Congregation Beit Simchat Torah's Podcast

On May 11, 2017 CBST hosted an urgent conference call about government-sponsored persecution of LGBTQ people in Chechnya.  Senior Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum facilitated a conversation with presenters Lyosha Gorshkov, Co-President of RUSA LGBT, from New York City.

Andrea Wine is a private investor in early- stage Israeli technology ventures and an international business advisor/capital raiser with vast experience in working with companies around the world, especially in emerging and high-growth markets. In addition to being the Chair of Orpheus Medical Ltd, she is a Board member of Saferplace Ltd, an Israeli company in the field of artificial intelligence via video for road safety in smart cities, AlgoValue, a valuation software start-up, and Eurochem, a US$ 6 billion Russian fertilizer company, one of the world’s 10 largest in that business. During the course of her long international career, Andrea has advised Chairman and CEOs on strategic hiring, corporate governance and IPO Board composition. Andrea is a former Managing Partner and Board member of a leading global professional services group (TASA AG) which was sold to the pioneering internet company, TMP/Monster Worldwide (Nasdaq: MNST) in 1998. During her many years with TASA, she founded and/or grew offices in Spain, the UK and Belgium, had European regional management responsibilities and was involved in the firm’s M & A activity in Europe and South America. Truly an authentic “global” executive, Andrea has lived, studied and worked on most continents. She speaks English, Russian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew and German, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tufts University (BA) and has a dual degree from Stanford University (MBA and MA in Economics). Andrea moved to Israel in 2010 where she quickly established her presence in the "high tech" scene; Israel advocacy efforts and the fight for freedom of religion in the Jewish state.

Ian Chesir-Teran, a longtime member of CBST and a rabbinical student at the Jerusalem campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. A 1995 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, Ian is a New York-licensed attorney who practices law from his Israeli office in the Jezreel Valley. Ian moved to Israel in 2010. In this recording Ian shares with us his experiences of making Aliyah, life on a Masorti Kibbutz for Ian, his husband Daniel and their 3 children. Ian also shares his perspective on the events in Israel during this past summer.

Ruthie Blum, author of the book "To Hell in a Handbasket: Carter, Obama, and the 'Arab Spring.'" A former senior editor at the Jerusalem Post, she is currently a columnist for the English edition of the Hebrew paper, Israel Hayom, and a feature writer for Israel21C, a Web magazine about Israeli inventions and innovations. Originally from New York, she has been living in Israel since 1977. She has four children, all of whom served in the IDF -- and one of whom participated in the ground invasion into Gaza as part of Operation Protective Edge.

Ohad Elhelo - Born in Ashdod, Israel, Ohad is studying economics and business at Brandeis University as a recipient of the prestigious Slifka Scholarship, awarded to only two students each year. Before commencing his studies, Ohad served in the IDF Special Forces unit, Egoz, and later became a combat intelligence officer in 2010, further leading a project that was nominated for the Head of Intelligence Prize for Creative Thinking. After his honorable discharge, Ohad was a campaign manager at Taykey, a Sequoiabacked international online advertising startup. Ohad has established a number of collaborative business endeavors, from a venture between Birthright and the Israeli MFA, to a project between Brandeis University and the Consulate General of Israel to New England targeting the promotion of coexistence in Israel. In August, upon his return from Operation Protection Edge, Ohad was invited to speak at the “Stop the Terror” rally in Boston, where he summoned thousands of individuals to rise to the challenge of building an “infrastructure of hope”, gaining thousands of followers through his famed speech. He was subsequently interviewed on various domestic and international TV channels and was covered in feature articles within The Boston Globe, The Times of Israel, and Ynet, among others. He currently lectures for a number of organizations and was recently inducted into the College100, a curated network that pairs emerging leaders with established titans to address some of our generation’s most pressing concerns.

Rabbi Mikie Goldstein, recently returned to Israel following his year at CBST as a Cooperberg Rittmaster Rabbinical Intern. After being ordained in June 2014 at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he also earned an M.A. in Talmud, Mikie now serves as the rabbi of Kehilat Adat Shalom-Emanuel in Rehovot, Israel.

MK Nitzan Horowitz, a former journalist, is the second openly gay Knesset member in Israeli history. Horowitz was born in Rishon LeZion. He graduated the Tel Aviv University Law School. In his early journalistic career he served as a military affairs reporter during the 1982 Lebanon war, as well as the international news editor at Israel Army Radio. He then began working at Hadashot - an Israeli newspaper - as the foreign affairs editor. Next, he started his career at Haaretz, as the foreign affairs editor, and later as Haaretz correspondent in Paris and Washington D.C. and as chief foreign affairs columnist. When News 10 began broadcasting in 2002, Horowitz founded its international desk. He served as a board member of ACRI - the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. He was also active in environmental issues and received the Pratt Prize for environmental journalism. In 2008, he resigned from Channel 10 and became a candidate of the Israeli left-wing party, Meretz. Meretz won three seats in the 2009 Israeli elections, making Horowitz the second openly gay Knesset member in Israeli history. Horowitz resides in Tel Aviv with his life partner.