Coaches

As Project InCiTE Fellows begin to embark on their initiatives, the InCiTE coaches become a crucial component to the progress and success of the project. Leading with their knowledge and expertise, the coaches will guide fellows through all stages of the process. Get to know more about our coaches here.

Adam Stewart is the Director of Shorashim, an organization dedicated to making meaningful connections between Jews in Israel and around the world. He is a Ph.D. candidate in history at Loyola University Chicago and has taught and lectured widely on Israel, Judaism, and issues in Israel education.

Simon Klarfeld is Executive Director of Columbia/Barnard Hillel. As a consultant, he has assisted organizations ranging from the Joint Distribution Committee to birthright israel, and communities from Australia to Ukraine. He has written and presented on various themes including: Jewish Youth and Students; Experiential/Informal Jewish Education; Israel Education/Engagement; Jewish Peoplehood; and Leadership.

Rabbi Reuven Greenvald is Director of Community Initiatives for Makom – the Israel Engagement Network, a partnership between the Jewish Agency for Israel and North American Federations.  A graduate of the Jerusalem Fellows (Mandel Leadership Institute), he was a community day school leader in northern California and suburban DC.

Clare Goldwater is a British-born educational consultant based in Washington DC with an expertise in informal education, educational travel and group facilitation. Most recently she has focused on providing accessible Jewish education to those on the periphery of Jewish life, through working for Hillel. She has an MA in Education and is a graduate of the Mandel Leadership Institute in Jerusalem.

Bradley Solmson is the director of Brandeis University’s three summer programs for high school students: BIMA and Genesis and Project Impact. Bradley is also the associate director of the Institute for Informal Jewish Education at Brandeis. Rabbi Solmsen was ordained at The Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York and received a masters degree in Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Bradley has held fellowships at the Melton Center Senior Educator’s Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and at the Institute for Informal Jewish Education at Brandeis University. Bradley has extensive experience as a Jewish educator in Israel and the States working with teenagers and college students and training Jewish educators.

Joshua Yarden, Ph.D., has invested over thirty years in Israel and in North America, working with individuals, camps, schools, community organizations and national initiatives to engage learners and teachers in the process of 'becoming Israel.' His 'Reflection-in-Action' approach to professional development is based in knowledge acquisition, problem solving and experiential learning.

Rebecca Sykes studied theater and music in NYC, performing on campus while a student at Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary as well as in the wilds of Manhattan. Favorite roles include singing with L'Opera Francais de New York in Lakme, Mrs. Peachum in Three Penny Opera, Amalia in She Loves Me, and Aldonza in Man of La Mancha (in the first English production in Israel). Rebecca created and performed the one-woman cabaret show, "The Antique Show" based on her obsessive collection of vintage sheet music. She directed and wrote the book and lyrics to "A Window of Time," a special musical collaboration with the campers at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. She is the founding director of On File, a service-based teen improv troupe. At Camp Ramah Darom, she helped found Belly of the Whale Repertory Theater as a director, theater educator and staff trainer.

As a faculty member for training programs through the Foundation for Jewish Camp, she developed and taught curriculum in leadership, group dynamics, communication skills, and mentoring. Also for the FJC, she creates large-scale experiential events; once it was the first World Zionist Congress, another time occupied France, and even a night in the Catkills. Never underestimate the power of showtunes as an educational tool.

Rebecca continues to grow as a performer and educator providing storytelling workshops and ritual theater opportunities for Jewish educators, synagogues and study groups throughout North America. During her time in Israel, Rebecca enjoyed performing all over the country in theaters, concert halls and jazz clubs, studying yoga and learning jewishly…sometimes all at the same time.

Currently, Rebecca serves at an Artist in Residence at the Newberger Hillel at the University of Chicago. Her weekly yoga class allows the diverse community to explore an integrated approach to mind-body awareness, using each yoga pose to powerfully open to new possibilities. Every class uses a heart-centered theme, focusing on the intrinsic goodness of each student. Anusara yoga's Universal Principles of Alignment allow her to give an engaging class (muscularly, mentally and spiritually) while building a sense of community. Also in development, a collaborative performance piece, "Omer: an accounting of the chaotic first moments of freedom."

As a singer, actress, yogini, mentor and educator, Rebecca creates inspiring opportunities to explore Jewish sources and rituals.