Meet the Members of the Virtual Pathway Inaugural Class

Irena Altshul

Cantor Irena Altshul was born in St. Petersburg, Russia but spent her formative years in Israel and came as a graduate student to New York City, where she was drawn into synagogue life through her love of Jewish music. Since her cantorial investiture in 2003, Altshul has served on the clergy team of Temple Israel of the City of New York, and as the first invested cantor at Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation in Reston, Virginia from 2007 to 2014. She holds a Master’s of Sacred Music degree and cantorial investiture from Hebrew Union College’s Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music and serves as adjunct faculty at HUC. Altshul also holds a Master’s degree in Music from Brooklyn College and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from Tel Aviv University.

Altshul is an active member of the American Conference of Cantors. A trained mezzo-soprano, her performance experiences have included appearances with the Russian Chamber Choir, the New York Brooklyn College Opera Theater, the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, Israel, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel, and the Tel-Aviv Philharmonic Choir, Israel. Cantor Altshul was also twice invited to sing at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.

In addition to her work in enriching the worship life of the Jewish community, Altshul partners with other synagogue professionals as a team, teaching adults and youth, performing life cycle events, making pastoral visits, and being available to all people. “Surely music is a big part of what I do,” she says, “but it is being with people, helping someone in need that is equally, if not more important to me.”

Altshul lives in New York with her husband and their two children.

Hadar Aviram

Hadar Aviram was born in Jerusalem, Israel, but as a child, she traveled with her family and lived in Quito, Ecuador and in Christ Church, Barbados, where her father worked in transportation planning. “Everywhere we went, my dad, who came from an Orthodox home, ended up being the ersatz rabbi of the local Jewish congregation, leading Shabbat services and preparing kids for their Bar Mitzvahs,” Aviram recalls. “Our family life combined a commitment to secular liberalism and a love and respect for Jewish heritage, literature, and liturgy. A year and a half ago, I lost my beloved father suddenly and prematurely. In midlife, I am called to follow in his footsteps, at a moment in which Jewish people must find common ground, mutual support, and pride in their peoplehood, identity, and legacy.”

Aviram holds degrees in law (LL.B., magna cum laude) and criminology (Master’s degree, summa cum laude) from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Ph.D. in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from UC Berkeley, and works as a law professor at University of California College of the Law in San Francisco. She is also a member of both the Israel and California bars and a former President of the Western Society of Criminology. Her expertise is in criminal law, corrections, and civil rights.

Aviram is the author of four books, the latest of which is FESTER: Carceral Permeability and California’s COVID-19 Correctional Disaster (University of California Press, 2024), and of dozens of articles at the intersection of law, criminology, sociology, political science, carceral geography, and public choice economics. In her years as a public intellectual and pro-bono litigator, she has advocated in courts and in the media for the rights of people incarcerated in California’s prisons and jails, for fair and hopeful parole processes, for an evidence-based, stigma-free process of reintegrating formerly incarcerated people into free society, and for animal rights activists who expose cruelties and regulatory violations in factory farms.

“The possibility of studying virtually at Hebrew Union College makes the dream of a second career possible for me,” Aviram says. “I am excited to embark on an academically rigorous program alongside a cohort of delightful and accomplished people who share the desire to serve the Jewish people as rabbis during these difficult times. The program’s academic strengths and its emphasis on spiritually uplifting and compassionate leadership will equip me for my ideal rabbinical career: joining a team at a vibrant, diverse congregation, as well as working in prison chaplaincy to offer people hope and compassionate, no-nonsense spiritual direction behind bars.”

Aviram lives with her partner of 21 years, their seven-year-old son, and two cats. Outside of her work and activism, she enjoys reading, writing fiction and nonfiction, playing flute, singing, drumming, weightlifting, open water and pool swimming, plant-based cooking, and needlework.

Jill Suzanne Jacobs

Jill Suzanne Jacobs grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she attended Temple Isaiah of Lafeyette. Jacobs currently lives in Irvine, California and is Director of Community Relations at Claremont Hillel. She also attends Congregation B’nai Israel of Tustin. She holds a graduate certificate in Israel education from George Washington University, and a Master’s degree in Jewish education from Rhea Hirsch School of Education at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, a Bachelor’s degree in history from UCLA, and studied as a visiting graduate and undergraduate student at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Jacobs enjoys spending time with her daughter and their adorable, barky dog, dancing, swimming, reading and the company and community and friends. She is the author of Hebrew for Dummies.

Dina Kwasnicki

Dina Kwasnicki (née Newman) is known for her infectious energy, love of people and passion for everything she does. As an experienced Jewish Teen Engagement professional with over a decade in Reform synagogues in the New York area, Kwasnicki has a reputation for innovative programming, and a deep commitment to making Jewish education fun.

As a self-described post-B’nai Mitzvah drop out, Kwasnicki aspires to show young people the more interesting, fun, and applicable elements of Judaism which she discovered in her time at Hillel as an undergraduate at George Washington University. At GW, Kwasnicki also fell in love with Jewish studies in the classroom, leading her to pursue graduate work at the Jewish Theological Seminary, focusing on Modern Jewish American Experience. During her time at JTS, she took a position as a part-time Youth Advisor at the Reform Temple of Forest Hills and realized her love for Jewish engagement thanks to an incredible group of teens in Queens.

Eight years into her career as Associate Director of Youth & Teen engagement at Congregation Rodeph Sholom on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Kwasnicki discovered her calling to the rabbinate. After losing her beloved Grandmother, Bette Glasser z”l, she noticed many more of her teens and teen parents connecting with her in the most difficult times of their lives, after having seen her share one of the most difficult times of hers. Kwasnicki has since been captivated by the pastoral care aspect of the rabbinate most of all.

Kwasnicki holds a Master’s degree in Modern Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor’s degree from the George Washington University. In 2021, she began rabbinic studies at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Life changes and shifts in community have brought her “home” to the Reform Movement to complete her rabbinic education at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She says she could not be more excited and blessed to do so as a part of the new Virtual Pathway of second career students as she continues her work as Director of Youth & Teen Engagement at Temple Sinai of Roslyn where she also serves as Rabbinic Intern.

Beyond her love of all things Jewish, Kwasnicki is an avid reader, pop culture aficionado, WNBA fan (and NBA too in the off season), and true crime lover. She drinks way too much coffee and will never turn down sushi (sometimes to her own detriment). Kwasnicki is married to her college sweetheart, and they live in New York with their beautiful big pup Ellie.

Liz Levin

Liz Levin is a seasoned program leader with over 25 years of experience in Jewish education and language acquisition. She currently serves as the Director of Jewish Life and Learning at JCC Greater Boston, where she coordinates Jewish life initiatives organization-wide and leads strategic efforts to enhance Jewish content across various programs. Her innovative approach has led to the development of a new, values-based educational philosophy for the after-school program and a reimagined approach to Jewish content in the summer camp.

Levin’s expertise extends to curriculum development, program innovation, strategic planning, and staff development. She has a proven track record of fostering collaboration and creating impactful Jewish learning experiences. Her work with Hebrew College as a Project Based Learning Instructor and Coach involves designing and delivering customized professional development seminars for school directors and teachers, both in the US and abroad.

Levin’s educational background includes a Master’s degree in Religious Education (EMA) from Hebrew Union College, where she focused on educational leadership, and a Bachelor’s degree in History and Religious Studies from McGill University. She also holds a Certificate in Jewish Informal Education, Leadership, and Camping from Hebrew College and a Certificate in Teaching English to Young Learners from Cambridge University. Recently, she completed the M2 Senior Educators Cohort and the iCenter’s Conflicts of Interest certificate program.

Levin’s volunteer work highlights her commitment to the Jewish community. She joined the JCC Association’s Jewish Life and Learning Think Tank in 2022 and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the JCDS, a pluralistic day school in Watertown, Massachusetts. Her past volunteer roles include serving on the board of the Billy Dalwin Preschool of Temple Emunah from 2016 to 2023, culminating in her presidency.

Levin reports that her decision to pursue the rabbinate at this point in her life and career is driven by her deep-seated passion for fostering Jewish learning and leadership. Her diverse experiences—from her Orthodox upbringing to her professional roles in Conservative and Reform settings—have taught her the importance of creating spaces where people can explore their Jewish identity without being confined to a single path. She believes that becoming a rabbi will provide her with the tools and knowledge to further her impact as a Jewish educator and leader.

Levin says choosing Hebrew Union College for this journey reflects her commitment to an institution that aligns with her values and vision for the future of Jewish education. She says HUC’s emphasis on inclusivity, critical thinking, and personal choice resonates with her own approach to Jewish learning and community-building. Levin is eager to bring her passion for education, inclusivity, and community-building to the rabbinate, continuing to create environments where individuals can find meaningful connections to Jewish life.

Jay O’Brien

Judaism has always been an integral part of Jay O’Brien’s life. “Some of my earliest life-memories are of lighting Shabbat candles, dancing on Simchat Torah, eating apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah,” he says. “While I was born to an interfaith family, we kept an observant Jewish home and regularly attended services at a traditional synagogue. Growing up in St. Louis, this nascent Jewish identity continued to develop into a deep love of learning, prayer, and community.”

O’Brien holds a bachelor’s degree in Music and the Humanities from Washington University in St. Louis, where as an undergraduate, he recognized in himself a capacity for leadership within the Jewish community. He began teaching Sunday school, song leading at summer camps, and leading high holy day services at Hillel. Around this same time, O’Brien also began to dive deeper into ritual observance and halachic practice. “These explorations into orthodoxy were both inspiring and challenging; while growing in my knowledge and spirituality, the frum world felt increasingly inauthentic given my own interfaith background and broad-minded worldview,” O’Brien says.

Throughout each stage of his spiritual evolution, O’Brien maintained the possibility of pursuing a career as a Jewish professional. Upon graduation, he followed his passion for music and applied to the cantorial program at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. After ordination in 2016, he embarked upon a fulfilling career as a congregational cantor. He continues to serve his first pulpit, Makom Solel Lakeside, a Reform synagogue located in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.

O’Brien says he began to question his role in the Jewish community after the summer of 2022 when a mass shooting occurred in Highland Park on July 4th. He recalls, “In the aftermath of this tragedy, I joined with many others to help my community heal and recover. The days and weeks to follow were a whirlwind of visits, vigils, and memorials. Yet there was also light in that darkness; moments of solidarity and hope, more powerful than the violence and feelings of despair.”

In becoming a rabbi, O’Brien aspires to deepen his commitment to the Jewish community while broadening the impact of these efforts beyond his synagogue’s walls. “In light of October 7th and rising antisemitism, the need for our communities to cultivate meaningful partnerships across cultural and denominational divides has only grown,” he says. “I believe this work begins within. By renewing our connection to Judaism and its core values, we can become better advocates for our people and more effective servants of God’s will in the world at large.”

O’Brien says he chose to study at HUC-JIR because of its affiliation and alignment with the Reform movement. “In the broader scope of Klal Yisrael, I feel strongly that Reform Judaism serves two very important functions: as a moderating force for Jewish beliefs and practices, and as the paradigm of open-hearted and open-minded exchange between Jewish tradition and modernity. The HUC-JIR community also holds a special place in my heart,” O’Brien continues. “As a student and graduate of the cantorial program, I know firsthand the quality of training and depth of learning that can be found at America’s oldest Jewish seminary. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to pursue my dream of becoming a rabbi within the virtual pathway program, and equally blessed to benefit from the guidance and support of its distinguished teachers, administrators, and faculty.”

Magda Reyes

Magda Reyes grew up in Košice, Slovakia (formerly Czechoslovakia), in a small, tight-knit Jewish community made up mostly of Holocaust survivors, in the midst of a largely non-Jewish and anti-Semitic country. “My early Jewish identity was shaped by this experience, and at the time, I often viewed my Jewishness more as a burden than a source of pride, formed by the negative encounters I had in Eastern Europe,” she says. “It wasn’t until much later in life that I began to fully embrace my Jewish heritage.”

Reyes graduated with a Bachelor’s degree International Studies from Hunter College in New York City. While she initially began pursuing a Master’s degree in Business Administration at Pace University, a shift in her personal and spiritual life took her in a different direction. “It was my non-Jewish spouse who introduced me to a Reform synagogue in New Jersey, where I discovered a form of Judaism that emphasized learning, community, and social action—values that deeply resonated with me,” Reyes says. “This more flexible and interpretive approach to Judaism allowed me to reconnect with my faith in a way that felt empowering rather than limiting.”

Reyes later earned a certification in English as a Second Language from the College of New Jersey, and began teaching at a Reform synagogue, where she became deeply committed to Jewish education and leadership. Over the past thirty years, she has served as Director of Education at Har Sinai Temple in Pennington, New Jersey, and is currently Director of Congregational Learning at Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls, New Jersey.

“Although I found great satisfaction in my work, I felt that something was still missing in my Jewish journey,” Reyes recalls. After completing the Executive Master’s program in Religious Education (EMA) at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion as part of its first cohort, Reyes realized that she wanted to explore the spiritual and leadership aspects of Judaism more deeply. “My experiences as an educator, combined with the growth I gained during my studies, gave me the confidence to pursue the rabbinate. I saw that the leadership and teaching skills I had developed could be further enhanced by a deeper spiritual and intellectual understanding of Jewish tradition,” she says.

Reyes says she chose to return to Hebrew Union College because of the transformative experience she had while studying there, and because of the institution’s “deep commitment to intellectual rigor, social justice, spiritual exploration, and leadership development.”

“I’m excited to continue my journey at HUC-JIR, where I can further develop the skills necessary to serve the Jewish community as a rabbi, and continue to inspire others through learning, spiritual guidance, and community building,” Reyes says. “The path I’m on now feels like the culmination of everything I’ve experienced and learned over the years. I’m thrilled to embrace this next chapter in my life and am confident that pursuing the rabbinate is the right direction for me.”

Staci (Geffen) Rosenthal

Staci (Geffen) Rosenthal is a Senior Program Associate on the Jewish Education Team at Facing History and Ourselves, where she is very passionate about providing professional development and coaching to educators in Jewish settings across the country. Additionally, she teaches 6th and 7th Grade at Temple Sinai in Brookline, Massachusetts, where she has been teaching for over ten years. Rosenthal holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Brandeis University and a Master’s degree in Medical Anthropology from Boston University, where she published an original thesis titled “Birthing into Death: Stories of Jewish Pregnancy from the Holocaust.” This year she is a fellow at the iCenter, where she is pursuing a postgraduate concentration in Israel Education. In her free time she is a mikveh guide at Mayyim Hayyim, and when she is not working, she can be spotted walking around Jamaica Plain with her three-year-old Black Lab, Lemon.

Rosenthal has felt called to serve the Jewish community in a rabbinical role since she was 13 years old. She began rabbinical training at Hebrew Union College immediately upon graduating from Brandeis in 2013, but after one semester she decided she needed more time before continuing her studies. After several years working in Jewish education and cultivating her own Jewish personal and professional life in Boston, Rosenthal says she feels ready to return and complete her studies. While she enjoys experiencing Judaism in different Jewish communities, she feels most at home in and aligned with the Reform movement, which grounds her in the roots of her own Jewish upbringing. She is excited to begin on the virtual rabbinical pathway and eventually receive ordination from HUC.

David M. Scott

A native of Montreal, Canada, David M. Scott, J.D., RJE, M.A.R.E. is the Director of Lifelong Learning and Engagement at Congregation Beth Israel and Director of the Miriam Browning Jewish Learning Center, the congregation’s religious school program. Scott has served the congregation full time since January 2014, after practicing law for 13 years in both Cincinnati, Ohio and in Houston, Texas.

A lifelong Houstonian, Scott has the distinction of being both a preschool student and serving as Executive Director (2016-2020, 2024) of Congregation Beth Israel in Houston, Texas, in addition to his role as Director of Lifelong Learning and Engagement. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin followed by graduation from law school at the University of Houston Law Center (’01).

A graduate of the Wexner Heritage Jewish leadership program (’06), Scott has always been passionate about Jewish leadership, learning, and education. He received his Master’s in Religious Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s Executive Master’s (EMA) Program in 2017 and his Reform Jewish Educator (RJE) certification in 2018. He is a three-term member of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Reform Jewish Educators (ARJE) where he chairs the organization’s Support and Review Committee. Scott is also a former co-chair of the HUC School of Education Alumni Association (SOEAA) and current co-chair of the Alumni Leadership Council for HUC-JIR.

Scott says the virtual pathway program was created and launched at exactly the right moment for him, and he is so grateful to Rabbi David Lyon, Senior Rabbi and President Elect of the CCAR, Susan Feigin Harris, President of the Board of Trustees, and the entire clergy, staff, and lay leadership of Congregation Beth Israel for supporting his decision to fulfill his lifelong passion to become a rabbi.

Scott is married to Rabbi Adrienne Scott, Senior Associate Rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel, who was ordained from HUC-JIR’s Cincinnati campus in 2004, and they are the parents of two children.

Alden Solovy

Alden Solovy is a modern-day piytan, a traveling poet/preacher/teacher who uses Torah and verse to engage and inspire. His work appears in song and verse. Solovy is the author of seven volumes of Torah and t’fillah inspired poetry. His 2023 volume These Words: Poetic Midrash on the Language of Torah won a Silver Medal from the Independent Book Publishers. A Jerusalem resident, Solovy is the Liturgist in Residence at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.

“Becoming a rabbi is the next step in my development as a writer and teacher,” Solovy says. “I envision my writing deepening and my teaching expanding.” He is also excited to broaden his skills and abilities in service to God, Torah, and the Jewish people. “With unbound enthusiasm for Torah and prayer, I am a passionate teacher/preacher. My energy emanates from deep faith forged by the fire of personal loss.” A liturgist, poet, and lyricist, Solovy’s work resonates with people of many faiths throughout the world. Offering a fresh Jewish voice, his work challenges the boundaries between poetry, meditation, personal growth, storytelling, teaching, and prayer.

As a teen Jewish day camp counselor, Solovy felt a profound calling to serve the Jewish world. “My choices took me away from that calling – first as a journalist, then as a businessman – until my life was rocked by multiple losses. In writing prayer-poetry, I found hope and renewal. That reignited my calling to serve,” he says.

Solovy has taught at more than 50 organizations around the world, including synagogues, churches, rabbinical schools, convents, and Limmud events. His work also includes a trilogy of poetic prayer books — This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day, This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings, and This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer, all from CCAR Press — examining sacred time, sacred word, and sacred encounter. His latest CCAR Press volume, Enter These Gates: Meditations for the Days of Awe, was influenced by living in Israel on and after October 7, 2023. Solovy’s writing has been widely anthologized, including in Men Pray (Skylight Paths Publishing), Choosing a Jewish Life (Anita Diamant, Schocken), and numerous CCAR Press books.

Solovy holds a Bachelor’s degree in English composition with a minor in literature from Beloit College, a Master’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois-Springfield, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration in economics and finance from the University of Chicago.

A native Chicagoan, Solovy made aliyah to Israel in 2012, where he hikes, swims, writes, teaches, and learns. He blogs for the Times of Israel and his prayers also appear regularly on ReformJudaism.org and Ritualwell.org. Active in men’s personal growth work, Solovy is also spearheading the creation and growth of ManKind Project Israel.