Dr. Mijal Bitton is the rosh kehilla (communal leader) and co-founder of the Downtown Minyan in New York City. She received a BA from Yeshiva University and earned her doctorate from New York University, where she conducted an ethnographic study of a Syrian Jewish community with a focus on developing the field of contemporary Sephardic studies in America. She is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship.

In 2018, Mijal was selected for inclusion in New York Jewish Week’s “36 under 36” in She lives in Manhattan with her husband Sion and their two children.

Ginna Green previously served as the chief strategy officer of Bend the Arc, where she oversaw the work of the advocacy and electoral, communications, and organizing teams, bringing a Jewish voice to the fight for social justice in the United States.  

Dahlia Lithwick is a senior editor at Slate and has been writing their “Supreme Court Dispatches” and “Jurisprudence” columns since 1999. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Harper’s, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The New Republic, and Commentary, among other places. She is host of Amicus, Slate’s award-winning biweekly podcast about the law and the Supreme Court. Dahlia earned her B.A. in English from Yale University and her J.D. from Stanford University. She is currently working on a new book, Lady Justice, for Penguin Press.

Nate Looney is an American Jewish University alum, agricultural entrepreneur, diversity strategist, and US Army veteran. He was part of rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and deployed to Iraq in 2008. Nate is a Wexner Field Fellow, a Bend the Arc Jeremiah alum, and a Selah JOC Cohort alum. Nate is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Jewish community in addition to sustainability and innovation in agriculture. He is a board member of the Jewish Multiracial Network, Urban Adamah, and JQ International. He speaks publicly about intersectionality and diversity across multiple sectors. When not working, Nate can be found on the water, sailing, deep-sea fishing, or bodysurfing. 

Rabbi Isaiah Joseph Rothstein grew up in a mixed-race family in the ultra-orthodox community of Monsey, New York. He most recently served as rabbi-in-residence at Hazon: The Jewish Lab for Sustainability. He is the co-founder of the Jewish Youth Climate Movement and Kamochah, a community for Black Orthodox Jews. He served as spiritual leader at Carmel Academy in Greenwich, Connecticut, and as youth director at the Young Israel of Stamford. He attended Kushner Yeshiva High School, studied in Israel for two years, and attended Binghamton University, followed by rabbinic ordination and his master’s in social work from Yeshiva University. Isaiah is a member of the Schusterman Foundation’s ROI Fellowship and was listed as one of The Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36.” When he is not working to keep the world safe for democracy, Isaiah is writing a musical about Queen Esther.

Dr. Rivka Schwartz has spent more than 15 years in the field of Jewish secondary and post-secondary education. She currently serves as associate principal, General Studies at SAR High School in the Bronx, New York. She earned a Ph.D. in history of science from Princeton University, writing her dissertation about the cultural history of the Manhattan Project. She lectures widely on issues of contemporary importance in the Orthodox community. Rivka lives in Washington Heights, New York, with her family.

Tema Smith is a diversity advocate, writer, and Jewish community builder. At 18Doors, she helps run an organization that empowers people in interfaith relationships to engage in Jewish life and make Jewish choices, and which encourages Jewish communities to welcome them. This comes after seven years as a synagogue professional, most recently as the director of community engagement at Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto’s oldest synagogue. Tema is also a contributing columnist at The Forward whose writing has been published in My Jewish Learning, The Globe and Mail, and the Canadian Jewish News. Tema is dedicated to building a meaningful and inclusive Jewish community through research, training, writing, and relational engagement work.

Evan Traylor (he/him) is a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion and a Jewish community builder, educator, activist, and writer. He is a Wexner Graduate fellow and a Ko’ach fellow, and currently serves on the leadership team of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, the board of Encounter, and the Commission on Social Action of the Religious Action Center. Prior to rabbinical school, Evan worked at the Union for Reform Judaism for several years creating new initiatives in college and young adult engagement. Originally from Oklahoma City, he graduated from the University of Kansas studying political science, Jewish studies, and leadership studies. Evan is an alum of Kansas Hillel, URJ Kutz Camp, URJ Greene Family Camp, and served as North American President of NFTY. He lives in New York City with his fiancé and their tiny dog, Ruby Nakia. 

Maayan Zik is an Orthodox Jewish Jamaican-American, social activist, and mother. She co-founded organizations Kamochah and Ker a Velt, which further her work in social justice and racial equity amongst the Jewish and Black communities of Crown Heights and the broader Orthodox Jewish community. She has been featured in Vogue Magazine, the Washington Post, The Forward, The Jewish Press, and more. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her family.