States & across the world. Through his Governor position, Neil worked with HRC staff to raise awareness & commitment to Jewish issues within an LGBTQ+ identity.
Neil currently lives in Providence, RI, with his husband, Jason, and dog, Betty, after spending many years in Boston. Neil earned his B.A. in International Relations at Tufts University, his J.D. at Emory University School of Law and a M.A.L.D. from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Alyx, born and raised in London (and a proud adopted New Yorker), is a Program Associate at The Jewish Education Project, where she supports Jewish educators across the country. She is a recent alumna of Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she received two Bachelor’s Degrees in Comparative Literature and Talmud, and she is also a former fellow at Yeshivat Hadar. Her writing can be found on SVARA’s Hot Off the Shtender blog, JGirls+ Magazine, the Columbia Current, and Tablet.
Alyx is an alumna and leader of Keshet’s LGBTQ and Ally Teen Shabbatonim and was the co-chair of the first-ever Keshet Women and Girls Shabbaton. As part of SVARA’s Trans Halakha Project, she authored “The Androgynos in the Laws of Milah & Niddah,” a groundbreaking halakhic paper with new approaches to trans halakhah. Outside of her work, writing, and learning, she enjoys good iced coffee, fantasy epics, and feel-good comedy TV shows.
Amy Born has worked in the field of organizational psychology and organizational development for over 15 years. She currently serves as Chief Research and Innovation Officer at Leading Edge and is affiliated with two consulting firms, one focuses on the corporate and government sectors and the other focuses on leadership in public education. In the past Amy was the Director of Talent Acquisition and Development for City Year, a consultant in the Leadership and Talent practice at Hay Group (now Korn Ferry Hay Group), and she started her career as a fellow at Hillel International. She has served on the boards of Hillel International and Joshua Venture Group and is currently a member of the Jewish Studio Project board. Amy has a Master’s Degree in Social and Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and Theatre from Washington University in St. Louis.
Eli Gurock lives in Brookline, MA, and grew up in Riverdale in the Bronx with his wife and high school sweetheart, Sheri. Together, they founded the baby gear and toy retail company Magic Beans in 2004, where Eli is the CEO. He is obsessed with his three kids, diligently practices handstands in his spare time, drinks lots of Starbucks Italian roast coffee, and is very involved in his local independent, egalitarian Minyan. Eli also helps families worldwide navigate the world of baby gear through his popular YouTube channel, which has over 20 million views.
Oren Henry has been connected to the Jewish community his entire life. His grandfather a rabbi, his Israeli grandmother a Hebrew school principal, and his mother a Hebrew teacher, Oren’s synagogue in suburban Chicago was his second home while growing up, particularly once he became a Hebrew tutor and religious school aide there. While attending the University of Pennsylvania, Oren served as a lead intern for the Jewish Heritage Programs, an alternative to Hillel that aims to engage students in Jewish life, and he also interned at the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago. Most recently, Oren served on the recently formed UJAPride committee of the UJA-Federation of New York. After more than fifteen years on the East Coast (attending UPenn in Philadelphia and Georgetown University Law Center in DC and starting his legal career at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in New York City), Oren now resides in San Francisco with his husband.
Ron lives in Washington DC with his husband, Yoni. His involvement in the Jewish community began in youth groups while growing up in Charleston, SC, followed by 11th grade in Israel, and then joining the student board of Tufts Hillel. He has been a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington since 2016, and has served on its executive committee, strategic planning and allocations committee, nominations committee, and Jewish education committee. Ron has spent most of his professional career at Capital One, in strategy and venture capital. He graduated from Tufts University and Georgetown University Graduate School of Foreign Service.
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