“Nehirim has truly enriched my life.”

“Nehirim keeps me connected to the Jewish community in multiple ways - education, friendships, and enthusiastic engagement. Thank you!”

“This was a very important and transformative experience for me.”

“This was a great, insightful, and fun weekend.”

“YOU GUYS KICK ASS”

Amichai Lau-Lavie

Amichai Lau-Lavie is the Founder, Executive and Artistic director of Storahtelling. An Israeli-born teacher of Judaic Literature and performance artist, he is described as “one of the most interesting thinkers in the Jewish world” by the NY Jewish Week. Amichai has studied at the Shalom Hartman Institute and the Elul Center in Jerusalem and he has directed the summer programs at Melitz: the Jewish Zionist Centers in Jerusalem (1992-6), focusing on the integration of Jewish education via the arts. His theatrical experience as a writer and performer includes the Theatre Company Jerusalem, The Acco Theatre Group in Israel and the Avodah Dance Ensemble in the U.S. He has also served as Artist-in-Residence at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in New York City (1997-2000). Amichai is a Jerusalem Fellow at the Mandel Leadership Institute in Israel (2008-2009) and is a consultant to the Reboot Network and a member of the Synagogue 3000 Leadership Network, and serves on the Advisory Council for the Six Points Fellowship, the Advisory Board for faithhouse manhattan , and the Board of Directors of Zeek Magazine.

Jay Michaelson

Jay Michaelson is the founder of Nehirim. For the last ten years, Jay has been a leading advocate for the inclusion of sexual minorities in religious communities, and writes and teaches frequently on issues of sexuality and religion. His work has been featured on NPR, CNN, and the New York Times, and his writing on LGBT issues has been published in Tikkun, the Jerusalem Post, the Duke Law Review, the Michigan Journal of Gender & Law, and in anthologies including Mentsh: On Being Jewish and Queer (2004), Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice (2007) and Torah Queeries (2009). Jay is a columnist for the Forward, Tikkun, and Reality Sandwich magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post. In 2009, he was included on the “Forward 50″ list of “the men and women leading the American Jewish community into the 21st century.” He is the author of God in Your Body: Kabbalah, Mindfulness, and Embodied Spiritual Practice (Jewish Lights, 2006), Another Word for Sky: Poems (Lethe, 2007), and Everything is God: The Radical Path of Nondual Judaism (Shambhala, 2009). His next book is God Versus Gay? The Religious Case for Equality (Beacon, 2010).

Danny Arguetty

Danny Arguetty has studied and trained extensively in both Kripalu and Anusara Yoga. Danny specializes in dynamic language, weaving inspirational and heart-opening themes into his classes, and connecting the practice of yoga to the reality and beauty of everyday life. He is committed and passionate about supporting people on their path of expansion and inner discovery. www.nourishingtheteacher.com

Kal Holczler

Kal Holczler was raised in the Orthodox Jewish community of New Square and is the founder and executive director of Voices of Dignity, which helps the Jewish community end the cycle of sexual abuse. Kal has extensive experience in healing modalities including therapy, 12-step programs, and alternative healing practices, and serves as a role model for those committed to recovering from trauma. He has worked as a substance abuse counselor both domestically and abroad, including serving as co-director of an organization dedicated to serving the needs of at-risk teens and survivors of sexual abuse.

Michael Hopkins

Michael Hopkins is the Executive Director of Nehirim. Michael has devoted over thirty years to building inclusive Jewish community. He holds an MSW from the Yeshiva University Wurzweiler School of Social Work, and spent the majority of his professional career directing and growing Jewish Community Centers across the country. Most recently, he was executive director of JCC Metrowest, one of the largest JCC’s in the country with an $18 million budget and over 100 full and part time staff. He is also a key lay leader and volunteer at Hazon and at Easton Mountain, the gay men’s retreat and residential community in upstate New York. Michael brings to his leadership of Nehirim both this extensive background in helping Jewish nonprofits reach their full potential and his personal journey as a gay Jewish man whose life has been personally impacted by Nehirim.

Joe Weston

Joe Weston is a lecturer, facilitator, trainer, coach, consultant and author, and leads workshops focused on Personal Fulfillment, True Power, Respectful Confrontation and Lasting Peace. His clients include corporations, organizations, government bodies and individuals who desire real and lasting change in the areas of communications, negotiation, time and stress management, and impactful leadership. He is a certified massage therapist, longtime Tai Chi practitioner, student of Tibetan Buddhism and 1992, acting coach, meditation teacher, corporate leadership trainer (Mitsubishi, Canon, Nissan, KLM), and peace activist (founder, Heartwalker Peace Project). Born in New York, Joe graduated from Hofstra University with an honors degree in Drama & Literature. He lived in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from 1987 to 2005 and is now based in California.