Bikur Cholim Conference 2025

Fingerhut was appointed Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents on March 14, 2007 by Governor Ted Strickland. This position is a member of the Ohio Governor’s Cabinet. On February 22, 2011, he submitted his resignation to Gov. John Kasich, effective March 14, 2011, after serving four years of his five-year term. Chancellor Fingerhut earned a reputation as an innovative leader and ardent advocate of the value of higher education. (Wikipedia)

Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Ph.D., is an author, Jungian psychotherapist, a leader in the international Jewish Renewal Movement, and a renowned Jewish scholar and teacher. Widely known for her groundbreaking work on Kabbalah, depth psychology, and the re-integration of the feminine wisdom tradition within Judaism, Rabbi Tirzah lectures and teaches internationally about spiritual and ancient wisdom practices that are honed to assist us at this critical time in world history. Her latest work, Wounds into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Jewish Trauma (Monkfish, 2019) is the recipient of the 2020 Nautilus Book Award Gold in Psychology and the Jewish Women’s Caucus of the Association for Women in Psychology 2020 book award.

Raised in an Orthodox home in St. Louis, Missouri, Rabbi Tirzah’s spiritual curiosity called her to search beyond the confines of her family’s strict Jewish upbringing. The younger sister of the groundbreaking radical feminist, Shulamith Firestone (The Dialectic of Sex, William Morrow & Co: 1970), Rabbi Tirzah left home to embark upon a life-changing spiritual odyssey, chronicled in With Roots In Heaven: One Woman’s Passionate Journey into the Heart of Her Faith (Dutton, 1998).

Ann Luban is the Senior Director of Community Services at JCFS Chicago where she oversees outreach, support and education in the Chicago area Jewish community, with a focus on abuse prevention, addiction & recovery, adoption, grief, mental health, and pastoral care. She also chairs JCERT, the Jewish Community Emergency Response Team. Over the course of her career, Ann has worked at both CJE SeniorLife and Spertus Institute and is currently on the Spertus faculty for their Leadership Certificate in Combatting Antisemitism. She earned a MSW from the University of Southern California and a MA in Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion which recognized her 25+ plus years in the field by awarding her a Doctor of Jewish Non-Profit Management, honoris causa.

Ann is an alumna of both the Wexner Foundation’s Graduate Fellowship Program and Wexner Heritage Program, has presented at local, national and international conferences, has published both in print and online formats, and has served on the Board of Trustees of multiple Jewish organizations./p>

Stephan Kline became Chief Executive Officer of NECHAMA: Jewish Response to Disaster on February 12, 2024. NECHAMA is the only national Jewish organization that works full time on domestic natural disaster relief and recovery. Rooted and guided by Jewish values, NECHAMA has three overarching priorities: humanizing Jews and representing Jewish ideals in communities shattered by disaster; providing a platform for volunteers, particularly young Jewish volunteers, to explore their identities and purpose; and spreading hope and offering tangible support to people and communities in desperate need of assistance. Stephan supervises a team of seven talented individuals and oversees NECHAMA’s field deployments and programs, volunteer recruitment, fundraising and communications, governance and the organization’s newest Project to Combat Antisemitism which was rolled out on January 6, 2025.   

Previously, Stephan worked for more than two decades in a variety of senior roles at the Jewish Federations of North America, including as Deputy Director of the Washington Office, Associate Vice President for Public Policy, and coordinator of JFNA’s Emergency Committee focusing on natural disasters. Prior to joining the Jewish Federations, Stephan was Legislative Director at the Alliance for Justice and Director of the Judicial Selection Project, an enforcement attorney for the Federal Election Commission, and a legislative fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union. Stephan is a graduate of Wesleyan University and earned his J.D. magna cum laude and an L.L.M. in Law and Government from American University. 

Ann Luban is the Senior Director of Community Services at JCFS Chicago where she oversees outreach, support and education in the Chicago area Jewish community, with a focus on abuse prevention, addiction & recovery, adoption, grief, mental health, and pastoral care. She also chairs JCERT, the Jewish Community Emergency Response Team. Over the course of her career, Ann has worked at both CJE SeniorLife and Spertus Institute and is currently on the Spertus faculty for their Leadership Certificate in Combatting Antisemitism. She earned a MSW from the University of Southern California and a MA in Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion which recognized her 25+ plus years in the field by awarding her a Doctor of Jewish Non-Profit Management, honoris causa.

Ann is an alumna of both the Wexner Foundation’s Graduate Fellowship Program and Wexner Heritage Program, has presented at local, national and international conferences, has published both in print and online formats, and has served on the Board of Trustees of multiple Jewish organizations./p>

Reuben D. Rotman is the founding President and CEO of the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies. The Network was established in 2017 as an international membership association, with the mission of strengthening and advancing the Jewish human service sector.  Today, the Network serves as the leading voice for the sector; the go-to for best practice research, innovation, and partnerships.  Supporting its 170+ member organizations throughout the US, Canada and Israel, the Network’s goal is to strengthen the capacities of its member agencies and to advance the scope and impact of the Jewish human service sector.

 Reuben came to the Network having served as the CEO of Jewish Family Service of MetroWest New Jersey, where he held several increasingly responsible positions for 21 years.  Previously, Reuben held positions with UJA Federation of New York, Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit and Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

 Reuben currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of SourceAmerica, which connects the non-profit sector to the US Federal government and commercial sectors to secure employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, and also serves as the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Social Current,  a recently established national organization which seeks to activate the power of the social sector by bringing together a dynamic network of human service organizations and partners. 

Reuben earned two graduate degrees at Brandeis University, a Master of Arts in the Management of Human Services from the Heller School and a Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service from the Hornstein Program.

As President & Chief Executive Officer, Miriam Singer is responsible for leadership and the success of Jewish Community Services (JCS) – a community-based non-profit social and health services agency serving the South Florida community for over 100 years. Miriam joined JCS in January 2020 and was charged by its Board of Directors to implement a comprehensive strategic transformation of the agency aimed at efficiencies, innovation and fiscal sustainability. With an annual budget and assets of $36,6m and a dedicated, diverse team of 500 professional and support staff, JCS provides 30+ unique social and health service programs. In fiscal year 2021-2022 clients received a broad array of safety-net services.

Singer’s professional experience includes 35 years of service to Miami-Dade County government, where she began her career as a social worker working with survivors of domestic abuse and justice-involved refugees. She has broad experience in direct service delivery, management, and executive operations for human and business services. She developed and implemented justice and community-based programs serving Cuban and Haitian refugees, dual-diagnosis clients, survivors of domestic violence, and gang-involved youth.

contact@rabbi-ziona.com

http://www.rabbi-ziona.com

I was born and raised in Haifa, Israel and served in The Israeli Defense Force as an Electronic Intelligence Sergeant during the War of Attrition. Before my ordination a AJR in 2010 I was a professor of Anthropology.

As a rabbi, I officiate at life cycle events, I teach adults and lead services.

As an interfaith chaplain at Valley hospital, I provide pastoral care to all patients as needed. I have Clinical Pastoral Education, and my internship include surgical floors, the Renal Care Center and the Neuroscience and Neuro ICU units.

At the American Red Cross, I am a certified Disaster Spiritual Care Provider. As such, I serve as the regional program leader and supervisor for all spiritual care providers in the Northeast region in NJ. I support victims of disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and fires. This work can be done in different ways — with “boots on the ground”, meaning deployment to the affected areas, work in shelters that the Red Cross sets up for those who lost their homes, and refer for further interventions. There is also a virtual Disaster Spiritual Care intervention, where we call affected clients and listen to what they want share and reflect.

Morgan Zeringue graduated from University of Houston in 2011 with a Masters in Social Work and a passion for program implementation. In April 2015, she began working at The Joan and Sanford Alexander Jewish Family Service in the Employment Services department, with continuing interest in program implementation, studying service gaps, and increasing service delivery. After a series of floods, hurricanes, and other local emergencies, Morgan was tasked to quickly build a large case management team to address the need.

Morgan put together what is recognized as one of the premiere Disaster Services team which serves Houston, as she found ways to maximize staff productivity, centralize the client process, and promote professional delivery of service with a layer of compassion. The team specializes in ensuring services are accessible, creating group support and helping clients access clinical services as needed. She is called upon throughout the city of Houston, US and nationally to present best practices in building Disaster Service case management teams and serves on the executive committees for both the local VOAD and the HCLTRC.