Spring 2024 Field Building Grants Process

Dr. Guila Benchimol (she/her) is a researcher, educator, consultant, and victim advocate whose work focuses on gender, abuse, and power. She holds a PhD in Sociological Criminology from the University of Guelph and is also a trained restorative and transformative justice facilitator. Guila was one of the key advisors who guided the launch of the SRE Network ,and she continues to serve as their Senior Advisor on Research and Learning while consulting on other projects. She has been invited to address Jewish professionals and clergy across Canada and the US, as well as other faith communities where she educates, trains, and develops and implements policies on abuse prevention and intervention. Guila also sits on the board of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and is a research associate at the Center for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence where she has worked on projects related to homicides and domestic violence deaths. Her first 10+ year career as a Jewish educator, in and outside of the Orthodox Jewish community, informed her understanding of the need to address victimization of all kinds. Previously, Guila was the Director of Judaic Studies at Tiferes Bais Yaakov where she also taught Tanach to grades 9 through 12. She was also the Managing Director for the National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) in Canada, where she founded and directed an international camp for high school girls. Guila lives in Toronto, Ontario and she was raised in the Spanish-Moroccan community there which was built by the families who fled Tangier.

Aaron Dorfman (he/him) is Founder and Executive Director of A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy, an effort to mobilize the American Jewish community to strengthen American democracy. In its inaugural year, the organization focused on ensuring a free, fair, safe, and accessible 2022 midterm elections. Previously, Aaron served as President of Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, Vice President for Programs of American Jewish World Service, and Director of Informal Education at Temple Isaiah of Contra Costa County. He holds a Master's in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BA in English and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Aaron and his wife Talia live in Brooklyn, New York, where they're raising three fierce feminist daughters and one bearded dragon.

Aaron is a SRE Network Advisory Board member.

Sarah Levin (she/her) is the Executive Director of JIMENA: Jews Indigenous to the Middle East. At JIMENA, Sarah has conceptualized and developed a number of campaigns and projects for Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews to explore, preserve, protect and share their heritage, identities, and experiences. In partnership with a multitude of organizations and activists, Sarah is proud to continue leading domestic and international efforts to pursue acknowledgement, justice, and redress for Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews.

Sarah produced, launched, and directs JIMENA’s multi-lingual Oral History and Digital Experience Program, JIMENA’s Arabic Outreach Program, JIMENA’s Day School Initiative, and various education, advocacy, social media, and community outreach campaigns. Sarah has produced hundreds of cultural events nation-wide and has developed international partnerships with a multitude of organizations, universities, museums, and public offices. Sarah has also provided briefs on Jewish refugees from Arab countries to the Canadian Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development and the US Department of State. She has also lectured at Ben Gurion University and Bar Ilan University.

Prior to joining JIMENA, Sarah spent six years in Israel where she contributed to social service programs in a variety of capacities through her work at different non-profit organizations, mainly NATAL: Israel Trauma Center for Victims of Terror and War. Sarah is passionate about ecology, human rights, and is an avid organic gardener. A proud mixed Turkish-Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jew, Sarah lives in Northern California with her husband and two sons.

Gamal Palmer (he/him) is a Leadership Development and Diversity and Inclusion Specialist

Principal and Founder of Conscious Builders, a Global Consulting firm helping organizations, companies and networks shift their culture and practices, Gamal is a graduate of Yale, was a student at Oxford University and has an extensive background in organizational leadership and inclusion. Recently, Gamal completed nearly nine years as a Senior Vice President at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles where he was the only person of color in senior leadership. In his final tenure at the Los Angeles Federation, Gamal served as Senior Vice President of Leadership Development and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).

Gamal has worked with hundreds of leaders, board members, executives, educators and CEOs to help them strengthen and diversify their boards, teams and organizations. He’s worked with large-scale universities, businesses and nonprofits including Yale and Cornell University, Dreamworks, NBCU, Jordan Brand of Nike, Foresite Capital, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Wexner Heritage Fund, Sempra Energy, Live Nation, Intuit, USC Business School, and ITVS, to name a few. Through the Diversity Gym (his signature workshop), he’s worked with thousands of individuals to help them find acceptance and foster inclusion.

Gamal has years of international experience after having worked with social impact entrepreneurs in over 15 African countries, the Middle East, and the US. Gamal has been an International Career Advancement Program (ICAP) at Aspen Institute, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Los Angeles Global Justice, and a Durfee Foundation Springboard Fellow.

Gamal sits on several national boards including UpStart Lab, SRE Network and American Jewish World Service. He brings a deep understanding of the human condition and a unique ability to teach professionals how to leverage their personal stories to navigate and overcome differences. As a speaker, his TedX and many other talks focus on utilizing social impact and stepping into your power.

Stefanie Rhodes (she/her) is currently the CEO OF Slingshot.  She has spent the last 18 years working in Jewish philanthropy including 9 years at the Jewish Funders Network, where she ran the Younger Funders programming and was the founding Director of the Foundation Professionals program. Prior to joining the Jewish professional world, she worked in ad agencies and tech start-ups in the Bay Area.

Stefanie holds a BA in Journalism and a Certificate in Jewish Studies from Indiana University and a Certificate in Jewish Philanthropy from Yeshiva University. She is a Senior Schusterman Fellow and was a member of the inaugural CEO Onboarding cohort. Stefanie is also the chair of the Advisory Board of the Jews of Color Initiative. Stefanie is married to Hue, and together they have two children.

Judith Rosenbaum (she/her) is CEO of the Jewish Women’s Archive, a pioneering digital archive that documents Jewish women’s stories, elevates their voices, and inspires them to be agents of change. She also served for a decade as the Director of Public History at JWA, and has devoted her career to creating a more inclusive, feminist history and harnessing history as a tool for social change.

An educator, historian, and writer, Judith earned a PhD in American Studies from Brown University, with a focus on women, gender, and social movements. As a Fulbright Fellow, she studied women’s collective communities in Israel. Judith teaches and lectures widely on Jewish studies and women’s studies and publishes in both academic and popular journals and anthologies. She serves on the faculty of the Bronfman Fellowship and is a Schusterman Senior Fellow. Judith lives with her family in the Boston area.

Chava Sims Shervington (she/her) is currently president of the board of the Jewish Mutilracial Network, where she became a recognized voice on issues of racial equity and inclusion in the Jewish community. She is also a founding member of Komchach, which is an organization that exists to support Black Orthodox Jews. A passionate and committed diversity advocate, prior to her work with JMN and Komchach, Chava organized regular programming for Jews of Color. Chava's widely respected contributions resulted in her becoming a regular speaker and writer on issues of diversity in Judaism, and she has appeared in the Chicago Tribute, JTA, and The Salon on the Jewish Channel. Her passion and dedication to the advancement of Jews of Color was further honored by her selection as the one of the awardees of Jewish Week's "36 under 36" and as a fellow in the Selah Leadership Program. Additionally, after her recent move to Los Angeles, she was recently honored by the City of Los Angeles as a Jewish woman creating change in LA. She has additional experience in effectively growing nonprofits, not only within the Jewish community, but through holding in-house council positions in New York and Pennsylvania where she gained expertise in human resources and corporate law. She holds a Juris Doctorate from The George Washington University Law School.

Mordy Walfish (he/him) has served as Chief Operating Officer of Leading Edge since 2017, overseeing the operational growth of an organization dedicated to strengthening how Jewish nonprofits attract, develop, and retain top talent. Prior to joining Leading Edge, Mordy was Vice President for Programs at Repair the World. He is a Wexner Graduate Fellow, Schusterman Fellow, and the winner of the 2015 JPRO Network Young Professional Award. He serves on the boards of Jewish Queer Youth and Dimensions Educational Consulting and teaches courses in strategic management and leadership coaching. He is based in Brooklyn, New York.