BRUCHIM - Key Persons
David is originally from Queens, New York. He holds degrees in Arts (Special Honors Curriculum: Women's Studies, History and Philosophy) and Science (Physical Therapy) from Hunter College, CUNY. He continues to work as a physical therapist in inpatient rehabilitation helping patients regain functional mobility. He lives near the Finger Lakes region of New York on farmland that he is restoring to its natural state, having planted, to date, over 250 trees. He also maintains a blog in which he writes about gender, bodily autonomy and politics. His writing has been translated into Icelandic and Danish and published internationally.
Diane is a newspaper reporter turned lawyer with advanced investigative, transactional, and corporate experience. She earned her B.A. in Journalism and Near Eastern Studies, with Honors, from the University of Arizona, her Master's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and her J.D. from the Arizona State University. Although born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, she spent many years traveling and working all over the world before realizing she felt cold in every location except for her hometown. She eventually came home to Phoenix. Diane has two children and a plethora of dogs.
Job Titles:
- Leader of the City Congregation
Rabbi Yoreh, leader of The City Congregation, is one the intellectual leaders of Jewish humanism. His newest book is Why Abraham Murdered Isaac: The First Stories of the Bible Revealed (2021). He has been a student of the Bible since his earliest days, winning the Diaspora Division of the International Bible Contest in childhood. He attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he obtained his Ph.D. in biblical criticism in record time. He earned a second Ph.D. in Ancient Wisdom Literature at the University of Toronto for the joy of studying ancient text.
Elana is a parent of four who has been working professionally in social media since 2016. In addition to working hard to cultivate Jewish positive content for social media advocacy in support of non circumcising families, she is also one of the Directors of Equity for Your Whole Baby. She was born and raised in a Reform Jewish family in the greater Chicago area and is committed to raising her children to value, respect, and love their Jewish identity and heritage.
Eliyahu grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family in Brookline, MA. At age 13, he and his family moved to Israel. Eliyahu decided not to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, choosing instead to study medicine in the UK. Three years into his degree, he left medicine to pursue a career in film. After earning two degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Eliyahu completed his first feature-length documentary, Cut: Slicing Through the Myths of Circumcision. He has since released his second feature-length documentary, A People Without A Land, and is co-host of the podcast Four Cubits.
Jonathan grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. He brings over a decade of experience working with non-profit organizations. Jonathan is adept at web technologies, public outreach campaigns, and media relations. He holds a degree in engineering from The Cooper Union and is researching sustainable energy storage solutions.
Josh is delighted to bring more than a decade of professional web design and new business development experience to the creation and administration of Bruchim online. Born in Sacramento, California, Josh was raised in a secular Jewish household. He moved to Boise, Idaho with his family at a young age, later attending Boise State University. He is co-owner of Thrive Web Designs, which supports 500+ worldwide clients and has a robust program to give back to the community by offering support to worthy nonprofits. Josh lives in the Boise area with his wife and two young children and enjoys celebrating Jewish traditions and holidays.
Leif was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska, and has been a family practice physician in Alaska for more than 20 years, serving the Alaska Native community. Prior to studying medicine, Leif earned a B.M. in piano performance and a M.A. in music theory and composition, and worked as a wilderness guide. Due to trauma from his own circumcision, Leif avoided his Jewish identity for much of his adult life and declined to perform circumcisions throughout his medical training and practice. Upon learning of Bruchim, he is now reconnecting with his Jewish roots, and is eager to contribute to the team with his medical knowledge.
Lisa's groundbreaking article "A Painful Case" appeared in Tikkun in 1990 as one of the first longform pieces to challenge the circumcision tradition from a Jewish perspective. Since then, Lisa has written and lectured extensively on being both an active, engaged Jew and a vocal circumcision critic. Inspired by the efforts of Jewish institutions to welcome and include Jews of diverse backgrounds and experiences, Lisa envisioned a similar effort for Jewish circumcision objectors, laying the framework for Bruchim. Lisa is an award-winning novelist and prolific non-fiction writer. She is co-author of Celebrating Brit Shalom, a guidebook on alternative bris. Shrug is her most recent novel.
Lisa had been exploring the issue of Jewish circumcision for decades after reluctantly agreeing to circumcise her sons in the late 1980s. She began writing articles and lecturing, questioning circumcision from a Jewish point of view, and penned The Measure of His Grief, a novel about a Berkeley doctor, his Jewish identity, and the circumcision controversy. In 2015 she collaborated with Rebecca Wald in the writing of Celebrating Brit Shalom, a guidebook of alternative bris ceremonies, with accompanying original music.
Rebecca became engaged in this issue following the birth of her son, whom she did not circumcise. Hoping to spark conversation and make the Jewish world more welcoming for her child and those like him, she launched Beyond the Bris, a forum for Jewish people questioning circumcision. The site has been widely profiled and remains a go-to place for connection-building and the sharing of personal experiences and viewpoints regarding Jewish circumcision.
Meanwhile, Eliyahu, who grew up Orthodox, had raised important questions about circumcision and Jewish identity in his groundbreaking documentary Cut: Slicing Through the Myths of Circumcision (2007). Eli continues to be a leading scholar and ethicist on Jewish circumcision as well as many other subjects; writing, speaking, and publicly debating issues that go to the heart of what it means to be a caring human being. When it came time to forming Bruchim's founding board, Eli was a perfect fit.
Conversations about the need for welcoming and inclusion came to the forefront following the publication of Celebrating Brit Shalom. As the authors connected with families and clergy, they realized the parental decision to opt out was often just the beginning. Many such families had concerns about Jewish involvement going forward.
Lucy is a professional songwriter and recording artist who fronts the L.A. alt rock band EVOLOVE under the moniker "Lucy Lee." Her original songs have been widely featured in film and TV. Lucy brings years of experience as a Jewish community innovator and music rights activist. Realizing her neighborhood lacked a synagogue and meaningful Jewish presence, Lucy joined Sunland-Tujunga's arts and culture committee and spearheaded "Hanukkah in the Foothills," a community-building event taking place since 2014. She is also a steering committee member of Songwriters of North America.
Mark is a retired radiologist, a classical concert pianist, and an active member of his Conservative synagogue. He is an advocate of brit shalom, the covenantal naming and welcoming ceremony for Jewish newborn males who will not be circumcised. Mark is founder and administrator of Celebrants of Brit Shalom, a website listing brit shalom officiants. He has counseled numerous Jewish parents with regard to the medical risks and benefits of circumcision, and has helped connect families to brit shalom celebrants across the globe. Mark is also Executive Vice-President of Doctors Opposing Circumcision.
Max is a strategic consultant for startups with a focus on marketing and digital communications. He grew up in many Jewish organizations, including Ramah Israel, Hillel, AEPi, and Kaskeset (Binghamton University's award-winning Jewish singing group). Max is an experienced songwriter, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor and game designer. He currently lives in Hong Kong with his wife Charlene, who is a member of the extended Bruchim team.
Max is a Ph.D. student in philosophy and classics at Yale University, with a research focus on bioethics ancient and contemporary. He specializes in procreative ethics and other questions in applied ethics, including the value of existence, its benefits and harms, and desire management. Max received his B.A. summa cum laude in philosophy and classics from Rutgers University - New Brunswick. He has learned at Drisha and the Conservative Yeshiva, and his favorite Jewish commentator is the Mei HaShiloach. Max is also passionate about Jewish music, choral and a cappella. He is excited to be part of the Bruchim team!
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Executive Director
Rebecca has been advocating for circumcision choice in Jewish life for more than 15 years. She is founder of Beyond the Bris, a widely profiled Jewish voices website for those questioning circumcision. She is also co-author of the ritual guide Celebrating Brit Shalom. Rebecca graduated with honors in English from The George Washington University, and received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, where she served on the editorial board of the Brooklyn Law Review. She is active in her Reform congregation and enjoyed teaching religious school to 2nd and 3rd graders during the 2019-20 year.
Job Titles:
- Member Emeritus of the Board
- Psychiatrist
Richard Schwartzman (z"l) was a psychiatrist who practiced medicine in Pennsylvania. He realized the trauma of circumcision when he was required to do the procedure as a medical resident. During Richard's many years in private clinical practice, he advised parents that circumcision provides no significant medical benefits and is a source of traumatic stress to the infant that can have lasting consequences. He wrote and lectured extensively on child rearing, emphasizing that by preventing infant and childhood trauma of all kinds, caregivers lay a foundation for lifelong emotional health.
Taryn grew up in Massachusetts, playing sports and attending joyful family gatherings with her 26 first cousins. After majoring in religious studies as an undergraduate, Taryn became a massage therapist, discovering her passion for facilitating the healing process. In her twenties, Taryn's Jewish fiancee introduced her to the beauty of Jewish life, and she became Jewish before getting married. Taryn lives in a Boston suburb with her husband and two children, and continues to find deep meaning in the values and traditions of Judaism. When not driving her teenagers to theatre rehearsals or sports practice, she can be found hiking in the woods with her dog Tovah.