The Shamayim V'Aretz Institute

Jewish Ethics. Heavenly Ideals. Earthly Compassion.

About Us: Leadership

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz is the Founder & CEO of Shamayim V’Aretz and the author of Jewish Ethics & Social Justice: A Guide for the 21st Century now available on Amazon. His second book Epistemic Development in Talmud Study is now availalbe on Amazon also. Currently Rav Shmuly serves as the Founder and President of Uri L’Tzedek. He completed a Masters at Harvard University in Leadership and Psychology, a second Masters degree in Jewish Philosophy at Yeshiva University, and has completed a Doctorate at Columbia University in Moral Development and Epistemology. Shmuly was ordained as a Rabbi by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT Rabbinical School) in New York as a Wexner Graduate Fellow. Shmuly also received a second rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, the Chief Rabbi of Efrat and a third rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo of Jerusalem. As a global social justice educator, Shmuly has volunteered, taught, and staffed missions on five continents including Israel, Ghana, India, France, Thailand, El Salvador, Britain, Senegal, Germany, Switzerland, Ukraine, Argentina, South Africa and Haiti. In 2012, Newsweek rated Rav Shmuly one of the top 50 rabbis in America and in 2013! In 2008, the Jewish Week recognized Shmuly as one of “36 under 36” (one of 36 of the most influential Jewish leaders under the age of 36). Shmuly and his wife, Shoshana, live in Los Angeles.

Mayim Bialik, Ph.D.

Mayim Hoya Bialik is best known for her lead role in the 1990's NBC sitcom Blossom, as well as for her portrayal of the young Bette Midler in "Beaches." She has also appeared in Woody Allen's "Don't Drink the Water" and HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Bialik was born to first-generation American teachers and documentary filmmakers and was raised in Los Angeles, attending both public and religious school. Bialik has guest starred on some of the most beloved TV shows of the 1980s and 1990s including MacGyver, The Facts of Life, and Webster. She has appeared numerous times on The Tonight Show, the Arsenio Hall Show, and on Conan O'Brien and Jon Stewart's early forays into late-night.

Bialik received her B.S. in Neuroscience and Hebrew and Jewish Studies from UCLA in 2000 and earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2007 from UCLA, specializing in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome. She is the celebrity spokesperson for the Holistic Moms Network, a national non-profit organization dedicated to supporting holistic and green parenting and living.

Matisyahu

When Matisyahu emerged in 2004 with his debut album, Shake Off the Dust...Arise, his musical persona seemed to some a novelty. Here was a Hasidic Jew -- dressed in a black suit with a broad-brimmed black hat worn over a yarmulke, and sporting a full, untrimmed beard -- who nevertheless performed toasting raps about the glories of traditional Judaism over reggae beats in a dancehall style directly from Jamaica. Moreover, he punctuated his performances with stage diving. It may have seemed like a joke at first, but Matisyahu was serious about his craft, and his diverse style soon garnered Grammy nominations, gold record certifications, and a broad audience.

Known for blending traditional Jewish themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing sounds, Matisyahu's single "King Without a Crown" was a Top 40 hit in the United States. In 2006 he was named as Top Reggae Artist by Billboard.

Lisa Karlan

Tikkun Olam, a concept of repairing the world, has guided the choices of Lisa Karlan. With a background in public health and nursing, Lisa volunteered with Operation Crossroads Africa after college, providing primary heath care in Ivory Coast. Next, Lisa spent the following 20 years coordinating the recovery of organs and tissue for transplantation and founded, Karlan Memorial Tissue Bank, the first non profit multiple tissue bank in California, and a tribute to her parents, who died during Lisa's 20's.  A few years ago, Lisa adopted a plant-based dietary lifestyle and experienced such dramatic changes that this compelled her to learn more about plant-based nutrition from experts across the country. Lisa is now a Heath Coach and Food for Life Instructor, certified by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Lisa believes that if she knew then, what she now knows, her parents might still be alive. Lisa's understanding is that most chronic disease: obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and some autoimmune diseases are food borne illnesses. Lisa is repairing the world by teaching others how to prevent, reverse and stabilize chronic disease through dietary choices, while simultaneously creating a humane world for animals knowing that this will also have a positive impact on our environment and the Earth.

Yossi Quint

Board Member

Yossi Quint is currently spending the year in the Old City of Jerusalem studying biblical texts, Talmud, Jewish philosophy, and Jewish law. A graduate of the Ramaz Upper School, Yossi will be attending Princeton in the fall. A vegan since the age of twelve, Yossi has experienced the ins and outs of being a vegan in the Orthodox community. One of his major discoveries this year has been the Mea Shearim take out restaurant Hadar Geula, where they serve vegan chulent and kishke.

Don Goldman

Board Member

Don Goldman is Executive Director and CEO of Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City. He spent much of his career in the business world first as a telecom executive and later an Internet entrepreneur. He switched to the non-profit sector about 7 years ago following a 5-year stint as a stay-at-home dad. He has a BA from the Johns Hopkins University in Political Economy and an MBA from the University of Chicago. His interest in veganism started when in the same week his vegetarian son bought him a copy of Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer and he saw Forks over Knives, a movie that emphasizes the health benefits of veganism, but also deals with the underlying moral issues of the death of the family farm. He became a vegan the following week and began to learn more about the sources of food in modern society.

Rabbi Jonathan Klein

Board Member

Rabbi Jonathan Klein proudly serves as the Executive Director at CLUE-LA. Since rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College, Jonathan has served congregations in Flagstaff, Arizona and Rye, served three years directing Reform Movement's College Department, then eight years as the Director of USC Hillel and a year at Progressive Jewish Alliance; he has been with CLUE-LA since 2009. An animal rights activist, he recently founded a multi-faith-based response to animal cruelty, Faith Action For Animals.

Tani Demain

Shoshana Yanklowitz

Advisory Committee

The Shamayim V'Aretz Institute, a community of Jewish vegans, is working to create a paradigm shift in how the Jewish community views veganism.
Shamayim V'Aretz programing includes animal welfare, environmental, and health veganism.
The Institute works specifically to promote veganism within the Jewish community.

If you have any question please contact us at info@shamayimvaretz.org