Our Bloggers

Our bloggers write frequently to let you know the latest!

THE REGULARS

Avi and Adele:  Confidentially Yours
They know lots of stuff on life, love and relationships and they are ready to answer your questions! How does one end a first date properly? When should you meet the mishbucha? Should your boss be able to dictate your dating life–and what if your boss is a rabbi? Contact them at  aa@letmypeoplegrow.org

Nate Bloom: Jews in the News

Nate Bloom writes a weekly column on Jewish celebrities, broadly defined, that appears in Cleveland Jewish News, the American Israelite of Cincinnati, the Detroit Jewish News, and the New Jersey Jewish Standard. It also appears bi-weekly in j., the Jewish news weekly of northern California. He also writes a similar bi-weekly column for the website www.Interfaithfamily.com   Starting April, 2012, a monthly version of his column (featuring relevant “oldies but goodies”) will appear in the following Florida newspapers: The Jewish News (Sarasota and Manatee County); The Federation Star (Collier County); and L’Chayim (Lee and Charlotte counties).  The author welcomes questions and celebrity “tips,” especially about people you personally know. Write him at middleoftheroad1@aol.com  

Emilie Kuperman
Emilie Kuperman grew up in the sticks and is still pulling weeds out of her West Coast mop top. With a snarky look on life, her perspectives approach a harsh genius… kind of alike a train wreck that you can’t look away from. She will challenge you to a duel before she ever admits any imperfection, in her writing or otherwise. emilie@letmypeoplegrow.org

Iris Ruth Pastor: Preserving Life’s Bloom: Musings from an aging baby boomer
Iris Ruth Pastor is busy adapting to being a long distance grandparent, coping with the empty nest and waging a battle against the sagging tush and other miscellaneous aggravations that come her way in the course of the day.   iris@letmypeoplegrow.org

Lisa Robbins

Lisa Robbins, director of the “Let My People Grow” intiative and contributing blogger
A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, Lisa Robbins is often pondering life’s most important questions, such as “Why *can’t* you burn the candle at both ends?” and “What’s the most strategic way to win a game of rock-paper-scissors?”  She’s the director of Let My People Grow, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Heels!), and has a weakness for vegetarian food, NPR, bluegrass music and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. lisa@letmypeoplegrow.org

Rabbi Jason Rosenberg
Rabbi Jason Rosenberg is the Rabbi of Congregation Beth Am in Tampa. He believes in a Radical Non-Fundamentalism, a Judaism which lives in between the extremes of belief. A former computer programmer, he’s also determined to not ever have to choose between what he thinks and what he believes. He loves Judaism, his family and baseball, but not necessarily in that order. RabbiRosenberg@BethAmTampa.org. You can read other piece’s by Rabbi Rosenberg on his blog.

OTHER VOICES

Gayle Benator

Gayle Benator has recently returned to her home town of Atlanta GA, after spending the last 20 years on the sunny and  laid back west coast of Florida,  first raising her family and then rediscovering and raising her own consciousness. Among her adventures in that time: obtaining an MBA, traveling to Italy and Israel, owning and managing real estate, fundraising professionally and always, always learning and growing Jewishly.  Gayle has an eye for design and fashion, and currently gets a lot of pleasure expressing her latent artistry in designing jewelry. Gayle is the owner and designer of Gila Leah, Inc., Jewelry for the Unique Woman.

Stuart Berger

Landon Blacker:  The Peaceable Pilgrim

Landon Blacker, a 20-year resident of the Tampa Bay area and an active member of the Tampa Young Adult Division, has set off on a new adventure as an English teacher in Seoul, South Korea. He is busy immersing himself in the Jewish community in Seoul by participating at the Chabad House in a suburb of Seoul most Shabbats and other Jewish holidays. He blogs frequently about his travels from a Jewish perspective. Lan386@aol.com

Jason Boxt

Jason is a New Yorker by birth, but found himself confronted at a young age by a Moon Pie, a bottle of RC Cola, and a USC Gamecock t-shirt, and never looked back.  After nearly ten years in politics (including a stint at AIPAC), Jason has taken refuge in a public affairs firm in DC – close enough to the fire to feel the heat, without singing his eyebrows. He is married to an incredible (his words) Cantor, has two small daughters, two cats, seven fish, and lives OUTSIDE the Beltway (ahem ahem).

Seth Brown

Seth Brown is a freelance writer, humorist, and poet. He is the author of four books, most recently “From God To Verse”, a line-by-line rendition of the entire Torah in rhyming couplets. His website is www.RisingPun.com.

Davi Cheng

Davi Cheng is the Past President and current Ritual Chair of congregation Beth Chayim Chadashim (BCC) in Los Angeles. Davi designed and helped create the stained glass windows, Ner Tamid and Ark doors of her synagogue, she is also involved with the URJ West District and Be’chol Lashon’s International Jewish communities.

Hannah Dayan

Hannah Dayan lives with her husband in Ottawa, Ontario.  They are expecting their first child in August.  They have discovered there are no rules when it comes to interfaith marriage or parenting, so their journey will be one of growth and discovery as they try to find their own defintion for Jewish identity as a family.

Jeanette Friedman

Jeanette Friedman has been a Jewish activist all her life. A founder of the Second Generation and Holocaust Education movement, she is a journalist, author and commentator on popular culture. She lives in North Jersey but is Brooklyn through and through. www.jeanettefriedman.com and www.whyshouldicareontheweb.com

Allison Good

Allison Good is a freelance writer based in New Orleans. Vassar College graduate.  Rabidly proud to be born and raised in New Orleans.  Member of the Who Dat Nation.  World traveler.  Policy wonk and future resident of Washington, D.C.  Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) groupie.  Aficionado of all things related to France, Israel, Impressionism, international politics, Gothic cathedrals, journalism, Judaism, and postmodernism.  Fascinated by isms in general.  For more info on Allison, visit her blog.

Launie Kettler

Launie Kettler is a native Vermonter who abhors nature and finds refuge cooking in a very small kitchen. Her recipes and photos have been featured on Salon, Open Salon and Photograzing (Serious Eats.)  She believes that wine and a mandoline can coexist but only with a very good safe guard. Launie’s cooking blog is www.teenytinykitchen.com

Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman

Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman is the Associate Rabbi of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, and is the creator of the blog “Sinai and Synapses –– Judaism and a Closer Look at Human Nature.” He graduated from Princeton University with degrees in Religion and Jewish Studies, with multiple prizes for scholarship in Judaic and Biblical Studies, was ordained by HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, and is a voracious reader (especially books on science, psychology, history, and politics). Contact Rabbi Mitelman at gmitelman@bethelnw.org or on Twitter @RabbiMitelman.

Ira Pilsmaker

On February 8, 2000, the meaning of life was auctioned off on eBay. The item’s description read: “I have discovered the reason for our existence and will be happy to share this information with the highest bidder.” After eight bids were placed, the meaning of life sold for $3.26. Ira Pilsmaker wasn’t one of the bidders and to this day still regrets that he didn’t jump on the opportunity.

Don Lieber: Tikkun Among Us

Don Lieber’s investigative journalism and research has been published by the United Nations, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the Coalition to Ban the Use of Child Soldiers and others. Don writes for LMPG about international issues, including human rights, the environment, war and peace. Based in New York City, Don is the proud father of a slice of sunshine.

Jackie Menter

Jackie Menter works at Jewish Federation of Orange County as Director of Professional Philanthropy. She enjoys spending time with her teenage children, her husband and her gorgeous German Shepherd, tweeting, performing (she’s a cellist too), reading, yoga, going to the gym, cooking, and traveling. She regularly posts on her he regularly posts on her blog, Tachlis, “a blog that talks tachlis about leadership, Jewish stuff, parenting, Israel and whatever else is trending at the moment.”  Reach Jackie at Jackie@jffs.org

Rose Rosen

Rose Rosen is a busy casting director with her roots in journalism.  Having been brought up with both parents surviving the Holocaust, Rose has a unique take on life.  Serving as Central Florida Coordinator of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Names Recovery Project suits her need for filling in the gaps of her past as well as helping others find theirs. When not casting, Rose is a life coach for actors.  Rose can be reached at castingbyroserosen@gmail.

Jack Ross

Jack Ross is an Attorney with the Law firm of Cohen, Foster & Romine, P.A. in Tampa, Florida. Jack also serves in various capacities within Tampa Bay area Jewish and pro-Israel related organizations including as a Member of the Board and Vice President of the Tampa Jewish Federation; as Tampa Co-Chair and as a member of the National Executive Committee for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee [AIPAC]; as the former Tampa Chair for Israel Bonds and current member of the advisory board; as a member of the advisory board of the Tampa area Jewish National Fund [JNF]; and as Chair of the Tampa-Ashdod Committee on the board for Tampa Sister Cities Committee, Inc.

Rabbi Marc Sack

Rabbi Marc Sack has been the rabbi of Congregation Rodeph Sholom since 1995. Before coming to Tampa, he served congregations in Minneapolis and Austin.  He was ordained from The Jewish Theological Seminary in 1982. He also received an MSW from Columbia that same year.  Rabbi Sack is married to Leni and they have four children who live in Los Angeles, Ho Chi Minh City, Tel Aviv and Austin.

Tara Seymour

Tara Seymour is a travel extraordinaire exploring the world one country at a time. Her life journey began in the Chicagoland area: the city that will never leave her heart. Since then, her adventures have led her from France to Israel and over a dozen countries in between. She is a free-spirit with a love for a challenge and adores life, traveling, a good cup of coffee and meeting new people from all around the globe.

Adam Shai

Adam Shai  spends most of his time thinking about how we think , to no useful end. When he isn’t wasting his time with circular logic, he is not wasting his time with circular logic. After getting his PhD in thinking at Caltech, he plans to write the next great American novel, and find a nice Jewish girl to settle down with that somewhat reminds him of his mother so that a lingering resentment will keep him grounded for the rest of his life. His interests generally include science, history, philosophy, politics, writing, math, and mostly being distracted by shiny things. You can find more information on his website

Nicole Shore

In February 2010, Nicole Shore flew to Israel on a one-way ticket to participate in the Eilat Hotel Management Internship through Oranim. Nicole graduated college in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in French language and culture, and a Bachelor’s degree in communications with a focus on interpersonal communication. She loves change and meeting new people (in fact she choose to attend the University of South Florida because she knew that only two people from her high school graduating class were going to be joining her) and thrives in places where she has to learn to survive differently than what she’s accustomed to). With all the money in the world, she’d travel and experience the foods and cultures of the world.

Rachel Silverman

Rachel Silverman is Philadelphian by birth and a Floridian for the past six years. She is an assistant professor of communication whose research focuses on representations of gender, religion and sexuality in the media. Rachel is also a yoga teacher, a self-proclaimed fashionista, and an avid traveler. She loves to practice yoga on her travels and has been found on her mat in places such as Nepal, Montreal, and Utah. On campus and off, Rachel considers herself a social justice advocate and is open to discussing anything from current politics to fashion trends in purses and everything in between.

Jenna Zark

Contributing writer Jenna Zark is a Jewish playwright whose plays have been produced at Circle Repertory Company, Illusion Theater, History Theatre, the Jewish Women’s Theatre Project, Minnesota Jewish Theatre, Blank Slate Theatre and elsewhere. In addition to writing for TC Jewfolk and Let My People Grow , Jenna has written for magazines like Minnesota Bride, Minnesota Monthly and Woodbury and also provides editorial/communication services. More information can be found about Jenna at www.jennazark.com

Jonathan Zimmer

Jonathan Zimmer was born and raised in Long Island, NY until he was 14, when the family decided to move to sunny Sarasota.  He attended (and graduated!) from the University of Florida w/ a degree in Economics.  His hobbies and interests include politics/current events, Israel, history, Judaism, enjoying a good beer, working out (Crossfit!), watching baseball and football, and of course the Florida Gators. jonzimmer@yahoo.com