As part of our Shabbat Synaplex, we offer Nosh & Drash at 10:30 am (NEW TIME) in-person (and online when possible). During the 55 minutes, presenters will discuss their interpretation of the weekly parasha, a subject relevant to today or something in their area of expertise. Watch our weekly email, This Week at CSH or our website calendar for the current week scheduling*. (*not held every Shabbat)
Watch for upcoming dates and new presenters here.
Janis Knight grew up in Marblehead, MA, and holds an MA in Jewish Communal Service from Brandeis University. Her professional journey has taken her to Jewish communities across the country — from Orlando to Ventura, New Jersey, and, most recently, back home to the North Shore. A passionate educator, Janis is devoted to the idea that learning is a lifelong pursuit. She believes that each of us carries a piece of Torah within us — wisdom and insight that can help make the world more whole. Her greatest joy is helping learners of all ages discover and share that light. Janis returns to CSH and her very popular Nosh & Drashes that she led during her time as the CJE Director at CSH. Outside of work, Janis enjoys reading, baking, long walks in the woods, and watching movies (even the questionable ones). She lives in Marblehead with her husband, Tom, and their three thoroughly spoiled cats.
Rachel Rubinstein is a fifth-year Rav-Hazzan student at Hebrew College in Newton, MA. Rachel grew up in northern New Jersey in a Reform Jewish household. She attended Brandeis University where she majored in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, and she discovered her passions for disability studies and sex education. Outside of school, Rachel can often be found playing one of her many instruments, enjoying nature, or playing board games with her husband.
Lisa Jane Lipkin is a cantorial soloist, recording artist, award-winning singer-songwriter, and music educator with a sense of the sacred running through all she does. She is passionately committed to creating and offering prayerful song that invites others into their own sacred knowing and into holy connection with one another. Lipkin has a BA in Music from Rutgers University and has done Jewish studies with Aleph, Davvenen’ Leadership Training Institute, Academy of Jewish Religion, Rising Song Institute in addition to private studies with Cantors Anita Schubert and Elizabeth Sternlieb.
Yoni Avi Battat amplifies and transforms the echoes of his Iraqi-Jewish ancestry to broaden perspectives, touch hearts, and build community. A dynamic singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, story-teller, and prayer leader, Yoni performs and records across North America preserving, transmitting, and innovating traditional and original melodies rooted in Arab musical forms. Described as “an education for the ear and the soul,” his debut album Fragments seeks to find new pathways to connect with ancestry and find healing around our fragmented identities. Together with Rabbi Yosef Goldman, Yoni is the co-founder of Kedmah, a musical initiative that teaches and re-imagines traditional Middle-Eastern and North-African piyyutim. From 2021-2022 Yoni toured nationally as an actor and violinist with the Tony Award-winning musical, “The Band’s Visit.” Based in Boston, Yoni works locally and nationally to uplift Mizrahi identity and bring Arab music into the soundscape of our American Jewish lives. www.yonibattat.com @yoniavibattat
Noam Sender, a regular at Shirat Hayam, returns to discuss the mystical and spiritual treasures hidden within the weekly Torah portion through a Hasidic lens, providing participants with spiritual tools and understanding for everyday life. Noam will also accompany our clergy as the guest musician during the Renewal service on these dates.
Noam is a musician and teacher. He grew up in Israel where he learned the beauty of sacred Jewish music around the Shabbat table. He studied at Berklee College of Music and the New England School of Acupuncture and has been a spiritual seeker, a meditation practitioner, and a student of mystical traditions for over forty years. Noam plays music, teaches meditation and leads drum circles at various synagogues in the greater Boston area.
