Connection in a Complicated Moment

Kelly Cohen serves as the Senior Director of Experiential Jewish Education at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta. Kelly has a wealth of experience as a Jewish educator working in camps, day schools, synagogues, Federations, Israel travel, and more. Most recently, Kelly served as the as the North American Director of Education for the Diller Teen Fellowship, guiding the Jewish educational vision and implementation for the global teen leadership program. She holds a BA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University, a Masters in Jewish Education from Hebrew College, and is a graduate of both the Pardes Educators Program and M²’s Senior Educator Cohort. Additionally, Kelly is also the creator of Parsha Storybook Project, an online resource for early childhood Torah literacy.

Ilana Gleicher-Bloom is a seasoned Jewish educator with 20 years of experience fostering inclusive, pluralistic learning environments where every individual can access and engage with Torah.

She holds a B.A. in Judaic Studies (NEJS) and Literature from Brandeis University and was part of the inaugural cohort of the Melamdim Teacher Education Program at the Hartman Institute and Tel Aviv University. After completing her training, Ilana taught Talmud and Tanakh at the Heschel High School in New York and Rochelle Zell Jewish High School in the Chicago area.

In 2015, she developed an innovative model for congregational education, leading to the creation of Mensch Academy, the religious school of Mishkan Chicago. Her contributions to Jewish education were recognized in 2018 when she received the Pomegranate Prize from the Covenant Foundation, honoring emerging leaders in the field.

In 2021, Ilana moved to Jerusalem with her husband and three children, where she served as the Director of Experiential Education at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.

In her free time, Ilana enjoys reading as many books as possible, drinking coffee, and exploring the streets of Jerusalem with her family.

Kiva Rabinsky is the Deputy CEO and Chief Program Officer at M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education, and lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Deb, and children, Nava and Yonah. Prior to working at M², he directed a range of Jewish Service-Learning initiatives and developed and taught in a series of Experiential Jewish Education training programs through his role at Yeshiva University. Kiva holds an MPA in Nonprofit Management and an undergraduate degree in Education and Archeology.