Chochmat HaLev Home
arrow Home
sp
Staff, Board of Directors, Faculty, Leaders
Who's Who
divider
calendarCalendar

Staff

Larisa Blum
Larisa, Executive Director, has been with Chochmat since May 2006. A former litigator, she has turned her life into an on-going spiritual quest. To this end, she feels blessed to work for Chochmat, which allows her to align her analytical and creative skills with her insatiable curiosity for at once asking and experiencing the timeless question/answer of "what is." She also feels extremely lucky to be able to work towards building community and supporting a space that serves as a milestone for many others on their spiritual journeys. When not in the office, you can find Larisa dancing (sometimes in the office, too).

Kerrick A. Lucker

Kerrick is our Office Manager. He grew up in the mountainous, chilly land of Florida and moved to Berkeley in 2005 for graduate school. He studies museum education, community-based organizations, and how people build community and identity. He's just (re)learning Jewish spirituality, and appreciates the warm welcome here at Chochmat HaLev.

Amielle Zemach
Amielle is our facilities coordinator, events registrant extraordinaire, meditation garden monitor and sunshine spreader. If you have a question about reserving facilities for your life-cycle events or other gatherings, please email Amielle and she'll be happy to help. Amielle, too, dances at Shabbats.

Sean O'Laoghaire
Sean is our resident building manager with a winning, Irish accent. He can be found in the back of the sanctuary during Shabbat services (with the cool kids), manning the sound-board. He can fix anything, and we mean anything!

Tim Ponti
Tim is our new part-time IT person. Bio forthcoming.

 

Board of Directors (Click here for Bios)

  • Maurice Abrams, Vice President
  • Susan Berger, President
  • Lainey Feingold
  • Jeff Fry
  • Dolores Leavitt
  • Hank Obermayer
  • Jim Sinkinson, Treasurer
  • Miriam Smolover
  • Abro Sutker
  • Andrew Utiger

 

Religious Service and Meditation Leaders

Brian Schachter-BrooksBrian Schachter-Brooks
Martin Buber asked, "Can there be a religion of Presence? Not of remembrance or of hope, but of Presence?" Brian dedicates himself to answering this question with his life; imperfect and wavering though his answer may be. Brian lives in North Oakland with wife Lisa and son Eidan. He is certified as a Jewish meditation teacher through Chochmat HaLev and holds a Bachelor of Music Composition from The Eastman School of Music. He has written, taught and performed Jewish spirituality for twenty years; perhaps one day it will be said that he lived It.
Click here to visit Brian's Page.

Jeffrey KesslerJeffrey Kessler, MA
Jeffrey Kessler, MA, holds degrees in philosophy, mathematics and spiritual psychology. He is a long-time practitioner and teacher of Tai-Chi Chuan. A graduate of Chochmat HaLev's Jewish Meditation Instructor's Training program and a student of various traditions and psycho-physical systems, he is dedicated to the deepening of Jewish Spiritual practice.

Jonah SharkeyJonah Sharkey
Jonah Sharkey, a graduate of Chochmat Halev's Jewish Meditation Teachers Certification Program, has been a part of the Chochmat Halev community since the High Holy days of 1998. His Conservative upbringing informs his curiosity in finding the sweetness within our liturgy, and his love of the sweet intricacies of Torah leads him to further explore its application in day to day Jewish life.

Laura GoldmanLaura Goldman
Laura Goldman, L.C.S.W., is a Psychotherapist, Jewish Spiritual Director, and Jewish Meditation Teacher.  She is a graduate of Chochmat HaLev's Teacher's Certification Program in Meditation, and of the Morei Derekh Training Program in Spiritual Direction.  She is currently swimming upstream in the cultural current: cultivating a contemplative life full of quiet, peace, and a growing relationship with the Unknown and the Unknowable.

Zelig Golden, JDZelig Golden
Zelig Golden is an active member of the Chochmat community and a Maggid in training with Yeshivat Simchat Lev. He facilitates morning prayer and meditation, works to bring earth Torah to the community with events like Sukkot on the Farm, and will begin leading vision quests for the Jewish community this summer. During the day, Zelig is a staff attorney with the Center for Food Safety, where he works to challenge harmful food production technologies such as genetically engineered crops and to promote sustainable alternatives.

Maggid shir' Az
Maggid shir 'Az has been a chant, meditation and service leader at Chochmat HaLev since 2002, and has served the greater East Bay in a spiritual leadership capacity since 2000. She completed Chochmat HaLev's Jewish Meditation Teachers Certification Program in 2004 and received smicha (ordination) as a shamanic maggid from Rabbi Avram Davis in 2007. shir 'Az presently works in community development and is an independent teacher, Jewish shamanic healer and spiritual practice advisor.

Jen Miriam Kantor
Jen Miriam Kantor has a rich and unique background as an early childhood educator, musician, teacher, performer, puppeteer and therapist. She has a passion for Judaism and especially loves to create experiences where people of all ages can celebrate together. Check her out at her website at www.jenmiriam.com.

 

Musicians & Vocalists

  • Artyom Ash
  • Ben Bernstein
  • Jen Miriam Kantor
  • Saul Kaye
  • Yari Mander
  • Sam Markewich
  • Josh Miele
  • Nina Perlman
  • Naomi Robinson
  • Eliyahu Sills
  • Bon Singer
  • Risa Wallach

 





line
spLearn More about Chochmat HaLev
arrow What is Chochmat?
arrow Our Shabbat & Meditation Services
arrow Our Classes & Events
music Membership
arrow Chochmat Community
arrow Contact, Maps, General Info
music Hear Our Musicmusic
arrow Tuv Ha’Aretz CSA
arrow Facility Rental
arrow Donate donate
table
divider
sample

calendar Calendar

arrowSign up for our Newsletters!
 

 

line
image
divider

mychochmat.org