CLI 2.0- Cohort 1
Rabbi Chase Foster serves as the Senior Rabbi of Temple Kol Emeth in Marietta, GA. Whether through meaningful prayer, lifelong learning, or transformative relationships, he is passionate about uplifting every person to find a sense of belonging and purpose. Born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, Rabbi Chase is the proud product of an interfaith family. His love for Judaism was shaped by summers at the URJ’s Goldman Union Camp Institute and active involvement in youth groups. He earned his B.A. from Purdue University and later received his master’s in Hebrew literature and rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College in New York City. Before joining Kol Emeth, Chase spent five years as the Rabbi for Engagement and Learning at jHUB in Cleveland, OH, supporting interfaith families and young adults in their Jewish journeys. He has served congregations and Hillels across the eastern U.S. and serves on the Purdue Hillel Governing Board.
Rabbi Chase and his wife Sarah have two children—Nathan and Pearl—as well as their dog, Griffey. He enjoys hiking, playing music, wielding power tools and cheering on underdog sports teams. Chase is hoping to use the CLI 2.0 program to catalyze systemic changes within his new congregation, invigorating the community for the next generation.
Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg serves as the lead rabbi of Shir Tikvah, a justice-seeking, song-filled congregation in South Minneapolis. She was ordained by Hebrew College (Boston) in 2017. Before rabbinical school, Arielle worked as a workers’ rights and migrant justice organizer in the Pacific Northwest. She is inspired by courageous acts of music making, prophetic activism and transformative moments in communal life. Rabbi Arielle is a classically trained singer, a passionate leader of song and a student and performer of piyutim. She is a former Marshall T. Meyer Rabbinical Fellow at B’nai Jeshurun (NY, NY), a Rising Song Fellow and a Clergy Leadership Incubator Fellow (CLI). She performs, leads tefillah and teaches around the country.
Rabbi Arielle treasures chances to cultivate songful spaces in the Twin Cities. She lives in South Minneapolis with her husband, Noam, and their children, Hallel, Alma and Rafi.
Rabbi Lori Shapiro is the Founding Rabbi of Open Temple in Venice, CA. Lori’s rabbinate is dedicated to reaching unaffiliated and intermarried families and seekers. She previously served as the Director of Jewish Life and Senior Consultant for Interfaith Relations and Outreach at the University of Southern California Hillel. Rabbi Lori’s trans-denominational rabbinate was informed by her studies at the American Jewish University, living in Israel while studying within an Orthodox Jewish framework and her studies at both the Academy for Jewish Religion/California (MA in Rabbinics) and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (MA in Jewish Studies). Rabbi Lori and Open Temple developed when she was part of the inaugural cohort of the Clergy Leadership Incubator (CLI), a training ground for innovation in the rabbinate. Rabbi Lori was a participant in Upstart Labs’ 10th Cohort as well as a member of the Open Dor Project for innovative spiritual communities.
In addition to her training and fellowships in a Jewish context, Lori has also studied with Radha Agrawal’s The Belong Institute where she has refined her understanding of how to create a transformative spiritual community.
Rabbi Lori and her husband, Dr. Joel Shapiro, live in the Venice canals with their two daughters and labradoodle. Lori hopes to use the CLI 2.0 program to make Open Temple a place for joyous Judaism, re-enchanting an ancient tradition through radical ritual.
Rabbi Jay TelRav is the spiritual leader of Temple Sinai in Stamford, CT. While studying at HUC-JIR in Jerusalem, he created an overwhelmingly powerful Carlebach-inspired minyan. This has directed his commitment to facilitating experiences of depth for those in his communities. After ordination in 2007, this work continued at Temple Sinai in Denver, CO, where he served as associate rabbi. He developed and delivered transformative prayer environments for all ages and a shabbat morning meditation group that continues, today, almost seven years after he left that community. Since his move to Stamford in 2012, he has focused his efforts on the creation of similarly potent environments based on Musar practice, meditation and retreats.
Rabbi Jay is married to Dr. Julie TelRav, and they are the parents of Amitai and Nili. Jay is hoping to use the CLI 2.0 program to develop a specialized and personalized track of learning and spiritual direction within the congregational structure called Take Me Higher, for individuals who wish to embark on the next steps on their journey.
CLI 2.0- Cohort 2
Rabbi Josh Breindel serves as the rabbi of Congregation Beth El in Sudbury, MA. After graduating from Brandeis University with highest honors in Philosophy, he earned an MA in Jewish Studies and in Jewish Education from Hebrew College. He was ordained in the second class of the Hebrew College Rabbinical School (Boston). Known as the “Sci-Fi Rabbi”, Josh regularly teaches about Jewish speculative fiction and folktales, including a monthly series at Lehrhaus (Somerville, MA). As “The Rabbi on the Radio”, Josh hosts a weekly segment on Jewish music and modern life on WERS’ Chagigah. When not watching the latest sci-fi blockbuster, Josh can be found singing Simon & Garfunkel as he hikes the New England hills with his wife and their two children. Josh’s experiences in CLI cohort 5 helped him refine his rabbinic voice and launch an intergenerational Shabbat evening experience that has become a beloved part of his congregation’s culture.
Rabbi Josh is hoping to use the CLI 2.0 program to guide Beth El in becoming a center for Jewish arts and music in Boston’s MetroWest region.
Rabbi David Fainsilber is the first full-time rabbi of the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe, Vermont. Originally from Montreal, he brings passion to creating musical, participatory prayer experiences that touch the soul, welcoming both seekers and experienced practitioners.
Rabbi David was instrumental in forming Lamoille County’s first shelter for unhoused people, working with faith, business, law enforcement, and education leaders. He also served on the steering team of the Racial Equity Alliance of Lamoille, tackling systemic racism. His pastoral presence brings healing in turbulent times, and his work has been featured in The Boston Globe, Seven Days, and Vermont Public.
A past fellow of the Clergy Leadership Incubator Rabbinic Fellowship and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, Rabbi David previously served as an Interfaith CIRCLE Fellow, American Jewish World Service Kol Tzedek Fellow, and a rabbinic intern at Nehar Shalom (Jamaica Plain, MA), Kolot Chayeinu (Brooklyn, NY), and Hillels at MIT and Tufts University. Ordained at Hebrew College’s pluralistic rabbinical school, he also holds a Certificate in Organizational Leadership from Boston University and Hebrew College. Read his writings and listen to his music atwww.melodyofeverysoul.com.
Rabbi David is hoping to use the CLI 2.0 program to deepen his leadership skills, strengthen his community-building efforts, and explore innovative ways to make Jewish wisdom and spiritual practice more accessible and impactful in today’s world.
Rabbi Michael Ragozin serves Congregation Shirat Hayam (CSH) in Swampscott, MA. He is committed to delivering the most fulfilling spiritual experience and the best supplemental childhood and teen education on the North Shore. Rabbi Michael draws from the best of Jewish tradition to create open, accessible, and meaningful experiences that leave people feeling welcomed, connected, and enriched. Moreover, he led the implementation of T’rumot HaLev, CSH’s voluntary commitment membership model, which increased membership by 31% in its first year. Rabbi Michael learned the aleph-bet (Hebrew alphabet) at age 25 and fell in love with Jewish life while living in Jerusalem and studying at Pardes. Prior to becoming a rabbi, Michael was a baker, taught algebra through Teach for America, and worked in technology. He and his wife Sarah have three children: Liora, Noam, and Aleza. He enjoys the outdoors and exercise.
Michael is hoping to use the CLI 2.0 program to translate membership growth into a 50% increase in Shabbat participation, transforming the culture from transactional Judaism (making a membership contribution) to a Judaism of spiritual practice.
Rabbi Sarah Freidson serves Temple Beth Shalom in Mahopac, NY. Since her arrival in 2014, she has introduced many innovative learning opportunities, prayer experiences, and holiday celebrations. From 2010–2014, she served as the Associate Rabbi at Temple Beth El in Rochester, NY. Rabbi Sarah was a fellow in the Clergy Leadership Incubator from 2017–2019. As part of that work, she developed V’ahavta: The Caring Collectives of Temple Beth Shalom, a project that received a Solomon Schechter Award for Excellence in Community Building from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Rabbi Sarah is a proud Rotarian and serves as chaplain for the Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department. A passionate advocate for inclusion, Sarah led Keshet JTS, which helped bring about the Conservative movement’s 2006 decision to ordain gay and lesbian rabbis.
Rabbi Sarah was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary and is a graduate of Brandeis University. She is hoping to use the CLI 2.0 program to transform Temple Beth Shalom into a Jewish hub in the Hudson Valley, providing Jewish living and learning opportunities to all who live in the area.
