Staff

Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari, Senior Rabbi

Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari (he/they) is a White, queer, trans person, of Ashkenazi and Italian descent (he eats baked ziti on Rosh Hashanah!). Ari Lev and his partner Shosh are grateful to live in West Philly, surrounded by big sycamore trees and friendly neighbors. He was ordained from the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. He has worked as a Jewish educator, Hebrew School director, and prison chaplain. Ari Lev trained at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) in NYC, teaching, preaching, and providing pastoral care for congregants of all stripes while developing programing for people 55+. He has completed two units of Clinical Pastoral Education, in both a Geriatric and Trauma Hospital. Ari Lev served on the faculty of SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva and hopes to make the wisdom of the Talmud accessible to everyone at Kol Tzedek.

Rabbi Ari Lev loves to cook, bike, meditate, tend his house plants and parent his two little ones. When he is not at Kol Tzedek, he can be found coaching little league. Ari Lev is deeply committed to the creation and embodiment of Torat Hayyim, a living tradition. This requires that our lives be deeply informed by ancient wisdom and practices, and that Jewish traditions learn and grow from our insights and lived experiences.

You can read his selected teachings or his weekly Torah blog.

Rabbi Mónica Gomery, Rabbi & Music Director

Rabbi Mónica Gomery (she/her) was ordained by the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in June 2017, and is thrilled to serve as Kol Tzedek's Music Director and Prayer Leader. Mónica is passionate about supporting people who have been denied access to, disconnected from, and marginalized by ancient and ancestral spiritual traditions to gain access to these traditions as a resource for empowerment and transformation in their lives, so that they can become vessels for healing and justice in the world.

In addition to her work at KT, she also fulfills this mission by teaching liberatory text as a faculty member at SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva, and as a member of the founding leadership team of Let My People Sing! Mónica has served as a prison chaplain, a geriatric chaplain, and an educator and prayer leader at numerous organizations. She is also a published poet. As the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors, and a native Spanish speaker raised by her Venezuelan Ashkenazi family in Boston and Caracas, she is deeply grateful for KT's vibrant and diverse singing community, in which she can hear and heal the lost voices of her ancestors.

Rabbi Michelle Greenfield, Rabbi & Torah School Director

Rabbi Michelle Greenfield (she/her) can be found playing games, writing stories, and singing songs with the children. She is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and has been working in Jewish education and special education for 15 years in a variety of settings.

In addition to her role at Kol Tzedek, she is a consultant for Jewish Learning Venture's Whole Community Inclusion initiative and a private tutor. She is inspired by the creativity and passion that children bring to everything they do and is excited to continue creating opportunities for children to bring their whole selves to Kol Tzedek and to their Jewish learning. Rabbi Michelle has been living in Mount Airy for over a decade. She loves being close to the woods and the creek, and seeing the seasons change in the park. She is also interested in fiber arts and spends her free time knitting, spinning, and exploring natural dyes.

Rabbi lizzie horne mozes, Director of community engagement

Rabbi Lizzie Horne Mozes (she/her) is a 2023 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and a proud member of the burgeoning list of rabbis who are patrilineally Jewish. A native of the Washington, D.C., area, her Judaism and politics were deeply influenced by the progressive community in which she grew up, and learned early on what it meant to weave together spirituality and justice. She comes to Kol Tzedek after spending a year as the rabbi at Congregation Beth Tikvah in Marlton, New Jersey, where she helped steward the community through a major moment of transition.

She is inspired by the ways in which Kol Tzedek members create community with one another, and is excited to continue fostering that sense of community through her work. Outside of her role at Kol Tzedek, Rabbi Lizzie serves as a board member for IfNotNow, as a rabbinic member of the Reconstructionist Movement's Tikkun Olam Commission, and as a protest chaplain with Philadelphia’s Movement Chaplaincy Network. She loves living in South Philly, growing food in her community garden, cooking her friends Shabbat meals, and biking around town with her partner, Eric, and their toddler, Shai.

JOSH BLoom, Director of operations

Josh Bloom (he/him) comes to Kol Tzedek with a passion for building fun, vibrant Jewish community. He can be found at the back of the room fiddling with the sound system, organizing big, messy spreadsheets, or just making sure things are going (mostly) according to plan. He grew up in Brooklyn, NY and as a kid was involved in the Habonim Dror youth movement, a network of youth-led Jewish summer camps and teen programs. It was the power of watching his friends find the joy of contributing and stepping into leadership that eventually led him to join the staff of Habonim in California as the Programs Director. He has worked in youth organizing, community economic development, and local government.

After living in Middletown, CT, Jerusalem, and Los Angeles, he has been a resident of West Philly since 2021. He spends his time playing music, taking walks around the city & cooking with friends.

Hayim wolf, Facilities Coordinator (shammes)

Hayim Wolf (he/him) is excited to join the Kol Tzedek team as the Facilities Coordinator. Hayim's background is in elementary education and nonprofit operations. He is a consummate finder of odd jobs, including dinosaur builder, children's theater sound designer, and dog trainer. Hayim is passionate about teaching and learning (ask him about structured word inquiry!), cooking and eating (tell him about your favorite new cookbook!) and live performance (share a show recommendation!).

JOSIE FELT, RABBINIC INTERN

Josie Felt (she/her) is so excited to join the Kol Tzedek community for another year as the rabbinic intern. Josie is an RRC student in her fourth year, and relocated from Jerusalem to Philadelphia last summer, along with her fiancé, Elianna, and their two cats. She is passionate about building Jewish community that is vibrant, creative, and fun! When she's not studying Torah or leading services, she loves going swimming, doing arts and crafts, and baking pies.