Values in Action

Debbi Cooper is the Senior Director of M²’s Values in Action initiative, a JCRIF-funded initiative that aims to equip educators with training and resources to navigate contemporary challenges through a lens of Jewish values. Previously Debbi served as the Director of Engagement for PJ Library and Associate Vice President, Community Outreach & Engagement of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago. She is the immediate past Chair of the Board for Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, a pluralistic Jewish Day School in Chicago. She is a graduate of M²’s Senior Educators Cohort and a current 18×18 fellow.

Debbi graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and has a Master’s in Public Administration/Non-profit management from George Mason University. Debbi lives in Chicago with her husband, Aaron, and their three children: Gabe, Judah, and Noah. She schleps her family on hikes and bikes, makes big dinners upon their return and can often be found hiding out with a good book.

Shira is an educational entrepreneur, attorney, and writer. She brings with her over fifteen years of experience teaching Jewish Studies and designing interdisciplinary curricula in the classroom and immersive learning environments. Prior to her career in Jewish education she practiced corporate law at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. She is the author, together with Hanoch Piven, of Dream Big, Laugh Often: And More Great Advice from the Bible (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2023). Her written work appears in both scholarly and popular publications and she lectures widely on topics of creativity, family life and Jewish texts. She holds a JD from Cardozo School of Law, and is a graduate of the Advanced Talmud program at Midreshet Lindenbaum. She is an avid tennis fan and loves exploring the world with her partner Aaron and children Dalya, Shachar, Amitai and Aiden.

Abby is a relationally-driven leader who has designed her career around roles that allow her to help others bridge the gap between who they are and who they wish to be. She joined M² in 2022 as Program Director of the Values in Action initiative and spent her career prior to that working in a variety of settings including Jewish camping, academia, and as a clinical therapist. She spends her unstructured time thinking (often about human values and development), learning (she loves documentaries & interior design), and enthusiastically keeping up with pop culture!

Abby is a graduate of M²’s Camp Educator’s Cohort and the current community coordinator for M²’s Chicago Educator’s Cohort. Abby lives in Evanston with her partner Zach, her 3 adorable kiddos Max, Ayla, and Asa, as well as her mini shih-tzu Badger.

Kiva Rabinsky is the 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.

As the CEO of M², Shuki helps provide educators and organizations in Israel, North America, and Europe with knowledge, tools, and skills to advance the theory and practice of experiential Jewish education. Previously, Shuki served as director of Service Learning and Experiential Education at Yeshiva University, where he founded the Certificate Program in Experiential Jewish Education and a range of programs mobilizing college students to serve underprivileged communities worldwide. A Schusterman Fellow, Shuki studied Jewish philosophy, education, and scriptwriting.