Dr. Deborah Skolnick-Einhorn has been named Head of School of Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School, the only Jewish day school in the nation’s capital. Deborah is a recognized leader and scholar in Jewish education who currently serves as Associate Dean of Hebrew College’s School of Jewish Education, her professional home since 2002. 

In this role, she trains Jewish educators, including day school teachers, giving her a deep understanding of the dual curriculum. Prior to Hebrew College, Deborah served as Assistant Director at the University of Maryland Hillel.  A graduate of Tufts University, Deborah earned an M.A. in Modern Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in American Jewish Life from Brandeis University. Deborah is the recipient of Brandeis University’s Excellence in Teaching Prize and was named Indiana University’s Inaugural Women and Philanthropy Fellow. 

Alongside her professional work in Jewish education, Deborah has been active in pluralistic Jewish day school lay leadership, including serving as Board Chair at the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island. She also serves on the boards of Tufts Hillel and Camp Yavneh and is a past chair of the Jewish Women’s Fund of Rhode Island.

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The America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL) has selected Naomi Reinharz as its new Chief Development Officer. Founded in 1971, AIFL builds and mobilizes grassroots support for Israel and strengthens the relationship between the two countries through people-to-people activities. By sending Leadership Delegations to Israel, conducting outreach to program alumni and other interested parties through engaging webinars and local programs, engaging in Pastor/Educator Seminars, and hosting an annual Youth Ambassador Student Exchange (YASE), AIFL continues the vision of its founders. These leaders sought to promote a strong and enduring friendship and cooperative bond between Americans and Israelis of all ages, faiths, ethnic backgrounds and political orientations.

Naomi was most recently the National Director of Major Gifts for ORT America. Prior, she was National Director of Next Generation and then Director of Major Gifts for the Northeast of ORT America. Naomi has also held positions at The Jewish Agency for Israel International Development and the American Jewish Committee.

An attorney, Naomi has practiced corporate litigation at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP. Naomi holds a B.A. from Brown University; a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center; and a Certificate in Jewish Philanthropy from Yeshiva University. She serves on the Board of Advancing Jewish Professionals of NYC, World Jewish Congress Diplomatic Corps, and Alums for Campus Fairness-Brown University Chapter.

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The Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS) has named Rabbi Josh Feigelson the organization’s Executive Director. He succeeds Interim Executive Director Robin Bernstein.

Josh will be the fourth Executive Director in the Institute’s history, and will build on the work of predecessors Rabbis Nancy Flam, Rachel Cowan z”l, and Lisa Goldstein.

Since its founding over 20 years ago, IJS has pioneered the teaching of mindfulness, reflective practice, and a more spiritually-infused Judaism to hundreds of Jewish clergy, professional and volunteer leaders who in turn have touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of Jews worldwide. While IJS’s signature programs remain focused on intensive retreats and workshops, in recent years the organization has launched an ambitious online platform that enables individuals to learn about and practice Jewish mindfulness.

Josh began his professional career as campus rabbi at Northwestern University Hillel. In 2011 he helped found Ask Big Questions, an initiative of Hillel International for which he served as Executive Director and which won the inaugural Lippman-Kanfer Prize for Applied Jewish Wisdom. Through much of his career he has been a consultant and Senior Fellow at The iCenter for Israel Education. Most recently he served as Dean of Students at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

A graduate of Yale University with a B.A. in Music, Josh received rabbinic ordination from YCT Rabbinical School and earned a doctorate in Religious Studies from Northwestern. He is a Wexner Graduate Fellow and was the founding co-chair of the Wexner Fellowship Alumni Committee. His scholarly interests include the history of American Jews and higher education, as well as the work and teaching of Rabbi Yitz Greenberg.

Since 1999, the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS) has been a leader in teaching traditional and contemporary Jewish spiritual practices that cultivate mindfulness so that each of us might act with enriched wisdom, clarity, and compassion. These practices, grounded in Jewish values and thought, enable participants to develop important skills while strengthening leadership capacities, deepening their inner lives, and connecting more meaningfully with others, Judaism, and the sacred.