Team Leaders & Advisory Committee

Team Leaders

Naomi Neuman
Social Media Content & Website Editor

Naomi Neuman received her B.A. in Political Science and minor in Health Science from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). In the summer of 2015, Naomi went on an Onward Israel-Bina program and worked with children of asylum seekers and migrant workers in Tel Aviv. Upon returning to the U.S. in the fall of 2015, she decided to continue advocating for asylum seekers by volunteering for Right Now. She is responsible for updating Right Now's followers with news about asylum seekers in Israel.

Advisory Committee

Rabbi Susan Silverman

Rabbi Susan Silverman is a writer and activist. Her passions are international adoption, refugees in Israel and women in Judaism.She has just completed a book, Casting Lots: How Raising My Children Helped Me Find God. She and her husband have five children and live in Jerusalem

Rabbi Nava Hefetz

Rabbi Nava Hefetz is currently the Educational Director of Rabbis for Human Rights. She runs dozens of programs dealing with Human Rights in Israel and overseas, developed an interdisciplinary program aiming to teach Human Rights from Jewish and International perspectives. She supervises 12 Rabbis working across Israel on Human Rights issues such as: social justice, the position of the Jewish tradition towards the "others" in the Israeli society (Gender, foreign immigrants, refugees, Palestinians etc). She has a BA in French Linguistics, French Literature and Philosophy, and an MA in Education and Jewish Studies from J.T.S. (Jewish Theological Seminary). During the years 1978 – 1988 she worked at the Diaspora Museum as educator and curator of 4 exhibitions: Jewish Heritage in the eye of the camera – a worldwide photo contest; From Carthage to Jerusalem – The History of the Tunisian Jewish Community; An Anthropologic exhibition on the Bronx; and Jewish life in America seen by professional photographers.

During the years 1989 – 1994, she was regional coordinator in Melitz – Centers for Jewish-Zionist Education, and worked within the Israeli educational system – both formal and informal Jewish education. She worked with Israeli educators on various Jewish topics, and wrote educational programs for high schools. During the years 1994 – 2000, she worked as Senior Program Director and Acting Director of The Charles R. Bronfman Centre for Mifgashim. In this framework, she worked, on one hand, with Israeli Organizations, Youth Movement, Mayors, National Ministries, and on the other, with peers in the Diaspora, in order to introduce the concept of inter-cultural encounters between Israelis and their peers from the Diaspora, both in the Israeli Society and the Jewish community worldwide.

In 2003 she started to study as rabbinic student at the Rabbinic Israeli program at HUC, during this period, she served as rabbi at Bet David, Johannesburg in the High Holidays. She was ordained Rabbi, November 2006.

Rabbi Nava Hefetz received an award of Excellency from Hebrew Union College for her contribution to the Israeli Society.

Daniel J. Sokatch

Daniel J. Sokatch is the Chief Executive Officer of the New Israel Fund (NIF), the leading organization committed to equality and democracy for all Israelis. Before joining NIF, Sokatch served as the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties. Prior to his tenure at Federation, he served as the founding Executive Director of the Los Angeles based Progressive Jewish Alliance.

In recognition of his leadership, Sokatch has been named to the Forward newspaper’s “Forward 50,” an annual list of the fifty leading Jewish decision-makers and opinion-shapers, in 2002, 2005 and 2008 and 2010.

Daniel has an MA from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, a JD from Boston College Law School, and a BA from Brandeis University. He is married with two daughters and resides in San Francisco.

Yechiel Hoffman

Yechiel Hoffman brings significant experience and enthusiasm as a Jewish educator, community organizer and non-profit leader. In his recent position as Executive Director of LimmudLA, building bridges throughout the Los Angeles Jewish community through volunteerism and cross-communal learning experiences. In his new role, Yechiel empowers Jews of all ages to bring their passion and unique voices to the greater Jewish community while enriching their own personal Jewish journeys. Prior to LimmudLA, for five years, Yechiel served as a Rabbi and experiential educator while teaching Jewish Studies at Milken Community High School in Los Angeles. During his tenure at Milken, Yechiel created the innovative Teens@LimmudLA presenters program, the Viral Judaism Project and the High School Jewish Futures Project & Conference. Prior to joining the faculty at Milken, Yechiel worked in the film industry, where he learned the power of storytelling, and as an activist for the increased inclusion of Jews from every background and every corner of the community.

Joshua Bloom

Joshua Bloom is the Director of Israel Programs for Rabbis for Human Rights-North America and served as a consultant to Rabbis for Human Rights in Israel between 2009 and 2010 before coming to RHR-NA. As a human rights and international development specialist, he has worked in the US and in over a dozen countries around the world for organizations and institutions such as Mercy Corps, American Jewish World Service, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Conflict and Health Programme at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Health and Human Rights Programme at the University of Cape Town, UNICEF, Amnesty International USA and the LIFE Program in Israel and India. Joshua is married to a fourth-year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College.

Rabbi David Rosenn

Rabbi David Rosenn is COO at the New Israel Fund. He is the senior manager for NIF’s day-to-day operations in North America and works with the organization’s leadership to set and execute strategy for the organization overall. Prior to joining NIF, David served for 13 years as the founder and Executive Director at AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps. A graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary, David’s work is centered around efforts to build, encourage and sustain participation in communities of moral courage and spiritual strength, both in the Unites States and in Israel. He lives in New York City.

Rabbi John L. Rosove

Rabbi John L. Rosove assumed his duties as Senior Rabbi of Temple Israel of Hollywood in November 1988. A native of Los Angeles, he earned a BA in Art History from UC Berkeley (1972), a Masters in Hebrew Letters from HUC-JIR, LA (1976), Rabbinic Ordination from HUC-JIR, NY (1979), and a Doctor of Divinity from HUC-JIR, LA (2004).

His mission has been to build Jewish community and draw Jews and their families closer to God, the Torah, Jewish tradition, the Jewish people, and the State of Israel as a Jewish national home. He regards social justice work and high ethical practices as essential core Jewish religious values.

He is a progressive Reform Zionist, is a national co-Chair of the Rabbinic Cabinet of J Street, a pro-Israel pro-peace political and educational organization in Washington, D.C., on the board of the American Friends of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ), the Advisory Committee of the Daniel Center of Tel Aviv, an International Vice-Chair of Rabbis for Women of the Wall (WOW), and a member of the Israel Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR).