Board of advisors
Rev. Dr. Michael Kagan
Ecotheology Philosopher & Entrepreneur
Michael Kagan is an innovator both in technology and in Jewish spirituality. He developed a synthesis of midrash, halacha, Kabbalah and Hasidism together with his understanding of psychology and mysticism that he calls Holistic Judaism. He has pioneered an approach to understanding Ecology from a Jewish perspective inspired by the works of Daniel Quinn and the late R’ David Zeller.
Michael is also the creator of The Dance of the Tree (YouTube) which combines tai-chi-like movements and the Tree of Life into a meditative dance inspired by the Lurianic configuration for shaking the lulav.
​
Michael Kagan was born in London in 1956 and has lived in Israel since 1977. He has a PhD in chemistry, published over twenty academic papers including two in Nature magazine, holds ten patents and, besides all the above, he has been involved as an innovator in the Israeli start-up scene for over 25 years.
Rabbi Yonatan Neril
Rabbi
Rabbi Yonatan Neril founded and directs The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development and its Jewish Eco Seminars branch. Raised in California, Yonatan completed an M.A. and B.A. from Stanford University with a global environmental focus, and received rabbinical ordination in Israel. He speaks internationally on religion and the environment, and co-organized twelve interfaith environmental conferences in Israel and the U.S. He is the lead author and general editor of three books on Jewish environmental ethics, including Eco Bible, a bestseller in several Amazon Kindle categories. He lives with his wife, Shana and their two children in Jerusalem.
Rabbi David Rosen
Rabbi
AJC’s International Director of Interreligious Affairs, has been advancing understanding and good relations between religious communities for more than forty years – from the time he served as rabbi of the largest Orthodox Jewish congregation in South Africa, during his tenure as Chief Rabbi of Ireland; and throughout the last more than thirty years based in Jerusalem.
In addition to interreligious representation and education, his work involves mediation and peace building and he is heavily involved in multi-religious engagement on ecological issues. Among the various awards and recognition he has received, Rabbi Rosen was granted a papal Knighthood in 2005 for his contribution to Jewish-Catholic reconciliation and in 2010 he was made a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II for his work promoting interfaith understanding and cooperation.