2026 Special Guests

2026 Convention Special Guests

We welcome our 2026 Convention special guests!

WRJ Guests: Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch, WRJ CEO and Jane Karlin, Ph.D., WRJ Secretary
Keynote Speaker: Rabbi Keara Stein
UAHC Camp Special Guest: Jessie Shamout
Friday Evening Services: Ally Karpel-Pomerantz, MEdL and Alyssa Feigelson, MAHL, MEdL
Saturday Morning Services: Ally Karpel-Pomerantz, MEdL
Saturday Installation: The Three Cantors - Cantor Allison Weiss, Cantor Lizzie Weiss, and Cantor Sara Hass
Saturday Disco Party: DJ Dan
YES Fund Lunch Special Guest: Cantor Kerith Spencer-Shapiro

Our special guests, along with many others, will share their expertise and experience and engage us during our Opening Session, Shabbat, Torah Study, Legislative Body Meeting, and Workshops.

Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch serves as the CEO of Women of Reform Judaism, a position she has held since 2023. Prior to leading WRJ, she served as the rabbi of Temple Anshe Amunim in Pittsfield, MA. Rabbi Hirsch was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in New York, where she earned recognition for her academic and leadership achievements as a Wexner Graduate Fellow, Tisch Fellow, and WRJ Scholar. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Brown University. A passionate advocate for justice, Rabbi Hirsch founded and co-chaired RAC Massachusetts, a statewide synagogue-based community organizing initiative of Reform Judaism. She played a pivotal role as a key faith leader in the successful 2020 campaign to pass the ROE Act, safeguarding reproductive rights and abortion access in Massachusetts. She began her career as a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center, where she focused on issues related to Israel and antisemitism.

Rabbi Hirsch is a frequent writer and speaker on topics including social justice, spiritual practice, and the evolving landscape of Jewish life. Her thought leadership has been featured in The Social Justice Torah Commentary (CCAR Press, 2021) and Prophetic Voices: Renewing and Reimagining Haftarah (CCAR Press, 2023). She also hosts Just For This, a weekly podcast that empowers women in leadership to explore themes of gender and leadership. Rabbi Hirsch lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband, Rabbi Neil P.G. Hirsch, and their two children.

Jane Karlin, Ph.D. currently serves as Secretary of Women of Reform Judaism. She has held leading advancement positions in higher education and Jewish communal organizations, including New York University, The New School, Hadassah, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and The Jewish Agency for Israel. In 2019 she retired to teach fundraising at NYU School of Professional Studies, become an engaged volunteer, and have more time for friends and family and the Berkshires.

For over 40 years she and her husband, Roy z”l, lived in Greenwich Village, where they raised their daughter and son. Today, her family includes two pre-teen grandsons. She lives in Riverdale (Bronx), NY, where she is active in WRJ at the Riverdale Temple. She is engaged in the Northeast District and is on the WRJ North American Board. She is a Skidmore College alumna and has graduate degrees from Brown University and NYU (Ph.D).

Rabbi Keara Stein is the Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Beth Hillel, Valley Village, CA. As an integral member of the senior professional staff, she is responsible for the operation of the Religious School, adult and family education, and oversight of Judaic and Hebrew curriculum and instruction in the Elementary School. Additionally, Rabbi Stein performs rabbinic duties and provides support for programs within our congregation.

Rabbi Stein was ordained from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Prior to that, she received her Masters of Arts in Hebrew Letters, completed a Rabbinic Student Interdenominational Program and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Studies with a minor in music from Willamette University in Salem, OR.

Before joining TBH, Rabbi Stein worked in Development at the Jewish Community Center in Silverlake. Additionally, she has served as Rabbi for Temple Beth Solomon of the Deaf and Director of InterfaithFamily Los Angeles where she provided counseling and teaching to couples, individuals, and families relating to religion, tradition and lifecycle events. Rabbi Stein brings to TBH an extensive background working with individuals and families to have positive Jewish experiences and has specific expertise working with interfaith families to navigate religious and family challenges, and as a hospital chaplain.

Jessie Shamout is Associate Camp Director at URJ Camp Newman in Santa Rosa. CA. She has been working in the field of youth and camping for over 15 years and attributes some of her most transformative experiences to Jewish camp. As a Southern California native, she spent her summers at Camp JCA Shalom in Malibu, then ventured across the country to attend URJ Kutz Camp. While new in this role, she’s excited to return to Porter Creek where she served as faculty for several summers while she was the educator at University Synagogue in Los Angeles. She comes to Newman most recently from Steve & Kate’s Camp, a secular day camp with locations all over the country. She has a BA in Jewish Studies from the University of Arizona (Bear Down!) and a Masters in Education from USC (Fight On!) and looks forward to March Madness every year. When she’s not at camp you can usually catch her at the dance studio or hanging with her family at Disneyland.

Ally Karpel-Pomerantz, MEdL is a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, where she recently earned her Master of Jewish Educational Leadership (MEdL). Prior to rabbinical school, Ally worked for the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, first as an Eisendrath Legislative Assistant, where she led federal advocacy efforts around economic justice, labor rights, disability rights, gender-based violence, and reproductive rights. Later, she worked as the campaign organizer of the WRJ-RAC Reproductive Health & Rights Campaign, where she drove strategy around the Reform Movement’s reproductive rights advocacy on a local, state, and federal level. Throughout her time at HUC, Ally has served as the student rabbi for communities in Charlotte, NC and Juneau, AK and is currently a rabbinic intern at Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles. She has served on WRJ’s North American Board since 2024.

Alyssa Feigelson, MAHL, MEdL is a rabbinical-education student from the San Francisco Bay Area in California. She attended Reed College and graduated in May of 2021 with a B.A. in History. At Reed she was the president of the Jewish Student Union, liaison to the Chabad on Campus and the Portland Hillel. She wrote her undergraduate thesis, Sourdough Challah, on the foundation of Reform Judaism in the San Francisco Bay Area and how Jewish women helped the movement take root. She received her MAHL from HUC in 2024 and her MEdL in 2025. Her education capstone, Roots and Routes, was a curriculum guide on Western States Jewish History for fourth graders. She is an HUC student representative for the Reform Movement’s Commission on Social Action and is currently serving as the rabbinic intern at Kehillat Israel in the Pacific Palisades.

Cantor Kerith Spencer-Shapiro brings a deep commitment to Jewish mindfulness and spirituality and strives to establish personal connections while honoring the past through music and prayer. She serves as the Cantor and Rosh T’filah (Head of Worship) of the synagogue on the Jack H. Skirball campus of Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles where she is also an instructor in the Rabbinic school. Kerith served as a congregational cantor, most notably at University Synagogue and Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles from 2014-2025.Kerith served on the board of the American Conference of Cantors from 2006-2018, as a trustee and as Vice President of member relations and external partnerships. Between 2018-2021, she was the cantorial liaison to the Central Conference of American Rabbis’ Task Force on Women in the Rabbinate. She received training as a Jewish Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher through the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, where she also served as adjunct faculty, and now leads a monthly sit. She has gained national recognition for her work in Jewish mindfulness practices and is a sought-after scholar in residence.

Cantor Allison Weiss joined Temple Sinai of Glendale in July 2022. Allison is a multifaceted individual, blending various roles seamlessly. As a singer, she captivates audiences with her melodious voice, enchanting them with her soulful performances. Beyond her musical prowess, Allison is a devoted mom, nurturing her son Jayden with love, care, and boundless support. Her compassionate nature extends to her four-legged friends as well, as she is an avid dog lover, always advocating for animal welfare. With an unwavering determination, she tackles each challenge with grace and tenacity, inspiring those around her. Allison’s vibrant spirit and versatile talents continue to shape her journey, leaving an indelible mark on the world.

Cantor Sara Hass possesses a truly rare talent as an extraordinary vocalist with a deeply Jewish soul, she pursued cantorial studies at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, receiving her ordination in 2015 and presenting a cantorial thesis on Jewish musical creativity in Los Angeles. She then returned to southern California, where she became the first-ever Cantor at Temple Israel in Long Beach, excelling especially in her work with B’nai Mitzvah students and her use of technology to deepen the congregational musical experience. In 2018, Cantor Hass was invited to be the Campus Cantor of the Los Angeles campus of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she continues to contribute to the learning and growth of an entire era of young rabbis. Cantor Hass is continuing her impressive career at Leo Baeck Temple.

Cantor Lizzie Weiss serves as Senior Cantor at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills, CA, where she
uses the power of music to engage congregants and support them in making spiritual connections. Music is her medium for teaching Torah. She celebrates the significance of nostalgic traditional music alongside relevant contemporary melodies. She aims to create a spiritual musical world combining nostalgic and contemporary melodies that make Jewish music accessible to congregants and the community-at-large. Cantor Weiss also performs in secular and religious concerts throughout the country and enjoys collaborating with fellow American Conference of Cantors cantors.

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