Rabbis and Staff

Shawn Zevit

Lead Rabbi
rabbishawn@mishkan.org

Rabbi Shawn Zevit is a dynamic and widely known liturgist, teacher, singer, author and consultant to Jewish communities.

He is a 1998 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and worked for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation for 14 years as the director of congregational services, outreach and tikkun olam. In 2023, Rabbi Shawn celebrated 25 years as a rabbi and 10 years at Mishkan Shalom.

Rabbi Shawn has been a sought-after teacher and leader of spiritual practice programs, including co-director of the award-winning Davennen Leader’s Training Institute, where he coaches rabbis, cantors and lay leaders of all denominations. He is also a spiritual director for the ALEPH Hashpa’ah program. He has consulted with myriad congregations, organizations and social justice initiatives in the Jewish and secular world.

An accomplished singer and guitarist, Rabbi Shawn is a founding member of the popular Jewish musical group Shabbat Unplugged. He has led Shabbaton programs, and has been guest artist and scholar-in-residence in more than 100 congregations and "havurot." Among his many publications is his most recent book, "Brotherkeepers: New Explorations in Jewish Masculinity" and "Offerings of the Heart: Money and Values in Faith Community."

Rabbi Shawn and his wife, Rabbi Simcha Zevit, make their home in Mt. Airy. Their children/stepchildren and granddaughters live in Cleveland, Ohio.

Noah Dor Lind

Rabbinic Intern 
noah@mishkan.org

Noah Dor Lind is an artist and fourth-year rabbinical student dedicated to building religious communities that value mindfulness, radical love and transparency.

For much of Lind's childhood and early adulthood, they lived in different parts of the Pacific Northwest. They graduated from University of Oregon with a bachelor's degree in digital art.

After university, Lind moved to Chicago. During the day, they worked as a restaurant host, a math tutor and a marketing administrator to pay their bills. During their evenings and weekends, Lind volunteered with young artists in Logan Square, helped raise money for charitable organizations through DIY basement performances, and explored a diverse range of spiritual practices in their weekly sacred book club.

Lind's background in visual narrative informs every aspect of their future rabbinate. They believe through art and storytelling, we can create a more human world.

Maria Paranzino

Office Administrator
maria@mishkan.org

Maria Paranzino joined Mishkan Shalom in 2005.

She skillfully juggles the varied needs of the Mishkan office and daily interactions with our rabbi, staff, board, congregants, vendors, visitors and renters. She is a degreed professional with experience in business administration, marketing and event planning.

Paranzino has been married for 46 years and has two children and four wonderful grandchildren. She is a lifelong resident of Roxborough, with strong ties to the Mishkan community and the surrounding area.

Daniel Ricken

Director of Engagement and Communications
daniel@mishkan.org

Daniel Ricken's background includes experience as a collaborative leader, educator, recruiter and project manager. Before joining Mishkan Shalom, he worked for five years in admissions at the New York Film Academy.

Ricken is a graduate of Lafayette College and holds master's and doctoral degrees in theater from Bowling Green State University, where his research focused on how gender is represented in the contemporary Broadway musical. While working on this degree, he taught undergraduate classes and led graduate students through on-campus governance and focus group representation for the international Association for Theatre in Higher Education. This work has been informed by over a decade working as a director and stage manager in professional and educational theater.

Cultivating and expanding Jewish community has been a central tenet of Ricken's life and is especially important in the current sociopolitical moment.

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Curriculum Developer, Teacher Support
gabriellekm@gmail.com

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer began her work at Mishkan Shalom as a teacher in 1998 and has considered Mishkan to be one of her spiritual homes ever since!

Her family — husband Fred and kids George and Jeremy — have also been part of the Mishkan community for many years. Kaplan-Mayer is now the curriculum developer for the Mishkan school and leads children's services for the High Holy Days.

Kaplan-Mayer is well-known as an author and Jewish educator whose work focuses on spirituality, creativity and disability She is the proud recipient of the 2022 Covenant Award and currently edits the Jewish Disability Inclusion News.

Kaplan-Mayer also leads Feed Your Spirit Writing, facilitating expressive writing workshops focused on spiritual curiosity and also writes a Substack called "Journey with the Seasons," a weekly practice of meditative reading, expressive writing prompts and deepening practices.

Brian Walt

Rabbi Emeritus

Brian Walt was the founding rabbi of Mishkan Shalom and served as rabbi from 1988 to 2002.

After leaving Mishkan Shalom, Walt helped found and served as the first director of Rabbis for Human Rights–North America,  currently called T’ruah. In response to “Operation Cast Lead” in 2008-09, he co-founded with Rabbi Brant Rosen Taanit Tzedek–Jewish Fast for Gaza.

In 2012, Walt led the Dorothy Cotton Institute Civil and Human Rights delegation to the West Bank. The delegation included veterans of the American civil rights movement, who met with leaders of the Palestinian nonviolent resistance movement and their Israeli allies.

Drawing on his own life experience and faith, Walt speaks and writes about the struggle against racism and apartheid in South Africa, Israel and America. He is member of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council. Most recently, he served on the organizing committee of Expanding the Conversation about Israel/Palestine in the Reconstructionist movement.

Yael Levy

Rabbi Emerita

 Yael Levy served as rabbi at Mishkan Shalom from 1993 to 2020.

Levy is the founder and rabbinic director of  A Way In, a Jewish mindful practice that grew out of her work at Mishkan Shalom. Her approach to mindfulness is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition, yet her teachings are accessible to all. She passionately believes in the power of spiritual practice to transform individuals and the world.

Levy is the author of several books, including "Directing the Heart: Weekly Mindfulness Teachings and Practices from the Torah" and "Journey Through the Wilderness: A Mindfulness Approach to the Ancient Jewish Practice of Counting the Omer."