ISJL Southern & Jewish 2026: Full Schedule

1:15pm EDT

Sunday June 21, 2026 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT

Welcome to Southern & Jewish 2026! We’ll begin b’yachad by connecting with one another through some fun, interactive activities that turn strangers into community. One of the best parts of Southern & Jewish is the relationships we build, and this session is where it all begins.

Sunday June 21, 2026 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
Tyvola

All Attendees

2:30pm EDT

Keynote

Sunday June 21, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

Tyvola

Examining one of the most heartbreaking relationships in the Talmud, the rupture between Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish, we will question what happens when disagreement hardens into polarization and when essential voices disappear from our shared conversations. We will explore the relational, spiritual, and communal costs of narrowing our circles, even when doing so feels justified or protective. The rabbi’s story becomes a lens for today’s Jewish communal challenges, illuminating the urgent need for the widest possible range of voices and perspectives. Together, we will ask what is truly at stake for our communities, our tradition, and our world when we fail to remain in meaningful relationships across differences.

Presenters

Rabba Rori Picker Neiss

Senior VP & Rabbi in Residence, Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Rabba Rori Picker Neiss serves as the Senior Vice President and Rabbi in Residence at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). Prior to that she was Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis, an organization committed to a vibrant and secure Jewish... Read More →

Sunday June 21, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Tyvola

All Attendees

3:30pm EDT

Break and Snack

Sunday June 21, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

Pre-Function Hallway

Sunday June 21, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Pre-Function Hallway

All Attendees

3:30pm EDT

Help Desk Open

Sunday June 21, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

Pre-Function Hallway

Sunday June 21, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Pre-Function Hallway

All Attendees

5:15pm EDT

Break

Sunday June 21, 2026 5:15pm - 6:00pm EDT

Pre-Function Hallway

Sunday June 21, 2026 5:15pm - 6:00pm EDT
Pre-Function Hallway

All Attendees

5:15pm EDT

Help Desk Open

Sunday June 21, 2026 5:15pm - 6:00pm EDT

Pre-Function Hallway

Sunday June 21, 2026 5:15pm - 6:00pm EDT
Pre-Function Hallway

All Attendees

5:30pm EDT

Hotel Check In

Sunday June 21, 2026 5:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

Pre-Function Hallway

Sunday June 21, 2026 5:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
Pre-Function Hallway

All Attendees

9:00pm EDT

Kumsitz

Sunday June 21, 2026 9:00pm - 10:30pm EDT

Tyvola

A kumsitz (in Yiddish, "come sit") is a chance to gather, connect, and sing! Think campfire vibes, but indoors. Bring your instrument, your voices, your spirit, and let's enjoy being together!

Presenters

Eliana Light

Educator, Musician, and 2025 Covenant Foundation Family Education, The Light Lab

Eliana is working towards a world of One-ness, guided and inspired by Jewish heritage. She focuses on translating liturgy, prayer practice, and g?d-concepts in ways that are deep and accessible for all people at any age. Eliana’s music, gatherings, and teaching reflect a spirit... Read More →

Sunday June 21, 2026 9:00pm - 10:30pm EDT
Tyvola

All Attendees

8:00am EDT

Registration and Help Desk Open

Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 9:15am EDT

Pre-Function Hallway

Monday June 22, 2026 8:00am - 9:15am EDT
Pre-Function Hallway

All Attendees

10:30am EDT

Help Desk Open

Monday June 22, 2026 10:30am - 10:45am EDT

Pre-Function Hallway

Monday June 22, 2026 10:30am - 10:45am EDT
Pre-Function Hallway

All Attendees

11:45am EDT

Break and Snack

Monday June 22, 2026 11:45am - 12:15pm EDT

Pre-Function Hallway

Monday June 22, 2026 11:45am - 12:15pm EDT
Pre-Function Hallway

All Attendees

11:45am EDT

Help Desk Open

Monday June 22, 2026 11:45am - 12:15pm EDT

Pre-Function Hallway

Monday June 22, 2026 11:45am - 12:15pm EDT
Pre-Function Hallway

All Attendees

3:45pm EDT

Break and Snack

Monday June 22, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm EDT

Pre-Function Hallway

Monday June 22, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm EDT
Pre-Function Hallway

All Attendees

3:45pm EDT

Help Desk Open

Monday June 22, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm EDT

Pre-Function Hallway

Monday June 22, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm EDT
Pre-Function Hallway

All Attendees

5:30pm EDT

Local and Global: Exploring the Southern Jewish Experience Through the Carolinas

Monday June 22, 2026 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT

Tyvola

For the first time ever, the ISJL’s annual conference is taking place outside of Mississippi, our longtime home in the heart of the Deep South. To help explore our new location, the ISJL Culture division welcomes North Carolina-based historians Dr. Leonard Rogoff, Dr. Marcie Cohen Ferris, and Mimi Wooten for a panel discussion on how Jewish histories of the Carolinas reinforce and challenge enduring notions of the southern Jewish experience. Participants will gain new insights into the ever-evolving role of race, religion, and region in southern Jewish stories from colonial-era Charleston to the present-day Research Triangle.

Presenters

Shira Muroff

Director of Programs, ISJL

Shira Muroff is the ISJL's Director of Programs. She is a California native and a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with a degree in Human Development. A Jacksonian since 2016, Shira first joined the ISJL as an Education Fellow from 2016-2018. After the fellowship... Read More →

Ana Berman

Programs & Education Coordinator, ISJL

Ana Berman is the ISJL's Programs & Education Coordinator. Originally from New York, she graduated from Macalester College with a degree in History and Religious Studies. Ana joined the ISJL in 2023 as a public history intern and then as the 2023-2024 Education and Culture Program... Read More →

Leonard W. Rogoff

President and Historian, Jewish Heritage North Carolina

Leonard Rogoff holds a doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Former president of the Southern Jewish Historical Society and recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award, he is currently historian and president of Jewish Heritage North Carolina. He is a frequent... Read More →

Dr. Marcie Cohen Ferris

Emeritus Professor, UNC Chapel Hill

Marcie Cohen Ferris is an emeritus professor in the Department of American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Director of UNC’s Center for the Study of the American South where she is a faculty editor for , a quarterly journal of the history and... Read More →

Mimi Wooten

Mimi Wooten is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of History at the University of Michigan and a Todd M. Endelman Fellow at the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies. Her dissertation is a microhistory of the Ottoman Sephardi migrants who settled in Atlanta, Georgia and Montgomery, Alabama... Read More →

Resource Partners

Goldring Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL)

Monday June 22, 2026 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
Tyvola

All Attendees

Audience Clergy, Community Members, Cultural Programmers, Education Directors, Jewish Professionals, Lay Leaders, Teachers

7:55pm EDT

Concert with Eliana Light

Monday June 22, 2026 7:55pm - 9:15pm EDT

Tyvola

Join us for an evening of music with featured artist Eliana Light. Eliana's thoughtful, playful, original music is meant to help us learn, feel, sing, and connect with each other.

Presenters

Eliana Light

Educator, Musician, and 2025 Covenant Foundation Family Education, The Light Lab

Monday June 22, 2026 7:55pm - 9:15pm EDT
Tyvola

All Attendees

10:15am EDT

Looking to the Future by Learning from the Past: Resiliency Panel

Tuesday June 23, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT

Tyvola

In moments of crisis, communities must respond with strength, care, and intention, often without adequate preparation. This panel brings together leaders who have supported their communities through tragedy, reflecting on the power of resilience before, during, and after challenging times.

Together, we will explore how to care for individuals and communities in the wake of hardship, what proactive steps can help us prepare for the unthinkable, and how Jewish values can guide our response. Through honest conversation and shared experience, this session will offer both practical insights and space for reflection on the challenges of navigating the unthinkable.

Presenters

Michele Schipper

Chief Executive Officer, ISJL

A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Michele has worked as a Jewish professional throughout her career. She served as Assistant Camp Director at URJ Jacobs Camp for two years. From there, Michele moved to Los Angeles to serve as the Associate Director of Wilshire Boulevard Temple... Read More →

Carly Cera

Director of Youth Education and Engagement, Congregation Beth Israel

Carly Cera (she/her) has served CBI as the Director of Youth Education and Engagement since 2018. She grew up in Austin and at CBI, staying connected long after graduation. Carly has both a bachelor's and master's degree in education and has taught school in both Israel and the U.S... Read More →

Rabbi Scott Klein

Jewish Education and Engagement Consultant, NECHAMA

As the Jewish Army Chaplain at Fort Bragg and the Jewish Education and Engagement Consultant for NECHAMA, Rabbi Scott Klein stands at the intersection of spiritual resilience and communal action. Drawing on years of specialized experience, he provides essential pastoral care and moral... Read More →

Rabba Rori Picker Neiss

Senior VP & Rabbi in Residence, Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Student Rabbi Ben Russell

Student Rabbi, Beth Israel Congregation

Benjamin Russell serves as Student Rabbi and Spiritual Leader of Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi. A lifelong Mississippian, Ben has been part of the Beth Israel community since 2010 and has served in synagogue leadership for over a decade, including as Cantorial Soloist... Read More →

Tuesday June 23, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Tyvola

All Attendees

11:15am EDT

Reflection B'yachad

Tuesday June 23, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT

Tyvola

As we come to the end of Southern & Jewish 2026, we’ll gather b’yachad once more to reflect on our shared experiences and the connections we’ve built. Through guided reflection, you’ll consider what you’ve learned and how you’ll bring it back to your community. We’ll close our time together with intention, gratitude, and a sense of carrying this work forward together.

Tuesday June 23, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT
Tyvola

All Attendees

11:45am EDT

Closing Circle

Tuesday June 23, 2026 11:45am - 12:00pm EDT

Tyvola

Tuesday June 23, 2026 11:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Tyvola

All Attendees

1:15pm EDT

2:30pm EDT

3:30pm EDT

3:30pm EDT

5:15pm EDT

5:15pm EDT

5:30pm EDT

9:00pm EDT

8:00am EDT

10:30am EDT

11:45am EDT

11:45am EDT

3:45pm EDT

3:45pm EDT

5:30pm EDT

7:55pm EDT

10:15am EDT

11:15am EDT

11:45am EDT

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