High Holidays 5783/2022

Rabbi Yosef Berman 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, he served for five years as the Rabbi of Temple B’nai Israel in Revere, Massachusetts. He has also worked as a farmer, chaplain, community organizer, and advocate for justice and equality for Palestinians and Israelis. He is the co-founder of 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.

Batya Levine 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 founding core team member of Let My People Sing! and is a Cultural Organizer with Linke Fligl. They offer song, ritual, and workshops in a variety of communities, and compose original music made of Ashkenazi yearning, queer heart-medicine, and emunah (faith/trust). Batya recently released their first album, Karov. Learn more at www.batyalevine.com