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

7:45pm EDT

B'yachad In Community: Board Games

Sunday June 21, 2026 7:45pm - 8:35pm EDT

Tyvola

Connect with new and old friends. This is your time to talk about topics that are important to you or to relax and play some board games. Pick one group to join for the entire time or switch off in the middle!

Sunday June 21, 2026 7:45pm - 8:35pm EDT
Tyvola

Community Time

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

9:00am EDT

Shacharit (Morning Service)

Monday June 22, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Tyvola

This pluralistic, musical shacharit (“morning”) service will draw from a variety of Jewish traditions and will include a reading from the sefer Torah. Upbeat, participatory, and open to all – come and sing with us! Full liturgy transliteration provided.

Presenters

Eliana Light

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

Beth R. Goldstein

Curriculum Manager, ISJL

Beth R. Goldstein, RJE is the Curriculum Manager for the ISJL. She has been a Jewish educator for 18 years working with students and families to support their Jewish growth and exploration. Beth has worked with learners of all ages, created several religious school curricula, developed... Read More →

Carla Friend

Founder & Executive Director, Tkiya Music

Carla Friend is the Founder & Executive Director of Tkiya, an organization with the mission of creating joyful Jewish connection through participatory music experiences. Through Tkiya, Carla reaches 15,000 people per year with her unique methodology of Jewish education and engagement... Read More →

Rabbi Salem Pearce

Director of Sprituality, ISJL

Ordained in 2018 by Hebrew College, Rabbi Pearce's career has exemplified values of justice, compassion, and service to all. Most recently serving as the Executive Director of Carolina Jews for Justice, Rabbi Pearce has also worked for T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, and... Read More →

Monday June 22, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Tyvola

Tefilah (Services)

10:45am EDT

Rabbi Gamliel: Breaking Walls, Opening Doors

Monday June 22, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am EDT

Tyvola

Join us as we come together to learn through one of the most human, unsettling, and hopeful stories in the Talmud: The Tale of Rabbi Gamliel. Together, we will dig into a classic text and use it as a mirror for our own work—asking hard questions about who feels welcome, who is kept at the margins, and what we gain and lose when access is tightly controlled. This session assumes curiosity, not expertise, bringing together an accessible, text-rooted conversation that connects ancient debate to lived communal reality. Expect thoughtful learning, honest reflection, and practical insight for anyone committed to building vibrant, inclusive Jewish life.

Presenters

Rabba Rori Picker Neiss

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

Monday June 22, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am EDT
Tyvola

Learning Block

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

1:30pm EDT

Facilitating Challenging Conversations in Jewish and Not-So-Jewish Spaces

Monday June 22, 2026 1:30pm - 3:45pm EDT

Tyvola

This session is designed to provide participants with an introduction to a set of core facilitation skills, empowering those working in Jewish spaces and with inter-religious groups to engage more effectively as conveners and conversation guides. The session offers practical applications and techniques which can be applied across virtual and in-person contexts—from board and staff meetings, to classrooms, to larger community dialogues with a range of stakeholders. The techniques offered are not exclusive to application in Jewish spaces; however when possible, a Jewish lens is applied.

Presenters

Dr. Liora Norwich

Director, Hornstein Program for Jewish Professional Leadership

With two decades of nonprofit experience, Dr. Liora Norwich is the Director of the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University. Previously she spent five years as the Executive Director of the Network for Social Justice, a nonprofit based in Winchester... Read More →

Resource Partners

Hornstein Program for Jewish Professional Leadership

The Hornstein Program for Jewish Professional Leadership was founded in 1969 as the world’s first professional program for Jewish communal leaders. Hornstein's mission is to support the development of Jewish leaders who are forward-thinking, deeply compassionate, can understand... Read More →

Monday June 22, 2026 1:30pm - 3:45pm EDT
Tyvola

Learning Block, A Deep Dive B'yachad

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

4:15pm EDT

The Art of Gathering Jewishly: Building and Sustaining Grassroots Community Groups in the South

Monday June 22, 2026 4:15pm - 5:15pm EDT

Tyvola

So much of our work in Jewish communal life involves hosting events and gatherings—but how do we do that in a way that feels natural, welcomes all aspects of peoples' identities, and lasts beyond when the chairs are stacked and the trash is taken out? Informed by our decades of work building queer and Jewish communities in the South, SOJOURN will host an interactive workshop all about the art of hosting big-tent events in service of building meaningful community.

Presenters

Rose Kantorczyk

Communications and Legislative Affairs Coordinator, SOJOURN

Rose Kantorczyk (they/them) is the Communications and Legislative Affairs Coordinator at SOJOURN: the Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender & Sexual Diversity. In this role, they spread the word about SOJOURN's programs, partnerships, and resources, mobilize Southern Jewish... Read More →

McKenzie Wren

Chief Engagement Officer, Sojourn & Ma'ayan Spiritual Arts

McKenzie Wren is a facilitator who works in multiple arenas to support connection and growth. As Ma’ayan Spiritual Arts, she uses earth-based, embodied art, ritual and spiritual practices to support deeper connection to the Divine Mystery through a Jewish lens. She is the Special... Read More →

Resource Partners

SOJOURN

Born and raised at the intersection of LGBTQ+, Jewish, and Southern communities, SOJOURN is a premier resource for education, outreach, and advocacy. SOJOURN’s mission is to advance and celebrate gender and sexual diversity across the South.

Monday June 22, 2026 4:15pm - 5:15pm EDT
Tyvola

Learning Block

Audience Clergy, Lay Leaders, Community Members, Jewish Professionals, Cultural Programmers

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

7:45pm EDT

9:00pm EDT

9:00am EDT

10:45am EDT

1:30pm EDT

4:15pm EDT

5:30pm EDT

7:55pm EDT

10:15am EDT

11:15am EDT

11:45am EDT

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