Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo, Founder and Dean, is a prominent lecturer and author who is world renowned for his highly original insights into Judaism and his ability to communicate the relevance of Jewish values and practice in today’s complicated world. A native of the Spanish-Portuguese Jewish community of Holland who holds a doctorate in philosophy, Rabbi Lopes Cardozo received rabbinic ordination from the Gateshead Talmudic College and studied in Israel at the Institute for Higher Rabbinical Studies of Chief Rabbi Unterman and at the Mir Yeshiva. In addition to teaching Jewish audiences, Rabbi Lopes Cardozo often lectures to non-Jewish groups, including Christian leaders, about comparative religion and the fundamentals of Judaism. A number of his many books and articles have been translated into several languages (see books page).
Esther Peterman, Administrative Assistant, has been with the David Cardozo Academy since 2003. Originally from the UK, she is responsible for a wide range of administrative and secretarial duties, as well the day-to-day operations of the DCA offices.
Avital Macales, Coordinator of the Jerusalem Lecture Series, resides in Efrat. Enraptured by anything related to Hebrew grammar, Avital has studied Hebrew Laguage at Bar Ilan University, and has contributed to the writing and editing of her first Hebrew children’s book, published by Feldheim Publishers. Avital also co-runs Hebrew enrichment workshops for olim of all ages, as well as sings and acts for the Raise Your Spirits Theater and other companies.
Ilana Sinclair, Director of Marketing, lives in Modi’in with her husband and 4 children. Ilana oversees the Cardozo Academy’s communications, media relations and marketing efforts and helps to support its strategic planning and fundraising efforts.
Think Tank
Yael Unterman, Co-coordinator of the DCA Think Tank, is an author, international lecturer and creative educator. She has authored two books: Nehama Leibowitz: Teacher and Bible Scholar (2009 National Jewish Book Awards finalist) and The Hidden of Things: Twelve Stories of Long & Longing a work of fiction, published 2014. She uses Bibliodrama, a “spontaneous midrash” role-playing technique invented by Dr. Peter Pitzele, to teach Torah to diverse populations in Israel, Europe, the UK, US, Canada, and Australia. She also works as a life coach, translator and editor, and enjoys meditation, theatre, music and comedy. Visit her site at www.yaelunterman.com.
Yael Valier, Co-coordinator of the DCA Think Tank, is involved with many projects bridging the performing arts and education. Yael writes and acts for the Raise Your Spirits theater which produces Biblical musicals, and she acts with the bilingual Playback Theater Group “Hamra,” among other acting projects. Yael co-wrote, co-produced and performed an album of science and geography songs for kids, marketed at www.TremendousEarth.com. She also runs groups aimed at improving spoken Hebrew through drama for children and adults with Avital Macales. Yael lives in Efrat with her husband and six children.
Yehudah DovBer Zirkind, DCA Study Tank Research Fellow, grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York and studied at various Chabad yeshivot around the world. After making Aliyah to Israel he continued his studies at Beit Morasha of Jerusalem and at the David Cardozo Academy, specializing in contemporary Jewish philosophy and theology. Yehudah currently studies at Michlelet Herzog and serves as a DCA Think Tank member, and conducts research and lectures on various topics in Chassidic thought, Jewish thought and modern Jewish philosophy. His hobbies include listening to and singing authentic Chassidic Niggunim, Chazzanut, and Klezmer music, reading Yiddish literature, and creative writing. Yehudah envisions a career in higher Jewish Education.
Asaf Ziderman, DCA Study Tank Research Fellow, is currently a pursuing his doctorate at Tel Aviv University on the concept of Mitzvah in 20th century Jewish thought. Asaf also teaches a course at Tel Aviv University on Martin Buber’s dialogical philosophy. He is active in a number of grassroots ventures seeking to create a middle ground between the religious-secular divide in Israel.
Visiting Lecturers
Rabbi Dr. Alon Goshen-Gottstein is director of the Elijah Interfaith Institute, as well as of the Center for the Study of Rabbinic Thought at Beit Morasha College. Ordained as rabbi in 1977, he holds a B.A. and Ph.D. from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Stanford University Press published his book The Sinner and the Amnesiac: The Rabbinic Invention of Elisha ben Abuya and Eleazar ben Arach in 2000 and a new book Israel in God’s Presence: An Introduction to Judaism for the Christian Student is soon to be published by Hendrickson Press.
Rabbi Zvi Grumet is a teacher and thinker who served the American Jewish community for more than two decades before he made aliyah. He now teaches at Machon Pardes and Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi, and is a senior member of the educational team at The Lookstein Center for Jewish Education at Bar Ilan University. He has published numerous articles on Bible, Jewish Thought and Education, is Associate Editor of Jewish Educational Leadership, and is working on a new commentary on Bereishit. Rabbi Grumet was ordained at Yeshiva University and has a MA in Educational Administration from the Azrieli Graduate Institute.
Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Schnall teaches philosophy at Bar Ilan University. He is a prolific writer whose articles frequently appear in a variety of scholarly journals. Rabbi Schnall’s ordination is from Yeshiva University and he taught Jewish Studies for over a decade at David Shapell College of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. Among his areas of interest are the philosophy of science and the philosophy of religion.
Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Shore teaches and writes on topics in Hassidut and Spirituality. He teaches at the Rothberg International School of Hebrew University, Bar-Ilan University and several other institutions of higher learning. Rabbi Shore earned his Ph.D. from Bar-Ilan University, having written on the topic of Language and Mystical Experience in the writings of R. Nachman of Breslov.
Prof. Yehudah Gellman is the author of several works on mystical thought. He recently retired as professor of philosophy from the Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
Prof. Tamar Ross is a professor of Jewish Philosophy at Bar Ilan University. She has scholarly expertise in the thought of Abraham Isaac Kook, the modern Musar movement and the ideology of Mitnaggedism, and Judaism and gender. She is the author of books and articles on Jewish ethics and theology, contemporary issues in traditional Jewish thought, philosophy of halakha, and Orthodox Jewish feminism.
Prof. Susan Handelman, is currently the Chairwoman of the English Dept. at Bar Ilan University. She is the author of several books including The Slayers of Moses: The Emergence of Rabbinic Interpretation in Modern Literary Theory.
Prof. Moshe Koppel is a senior lecturer in mathematics and computer science at Bar Ilan University. He is the author of dozens of publications on theoretical computer science as well as on rabbinic thought.
Prof. William Kolbrener, is professor of English literature at Bar Ilan University. He has written numerous articles in the fields of comparative hermeneutics, Jewish thought and Rav Soloveitchik.
Rabbi Dr. Zvi Leshem recently moved on from his position as educational director of Nishmat. He is the spiritual leader of Cong. Shirat Shlomo in Efrat and teaches at a number of institutions.
Prof. Ephraim Meir is professor of philosophy at Bar Ilan University. He has the author of many publications and a recognized expert on modern Jewish philosophy.
Rabbi Natan Slifkin is a prolific author and speaker about the interplay of science and Torah. He teaches at several institutions.
Rabbi Prof. Daniel Sperber is president of the Institute of Advanced Torah Studies at Bar Ilan University. He is a leading voice for new thinking about halacha and has authored many works on Jewish law.
Guest Speakers
Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm
Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
Rabbi David Aaron
Rabbi Chanan Atlas
Rabbi Moshe Benzaquen
Rabbi Dr. Shalom Berger
Rabbi Dov Berkovitz
Dr. David Bernstein
Rabbi Chaim Brovender
Rabbi Yuval Cherlow
Prof. Dov I. Frimer
Prof. Andre Hajdu
Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot
Rabbanit Chana Henkin
Rabbi Prof. Carmi Horowitz
Elli Jaffe
Rabbi Ari Kahn
Prof. Menachem Marc Kellner
Rabbi Simcha Krauss
Prof. Aaron Kirschenbaum
Rabbi Elyakim Krumbein
Prof. Gideon Lewensohn
Rabbi Menachem Liebtag
Prof. Elliot Malamet
Ms. Leah Malamet
Ms. Simi Peters
Prof. Aviezer Ravitzky
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein
Rabbi David Rosen
Rabbanit Gila Rosen
Rabbi Prof. Naftali Rothenberg
Rabbi Dr. Avraham Walfish
Dr. Akiva Wolff
Dr. Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg