2024 RABBIS & LECTURERS
BEN SHAPIRO
Ben Shapiro is founding editor-in-chief and editor emeritus of The Daily Wire and host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” the top conservative podcast in the nation. Shapiro is the author of numerous nonfiction books, including The New York Times #1 Bestseller The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Courage Made the West Great (HarperCollins, 2019), New York Times Bestsellers Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America (Simon & Schuster, 2013), and How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps (HarperCollins, 2020), and national bestsellers Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America’s Youth (WND Books, May 2004), Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future (Regnery, June 2005), Project President: Bad Hair and Botox on the Road to the White House (Thomas Nelson, 2007), Primetime Propaganda: The True Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV (HarperCollins, 2012), and The People vs. Barack Obama: The Criminal Case Against the Obama Administration (Simon & Schuster, 2014). Shapiro was hired by Creators Syndicate at age 17 to become the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the U.S. He earned a BA in Political Science from UCLA in 2004 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 2007. After working as an attorney for Goodwin Procter LLP, Shapiro began his own legal consulting firm, Benjamin Shapiro Legal Consulting (Los Angeles).
Ben Shapiro’s columns are printed in major newspapers and websites including Townhall, ABCNews, WorldNet Daily, Human Events, FrontPage Mag, Family Security Matters, the Riverside Press-Enterprise and the Conservative Chronicle. His columns have also appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Sun-Times, Orlando Sentinel, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, RealClearPolitics.com, Arizona Republic, and Claremont Review of Books, among others. He has been the subject of articles in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Associated Press, and Christian Science Monitor, and quoted on “The Rush Limbaugh Show,” “The Dr. Laura Show,” at CBS News, in the New York Press, in the The Washington Times, and in The American Conservative magazine, among many others. Shapiro has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows around the nation, including “The O’Reilly Factor” (Fox News), “Fox and Friends” (Fox News), “In the Money” (CNN Financial), “DaySide with Linda Vester” (Fox News), “Scarborough Country” (MSNBC), “The Dennis Miller Show” (CNBC), “Fox News Live” (Fox News Channel), “Glenn Beck Show” (CNN), “Your World with Neil Cavuto” (Fox News) and “700 Club” (Christian Broadcasting Network), “The Laura Ingraham Show,” “The Michael Medved Show,” “The G. Gordon Liddy Show,” “The Rusty Humphries Show,” “The Lars Larson Show” (nationally syndicated), “The Larry Elder Show,” The Hugh Hewitt Show,” “The Dennis Prager Show,” among others.
Since he began writing his first book, Brainwashed (2004), Shapiro has frequently addressed the issue of the Left’s ideological stranglehold on academia and has worked to push back against that trend through fact and logic-based speeches and debates. “Facts don’t care about your feelings,” has become one of Ben Shapiro’s trademark lines. He has appeared as the featured speaker at many conservative events on campuses nationwide, several of those appearances targeted by progressive and “Antifa” activists. Shapiro, an Orthodox Jew, has also worked to expose the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic motivations behind the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.”
RABBI DR. GIL S. PERL
Rabbi Dr. Gil S. Perl is the incoming CEO of the Ades Family Foundation and the Founding Head of School of the Jewish Leadership Academy, a selective Jewish Middle and High School opening in the Miami area for the Fall of 2023. For the past seven years Rabbi Perl has served as the Head of School at Kohelet Yeshiva, a Modern Orthodox K-12 in suburban Philadelphia, and as Chief Academic Officer of the Kohelet Foundation. In his capacity as CAO of the Kohelet Foundation, Rabbi Perl led the team that designed and launched Yeshiva Lab School, a highly innovative elementary school intended to re-imagine what Jewish Day School can and ought to be. A nationally sought after speaker, teacher, and thinker known for challenging the status quo, Rabbi Perl earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s Degree and Ph.D. from Harvard, and rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva University. As a Teaching Fellow at Harvard, Dr. Perl was twice awarded the university’s prestigious Certificate of Distinction in Teaching and as an instructor of Modern Jewish History at Yeshiva College he was named Yeshiva University’s Lillian F. and William L. Silber Professor of the Year.
Rabbi Perl writes and lectures widely on topics relating to the history of Modern Jewry, contemporary Jewish education, and Modern Orthodoxy. He is the author of the book The Pillar of Volozhin: Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin and the World of Nineteenth-Century Lithuanian Torah Scholarship, published by Academic Studies Press.
Follow Rabbi Perl on his blog gilperl.com and on Twitter @gperl
RABBI MOSHE LEVY
A descendent from a long lineage of Sephardic rabbis (his great grandfather was the last Chief Rabbi of Yemen), Rabbi Moshe Levy grew up in Brooklyn, New York where he received a degree in Finance from Touro College and went on to receive Rabbinic ordination in Eretz Yisrael while studying in the Kollel of Rabbi Yitschak Berkowitz Shilita. Rabbi Levy has experience in teaching sixth form students in JFS, Immanuel College, City of London Boys, Haberdashers Boys and gives weekly classes in Hasmonean Boys and Girls School. His weekly Lunch and Learn classes in Hatton Garden are oversubscribed and he is a regular guest speaker in synagogues, as well as at Jewish events, throughout London.
Moshe is the ‘Yalla’ man! It’s not just an ethos, it’s his modus operandi. His achievements to date are astounding and his signature tenacity and absolute commitment to our community have enabled him to build the strong foundations Chazak stand on today. He has become the glue of the community, bringing everyone together for fun family days and long Shabbat afternoons of motivation and inspiration. A much sought-after speaker for schools, synagogues, university students and communal events it’s hard to imagine how one man can be doing so much! In addition to inspirational lectures, we are also pleased to have Rabbi Levy leading our Sephardic Minyan.
DAVID SACKS
Born and raised in New York City, David Sacks attended Harvard College, graduating with a degree in Government. While there he began his comedy writing career for the school’s humor magazine, The Harvard Lampoon. Upon graduating, David moved to Los Angeles and began writing for television. Among the shows he’s worked for are “The Simpsons”, where he won an Emmy Award, and “Third Rock from the Sun” for which he won a Golden Globe Award, “Malcolm in the Middle”, “Murphy Brown”, and “Final Space” on Adult Swim. David is the co-founder and Senior Lecturer of The Happy Minyan of Los Angeles. David is married and raises his family in Beverly Hills, CA. David Sacks gives the weekly Torah podcast “Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World” and has spoken to enthusiastic crowds, opening the hearts of people across the US, Europe, Israel, and South Africa. His topics range from the meaning of life, to Hollywood’s impact onthe world, to achieving happiness.
AMI HOROWITZ
Ami Horowitz is an irreverent media personality. Ami is currently an on-air contributor for Fox News, creating satirical videos and expert analysis on a variety of topics, his videos have been seen over a hundred million times around the world. Ami released the feature documentary U.N. Me, which he produced, directed and starred in. U.N. Me was one of the most talked about documentaries in recent years and was released theatrically and broadcast on television in 15 countries.Ami has appeared on Fox News, Access Hollywood, CNN, NBC Nightly News, Morning Joe, the BBC, NPR, Russia Today, CSPAN among many others national television programs.
ELI WEINSTEIN
Eli is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a private practice in New York and Nevada. Residing in Las Vegas with his wife Ariella, their children Rikki and Max, and their dog Belle, he balances a vibrant family life with his professional passion.
He founded ELIvation and The Dude Therapist Podcast Show to modernize the conversation around mental health, fatherhood, parenting, and relationships, making it more relatable and accessible. Eli's approach is direct and friendly, offering a no-nonsense, engaging way to discuss mental wellness and emotional challenges.
Eli has gained recognition by featuring on The Kelly Clarkson Show, The Trauma Therapist, and other notable platforms, interviewing experts like Dr. Edith Eger and Apollo Ohno to share diverse insights on mental health, parenting, and relationships.
His mission is to empower individuals with his experience, expertise, and candid voice, promoting the belief that a better life is achievable with support, compassion, and authenticity. Eli also hosts events and offers coaching on mental health awareness, relationship building, and confidence enhancement, dedicated to fostering positive change.
www.eliweinsteinlcsw.com or @eliweinstein_lcsw / @thedudetherapist
RABBI DAVID PARDO
Rabbi David Pardo is the Director of the Orthodox Union's Torah Initiatives - dedicated to increasing access to and quality of Torah learning available to Orthodox adults in North America. With products like All Daf, OU Torah, Semichas Chaver, Torah NY, and Chag at Home, Torah Initiatives is making Torah central for hundreds of thousands of Jews.
He left a career in finance at Merrill Lynch in Beverly Hills to pursue his passion of community building. He was previously the Executive Director of Bring Israel Home (the largest post-Birthright program in the US), the Co-Director of JLIC at Brandeis University, Rabbi of Sephardic Congregation of Paramus, and an educator and organizer at a number of college and post-college level program in Israel, Canada, and America.
Rabbi Pardo has rabbinic ordination from YU, an MBA in Social Impact from Brandeis, and a BA in Economics from UCLA, and lives in New Jersey with his wife — a talented local educator — and their four awesome kids.
RABBI AVROHOM BRASHEVITSKY
Rabbi Avrohom Brashevitzky has called Doral home for the past 18 years. Together with his family, they are the founders and directors of the Chabad Jewish Center of Doral, where they passionately provide a variety of services to the Jewish community in the extended area. Before taking on this role, Rabbi Brashevitzky served as a Rabbi for multiple congregations in both Miami Beach and Massachusetts. Additionally, he has dedicated over 18 years to the field of education, serving as a religious day school educator and principal.
During his Rabbinical studies, Rabbi Brashevitzky traveled to Ukraine in the former Soviet Union, actively participating in the establishment of Jewish communities in Kharkov and Dnepropetrovsk. Alongside his wife, Zelda, Rabbi Brashevitzky is the proud parent of 10 children, one of whom has Down Syndrome and Autism. Their commitment to community service goes beyond their own family, as they continuously seek creative ways to contribute to and support the larger community.
MRS. MELISSA PERL, M.A.
Melissa Perl is the Director of Limudei Kodesh at Kohelet Yeshiva High School outside of Philadelphia where she is responsible for all elements of Judaic Studies at the school including teacher supervision, curriculum development, and cultivating the religious development of the students. A dynamic and much beloved teacher, Mrs. Perl has been teaching Tanach as well as AP Psychology in high schools for 20 years, first at Maimonides High School in Boston, then at the Frisch Yeshiva High School in New Jersey, and then at the Margolin Hebrew Academy/Feinstone Yeshiva of the South in Memphis, TN. She earned her Bachelor's degree from Stern College for Women in both Judaic Studies and Psychology. She holds a Master’s Degree in Bible from Yeshiva University, certificates in Teacher Mentoring, Student Support, Differentiated Instruction, and Educational Technology, and has completed all but her dissertation for her Doctorate of Education. Mrs. Perl is currently the Assistant Principal at Katz Yeshiva High School in Boca Raton, Florida.
ARIEL PARDO
Ariel Pardo is an educator based in Northern New Jersey. Mrs. Pardo gained her BA in Anthropology from UCLA and a Master’s in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University, where she served as the co-director of the Orthodox Union’s JLIC program, helping college students strengthen their connection to Torah. Her Master’s thesis focused on the Iggeret HaKodesh (The Holy Letter) and Rabbi Jacob Emden's (1697-1776) use of it in his siddur. An alumna of the Alisa Flatow program at Nishmat in Jerusalem, Mrs. Pardo’s fluency in both Sephardic and Ashkenazic halacha was a feature of her success as a popular kallah teacher at Brandeis University and later as rebbitzin of the Sephardic Congregation of Paramus, New Jersey, as well as a volunteer Mikvah attendant at multiple Mikvaot. She currently teaches Tanach and Ivrit to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, including special needs children, at Yeshivat He’Atid in Teaneck, New Jersey. When she’s at home, Mrs. Pardo enjoys movies, yoga, Agatha Christie mysteries, Broadway musicals, and arts & crafts projects with her children. A native of Los Angeles, she lives with her husband and four children in Fair Lawn, NJ.
PHIL ROSEN
Phil Rosen is one of the premier corporate and property attorneys in the United States. He heads the Property Group and Hospitality and Gaming Group and is one of the leaders of the Corporate Department of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, one of the largest and most successful
law firms in the world. Mr. Rosen is also one of the most prominent leaders on the Jewish communal scene. He is Vice-chair of the Board of Directors of the Birthright Israel Foundation, a member of the Board of Trustees of Yeshiva University, Founding and Current Vice Chairman of
the Board of Yeshiva College and an active member of numerous other organizations. Mr. Rosen is also one of the key power brokers in the Israel business and political communities. A prolific writer, his articles appear in many newspapers, magazines and websites in Israel, the U.S. and around the world. A prolific speaker as well, Mr. Rosen speaks on Jewish and Zionist topics regularly across the Jewish community.
ARIELLA WEINSTEIN
Ariella Weinstein is a Registered Dietitian and Women's Health Nutrition Expert. She received her Master's in Clinical Nutrition from New York University and completed her dietetic internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). After finishing her internship, she went on to work at MSKCC for four years. After relocating to Las Vegas with her husband and two kids, she pursued additional training in women's health and fertility and opened up her private practice specializing in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), fertility, and women's health.
ROCHEL HOLZKENNER
Rochel is a mother of four children and the co-director of Chabad of Las Olas, Fla., serving the community of young professionals. She is a high-school teacher and a freelance writer—and a frequent contributor to Chabad.org. She lectures extensively on topics of Kabbalah and feminism, and their application to everyday life. Rochel holds an MS in Brain Based Learning from Nova SE University.