Jacob Feinspan, Executive Director

Jacob Feinspan is the Executive Director of Jews United for Justice. Before joining JUFJ, Jacob founded the advocacy program at American Jewish World Service and coordinated anti-poverty advocacy and grant-making at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.  He is currently the chair of the Jubilee USA Network, a national coalition dedicated to fighting poverty and injustice in Asia, Africa, and Latin America through the cancellation of crushing debts.  He lives with his wife Suzanne and son Mikah in Wheaton, MD.

Rabbi Elizabeth Richman, Program Director and Rabbi in Residence

Rabbi Elizabeth Richman is Program Director and Rabbi in Residence at Jews United for Justice. She also serves on the Rabbinical Assembly’s Social Justice Commission and the steering committee of DC Interfaith Worker Justice. A trained community organizer and teacher, Rabbi Richman has taught about Judaism and justice around the world, from California to Qatar.  Rabbi Richman was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where she was a Wexner Graduate Fellow and where she led KeshetJTS, the organizing campaign for the full inclusion of LGBTQ Jews in the Conservative Movement. Before entering the rabbinate, Rabbi Richman worked in the field of human rights and international development, and as an educator and project manager in the Jewish community.  She holds an AB from Princeton University and a certificate in Talmud, Tanach, and Halacha from the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education.  Rabbi Richman lives with her husband Ben Dreyfus on the DC-Maryland border, close to the future Purple Line.

Monica Kamen, Community Organizer

Monica joined JUFJ in September 2011. She graduated from the University of Maryland in May 2011, where she earned a bachelors degree in Arabic studies and English literature. She comes to DC following a year of studying Arabic in Egypt and Morocco. Monica grew up outside of Philadelphia and now lives in Columbia Heights with 13 other Avodahniks.

Rebecca Ennen, Development and Communications Manager

Rebecca Ennen joined JUFJ in August 2010. She is a master facilitator with Jewish Dialogue Group, helping Jews talk about thorny issues across political differences. In 2008 and 2009-10, Rebecca studied classical Jewish text at Yeshivat Hadar in New York. Prior to yeshiva, she lived in Philadelphia and worked as a professional theater artist and community organizer. With Penn's Center for Community Projects, she built a network of community education providers. Rebecca studied theater and education at Swarthmore College and was a Fulbright Fellow in Sri Lanka in 2004-05. Rebecca grew up in Cambridge, MA, and now lives in Mt. Pleasant, DC.