Introducing the American Jewish Civics Seminar
The American Jewish Civics Seminar (AJCS), convened in partnership with the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, is a cohort of leading Jewish scholars and educators working together to nurture the emergence of a new field: American Jewish Civics. This first-of-its-kind effort aims to develop a draft definition, conceptual framework, and practical guidance to support the American Jewish community in engaging in American Jewish Civics in the coming months and years.
We look forward to reporting on the progress of the project and are thrilled to bring together such an esteemed panel of thinkers. We invite you to learn more about our AJCS Fellows below.
Rabbi Mark Gottlieb is chief education officer of The Tikvah Fund and founding dean of the Tikvah Scholars Program. Prior to Tikvah, Rabbi Gottlieb served as head of school at Yeshiva University High School for Boys and principal of the Maimonides School in Brookline, MA, and has taught at The Frisch School, Ida Crown Jewish Academy, Hebrew Theological College, Loyola University in Chicago, and the University of Chicago. He received his BA from Yeshiva College, rabbinical ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, and an MA in Philosophy from the University of Chicago. Rabbi Gottlieb’s writing has appeared in First Things, Public Discourse, SEVEN: An Anglo-American Literary Review, The University Bookman, Tradition Online, the Algemeiner Journal, From Within the Tent: Essays on the Weekly Parsha, and, most recently, Strauss, Spinoza & Sinai: Orthodox Judaism and Modern Questions of Faith. He lives in Teaneck, NJ with his wife and family.
Rabbi Michael G. Holzman is the spiritual leader of Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation, and the creator of the American Scripture Project, a prize winning national program that helps faith communities wrestle with the core narratives of American identity through the practice of sacred text study. Since 2016, he has collaborated with local and national organizations like the Aspen Institute, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, and the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America to investigate the intersection of faith and democracy. Rabbi Holzman graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Washington University in St. Louis, and received rabbinic ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion at the New York campus. He hails from Miami and Islamorada, Florida, and when he is not on a hiking trip, lives with his wife, Nicole, and their Covid-canine, Rosie, in Reston, Virginia.
Danielle Kranjec is the associate vice president for Jewish education at Hillel International, where she is responsible for the educational approach that helps students develop and grow their Jewish knowledge, friendships, and identities. A nationally-recognized relational educator, Danielle previously served as the director of campus initiatives for Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, and prior to that was senior Jewish educator at the Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh. Danielle received her BA from Oberlin College summa cum laude, and holds an MA in Medieval Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she also completed her doctoral coursework. Inspired by her work to elevate the voices of Jewish women, her colleagues at Hillel International coined the eponymous Kranjec Test to determine whether the sources from which we teach are inclusive. Danielle also currently serves as a Twersky Education Fellow at the Jewish Women’s Archive.
Jon A. Levisohn is a philosopher of Jewish and general education. He is on the faculty at Brandeis University, where he also directs the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education. An alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program, he holds a BA from Harvard and graduate degrees from Stanford, and has also received fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania and NYU. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including most recently Teaching Historical Narratives: A Philosophical Inquiry into the Virtues of Historical Interpretation, and the forthcoming Jewish Literacy.
Rabbi Charlie Savenor is the executive director of Civic Spirit. Founded in 2017, Civic Spirit provides training and support to Jewish day schools in civic education. Its mission is to educate, inspire, and empower faculty and students toward civic belonging, knowledge, and responsibility. A graduate of Brandeis University, JTS Rabbinical School, and Columbia Teachers College, Charlie is currently writing a book called What My Father Couldn’t Tell Me. Charlie serves on the international boards of Gesher and Leket Israel, The National Food Bank. He lives in New York where his family maintains their avid commitment to the Boston Red Sox.
Dr. Rivka Press Schwartz currently serves as associate principal, General Studies at SAR High School in the Bronx, New York and is a fellow of the Kogod Research Center at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. She has spent more than 15 years in the field of Jewish secondary and post-secondary education. Dr. Press Schwartz earned a Ph.D. in History of Science from Princeton University, writing her dissertation about the cultural history of the Manhattan Project. She lives in Washington Heights, New York with her family and lectures widely on issues of contemporary importance in the Orthodox Jewish community.
Rabbi Ari Schwarzberg is an administrator and senior educator at Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles where he is responsible for guiding the democratic educational environment as well as teaching both Gemara and Tanakh. Recently, Ari was awarded the prestigious Milken Jewish Educator award recognizing his teaching and contributions to the LA Jewish community. Before arriving in Los Angeles, Rabbi Schwarzberg spent years studying in Yeshivat Shaalvim, Yeshiva University (RIETS), and Harvard Divinity School. Ari is a passionate believer that Jewish community is best built through shared study of serious Torah learning. Ari is married to Naomi Weiss and together they have three children, Simon, Lev, and Boaz.
Alon Shalev is a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute. He holds a doctorate in Jewish Thought from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His work revolves around meaning in life, ethics, and political philosophy. Alon lives in Tzur Hadassah, and is married with three children.
Dr. Tamara Mann Tweel currently serves as the senior program director for civic initiatives at the Teagle Foundation and is a fellow of the Kogod Research Center at Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. She has spent her career educating students, faith leaders, and professionals on the history and value of American civil society and civic leadership. Tamara received her Ph.D. in history from Columbia University and a master’s degree in theological studies from the Harvard Divinity School. Dr. Tweel was the co-founder and executive director of Civic Spirit, a civic education organization serving Jewish and Catholic independent schools across America. She serves on the Advisory Council of The Princeton University Office of Religious Life.
The AJCS is a joint project of A More Perfect Union: the Jewish Partnership for Democracy and the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, and began work in 2024. To learn more about the program, please contact info@jewishdemocracy.org.
