Dr. Shlomi Ravid, Director
Shlomi has been a pioneer in developing Peoplehood education. In his 25 years of involvement in Jewish Global affairs he was the founding director of the Israel Center of San Francisco, the founding director of the International School for Jewish Peoplehood Studies at Beth Hatefutsoth, and a member of the founding team of the Jewish Peoplehood Hub. Shlomi initiated and edited publications such as the Peoplehood Papers and Peoplehood Now as well as the educational kit – Israel: the Vision and Venture of the Jewish People. He has published over a dozen articles on Jewish Peoplehood in the last five years
Shlomi is a member of Kibbutz Glil-Yam where he was born, married to Linda originally from San Francisco and considers his four children as his biggest contribution to humanity. His PhD is in Philosophy from Tel Aviv University and academic focus is community and Jewish Peoplehood.
Contact Shlomi at: shlomi@jpeoplehood.org
Dr. Elan Ezrachi, Fellow
Elan is a Jerusalem-based independent consultant: Effective Partnerships in Today’s Jewish World. Born and Raised in Jerusalem. After six years in the Israeli Air Force as a helicopter pilot Elan went on to pursue a career in Jewish education. Elan served in various executive roles including: director of the International Dept of Melitz – Center for Jewish Zionist education, Director of the Charles Bronfman Mifgashim Center, Executive Director of Masa – Israel Journey and director of the International School for Jerusalem Studies at Yad Ben-Zvi.
Elan received his BA and MA from Hebrew University in Education and Jewish Thought and his doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. His dissertation topic was: “The Dynamics of interaction between American Jews and Israelis”. Elan is an active player in the Israeli Jewish Renaissance scene, and was the founding chair of Panim – for Jewish Renaissance in Israel. He is married to Rabbi Naamah Kelman and a father of three.
Contact Elan at: elan@jpeoplehood.org
Dr. Lisa D. Grant, Fellow
Lisa is an Associate Professor of Jewish Education at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (New York campus). She holds an M.B.A. in public management from the University of Massachusetts and a Ph.D. in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Prior to joining the HUC faculty, she served as Evaluation and Pilot Project Manager at the Melton Research Center for Jewish Education. Her research and teaching interests focus on adult Jewish learning and the place of Israel in American Jewish life. For the past four years, she has been part of the faculty and planning team for a month-long Israel-based Peoplehood seminar designed for a special group of rabbinical and education students who are part of an HUC-Mandel Foundation Fellowship.
Recent publications related to Israel and Jewish Peoplehood include, Grant, Lisa D. “Pluralistic Approaches to Israel Education.” Journal of Jewish Education,Vol. 77:1 (Winter, 2011); Grant, Lisa and Ravid Shlomi, “Creating a Sustainable Sense of Peoplehood: Towards a Pedagogy of Commitment,” Jewish Educational Leadership, Vol. 9:2, (Winter, 2011);Grant, Lisa D. “Sacred Vision, Complex Reality: Navigating the Tensions in Israel Education.” Jewish Educational Leadership, Vol. 7:1, (Fall 2008); Grant, Lisa D. and Marmur, Michael, “The Place of Israel in the Identity of Reform Jews,” in Danny Ben Moshe, editor, Israel, World Jewry, and Identity. London: Sussex Academic Press (2007). Lisa and Ezra Kopelowitz are currently working on a book on Israel Education.
Contact Lisa at: lisa@jpeoplehood.org
Dr. Ezra Kopelowitz, Fellow
Ezra is a sociologist specializing in the Jewish world and Jewish Education. He is CEO of Research Success Technologies (ReST). ReST brings to the CJPE wide experience with research on American and Israeli Jewry. Ezra is a pioneer in research on Jewish Peoplehood, developing intellectual frameworks and conducting applied research. Recent publications include: Building Jewish Peoplehood: Change and Challenge, Academic Studies Press. (2008, co-edited); Cultural Education-Cultural Sustainability: Minority, Diaspora, Indigenous and Ethno-Religious Groups in Multicultural Societies, Routledge (2008, co-edited); A Framework for Strategic Thinking about Jewish Peoplehood (Position paper commissioned by the Nadav Fund. Tel Aviv. 2007).
Ezra is born in South Africa, raised in the United States and has lived in Israel since 1990. He lives in Kibbutz Hannaton in the Galilee. He is married to Debbie with four children aged three to fifteen years of age.
Contact Ezra at: ezra@jpeoplehood.org
Varda Rafaeli, Fellow
Varda has specialized in pioneering programs in the field of Jewish Peoplehood education. She served as the educational director of the International School for Jewish Peoplehood Studies at Beth Hatefutsoth, the director of the Israeli Initiative in the Department of Education at the Jewish Agency, and the assistant-director for American-Jewish Israel Affairs in the Israel Middle-East Office of the American Jewish Committee.
Varda was a recipient of a Wexner Israel Fellowship in 2000-2001 which awards a Masters degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In addition she holds Masters and Bachelor degrees, both with Honors, from the Hebrew University.
Amongst her public activities, Varda is a founding member of Ma’agan, the Jerusalem support center for people affected by cancer and a member of the Board of Directors of the TALI Education Fund. She is currently studying towards her PhD at the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University. She is a tutor at the School for Educational Leadership at the Mandel Leadership Institute and an educational consultant.
Contact Varda at: varda@jpeoplehood.org