This important group of individuals is using their voices to work with Rabbi Josh to get Co/Lab right.  They attend the programs with an eye toward giving feedback to Rabbi Josh about what’s working and what we can do better.  They also help expand Co/Lab’s reach by spreading word and by sharing their ideas about where Co/Lab might go next. Each is a wonderful and creative person in their own right and Co/Lab is lucky to have them aboard. 

Dana Bacharach was born in Israel, but grew up in Portland. More coming soon. 

Gabriel Stein-Bodenheimer is a trans & queer Jewish writer and teacher. He is currently working on a memoir about the year he started T and transitioned while teaching at a Catholic high school—and was not fired. His words have appeared in Kaithe, Alma, and the forthcoming second edition of Trans Bodies, Trans Selves. Stein-Bodenheimer has taught high school English for nearly a decade now and is a fierce advocate for trans and queer youth. He is the recipient of the Kathleen Cecil Award for Excellence in Teaching. His tutoring company, Cabin Window Bright Tutoring, tutors PK-12 students in Humanities subjects. He lives in Portland, OR with his wife and two cats. 

Ilana Rose Cloud is an illustrator, web & graphic designer, photographer, communications crafter and lover of song. She has been creating Jewish circles in Portland around community, food, femininity, and song for 5+ years. Ilana has worked on multiple Jewish farms and previously co-lead Portland’s Jewish CSA, Tuv Ha’aretz. She co-facilitates a Jewish womxn’s group in Portland and creates illustrations filled with magic, color and line. View her website and her work at: ilanarosecloud.com.

Megan Harned has been a Portlander for eight years and a part of the Jewish community for about five of those years. During this time, she’s done everything from write art criticism, sell theater tickets, coordinate the education team at OJMCHE and learn with Tisch PDX’s third cohort. Megan is thrilled to bring her background in Art History, and Sustainability Studies, and passion for Torah and Jewish community to help nurture creative ways to come together and explore our diverse Jewish identities. 

Roy Kaufmann Born in Israel and raised in South Africa and the United States, Roy is first and foremost a father of four kids and a lifelong seeker. With a background in media relations, media strategy, public affairs, and speechwriting, Roy is an award-winning communications practitioner with 20 years in the PR trenches – from PR agencies to the political campaigns to the halls of government. A lifelong fan and student of comedy and improvisation, Roy studied at the Second City Theater training school in Los Angeles, one of his favorite academic experiences. Roy holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of San Diego and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of California, Davis.

Natan Meir is the Lorry I. Lokey Professor of Judaic Studies in the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at Portland State University. He was born in Jerusalem, raised in New Jersey and Quebec, and educated in New York. He has also been a member of Jewish communities in England and Washington, DC, and enjoys teaching Jewish history, culture, and synagogue skills to diverse groups of folks.

Chirona Rose Silverstein (they/them) is a genderqueer, bisexual, polyamorous white Jewish engineer from New York who has been living in Portland for the past 11 years. They are committed to working towards a more mindful, inclusive, and liberated society. They are a program manager, DEI practitioner, facilitator, and certified coach, supporting clients in unblocking themselves from the challenges they are facing. They spend time engaging in local mutual aid and wealth redistribution efforts, finding grounding and connection through relationships, time in nature, mindfulness, singing, and various forms of body movement including yoga, skiing, cycling, hiking, and many others. They have been with their partner Rae (he/they) since July 2021 and are a pet parent to a very sweet big boy pup named Oz who was born in 2013.

Rachel Stern has been teaching yoga for over 15 years and has been a Jewish educator for even longer.  The combination of yoga with Jewish stories and values continues to inspire her offerings. In 2018 Rachel founded the Portland Jewish Yoga Collective, to provide opportunities for all people to have an embodied experience of Judaism. In 2019 she  graduated from the 1st cohort of TischPDX, and currently serve on their board of directors.  You can find out more about Racehl and her work at her website, heartshapedyoga.com.