Contributors

Abby is a writer and designer. She has a degree in Global Business and Digital Arts from the University of Waterloo, and has been producing digital content since she was 14. Since then, her articles have obtained millions of views across platforms like BuzzFeed and Her Campus.

Adela Smeke

Adela is an activist, writer, educator, and Jewish diplomat based in Mexico City. As an executive committee member of the World Jewish Congress and an active member of the Mexican Jewish community, Adela is committed to promoting a better future for the Jewish people. She is proud of her Mizrahi heritage and wants to honor it.

Adina Spodek

Adina Spodek is an intern at Unpacked and is currently a senior at Katz Yeshiva High School in Boca Raton, Florida. She has a passion for writing and leadership, and plans on enlisting in the Israeli Defense Force and making aliyah after high school.

Adrian Maydanich

Adrian Maydanich is a junior at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore where he is the vice president of the student body and head of the AIPAC Club. Adrian is passionate about community service, mentorship, and leadership. He plans to attend university upon graduation and become an attorney to serve his local community.

Aiden Segal

Aiden Segal is an Israeli-American student in Columbia University's MFA program, specializing in creative non-fiction with a focus on her Jewish heritage. Her work explores themes of nationality, ethnicity, and race, delving into her Israeli roots and the rich traditions of Sephardic and Ashkenazi cultures.

Alan Zeitlin

Alan Zeitlin is a New York-based journalist whose articles have appeared in The Jewish Week, JNS, The Forward, The Jerusalem Post and other outlets. He specialized in writing about entertainment.

Alon Shaya

Alon Shaya is Chef-Partner of Pomegranate Hospitality, which includes Saba and Saba’s Lounge in New Orleans, Safta in Denver, and Miss River and Chandelier Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans. Born in Israel, raised in Philadelphia, and a proud New Orleanian, he is the author of “Shaya: An Odyssey of Food, My Journey Back to Israel.”

Andrew Goldman

Andrew Goldman is a rising freshman at Northwestern University. He graduated from Brentwood School in Los Angeles, where he served as education chair of the Jewish Student Alliance. He is interested in issues concerning the Jewish community and passionate about fighting antisemitism. Previously, he served on the Teen Advisory Board of the Holocaust Museum LA.

Anna Norris

Anna Rahmanan

Anna Rahmanan is a New York-based writer and editor. Her words have appeared in Time Out New York, the Huffington Post, Newsweek, Forbes, Tablet and more.
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Avi Kumar

Avi Kumar is a Holocaust historian of Sri Lankan descent who specializes in many topics. He speaks 11 languages. His work has been featured in many publications across the world.

Avram Mlotek

Avram Mlotek is an Orthodox rabbi, cantor, actor and writer. A grandchild of Holocaust survivors and Yiddish cultural icons, he is the author of "Why Jews Do That" and "Passover in a Pandemic."

Ayala Melo

Ayala is a PhD student at the Federmann School of Public Policy and Governance, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her research focuses on the influence of affective polarization on the work of public employees. She is also the CEO of the Coalition for the Israeli Golan, a member of the academic council of Stand With Us Brazil and an Israeli-Brazilian Zionist.

B.C. Wallin

B.C. Wallin is a Jewish writer and sometimes journalist, whose work can also be found at Hey Alma, Aish.com, Polygon, and Bright Wall/Dark Room. His favorite Talmudic teaching: "When you are hungry, eat. When you are thirsty, drink. When your pot boils over, pour it out. When they blow the horn in Rome, son of a figseller, sell your father's figs." (Brachot 62b)

Bar Reuven

Captain (Res.) Bar Reuven is a social and business entrepreneur, a podcaster, and a public speaker. He is the Co-Founder and former CEO of the Cat Association — Elite Unit 669 Veterans organization. Reuven is also he Co-founder and current Executive Director of the AFU669 – the American Friends of Unit 669. He is the founder of startups Mishlohof and Dishare, and he is the Co-founder and COO of Cookbash, the Spotify of home cooking.

Benyamin Cohen

Blake Stilwell

Blake Stilwell is a former Air Force combat photographer with a background in graphic design, television, film, international relations, public relations, and Middle Eastern affairs. Instead of using any of that, he (eventually) became a writer. His work has appeared in Recoil Magazine, Military Times, Coffee or Die, Skillset Magazine, and more. Blake is based in Ohio but is often found elsewhere.

Brooke Ramos

Brooke is a rising third-year at Rutgers University New Brunswick, studying for a B.A. in English and Jewish Studies with a minor in Holocaust Studies. She writes for the Jewish on Campus Journalism Team.

Caleb Creizman

Caleb Creizman is a sophomore at the Abraham Joshua Heschel School, where he is an active member of the AIPAC club.

Chanie Kirschner

Chayla Wolfberg

Chayla Wolfberg (pronounced like Kay-luh) is a writer originally from Chicago, but now living in LA. By day, she works as an assistant in the entertainment industry. By night, she fights crime. Just kidding—she watches TV, reads romance novels, and tries to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. You can find her on Instagram and TikTok @chaylawolfbergwrites.

Dan Rich

Dan Rich, an alumnus of SUNY Albany, had a 30-year career in insurance claims before shifting to training roles where he led live and virtual sessions on coverage, estimating, and customer service. He is passionate about NYC sports teams, classic rock music, and community service.

Daniella Pikman

Daniella Pikman is a student at UMass Amherst and very passionate about about her Jewish identity. She spends her summers teaching English in an Israeli youth village.

Daniella Pikman and Liyah Rozett

Daniella Pikman is a student at UMass Amherst and very passionate about about her Jewish identity. She spends her summers teaching English in an Israeli youth village. Liyah Rozett, an upcoming freshman at Rutgers University, is a passionate advocate for combatting antisemitism. Her active involvement in the Jewish community led her to testify in support of legislation to improve Holocaust and genocide education in New Jersey's public schools.

Dave Gordon

Dave Gordon was bred in Toronto, buttered in Brooklyn. He has been published in BBC Business, New York Times, Washington Times, National Post, Times of Israel, and dozens of other media. He's also written corporate website copy, major political speeches, and three books.

Dee Laxerton

E. Randol Schoenberg

E. Randol Schoenberg is a lawyer and lecturer at the University of Southern California. He specializes in legal cases related to the recovery of looted or stolen artworks, particularly those by the Nazi regime during the Holocaust. He is one of the central figures of the 2015 film Woman in Gold, which depicted the case of Maria Altmann against the government of Austria. Schoenberg was portrayed by Ryan Reynolds.

Ela Cenudioglu

Ela Cenudioğlu is a Turkish freelance lawyer and writer. Born and raised in the small town of Antioch in Turkey, she went to Istanbul to study and spread her wings. She received her LL.M. degree in Luxembourg to specialize in banking and finance law. She is also a member of the WJC JDCorps Diplomatic program. When she is not fighting for the rights of Jews and her clients, she writes to share stories and secret recipes from her Syrian-Jewish heritage.

Eliana Goldin

Eliana Goldin is a junior in the joint program between Columbia University and The Jewish Theological Seminary studying political theory and Talmud, respectively. She is co-chair of Aryeh, a Zionist club associated with Hillel on campus.

Elizabeth Karpen and Sara Himeles

Elle Tzur

Elle Tzur is currently an undergraduate student studying government at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She made aliyah in 2019 from the bay area and is now living in Tel Aviv. Having been an active member of the reform movement throughout her childhood, Elle tries to provide those reflections into her Jewish content and produce a nuanced perspective on all things Judaism and Israel.

Erez Kaganovitz

Estrella Jafif

Born in Mexico City, Estrella Jafif considers herself a citizen of the world. Since she was a little girl, her Middle Eastern and Mexican heritages defined her relationship with food. She grew up in a home and family filled with love, where food was (and is) the protagonist of all family events. She studied culinary arts in Europe and the U.S. and, after many years and experiences, found her style in the kitchen, and although it is always evolving, her heritage predominates.

Eyal Yakoby

Eyal Yakoby is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, studying political science and modern Middle East studies. He is concerned about the direction in which college campuses are heading and wants to help spread facts about Israel and the Jewish people.

Faith Kramer

Galia Wechsler

Galia Wechsler made aliyah from New York and currently resides in Tel Aviv. She received her BA in History from University at Buffalo and has spent the past few years working in Jewish advocacy and education. She also writes a weekly blog on Substack.

Gerri Miller

Gerri Miller is a veteran entertainment and lifestyle journalist who has contributed to a variety of print and Internet outlets, including Glamour, Redbook, People.com, MadeMan.com, Hollywood.com, Howstuffworks.com, TheGloss.com, Maxim, and Men’s Fitness. In addition to From the Grapevine, she currently contributes to the Dish Magazine, InterfaithFamily.com, BrainWorld, and Science News for Students among other publications. With roots in New York but happily living in Los Angeles since 1993, she’s a former Jeopardy! champion and plays Scrabble online every day.

Gil Troy

Gil Troy is a Distinguished Scholar of North American History at McGill University, and the author of nine books on American History and three books on Zionism: Why I am a Zionist (2001,2006); Moynihan's Moment: America's Fight Against Zionism as Racism (2012);and The Zionist Ideas (2018). His book, Never Alone: Prison, Politics and My People, co-authored with Natan Sharansky was just published by PublicAffairs of Hachette.

Hanna Resnick

Hanna Resnick is a Jewish writer, journalist and first-year BA English Literature student living in South Africa. As an avid reader and theatergoer, she loves writing anything related to books and Broadway. She currently interns for the South African Jewish Report.

Hart Levine and Sara Himeles

Ilana Strauss

Ilana E. Strauss is a Microsoft Word ninja living in Brooklyn. She’s was a staff writer at From the Grapevine, and has also written for The Atlantic, Reader’s Digest, GOOD Magazine and the Washington Post.

Isaac and Julia

If you ask Isaac or Julia where they’re from, make sure you have have a few hours… As ‘mixed’ Jews, they live the experience of multi-cultural, diasporic Judaism, extending as far as Jewish History does—from the Middle East, to Iberia, to Eastern Europe, to the United States, to Latin America.
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Ivy Halpern

Ivy Halpern is an intern at unpacked. She’s a student at Stuyvesant High school in New York City. In her spare time she dreams about making Aliyah.

Jaime Fraze

Jaime Fraze was a staff writer, copy editor and web producer at From the Grapevine. She has written and edited for several print and digital publications in Florida, California, Pennsylvania, Delaware and North Carolina. A native of Philadelphia, she graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in English/journalism. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two kids.

Jake Cohen

Jake Cohen is the New York Times bestselling author of "Jew-ish," rising star in the food world, and, most importantly, a nice Jewish boy from New York. Jake and his recipes have been featured on Rachael Ray, The Drew Barrymore Show, Live with Kelly and Ryan, Good Morning America, and the Food Network and in the New York Times, Food & Wine, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, and Forbes, among others. When he’s not posting challah-braiding videos and recipes on his Instagram and TikTok (@jakecohen), he’s eating around New York City with his husband Alex.
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Jason Churchfield

Born and raised in New York, Jason Churchfield is a graduate of the American University in Washington DC, where he focused his final year of study on a project unpacking the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. His passion for Israel and the Jewish community has led him to joining the ranks of the Jewish National Fund's Center of Excellence. Jason is a proud Jewish Zionist, and a prouder supporter of amba on sabich.

Jazzie Morgan

Jazzie is a content creator living in Jerusalem, Israel. As an olah hadasha (new immigrant) to Israel and someone with celiac disease, she loves to explore the country and get to know her home through its diverse culinary scene and ever-expanding number of coffee carts. She has a passion for sharing hidden gems and helping inspire celiacs to live a life without limits.
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Jeffrey Schrager

Before moving to Israel with his family, Jeffrey Schrager was the Middle School Judaic Studies Coordinator at the Akiba Academy of Dallas, TX. He has developed curricula, particularly for teaching Tanakh and Jewish genealogy, and has published several articles on Jewish education. He is also the founder of L'dor Vador, an organization promoting the use of Jewish genealogy in education and a professional genealogist.

Jenna Zark

Jenna Zark is an award-winning author and playwright. Her columns for TC Jewfolk laid the groundwork for her book, "Crooked Lines: A Single Mom’s Jewish Journey," recently published by Koehler Books. She has written numerous plays about Jewish subjects which have been produced in L.A., the Midwest, and New York.

Jerry James Stone

Jerry James Stone is an American food blogger, vegetarian chef, activist, and internet personality, known for simple gourmet recipes, advocacy for a sustainable food and wine movement, and as a social media personality. In 2015, a Sierra Club magazine article named him one of nine chefs changing the world.

Josh Feigelson

Rabbi Josh Feigelson is President & CEO of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. He received ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School, and previously served as the Hillel Rabbi at Northwestern University, where he also earned a PhD in Religious Studies. Josh is the author of "Eternal Questions: Reflections, Conversations, and Jewish Mindfulness Practices for the Weekly Torah Portion" and the host of "Soulful Jewish Living: Mindful Practices for Every Day," a podcast co-produced by Unpacked and IJS. Josh lives with his wife Natalie and their three sons in Skokie, IL.

Julia Jassey

When University of Chicago undergrad Julia Jassey isn’t spending her time in the library, she’s a fellow at Unpacked and the host of the Nice Jewish Girls podcast. Since accidentally starting her career a professional Jew, Julia has become a de facto expert on college antisemitism, an advocate for feminism in Jewish spaces, and a connoisseur of klezmer music.

Justin Meyer

Justin is a writer, storyteller, and entrepreneur from Columbus, Ohio. He studied journalism at the University of Maryland, covered international lacrosse from Israel, and co-founded and sold basketball media outlet Nothing But Nylon before venturing into the freelance world. His reporting experience ranges from presidential inaugurations and Capitol Hill proceedings to strongman competitions and amateur water skiing championships.

Madison Jackson

Madison Jackson lives in Pittsburgh and is the director of Jewish student life at Carnegie Mellon University. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction writing from Chatham University and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Judaic studies and English from Binghamton University. Madison is passionate about Jewish life in Europe.

Mara Kleinberg

Mara Kleinberg is a Jewish culture and entertainment writer based in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has appeared in Hey Alma, Kveller, Polyester Zine, Decider.com, and The Spool. She is also the founder and writer behind the Substack blog "Musings with Mara," where she writes about everything from Judaism to grocery stores.

Max Bernstein

Max, originally from Orange County, California, served as a lone soldier in the IDF from 2013-15. Max's service in the paratroopers brigade took him to the Gaza war in 2014, where he served on the front lines in a direct combat role as a sharpshooter. Today, Max works in the medical device space, bringing pregnancy care into the home. He is a proud father and husband, and remains involved in Israel education and PTSD awareness efforts.

Max Makovsky

Max is a fourth year student at Muhlenberg College studying international studies and political science. He has represented Unpacked as a campus ambassador since 2022, and is among a strong class of Jewish leaders and advocates at Muhlenberg.

Max Makovsky and Unpacked Staff

Maya Mehrara

Maya Mehrara is a London-based performer and journalist with bylines in Hey Alma, BUST Magazine, The Click News, and other outlets. She reports on a variety of subjects, specializing in pop culture, entertainment, feminism, and international politics.

Michael Barbalat

Michael Barbalat is a junior at Newton North High School in Massachusetts. He is passionate about literature, music, technology, and community engagement. Michael has performed on multiple occasions at Carnegie Hall, winning multiple competitions. He is an adventurer, having surfed in various oceans, trekked notable trails, and has summited Mont Blanc and Kilimanjaro.

Michal Cohen

Michal Cohen is a senior at American University studying Public Relations and Strategic Communications with a double minor in Israel Studies and Political Science. She is the Chief Marketing Officer of Jewish on Campus. Born in the United States to two Israeli parents, and having grown up in Israel, Michal brings her experience as an Israeli-American to her work at Jewish on Campus to bring a unique perspective on Israel and Zionism.

Mijal Bitton

Mijal Bitton is a spiritual leader, teacher, and researcher. She is the rosh kehilla of the Downtown Minyan in NYC where she leads a community of young professionals. Mijal is a visiting researcher at NYU Wagner and the director of the National Study of Sephardic/Mizrahi Jews in the U.S. She is a Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, a Sacks Scholar, a New Pluralist Field Builder, and a Maimonides Fund Fellow. Mijal loves her many communities and enjoys intertwining her Latina and Middle Eastern backgrounds.

Miranda Lapides

Miranda Lapides is the Creative Marketing & Communications Manager at The Jewish Education Project. She is a licensed NYC tour guide and brand ambassador for the New York Adventure Club. When she is not talking people’s ears off about New York City history, she documents her Jewish journey in a weekly newsletter called The Shabbat Drop.

Miriam Kresh

Miriam Kresh is an American/Israeli freelance food writer and blogger. Having lived in the U.S., Venezuela, and Brazil and residing in Israel, she has eaten and cooked her way through myriad ethnic kitchens and is always ready to learn more. Writing and photographing her blog, Israeli Kitchen, satisfies her love of sharing her food expertise and gives her an excuse to try new recipes all the time.

Miriam Nisonen Oliver

Miriam Nisonen Oliver is a master's student in musicology and Jewish studies at the University of Toronto. She researches the intersections of Israeli opera and collective memory, and is currently the co-president of the University of Toronto's Hillel. Miriam holds a Bachelor of Music in voice performance and Italian studies from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada.

Moshe Goldstein and Jazzie Morgan

Moshe Goldstein is a proud New Yorker who made aliyah to Israel. He is passionate about mixed martial arts, basketball, hot sauce and the Jewish people. When he isn't writing, he is most likely traveling Israel looking for unique places to eat. Jazzie Morgan is a content creator living in Jerusalem. As an olah hadasha (new immigrant) to Israel and someone with celiac disease, she loves to explore the country and get to know her home through its diverse culinary scene and ever-expanding number of coffee carts. She has a passion for sharing hidden gems and helping inspire celiacs to live a life without limits.

Netanya Stein

Netanya is a writer, PR pro, and social media manager. Based in Jerusalem, she made aliyah in the heart of COVID-19. Although she misses her family back in New Jersey, she wouldn't have it any other way.

Noa Rone

Noa is a senior at Beth Tfiloh High School in Baltimore. Passionate about Israeli-Palestinian issues and all things pop culture, Noa seeks to explore historic and current events through a nuanced lens. Noa is a Bronfman Fellow, and leads both gender equality and interfaith initiatives in her city.

Noam Weissman and Mijal Bitton

Noam Weissman and Sara Himeles

Noey Jacobson

Noey Jacobson is a musician, content creator, and entrepreneur. He is a founding member of the Maccabeats, performing with the group on six continents and producing music videos with over 100 million views. He also founded The Bardary Inc, a content marketing agency servicing clients in the entertainment, corporate, and nonprofit industries. Noey is currently pursuing his MBA at New York University. He lives in Manhattan with his wife Michali and their daughter Kira.

Oren Peleg

Ori Weisberg

Ori Hanan Weisberg holds a PhD in English Literature from the University of Michigan. He has taught in academic institutions in the US and Israel and works as an academic editor and translator. He's also a novelist and composes music. His writing has appeared in Times of Israel, Moment Magazine, The Forward, Haaretz, and the Washington Post. He lives in Jerusalem.

Pearl Saban

Pearl Adler Saban lives and writes in Toronto, Canada. Her poetry, essays, book reviews and articles have been published in Canada, the U.S., Israel, and points beyond.

Perri Schwartz

Perri Schwartz is a writer and Jewish educational content creator based in Atlanta, Georgia. She has been strongly involved in Judaism, Israel advocacy and social causes since 12, and has been professionally writing since she was 15. Her writing has also been published in The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post.

Pierce Harris

Pierce Harris is a high school student and intern at Unpacked with bylines in several publications. He is passionate about Israeli culture and politics, comparative history, and education to combat misinformation. After university, Pierce plans on making aliyah to Israel.

Rabbi David Block

Rabbi David Block is the Head of School of Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles, where he previously served as the Associate Head of School and Judaic Studies Principal. He formerly worked as the Content and Curriculum Developer at Aleph Beta, taught at Rambam Mesivta in New York, was the recurring scholar-in-residence at the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach, and was formerly the director of and singer in the Maccabeats. David received rabbinic ordination at Yeshiva University (RIETS), where he also completed an M.A. in Jewish History, an M.S. in Education, and is currently working on his doctorate. He was a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar. He and his wife, Gila, live in LA with their three children.

Rav Mike Feuer

Rav Mike Feuer is a content creator, consultant and spiritual counselor who uses the power of story to teach and inspire. He is host of the Jewish Story history podcast, co-author of The Age of Prophecy biblical fantasy series and creator of the Jewish Heroism Project. No matter how Rav Mike is engaged, his mission is telling a story of the past that upholds an identity in the present equipped to build the future of which we dream.

Ricki Prince

Ricki (Birnbaum) Prince, originally from Toronto, made aliyah to Jerusalem in 2019. She is passionate about Israel, Jewish history, Holocaust education, and living a Jewish life. Ricki has MA in Holocaust studies from the University of Haifa.

Rivky Stern

Ronnie Volman

Ronnie Volman is a student at the University of California, San Diego studying Economics. On campus, she is involved in Hillel and Tritons for Israel, UCSD’s Israel education organization. When she is not studying or pursuing research, she is deeply passionate about Jewish advocacy, both on campus and in her community. In her free time, she loves to explore San Diego with her friends, play NYT mini-games, and update her Goodreads.

Rony Sklar

Ruby Kapeluschnik

Ruby Kapeluschnik is currently studying law and psychology at the University of Cape Town. She has been involved with various Jewish youth movements growing up in South Africa, and is currently the vice chairperson of the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) in the Western Cape.

Ryan Nordheimer

Ryan Nordheimer is a Manhattan-based home cook, baker and avid food enthusiast. As a lover of all things culinary, Ryan shares his unique recipes with his dedicated audience, offering insights into kitchen and pantry essentials, cookbook reviews, and dinner party hosting expertise. His recipes have been featured on Food52, and his Cookbook Club has received coverage on Good Morning America and in New York Magazine. https://www.instagram.com/ryannordheimer/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ryannordheimer?lang=en
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Sami Gotskind

Sami is a writer, actor and stylist who graduated from the University of Kansas. She has produced digital content for online publications like Her Campus and ModernGurlz. Many of her articles and digital content involve her passion and expertise in fashion and entertainment.

Sara Himeles and Avi Posen

Sara Himeles and John Kunza

Sarah F. Berkowitz

Sarah F. Berkowitz was born in Jerusalem, raised in Detroit, and currently lives in Atlanta with her Manhattan born and bred husband. Her dream of becoming a psychologist was traded in for a laptop and chef’s hat when she decided to pursue her passion for writing and food. Sarah enjoys cooking, trying to get food to stay still for a good shot, and convincing her kids that they’re really lucky to have a chef as a mom. They’re still waiting for dinner.
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Shaked Karabelnicoff

Shaked Karabelnicoff is a writer and content creator. She reports on a range of subjects including culture, technology, and religious affairs. Shaked studied journalism and religion at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Shanie Reichman

Shanie Mieka Reichman is the director of IPF Atid at Israel Policy Forum. She is an Israeli-American living in New York, and a proud member of the Nash Didan community.

Sharon Freundel

Sharon Freundel is the managing director of the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge. Prior to that, she worked for over 35 years in Jewish day schools as the department chair for Tanakh (Bible) and Torah SheBa’al Peh (Rabbinics), the Mashgicha Ruchanit (Spiritual Guidance Counselor) of the Upper School at the Berman Hebrew Academy and the director of Jewish life at the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital. She is passionate about Jewish education and spreading its lessons as far and wide as possible.

Shira Cohen

Shira Cohen is a senior at American University majoring in American studies with a minor in political science. She hopes to attend law school in the future and enter the fields of law and politics. She is currently working as an AIPAC Diamond Summer Intern in Boston. After being involved with both writing and Jewish groups at school such as HerCampus and Chabad, Shira wanted to combine those passions by joining Unpacked! When not studying, she enjoys reading, cooking/baking, dancing, and enjoying time with her rescue dog Bailey.

Starre Vartan

Starre Vartan is a science, travel, and environment writer, editor, and author who had a free-range childhood in New York's Hudson Valley and the beach 'burbs of Sydney, Australia. She feels most at home outdoors, and has lived off-grid on Hawaii’s Big Island; mountain biked in Trinidad; hiked the Continental Divide, and rappelled down an Aussie waterfall. A budding designer, Starre creates textiles printed with her nature photographs; her writing has been published in Pacific Standard, New York, Audubon, Scientific American, Metropolis, Inhabitat and MNN.

Stuart Weinstock

Tori Luecking

Tori Luecking is a multimedia journalist based in New York City with a focus on religion reporting and local features. She is a former Hillel professional and a former student of Pardes Institute in Jerusalem. She loves Hebrew, and her favorite Jewish holiday is Yom Kippur.

Tzvi Joffre and Elizabeth Karpen

Viviana Freyer

Viviana Freyer is currently an undergraduate student studying literature and film. She is the great-granddaughter of two Holocaust survivors and a first-generation American. She's deeply interested in Jewish entertainment history, and how all around the world, the Jewish people continue to find ways of bringing joy and laughter to their communities even in times of trouble.

Yael Azar

Yael Shy

Yael Shy, Esq. is the founder and CEO of Mindfulness Consulting where she supports individuals and institutions with transformative mindfulness coaching, consulting, and teaching for more ease, joy, and growth. She is the former senior director of NYU's Global Spiritual Life Center and the founder of Mindful NYU, the largest campus-based mindfulness initiative in the country. Yael is the author of the award-winning book, "What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond" (Parallax, 2017) and an adjunct professor at NYU's Wagner School of Public Service and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. She can be found at www.yaelshy.com.

Yael Steiner and Jonathan Schwab

Yael Steiner is a corporate attorney with a healthy passion for trivia and an (arguably) unhealthy passion for multiple professional football teams. Her eighth grade classmates predicted that she'd one day become a professional translator of Jewish texts and are not at all surprised that she now co-hosts a nerdy podcast. Jonathan Schwab is the Director of Student Life at Yeshiva University and splits his time equally thinking about the past, present, and future of Jewish identity. His twin children are avid listeners of the Jewish History Nerds podcast and are probably the only 6-year-olds who know about Shabtai Zvi and Hasdai ibn Shaprut.

Yirmiyahu Danzig

Yirmiyahu Danzig (@that_semite) is a content creator and digital educator specializing in Jewish diversity, history, and identity. His roots in the Old Yishuv and the Caribbean inform his social media activism, where he uses English, Hebrew, and Arabic to reach diverse audiences.
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Yoni Buckman

Yoni Buckman is the education associate at Unpacked for Educators. He is a lifelong learner dedicated to cultivating curiosity, fostering inclusive learning environments, and integrating meaningful content into the education landscape. When not working, he enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, perfecting his coffee brewing technique, and exploring Colorado's hiking trails with his dog.

Yoni Mayer

Yoni Mayer is strategy consultant living in NYC. He is a recent graduate of Yeshiva University where he contributed to the student newspaper with opinion articles covering a wide array of topics such as film, artificial intelligence and career guidance. In his free time, he likes going to the movies, playing tennis and planning out his incumbent aliyah.

Zach Golden

Zach Golden is Deputy Yiddish Editor for the Forward. He is also co-founder and executive director of the experimental cultural center and synagogue Der Nister in Los Angeles. Zach received rabbinical ordination from Ziegler at American Jewish University.

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