WRN LEADERSHIP

 

2024-2025/5785 WRN Board

Rabbi Beth Klafter, Co-President

Rabbi Beth H. Klafter became the Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth David in Commack, NY in 2013. She brings her passion for Judaism and her knowledge and experiences to the entire congregation. Prior to being named Senior Rabbi, Rabbi Klafter served for seven years as the Director of the Religious School. In that role, she revised and reinvigorated the education curriculum and programming for students in Kindergarten through High School and their families. Rabbi Klafter has also helped to develop and lead activities for young children. Prior to her current position, she was the Rabbi Educator at Temple Judea in Manhasset, NY and Associate Rabbi at Temple Sinai in Roslyn, NY.

Rabbi Klafter was ordained at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 1988, where she received a Masters in Religious Education as well as a Masters in Hebrew Letters. She studied at New York University’s School of Education and Brown University, where she earned her B.A. in Religious Studies. She was awarded the title of Reform Jewish Educator by the National Association of Temple Educators (now ARJE) in 1992. In 2013, Rabbi Klafter received her Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa, from Hebrew Union College honoring her 25 years in the rabbinate.

Rabbi Klafter is a member of several professional organizations: the Central Conference of American Rabbis, where she has served on its Rabbinic Rapid Response Team, Committee on Women in the Rabbinate, and Committee on the Rabbi’s Family, and the Association of Reform Jewish Educators. She served on the board of the WRN, as New York regional representative and treasurer over twenty years. During the time, she was on the Convention planning committees for the 2001 Convention on Long Island and the 2003 Convention in London. She returned to the Board as co-VP of National Events to co-lead the Convention planning for our “Journey to 50” Convention and welcomes the honor to become co-President during this historic time.

Rabbi Lisa Delson, Co-President

Rabbi Delson currently serves as the rabbi of Temple Shomer Emunim in Sylvania, Ohio. She previously served as Associate Rabbi of Peninsula Temple Sholom in Burlingame, California, and Assistant Rabbi at Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is a graduate of University of Cincinnati and received Ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's Cincinnati campus in 2009.

Rabbi Delson has a passion for social justice and believes it is an avenue into Jewish practice and creates meaning in one’s life. She previously served as the WRN Social Action and Advocacy Vice President. Rabbi Delson is an alumna of the Brickner Social Justice Rabbinic Fellowship, is leading her congregation in RAC-OH, and was formerly on the Leadership Team of RAC-CA. During her time in rabbinical school, she served as the Religious Action Center’s Commission on Social Action rabbinical student representative. Rabbi Delson also participated in the American Jewish World Service’s Rabbinical Student Delegation to Ghana in 2009.

She loves spending time back in the Midwest with her family, husband, Brent Pliskow, and three children. She loves watching her kids play sports, trying new art classes, playing tennis and golf, and is a voracious reader.

Rabbi Glynis Conyer, Treasurer

Rabbi Glynis Conyer is the Executive Director at Community Synagogue of Rye, NY. Previously, she has held roles such as chief operating officer of a leading provider of international staffing, director of staff development, rabbinic intern, hospice pastoral caregiver, and career counselor in the United States and South Africa.

Rabbi Conyer brings to the WRN her experiences as a managing owner of a camp and travel program for kids with special needs, where she recruited, led, and managed 180+ international staff members across a range of functional areas, from programming and administration to facilities and IT department. She was also instrumental in developing a $25M budgeting process across 13 URJ camps and transformed a camp with low registration, operating at a significant deficit, into a leadership and training center of excellence with sound financial controls.

Rabbi Conyer received her ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and is proud to be the first South African woman to receive ordination. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Communications at the University of South Africa.

Rabbi Faith Joy Dantowitz, Secretary

Rabbi Faith Joy Dantowitz (she/her) has been the rabbi of Congregation Emeth in Morgan Hill, CA since 2020. A New Jersey native, she previously served as Associate Rabbi at Temple B’nai Abraham in Livingston, NJ from 2010-2020. From 2004-2010, she was the Regional Director of Admissions and Recruitment at HUC-JIR in NY. Her first rabbinic position was at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, NJ, from 1993-2004.

Rabbi Dantowitz was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1993 (NY). She graduated from University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electrical Engineering and Applied Science in 1987 with a B.A.S. in Systems Engineering. She spent many summers at URJ Camp Harlam, from camper to staff to faculty.

Rabbi Dantowitz is a Hevrya member of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. She is a longtime member and former board member of the WRN.

Rabbi Dantowitz is on the Executive Board of the NorCal Board of Rabbis and part of the Interfaith Clergy Alliance of Morgan Hill/Gilroy. She traveled to Guatemala with American Jewish World Service (AJWS) in 2015 as a Global Justice Fellow. Rabbi Dantowitz is a Balfour Brickner Fellow and a JOIN for Justice Rabbinic Fellow. In 2018, she received her honorary Doctor of Divinity from HUC-JIR for 25 years in the rabbinate. She is married and has four adult sons and a dog. She loves hiking at the Pacific Coast and in the Redwood Forests.

Rabbi Rachel Schmelkin, Education and Programs VP

Rabbi Rachel Schmelkin is an Associate Rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation. Prior to joining the clergy team at WHC in July 2023, she was the Director of Jewish Programs at the One America Movement and a rabbinic fellow at Temple Micah in Washington D.C., where her primary role was as a worship music leader.

Rabbi Schmelkin served as Associate Rabbi at Charlottesville’s Congregation Beth Israel from 2016-2020. During her time in Charlottesville, she was active in Charlottesville’s interfaith and social justice community. She was an involved member of the Charlottesville Clergy Collective, Congregate C’ville, The Women’s Clergy Circle, and the One America Movement. She received Truah’s “Action Under Fire Award” for her work during and after the 2017 Unite the Right Rally. In September 2022 she was honored as a Uniter at the inaugural United We Stand Summit at the White House for her work crossing divides.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology and Jewish studies from Indiana University at Bloomington with minors in Hebrew and history. She was ordained through Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and was a recipient of the Tisch Rabbinical Fellowship.

Rabbi Batsheva Appel, Membership VP 

Rabbi Batsheva Appel is a native of Seattle and the rainy Pacific Northwest. She graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Sciences and Economics and entered the corporate world, first working in a research laboratory and then in sales and marketing. Rabbi Appel was an active layperson in her congregation, singing in the choir, taking classes, and serving on the Board of Directors, when she decided to become a rabbi. She attended Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion and was ordained from the New York campus.

She is a trained Mussar facilitator and is part of the national faculty for teaching the URJ’s Online Introduction to Judaism. Rabbi Appel is certified as an Interim Rabbi.

She has served several congregations since 1996, as a sabbatical rabbi, rabbi educator, assistant rabbi, associate rabbi, rabbi, and interim rabbi, including serving as Director of Rabbinic Services for the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, located in Jackson, Mississippi. Rabbi Appel is the interim rabbi for CABI in Boise, Idaho.

She is passionate about community, especially diversity. She is highly collaborative, with the unique perspective as first an active synagogue board member and now an experienced rabbi in a variety of settings. Rabbi Appel leverages the innovative possibilities of technology, yet still uses a fountain pen.

Rabbi Appel enjoys reading, walking, going to the theater, and playing Spelling Bee and Wordle as well as Dungeons & Dragons.

Rabbi Sara Mason Barkin, Communications VP

Rabbi Sara Mason-Barkin is Rabbi and Executive Educator of Congregation Beth Israel in Scottsdale, Arizona. She was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in May 2010, after receiving her Masters Degree in Jewish Education in 2008. Prior to her studies at the Hebrew Union College, Rabbi Mason-Barkin earned her Bachelors Degree from Brandeis University in Sociology and Judaic Studies.

Rabbi Mason-Barkin began her career as an educator in a Jewish day school. While teaching, she discovered a passion for helping people of all ages find meaningful moments of Jewish connection in their own lives. This dedication to pursuing further work in the field of Jewish education led her to Jerusalem, where she began her rabbinical studies.

Currently, Rabbi Mason-Barkin serves as Vice President of the Greater Phoenix Board of Rabbis. She also appreciates getting to escape the summer heat in Prescott, Arizona, at Congregation Beth Israel’s Camp Daisy and Harry Stein.

Originally from Buffalo, New York, Rabbi Mason-Barkin has lived and worked in Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Rabbi Mason-Barkin enjoys life with her husband, Josh, and her three children, Charlie, Sela and Milo.

Rabbi Emily Langowitz, Social Action and Advocacy VP

Rabbi Emily Langowitz is the Executive Director of the Women's Leadership Institute, an organization supporting education and leadership training for Jewish women in the Phoenix Jewish community. She previously served as Assistant Director for Engagement and Learning at the Union for Reform Judaism and, prior to that, was the Assistant Rabbi at Temple Solel in Paradise Valley, AZ. Originally from Wellesley, MA, Rabbi Langowitz is now proud to call Arizona home. She received her rabbinic ordination from the New York campus of HUC-JIR in 2017.

Rabbi Langowitz serves on the board of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and is committed to writing and teaching about progressive Jewish perspectives on abortion and reproductive justice. Her rabbinic thesis articulated a feminist theology of abortion. She believes strongly in creating spiritual language which reflects the fullness of each person's reproductive lifecycle. In addition to her work with RCRC, Rabbi Langowitz volunteers as a speaker for interfaith panels at the local Episcopal Day School and as an alto in the Phoenix Symphony Chorus.

Rabbi Langowitz enjoys life with her wife, Meaghan, and their dog, Frank. Outside of her professional life, she can be found road tripping across Arizona, testing new vegetarian recipes, learning a new crochet stitch, or competing in crossword puzzle tournaments with her dad.

Rabbi Jennifer Lader, Convention and National Events Co-VP

Rabbi Jen Lader has served on the Temple Israel clergy team since July of 2012, following her ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, OH. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Rabbi Lader earned a Bachelor of Arts in Jewish Studies from The University of Maryland and a Master of Hebrew Letters degree from HUC-JIR.

Rabbi Lader serves as the ‘youth guru’ at Temple Israel, running all teen-related endeavors and keeping up to date on the latest slang for the benefit of her elder colleagues. From Teen Mission – Metro Detroit’s collaborative summer Israel experience, to alternative spring break trips around the world, to social justice seminars, to leadership initiatives, to youth group retreats, to formal high school programming and informal adventures, Rabbi Lader has crafted an innovative, dynamic, engaging program for young leaders. She is also a talented member of the musical team at her synagogue.

As a lifelong seeker and learner, Rabbi Lader participated in the CLI Fellowship (Clergy Leadership Incubator), where she focused on supporting and encouraging “outside the box” thinking as it relates to synagogues, alternative models of Jewish spiritual community, and organizational transformation. She is currently an 18Doors Rukin Rabbinic Fellow, learning how to make her rabbinate more radically inclusive to interfaith couples and families, and is the president of the Michigan Board of Rabbis. Rabbi Lader is also a powerful national voice for social justice issues - you can catch her on PBS NewsHour, in the Wall Street Journal, on CNN, on VOX: Today, Explained, and featured in other local and national media.

Rabbi Lader’s Austin heritage has led to her perpetual search for great Mexican food, local music, and street fairs. She is a voracious reader, loves traveling, and makes jewelry in her free time. Rabbi Lader and her husband, Daniel, have two beautiful children, Ezra and Noa.

Rabbi Simone Schicker, Convention and National Events Co-VP

Rabbi Simone Schicker (she/her) is the rabbi of Temple B’nai Israel in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she has served since her ordination in 2018. A graduate of Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati, Ohio, she received her BA with honors from Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama.

While at HUC-JIR, Rabbi Schicker was both an AIPAC Leffell Israel Fellow and an iFellow with the iCenter. On campus she served as the rabbinic student body president, the co-chair of the Gender Task Force, and on the Admissions Committee. She served congregations in West Virginia, Michigan, Texas, and Iowa as a student, and her favorite placement for the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati Fellowship was her time at the The Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center.

Having been raised in an interfaith home, Rabbi Schicker is committed to inclusivity in her rabbinate. She is a member of the third cohort of Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship sponsored by 18Doors. Along with her commitment to 18Doors and interfaith work within the Jewish community, she is proud to have been recognized for her local interfaith work through ISAAC Kalamazoo in 2021 as Clergy of the Year.

Rabbi Schicker also serves on the Board of Friendship Village Kalamazoo and is the co-chair of Faith Alliance, a program of OutFront Kalamazoo.

Rabbi Schicker lives with her partner and their many fur babies. She is the proud stepmom of three awesome kids.

Rabbi Alysa Mendelson Graf, CCAR Representative

Rabbi Alysa Mendelson Graf received Ordination from HUC-JIR (NY) in 2004. She has been the rabbi of Port Jewish Center, a small, haimish synagogue in Port Washington, NY, since July of 2014. Prior to coming to PJC, Rabbi Mendelson served Temple Israel in Westport, CT as its Assistant Rabbi, then Associate Rabbi for almost a decade. Rabbi Mendelson grew up in Scarsdale, NY. She is a 1993 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating Fordham University Law School in 1997, Rabbi Mendelson worked as a matrimonial attorney in Manhattan before deciding to pursue the rabbinate. Rabbi Mendelson has been an active member of the CCAR and of the Women’s Rabbinic Network. She previously served on the WRN board for 12 years, including four years as co-president. She is the co-editor of The Sacred Calling: Forty Years of Women in the Rabbinate, published by CCAR Press and winner of the 2016 Jewish Book Award in Women's Studies, and wrote a chapter called “Getting to the Gold Standard in Maternity Leave Clauses.” Rabbi Mendelson is married to Adam Graf. They have three sons, Gideon, Solomon, and Rafi, and reside in Port Washington, New York.

Rabbi Emily Segal, Past President

Rabbi Segal is the Senior Rabbi of Temple Chai in Phoenix, AZ.  Previously she served Rabbi of Aspen Jewish Congregation and as Associate Rabbi of Temple Jeremiah in Northfield, Illinois.  Rabbi Segal grew up in a small, tight-knit Jewish community in Virginia, nurtured by one of the first women rabbis, and she is the proud product of an interfaith home. After graduating from the University of Virginia (Wahoowa!), her studies continued at the HUC-JIR where she was ordained.  

 

During her time in the rabbinate, Rabbi Segal is proud to have been a Balfour Brickner Social Justice Fellow, as well as a Clergy Leadership Incubator Fellow, focusing on leading dynamic change in congregations and organizations.  Rabbi Segal is a member of several professional organizations.  The WRN has been an integral and cherished part of her rabbinate since her ordination.

 

Rabbi Segal’s rabbinic interests include Jewish environmental and food justice, liturgical development, ritual innovation, biblical Hebrew, Jewish feminism, and scriptural and halakhic study.  She is married to Rabbi Scott Segal.  You can find them cooking together, dragging their children on character-building hiking expeditions, and having family dance parties.

WRN Staff

Rabbi Mary Zamore, Executive Director

Rabbi Zamore brings a great deal of experience and depth of commitment to the WRN, having been a member as a student and since her ordination in 1997 and then serving as a co-president from 2007–2009.

Rabbi Zamore is the editor of The Sacred Exchange: Creating a Jewish Money Ethic, (2019, CCAR Press) and The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic, (2011, CCAR Press), finalist National Jewish Book Awards, and she continues to teach at synagogues and JCCs across the country. Before joining WRN professionally in 2015, Rabbi Zamore served congregations in Westfield, Morristown and Washington, New Jersey. As part of her work with WRN, Rabbi Zamore is the co-leader of the Reform Pay Equity Initiative, which addresses the wage gap within the Reform Movement, and founded our Safe Clergy: Employees and Employers program, which focuses on safety at Jewish Seminaries. Participating in many national #metoo conversations, Rabbi Zamore is able to share WRN's decades of experience and wisdom on creating safe, just, and equitable communities.

Rabbi Elaine Glickman, Assistant Executive Director

Rabbi Elaine Rose Glickman is honored and delighted to become the first Assistant Executive Director of the Women’s Rabbinic Network! Serving Temple Emanu-El in Sarasota, Florida, she is a past editor-in-chief of the CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly, the author of six books, including the National Jewish Book Award finalist Sacred Parenting, and an Affiliated Professor at the University of Haifa. Rabbi Glickman is a board member of ALSO, a support group and community center for LGBTQ+ youth, and the Sarasota chapter of Jewish National Fund, as well as a past president of the Sarasota-Manatee Rabbinic Association, a past executive board member of All Faiths Food Bank, a past trustee of the pluralistic Community Day School, and a member of Sarasota County Schools’ Superintendent Advisory and Charter Review Committees. Her essays on gun violence, sexual assault, and Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law have been published in local and national newspapers, and she volunteers extensively for organizations and political candidates who are committed to equity and justice.

Executive Director Emerita

Rabbi Jacqueline Koch Ellenson

Following ordination in 1983, Rabbi Jackie Koch Ellenson worked in a variety of educational positions in synagogue and organizational settings. She served as chaplain of the Harvard Westlake School in Los Angeles from 1991-2002. After serving in various volunteer leadership capacities for the WRN, in 2003 she became the first WRN Executive Director, working to streamline and professionalize its operations, outreach, and activities.

Rabbi Ellenson joined the volunteer board of the Hadassah Foundation in 2004, and served as chair from 2006-2010. An active member of Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City, Jackie served on the board of their school and led Rosh Hodesh groups for girls. She currently leads text study and Wise Aging groups for adults. Her community work focuses on adult spiritual formation and direction, with students at HUC-JIR, as well as activism on behalf of religious pluralism and women's rights in Israel.

In 2011, Rabbi Ellenson was named one of Newsweek/The Daily Beast's 50 most influential rabbis.