Executive Leadership
Lindsey Newman
Lindsey Newman (she/her) is the Director of Community Engagement at Be’chol Lashon. She has over a decade of experience working to advance racial justice in the Jewish community and in the fields of women’s rights advocacy and early childhood education.
She was selected for the 2nd cohort of the Ruskay Institute for Jewish Professional Leadership, participated in the first Jew of Color Selah Leadership Cohort through Bend the Arc, and currently serves on the board of NCJW San Francisco.
Lindsey published a book of young adult nonfiction with Hachette Book Group that landed on the NYT extended best-seller list.
Lindsey received her B.S. degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and currently splits her time between two of the best cities in the world, San Francisco and New York.
Aaron Samuels
Aaron Samuels (he/him) is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Blavity Inc. , a digital community for Black Millennials that reaches over 100 million people per month. Beginning his career as a poet, Aaron has since toured the country with his acclaimed book, Yarmulkes & Fitted Caps , performed on television, and landed himself on Forbes' coveted 30 under 30 list as a rising star in the tech and media space.
Aaron co-founded the first Moishe House in the world dedicated to prioritizing the experiences of Jews of Color. He sits on the Board of Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice.
Aaron received his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and his MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
When he is not at Blavity, Aaron works as an executive coach and as an investor, operating a small fund that deploys capital into early stage companies founded by women and people of color. Aaron Samuels is Black and Jewish.
Rachel Sumekh
Rachel Sumekh (she/her) is the Founder & CEO of Swipe Out Hunger. The organization is the leading nonprofit in addressing hunger amongst college students. Nationally, one in three students struggle with food insecurity.
Her work has been recognized by The Obama White House as a Champion of Change, covered by The New York Times, and landed her on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list. Rachel grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles and was raised by Iranian Jewish immigrants to whom she credits her intersectional perspective.
Swipe Out Hunger began in 2010 with a few friends at UCLA. Since, it has grown onto over 100 universities, serving 2 million nourishing meals. Their innovative approach allows university students to donate unused funds from their meal plans to food-insecure peers.
Rachel wrote the Hunger Free Campus Act which has since sent $20+ million to anti-hunger programs on campus. Rachel is an alum of Avodah, Selah, and a member of the ROI Community. Rachel serves on the board of her Jewish spiritual community, IKAR, and is a proud graduate of UCLA.
Supporting Cast
Ellen Loeshelle
Ellen Loeshelle (she/her) is a product manager with a passion for connecting with people and building communities. She currently serves as Senior Director of Product Management at Clarabridge outside of Washington, DC. She is a proud product of an interfaith family which taught her the importance of religious tolerance, dialogue, and inclusivity. Ellen holds a BA from the University of Virginia and an MA from Georgetown University. In her free time, she is an avid runner, traveler, and foodie.
Hannah Sachs
Hannah Joy Sachs is an experiential educator who has led immersive programs for young adults throughout Asia and the United States. She currently serves as Communications and Community Manager for Humanity in Action. Motivated to further understand her identity as a Jew of Color and adoptee raised in New York, Hannah completed a BA in sociology from Davidson College and an MSc in Migration Studies from the University of Oxford. Outside of work and academics, Hannah is a horseback rider, a lifelong New York Yankees fan, a serial traveler (prior to the pandemic) who loves learning about local art movements.
Molly Wernick
Molly Wernick (she/her) is a Jewish Communal professional, educator, and activist from Philadelphia, Pa. Her pursuit of social and racial justice roots heavily from her years at Habonim Dror Camp Galil and her love of graphic design is just something that she picked up along the way. Molly holds an MA in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a BA in Speech Communication and Women's Studies from Ithaca College. She loves salted caramel ice cream and collaborating with NFD's web & curriculum teams.
Peretz Wolf-Prusan
Peretz Wolf-Prusan is an independent Rabbi and Printmaker living in Berkeley, CA. He leads Talmud Circles and prints serigraphs featuring Hebrew letters. Previously he was a congregational and community Jewish educator.