ELI Talks ELI Talks

The perfect recipe for Torah must involve food. No sarcasm intended. Intrigued? When it comes to food and Torah how could you not be?

Jonathan Posner is a Chef, a Shochet (a Kosher animal slaughterer/butcher), and currently studies in the Rabbinical School at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Jonathan grew up in Chicagoland, and is proud to call the city his home. In 2015, Jonathan founded the culinary events company Wandering Foods Productions as project to challenge himself as a cook, an entrepreneur, and a Jew. Wandering Foods was founded to breathe some youth and life back into Jewish cuisine, but its mission has grown to focus ever-more on using food and cooking to open doors into a life of meaningful Jewish culture and practice for those who have yet to find their way in. He hopes that the productions Wandering Foods puts on will inspire you, make you feel proud of who you are, and that you leave full and fulfilled.

His kippah is no afterthought. How Dr. Phil's invitation to Paramount Studios led a Hollywood Director towards a life-changing wardrobe decision.

Daniel Kaufman is a multiple award-winning Director and Creative Director. With more than 400 commercials with clients like Budweiser, McDonalds, Nestle, Walmart and Comcast, he and his work have garnered numerous accolades and have been profiled in magazines like Creativity, Communication Arts, Ad Age, Shoot and others. Recently he has directed commercials for eHarmony, X-Box, the NFL, Boston Market, ABC, Comedy Central, Toyota, Bayer and Ikea. As an actor, Daniel trained with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has more than fifty professional stage credits as well as numerous film and television appearances. Recently, Danny started a podcast on dating and relationships called: WHY AM I NOT MARRIED. The Podcast can be found as part of the award-winning Jewish Journal podcasts. Danny is a Ba’al Teshuva. He is on the Board of Directors of Manhattan Jewish Experience and he gives inspirational speeches all over the world about being observant in Hollywood."

"I had begun my marriage under a chuppah, I had begun it in a Jewish way. I needed to end my marriage in a Jewish way too." A rabbi shares her intentional journey towards the creation of a ritual to transition from marriage to divorce, and why you might consider doing the same.

Rabbi Lisa Greene is a rabbi and a mother of three. Both roles challenge, inspire, teach and make her laugh. For 19 years, Rabbi Greene has served North Shore Congregation Israel, Glencoe, Illinois where she partners with phenomenal colleagues and members of her community to learn, teach, create experiential learning opportunities, and make sacred time and space happen in new and traditional ways. She was ordained by the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in 1995 and has a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Rabbi Greene is a long-time summer camp faculty member at the URJ Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute and brings her finance background to serve the Central Conference of American Rabbis. She's written for the Huffington Post, Wisdom Daily, Reform Judaism blog and her personal blog, Intersections (ordinaryandsacred.com), which reflects on the intersection of sacred and ordinary in daily life.

Judaism's texts are full of hidden figures--people hiding in plain sight. But what do these figures teach us about the lessons of our lives and our struggles and our closets--those both self-made and societally imposed?

Melanie Fine is an invested Hazzan, having received her training from the Cantorial School of the Jewish Theological Seminary. She has served congregations in New York, Rhode Island, Indiana and California, training thousands in chanting Torah, Haftarah, the Megillot and in davening. She earned her B.A. in Chemistry from Cornell University, teaches high school chemistry, advocates for women in science through her website RocketGirls.com and is the author of The Shuttle Story about the Columbia shuttle disaster which took the life of Ilan Ramon and his crewmates, and Fission Girl, about the life of physicist Lise Meitner. Melanie is the single mother of Max.

For a community of faith, we tend to avoid THE major tenet of our faith, God. What should we be saying about God? How should we be relating to God? Abi Taylor-Abt wants to talk to you about the God you could believe in.

Abi Taylor-Abt is an outstanding Jewish Educator and Curriculum Developer who has worked in the field of Jewish Primary and Secondary Educational Curriculum Development for over twenty years. She is the author of Lessons in Jewish Learning - a grab and go curriculum for communities and Jewish schools. Originally from London, Abi spent time living in Israel, South Africa, England and the United States. After working in Boise, Idaho, Abi spent another 5 years in Israel whilst her children served in the army. She is currently Director of Education for Yachad a combined educational endeavour between the conservative congregation of Beth Shalom and the reform community of Temple Emanu-El in Michigan, USA. A 2018 recipient of the Klein/Grinspoon Award for Excellence in Jewish Education.

You thought bridging the gap between Israelis and Americans was difficult? "I thought I was being friendly. It turns out I was being a nudnick. I thought I was building bridges--turns out I was just putting up walls, things got super uncomfortable." Rabbi Amitai Fraiman proposes a way of understanding and reorienting the American-Israeli relationship. What do you think, Achi?

Rabbi Amitai Fraiman, born and raised in Jerusalem, currently lives in NYC with his wife, Michal, and two daughters- Mia and Yahli. Spending time with family and friends, hiking, and music are his favorite activities. Before moving to the US, Amitai studied at Yeshivat Ma’ale Gilboa, served as an IDF Tank Commander and completed with honors his BA in Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy at the IDC Herzliya. While at Herzliya, Amitai and Michal were sponsored to live in an underserved community and volunteer with local youth and their families. Since moving to NYC, Amitai received his rabbinic ordination from YCT Rabbinical School as well as his dual Masters in Public Administration and Hebrew and Judaic studies from NYU. Amitai has designed and executed innovative educational curricula, spirituality retreats, ceremonies as well as a unique baby-girl naming ritual. Currently, Amitai is developing שָׁזוּר/Interwoven, a “reverse-Birthright-like” organization aiming to introduce Israelis and Americans to the building blocks and specific contexts of Jewish life in America. שָׁזוּר/Interwoven is an independent initiative fiscally sponsored by the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, with the ultimate goal of creating the conditions for a more productive relationship between the two epicenters of world Jewry.