Rabbi Laura Abrasley joined the Temple Shalom clergy team in July 2015. She grew up in Houston and graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in psychology. Her path to becoming a rabbi began with many summers spent as a camper and then counselor at the URJ Greene Family…
Read moreAngel (he/him) founded Mapp Consulting, a consultancy that partners with organizations to optimize their potential. Previously, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of Repair the World and the Senior Director of Operations for the Jews of Color Initiative, where he worked to advance racial equity in the US Jewish…
Read moreDana is a retired eye surgeon who, after seven years on the board of Equality Maryland, served for eight years as Executive Director of Gender Rights Maryland, the state’s trans political organization, which worked the Maryland gender identity bill to passage in 2014. She served a term as a senior…
Read moreJeremy Burton is the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston (JCRC). Through advocacy, organizing, service and partnerships JCRC defines and advances the values, interests and priorities of the organized Jewish community of Greater Boston in the public square. Previously he was the Senior Vice President of…
Read moreAlan Cohen has worked for more than 25 years in the international and domestic non-profit, foundation, and corporate social responsibility sectors. Alan currently serves as the chief program officer at JASA. In the past, Alan served as the chief of staff at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC); the director of global…
Read moreGali Cooks is the President & CEO of Leading Edge, an organization formed in 2014 by foundations and federations to influence, inspire and enable dramatic change in attracting, developing and retaining top talent for Jewish organizations. Gali’s professional experience spans the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Her career began as…
Read moreBennett Decker is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a student at the Joint Program between the Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University where he received dual BAs Political Science and Talmud. Bennett currently combines his desire to make the world a more just place and Judaism during his day…
Read moreForty-one years ago, Ann moved from Manhattan to Newton, Massachusetts to share her life with her husband, Myron. Their family grew to include three incredible daughters who gifted them with four grandchildren. During the years, Ann served on the boards of the Solomon Schecter Day School, Temple Mishkan Tefila, Jewish…
Read moreJohanna is a strategic Human Resources leader with expertise in coaching, consulting, diversity and inclusion, strategic planning, employee & labor relations, and training & development. She currently serves as the CHRO for Oakton College and formerly held positions as CHRO for JCC Chicago and VP of Human Resources for the…
Read moreS. Asher Gelman is a director, choreographer, actor, dancer, playwright, and producer. Through his production company, Midnight Theatricals, he produced and directed his first original play, Afterglow, which ran for 14 months Off-Broadway at the Davenport Theater. In 2019, Gelman’s second play, safeword., opened Off-Broadway in April, and he also…
Read more
National Office - Boston
1860 Washington St.
Newton, MA 02466
Phone: 617.524.9227
New York / Bay Area / Chicago / Florida / Texas
Someone from my shul recently asked me where I felt like I truly belonged, and I realized I had never felt that way at our shul. The first time I ever truly felt like I truly belonged was at the Keshet Shabbaton for LGBTQ+ Jews of Color, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I get teary-eyed just remembering Friday night. After we lit the candles, someone started spontaneously singing shalom aleichem, and we all joined in together as a group. I got chills. It’s sometimes hard to reconcile the parts of myself that I see as conflicting, but at the Shabbaton, I was just mind-blown. We were all existing together in that space without having to explain our existence or presence. It was pure, unfiltered joy.
Emet Marwell, Keshet Neshamot/Rainbow Souls Shabbaton Participant, Massachusetts