Group Leaders

Adam Greenwald- Adam is excited to return for his third summer with PANIM, after working as a Teacher on JAM '07 and a Group Educator on PANIM Works: Southwest '08. He currently lives in Jerusalem and is spending his third year of rabbinical school studying at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. Before rabbinical school, Adam attended UCLA, where he got a BA in History and served on the leadership team of the historic UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce. His favorite part of participating in PANIM programs is the opportunity to get to know a diverse group of teenagers who are committed to building a better world.

Joshua Ladon- Josh lives in Jerusalem, Israel. He holds a MA in Jewish Thought from Tel Aviv University and a certificate in Jewish Education from the Shalom Hartman Institute. He grew up in Worcester, MA and Denver, CO. His favorite food is Sushi and his favorite band is Phish who he will be seeing in concert this summer before DC JAM begins. This is his second summer working for DC JAM.

Mentors

Ariella Brunwasser- Ariella is originally from Chicago, IL and received a BA in English and American Literature from Brandeis University.  She also participated in the Bruria Scholars Advanced Talmud program in 2004. Ariella is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Theological Studies focusing on Religion and Education from Harvard Divinity School. Ariella attended Jewish day schools her whole life, including pre- and post-college study at Midreshet Lindenbaum in Jerusalem.  She spent three years working in the non-profit sector in Jerusalem and one year in Bucharest, Romania volunteering with the local Jewish community through the JDC Jewish Service Corps. Ariella is currently playing an active role in the Harvard community. In addition to her graduate degree from the Divinity School, she is part of a teacher training and licensure program for the high school level. Her academic interests include Islam, Buddhism, and applications of the cultural studies model to Jewish day schools.

Lindsey Hilde- Lindsey grew up in San Jose, California and has a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles. Most recently, Lindsey worked as a public affairs and communications professional in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2007, she completed the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs, a graduate-level leadership training program committed to civic engagment and the exploration of public policy issues. During her time as a Coro fellow, Lindsey became interested in transportation, land use, and environmental planning. While at UCLA, Lindsey taught a student-led seminar on U.S. Education Policy and organized educational programs to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Lindsey is looking forward to sharing her summer with the DC JAM family before beginning graduate studies in city and regional planning this fall.

Madrichim

Max Lazar- Max  is a rising sophomore at The College of William & Mary. In the past he has been a participant on two Panim el Panim seminars and Summer JAM 2007.
Growing up his two biggest passions were History, which he is majoring in, and Theater. Classic film, indie music, phish, and the grateful dead are just a few of the many other things that interest him.

Mia Neustein- Mia is a San Diego native and a current rising junior at Barnard College in NYC, majoring in Economic History.  She did DC JAM in 2005 and (obviously) loved it.  Some of her interests include: sustainable grassroots development, peer education, speaking Spanish and other languages, and having fun while eating food.

Program Director of DC JAM

Natalie Sukienik- Natalie is originally from East Windsor, NJ, and graduated from Dickinson College with a psychology major and political science minor. After graduation, Natalie relocated to Louisiana to participate in City Year Louisiana, a program that allowed her to work with students affected by Hurricane Katrina. Prior to joining the PANIM team, Natalie worked at KaBOOM!, a national non-profit committed to building playgrounds in low income areas using a community build model.  Natalie became a member of the PANIM family in November 2009 as a Program Associate working on PanimWorks and J-Serve.

DC JAM Associate

Reisa Shanaman- Reisa graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in psychology and a specialization in Jewish studies. She was active in the MSU Adolescent Diversion Project for two years, first as a youth advocate and then as an assistant instructor, helping other advocates lead successful interventions. Reisa has done fundraising work for non-profits and has also spent a summer interning for JARC, a non-profit that provides services and assisted living homes for individuals with developmental disabilities. She has recently visited Washington on two separate lobbying missions: one with the National Council of Jewish Women, and the other through a student-led MSU Hillel trip, which she helped to plan and promote.