Guiding Lights of Shir Chadash 2025!
Meet some of our Guiding Lights – more than a dozen gifted artists and teachers who anchored our programming; guest Comets – appearing for a brief moment, a single day or session, our Illumin8tors – our organizers and facilitators; and our Kindlers – program participants who shared their gifts with the community.

Akiva the Believer
Holy Drumming
Akiva the Believer is a visionary Jewish drummer, composer, and spiritual artist whose experimental soundscapes explore freedom, faith, and sacred rhythm.

Maggid Jim Brulé
Transformational Storytelling
Maggid Jim Brulé is an internationally respected transformational storyteller, death doula, and mentor whose stories emphasize spiritual healing and growth.

Daniel Cainer
Stories In Song
Daniel Cainer is a London-based musical storyteller known for his witty, poignant, and deeply Jewish songs and performances.

Steve Dropkin
Master Songleader & Composer
Steve Dropkin is a beloved Jewish musician, composer, and choir director whose melodies have become staples of contemporary synagogue life.

Adrian Durlester
Piano, Visual Tefilah and Tech
Adrian Durlester is a veteran Jewish educator, songleader, and liturgist known for his deep knowledge of nusach and commitment to musical prayer.

Joanne Fink
Artist and Sacred Space Coordinator
Joanne Fink is a calligrapher, author, and spiritual artist whose work blends Jewish text, mindfulness, and beauty in visual form.

Sue Horowitz
Inspirational Songwriting
Sue Horowitz is a nationally recognized Jewish singer-songwriter and songwriting teacher whose music brings heart and harmony to Jewish prayer.

Shira Kline
Weaver of Spirit
Shira Kline is a ritualist, performance artist, and spiritual leader who works in the field of sacred play and radical imagination.

Rabbi Sandra Lawson
Praying with Our Feet
Rabbi Sandra Lawson is a pioneering voice in Jewish social justice, known for her inclusive teaching, powerful music, and groundbreaking leadership.

The Levins
Harmony for Humanity
Ira Levin and Julia Bordenaro Levin are an award-winning Jewish folk duo whose uplifting harmonies and interfaith message inspire connection and joy.

Ben Romano
Song and Spirit
Ben Romano is a soulful Jewish musician and educator who brings deep kavanah and warmth to his teaching and songleading.

Chana Rothman
Ruach Vibrations
Chana Rothman is an internationally recognized Jewish singer-songwriter and activist blending spiritual music with a message of justice and inclusion.

Rabbi Anita Silvert
The Drama of Torah
Rabbi Anita Silvert is a dynamic teacher, scholar, and facilitator known for her work in Jewish learning, community building, and connections between Torah and theater.

Rabbi Jeanne Snodgrass
Movement and Growth
Rabbi Jeanne Snodgrass, the Executive Director of Mizzou Hillel, is a dancer and arts advocate who helps people find connection to Jewish identity through movement and expressive embodiment.

Rabbi Lisa Ann Wharton
Illumin8tion Program Director
Rabbi Lisa Ann Wharton is a passionate spiritual leader and teacher whose work integrates music, mindfulness, and a deep love of Jewish tradition.

Lisa Baydush
Music That Rocks the Preschool Classroom
Lisa Baydush is an engaging Jewish singer, songwriter, and educator who delights in sharing the stories, values, and traditions of Judaism through music. A dynamic preschool music teacher at two Maryland synagogues, she also leads Tot Shabbat and holiday programs, women’s seders, and workshops for educators. Lisa has written hundreds of Jewish children’s songs and produced four original albums. After more than two decades in the field, she finds great joy in mentoring new teachers and spreading sunshine through every song she sings.
www.LisaBaydush.com

Julie Schreiber
Laughter Yoga
Julie Schreiber is a Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher and Laughter Ambassador with a Master’s degree in Counseling. Originally from New York, she has lived in the Seattle area since 1995, where she founded Connecting the Peaces, LLC, in Kirkland, WA. Julie is passionate about helping people connect with themselves and others to create inner and global peace. Drawing on her background as a mental health counselor and grief movement specialist, she skillfully brings laughter yoga into spaces of healing and transformation.
www.connectingthepeaces.com

Rabbi Neil Schuman
Shabbat Table Z’mirot
Rabbi Neil Schuman has served as a congregational rabbi for 27 years, the last twelve at Manetto Hill Jewish Center in Plainview, NY. In addition to leading services, Neil serves as the congregation’s songleader, infusing worship with joy and connection. Coming from an Orthodox background, he brings together traditional Jewish thought and New Age spirituality to create meaningful, heart-centered teachings. His integrative approach inspires his community to connect more deeply with Judaism, spirit, and one another.
www.manettohilljc.org

Shari Berkowitz
Shofar lessons by request
Shari Berkowitz is a spirited prayer leader, songwriter, and shofar blower who approaches each of these practices with humor, passion, and deep intention. A student in the para-rabbinical program at Hebrew Seminary in Chicago, Shari brings creativity and authenticity to all she does. She is the author of Color the Omer (2021), a spiritual coloring and activity book illustrated by Steve Silbert and published by Bayit. Shari believes that empowering more people to sound the shofar strengthens Jewish community, spirituality, and kavanah (intentionality).
