Braiding in the Jewish New Year with Rabbi Vanessa Harper

Rabbi Vanessa Harper is the author of Loaves of Torah: Exploring the Jewish Year through Challah. The book is based upon her long-time Instagram-based education project @lechlechallah, which uses challah as an artistic medium for interpreting and teaching Torah and the Jewish calendar. Rabbi Harper serves as Senior Director of Adult Jewish Living at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, MA. She was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 2021, and during her training for the rabbinate was recognized as a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar, a UJA-Federation Graduate Scholar, a Be Wise Jewish Entrepreneurial Fellow, and as one of the New York Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36.” 

Alyssa Silva is the Programming Manager for the Office of Innovation at American Jewish University whose passion is to reimagine and implement what Jewish community looks like by bringing a unique perspective on what is engaging and inspiring Jewish communities today. Prior to arriving at AJU, she was the Assistant Executive Director of Houston Hillel, the Programming and Operations Associate at Maryland Hillel, and is a proud Moishe House DC alumni. Alyssa has a Master’s Degree in Jewish Nonprofit Management from The Zelikow School, a BA in Religious Studies from The University of Arizona, and a certificate in Jewish Experiential Education from The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.