Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari, Senior Rabbi

Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari 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 be part of the West Philly community, surrounded by the big 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 serves 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 is most inspired at the intersections of community, activism, and healing. He is committed to Kol Tzedek's deep sense of inclusion, and strives to live a Judaism that is accessible, relevant, and meaningful to all of us. He loves to farm, cook, bike, meditate, and parent his two little ones, Zeev Lucca and Naim Niso. 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 an interview with Rabbi Ari Lev in the Jewish Exponent, his selected teachings, or his weekly Torah blog.

Rabbi Mónica Gomery, Rabbi & Music Director

Rabbi Mónica Gomery 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

At Kol Tzedek, Rabbi Michelle Greenfield 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.

JOSIE FELT, RABBINIC INTERN

Josie Felt (she/her) is so excited to join the Kol Tzedek community as this year's rabbinic intern. Josie is an RRC student in her third year, and relocated from Jerusalem to Philadelphia this 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.

Candice E. Thompson, Managing director

Candice E. Thompson brings with her the many years of experience she has working in community-focused non-profits, both professionally and as a volunteer. She has served the LGBTQ community for the past 15 years through various roles in the nonprofit sector. She is strongly committed to community building and prioritizing resources to uplift the voices and lives of the most marginalized. As Chief Operating Officer at the William Way LGBT Community Center, Candice managed all of the internal operations for the organization with a focus on people, finances, and systems. She is a seasoned volunteer manager, has experience developing programming across many interest areas, and embraces power-sharing to create more responsive, transparent, and resilient organizations. Candice has also served on the planning committee of the Philadelphia Trans* Health Conference focusing on elder issues.

Candice is a longtime resident of West Philadelphia with her wife, Jessie, her cats, Rodney and Jude, and her many plant babies. She is also an avid cook, gardener, and volunteer, and has recently taken up roller skating.

JOSH BLoom, Operations Manager

Josh Bloom 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.

Miryam Coppersmith, Assistant education Director

Miryam Coppersmith is a Jewish educator, B'nei Mitzvah tutor, writer, and performing artist. She has served as a Hebrew school teacher, B'nei Mitzvah tutor, and early childhood Judaic Specialist at synagogues in Pennsylvania and New York. In 2018, Miryam helped establish the Dance program of the Union for Reform Judaism 6 Points Creative Arts Academy as its first Dance Arts mentor. Miryam has led artistic Torah study workshops with synagogues around the country and at the 2019 Union for Reform Judaism Biennial. Miryam writes for the local arts journal thinkingdance.net. She is a budding Yiddishist and loves to teach Yiddish dance! You can find out more about her artistic work here at miryamcoppersmith.com.

ANNA Garrison-bedell, Membership & FAcilities Coordinator

Anna Garrison-Bedell (she/her) is thrilled to join the Kol Tzedek team as the Membership and Facilities Coordinator. Anna is from the Bronx, NY, and is a recent graduate from Haverford College, just starting to get back in touch with her Jewish roots and community. At Haverford she was involved in Mutual Aid organizations and community gardens across the city, and this past year has started rock climbing and bouldering. She is passionate about outdoor education and radical educational practices, and loves kids. When she’s not working at Kol Tzedek, she’s reading, trying her hand at ceramics, and playing guitar (albeit badly).