To register for the High Holidays, click here.
High Holiday Leadership Team 5783 and Guest Teachers
Rabbi-Cantor Marcia Tilchin is the founder and spiritual leader of the Jewish Collaborative of Orange County (JCoOC), a community mosaic that offers creative and collaborative programming designed to foster and deepen Jewish connection for individuals and families. Ordained from both the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City and the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, Marcia served Conservative congregations in Upper Nyack, New York and Tustin, California before launching her own initiative in 2016. Rabbi Tilchin’s commitment to helping people feel at home within the big tent of Judaism is a signature of her compassion-driven spiritual leadership, service and interfaith engagement. Marcia is the current president of the Orange County Interfaith Network and the Interfaith Youth Alliance, sits on the Leadership Advisory Council for Family Promise and on the board of Music in Common, and is a co-founder of the Orange County Alliance for Just Change (OCAJC). In 2020. Rabbi Tilchin was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of Orange County by the Orange County Register.
Jason Feddy moved to Laguna Beach from the UK in 2000 and rarely looks back. He has served as Cantorial Soloist for Temple Isaiah in Newport Beach since 2014 and partners with Rabbi Tilchin to lead services and a variety of community-wide programs hosted by the Jewish Collaborative of Orange County. Jason serves as the Orange County coordinator for Music in Common, an organization that brings together young people of diverse backgrounds to address social issues through discussion, multi-media and songwriting programs. Well-known locally for his talents as a singer, guitarist, and songwriter, Jason founded "Mad Dogs and the Englishman," a Joe Cocker tribute band that performs throughout the Southwest. From 2015-2018 Jason was a featured DJ at Laguna’s local radio station, KX935, and won an Orange County Music Award for best solo performer. He is a collaborative partner with actress/comedienne, Rita Rudner and Martin Bergman, has produced six albums of original music and, prior to the pandemic, performed regularly at Jacob’s Ladder folk festival by the Sea of Galilee in Israel.
Eric Dangott is currently enrolled in the Rabbinic Studies program at the Academy of Jewish Religion, Los Angeles, where he is pursuing rabbinic ordination. By day, Eric is a Business Analyst for SchoolsFirst Credit Union, avid runner and cat-lover. Eric’s Jewish journey began in childhood at Temple Sharon in Costa Mesa. After graduating from the University of California in Santa Cruz, Eric spent years traveling extensively for work. Once resettled in SoCal, he became very involved with local synagogues, first in San Diego and then Orange County. He worked closely with Rabbi Tilchin on the ritual committee and as a lay leader of CBI in Tustin. In 2013 he began to serve as rabbinic intern for Surf City Synagogue in Huntington Beach and is currently co-spiritual leader with Jason Feddy of Temple Isaiah. He and wife, Kati Fallon, are a wonderful addition to the Collaborative Team.
Ron Levy is a professional pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger and producer with a Master’s degree from UCLA. He has taught at and held accompanist positions for a variety of organizations, including Idyllwild Arts Academy, Orange County School of the Arts, Orange Coast College and UCLA. Ron held the keyboard chair in the Club Grill band at the Ritz-Carlton for 10 years; he subsequently led the jazz trio at Pelican Hill Resort upon its opening for three years. Ron is currently musical director and bandleader at the Center for Spiritual Living Newport-Mesa and for the “Saturdays@5” program at St. Mark Presbyterian in Newport Beach. He has enjoyed being part of JCoOC's musical team for High Holidays and Shabbat since 2017.
Scott Spitzer, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Political Science at California State University, Fullerton where he is also the faculty advisor for Hillel. Scott serves on the OC Hillel Board of Directors and worked with UC Irvine’s Olive Tree Initiative from 2014-2020. He teaches an annual course at CSUF on the history of the Arab / Israeli relationship since World War II. Scott is a wonderful musician and prayer leader for young children who has been creating innovative, inspiring and substantive Jewish services for OC Jewish children for the past 17 years. He is married to Rabbi Marcia and is a devoted father to their three young adult children, Avi, Sheindl and Yaira. His happy place is Camp Ramah in the Rocky Mountains where he volunteers every summer to be the camp driver for a few weeks.
Guest Speakers and Presenters
Alissa R. Ackerman, Ph.D, is an Associate Professor in the Division of Politics, Administration and Justice at California State University, Fullerton. She has dedicated her career to studying sex crimes policy and practice, the etiology of sexual offending, the effects of sexual victimization, and, more recently, restorative justice options for those impacted by sexual harm. Alissa has written extensively on topics related to sexual violence in blogs and magazine articles, has published over 35 peer-reviewed journal articles, has authored/edited six books and recently served as co-editor on a special edition of the Journal of Sexual Abuse. Her most recent book, Healing from Sexual Violence: The Case for Vicarious Restorative Justice, co-authored with Dr. Jill Levenson, was published in 2019.Alissa has worked across North America, Australia, and New Zealand. She has given over fifty national and international talks on her sex crimes work including a TED Talk on The Importance of Connection.
Professor Julia Lupton is the author or co-author of five books on Shakespeare, including "Citizen-Saints: Shakespeare and Political Theology," "Thinking with Shakespeare: Essays on Politics and Life," and "Shakespeare Dwelling: Designs for the Theater of Life." Her current book project, “Shakespeare’s Virtues,” explores the many capacities developed by Shakespeare’s plays, including hope, courage, trust, and respect. She has taught at UCI since 1989. As co-director of the UCI Shakespeare Center, Julia organizes seminars and lectures for UC Irvine’s New Swan Shakespeare Festival. Since 2020 Julia has developed a passion for biblical exegesis and sacred text study, developing online courses that connect themes in Shakespeare's plays and sonnets to biblical narratives. Read more about Julia here.
Rabbi Peter Levi has been an important thought and program partner with the Jewish Collaborative since its founding in 2016. A Los Angeles native, Peter is in his seventh year serving as Director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Orange County/Long Beach Regional Office. One of OC’s leading voices on combating antisemitism, Rabbi Levi is also a community leader with a passion for securing justice and fair treatment for all. Peter has been deeply involved in interfaith relations, fights discrimination against marginalized groups and the scourge of poverty, is a Jewish voice for comprehensive immigration reform, global justice to end gender-based violence, and a defender of Israel and the Jewish people. He received his B.A. from Yale College in Mathematics and Philosophy, then taught high school before pursuing a Ph.D. in Analytic Philosophy from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Raised secular, Peter discovered his love of Judaism as a young adult. He received rabbinical ordination from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion and served as a congregational rabbi at Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, Temple Chai in Phoenix, and Temple Beth El in South Orange County. Peter is a member of the Orange County Sheriff’s Interfaith Advisory Council and serves on the editorial board of the CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly. He is married to artist Ruth Levi and is the proud father of Elijah, Zee, Ella, and Eden.
