2021

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Coach: Miryam Pomerantz Dauber
Peer: Samuel Fischer
Social: www.writereli.com
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Venture Description

It took a graduate thesis for me to finally write about being transgender and Jewish– subjects I’d deemed too difficult, raw, and multifaceted to properly explore, but once I started to write, I knew I owed it to my younger self– and the communities I frequented– to keep going. Hineni! aims to contribute to the growing representation around transgender Jewish characters in contemporary fiction. My first novel, finished during the Fellowship, portrays a transgender Jewish father readjusting to life in his Southern hometown.

About the Founder

Elijah Tomaszewski (Eli Aharon) studied creative writing at Susquehanna University, where he was a Janet Weis scholar, and Rosemont College, where his nonfiction thesis, “the wakeful heart,” was received with distinction at graduation. Elijah works a day job in the Philadelphia suburbs that gives him plenty of character ideas and moonlights as a literary magazine copyeditor, contest screener, and conference volunteer coordinator.

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Coach: Andrea Jacobs
Peer: Ariella Werden-Greenfield
Social: habonimdror.org
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Venture Description

Habonim Dror North America is a Jewish youth movement that is built not only on its ideology, but it’s ability to create and strengthen personal relationships. When the relationships we have are fraught with tensions, our ability to trust the decisions we make collectively greatly decreases. My venture aims to revitalize the ability of our members to build healthy, meaningful, and dialogical relationships as a foundation for critically examining our current democratic structures.

About the Founder

Erica Kushner is the current Mazkirol of Habonim Dror North America, a Jewish youth movement of which they are a long-time member. They have a passion for all things Jewish and queer, along with being an avid bread baker. Once the role of Mazkirol is passed to the next youth leader, they hope to move to Israel and upbuild the Socialist-Zionist dream of a just and equal Jewish state.

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Coach: Jeff Hurok
Peer: Nuriya Neumann
Social: @hanab_ot www.hanab-ot.com
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Venture Description

I created HBOT as a resource, sounding board, and hands-on collaborative therapeutic means, to help families navigate the developmental milestones that are unique to children of ALL abilities and needs. As your personal Developmental Care Guide, I am here to provide individualized resources and recommendations to support your child’s developmental skills as well as incorporate your families’ values. As a pediatric occupational therapist with over a decade of experience, I am able to draw on my thorough background and understanding of developmental milestones to create an approach that integrates a variety of methods and techniques to create a holistic, yet comprehensive plan that is tailored to each family. HBOT offers families the ability to define their level of service need.

About the Founder

I am Hana Bernett and I’m a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, born and raised in Haverford, PA. I received my master’s in occupational therapy from Quinnipiac University, where I also studied fine art. My unique background allows me to approach various activities with my families creatively, with the goal of enabling every child to reach their greatest potential. Throughout my career, I have worked in a variety of pediatric settings including, outpatient, early intervention, acute care, and rehabilitation.

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Coach: Stu Maleef
Peer: Alanna Raffel
Social: @civio.studio
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Venture Description

civio.io is a web app that helps Occupational and Physical Therapists easily provide customizable packages of devices and services for patients before discharge, so they can recover faster with less stress and more information.

About the Founder

Eli has built his career at the experiential intersection of the built environment and digital interaction. Since his recent hospitalization with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, he is refocusing his career on accessibility, inclusivity, and equity.

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Coach: Amy Krulik
Peer: Caleb Murphy
Social: https://pjff.org/
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Venture Description

As Film Festival Manager of one of the oldest Jewish Film Festivals in the country, I believe that we can expand and diversify our audience by uniting with other film festivals of the city. There is no doubt that Covid-19 has put a huge damper on movie theaters and film festivals in the past year. Through this official Film Festival Alliance, we, the festivals, can become a go-to resource for the latest news regarding our upcoming events. This will allow us to intermix our audiences and let them discover and engage with a variety of different film festivals they may not have been familiar with before. This Alliance won’t only increase the Jewish Film Festival audience but other film festival audiences as well. Together, we can help celebrate the diversity of these film festivals and open doors for collaborations, newer audiences and more!

About the Founder

Matt joined the Gershman Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival (GPJFF) in 2016. GPJFF is Philadelphia’s first film festival and the second oldest Jewish film festival in the country. He assists with curating their annual programs like Fall Fest and Lindy CineMondays Spring Series, marketing, moderating interviews with guest speakers, community relations, customer service, and much more! A Film & Media Arts major at Temple University, Matt has been obsessed with movies for as long as he can remember. On the side, he also works as a film studio representative for Allied Global Marketing, a full-service integrated marketing agency, assisting with advance screenings of upcoming films throughout the city for press and patrons. Judaism has improved his life on so many levels, so much so that he officially converted in 2020!

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Coach: Lori Tuner
Peer: Jess Bird
Social: @PartnerinParenthood
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Venture Description

Partner in Parenthood’s mission is to give you easy to implement tools and resources to set your child up for success, so you can soak in the moments and enjoy your time with your family. Partner in Parenthood is a subscription service that gives you unlimited messaging with experienced teachers, and childhood experts who understand the challenges of parenthood. We specialize in giving you expert advice and instant strategies/tools via text to handle your toughest kid challenges.

About the Founder

Becca is a proud mom to her daughter, Charlotte. She has her Master’s Degree in Education, has been an educator for years, and has helped countless families gain confidence and stress less.