Rabbi Yosef Berman
Rabbi Yosef Berman (he/they) is the rabbi of the New Synagogue Project. Rabbi Yosef grew up outside Kansas City and received his Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. A Wexner graduate fellow, Rabbi Yosef was ordained in 2010 by the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College, an unaffiliated and pluralistic seminary in Boston.
Following ordination, they served for five years as the Rabbi of Temple B’nai Israel in Revere, MA. He has also worked as a farmer, chaplain, community organizer, and advocate for justice and equality for Palestinians and Israelis. Before co-founding the New Synagogue Project, they co-founded Ruach Guild, a skill development and support group for activists who provide spiritual care to social justice movements and organizations. He is passionate about joyful Jewish observance, gardening, ultimate frisbee, and the power of community to create both personal and societal transformation.
Contact Rabbi Yosef at rabbi@newsynagogueproject.org with questions about life cycle events, to receive pastoral care, or learn more about our adult education offerings.
Batya Levine
Batya Levine (they/them) uses song as a tool for cultivating healing and resilience in their work as a communal song leader, musician, shaliach tzibur (Jewish prayer leader) and cultural organizer. They believe in the liberatory power of song to untie what is bound within us, and sustain us as we build a more just and beautiful world. Batya is a co-founder and the Director of Programs at Let My People Sing!. Batya offers song, ritual, and workshops in a variety of communities, and they compose original music made of Ashkenazi yearning, queer heart-medicine, and emunah (faith/trust). Batya is also a lover of the ocean, queer dance parties, and puns.
As a lifelong student of Jewish song, ritual and practice, Batya supports people to dig into the juiciness of Jewish tradition for the sake of healing and connection. This work is especially important for those of us who have felt disconnected, alienated or marginalized from Jewish tradition and within Jewish community. Rooted in the traditional wisdom and ruach (spirit) of their Modern Orthodox upbringing, Batya is dedicated to building a vibrant Judaism that simultaneously reaches backward and forward in time, and is wide enough for our whole selves.
Learn more at www.batyalevine.com