The CRASH Talk
Presenter: Rabbi Benay Lappe
Sunday, January 11, 2026 | 4:00 PM
Temple Solel, Paradise Valley

In times of profound disruption, how do we find the tools and wisdom to navigate the challenges ahead and make transformational change? Join Rabbi Benay Lappe for The CRASH Talk, a paradigm-shifting exploration of how the Jewish traditions we recognize today originated from a singular, catastrophic moment of communal upheaval. Using a dynamic and thought-provoking framework, Rabbi Benay will challenge us to embrace disruption as an opportunity for transformation and creativity. This conversation offers essential insights for those seeking new ways to meet this moment of great change, whether within our own family structures, our community, or the world at large. Come prepared to see the past, present, and future in a whole new light.

About the Presenter
Ordained by The Jewish Theological Seminary in 1997, Rabbi Benay Lappe founded SVARA in 2003. An award-winning educator specializing in the application of queer theory to Talmud study, Benay has served on the faculties of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Temple University, American Jewish University, The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, The Graduate Theological Union’s Center for Jewish Studies at UC-Berkeley, and The Wexner Institute.

Benay was named to The Forward 50 list of most influential American Jews, The Forward’s 2014 List of Most Inspiring Rabbis, is a Joshua Venture Fellow, and in 2016 received the prestigious Covenant Award for innovative Jewish education. While learning and teaching Talmud are her greatest passions, Rabbi Lappe is also a licensed pilot, shoemaker, and patent-holding inventor.

Israel in Turmoil
Presenter: Aryeh Green
Sunday, January 18, 2026 | 4:30 PM
BJE Library at the Ina Levine Campus, Scottsdale

Aryeh Green, a senior advisor to former Israeli minister Natan Sharansky for over a decade, the author of the book My Israel Trail and a leading voice of centrist pragmatism in Israel, will share a personal perspective on current events, helping us to understand both what’s going on and how Israelis feel about it (in all their diversity). Join us for an informative and uplifting discussion of the most pressing issues facing Israel and the Jewish people today, including Gaza/Hamas, Iran, and domestic issues like judicial reform and the drafting of Haredim, and to hear Aryeh’s radical prescription for achieving a lasting resolution to the Arab-Israel conflict (subject of his forthcoming new book).

Aryeh Green is a knowledgeable & inspiring speaker who has lived in Israel for 40 years, with an extensive background in business, public service and community activism

About the Presenter
The author of My Israel Trail, about his two-month hike on the 800-mile Israel Trail and meeting personal challenges, Aryeh is chief strategy officer at Gigawatt Global, a renewable energy platform for Africa, and co-founder of its non-profit arm, Gigawatt Impact. Aryeh served as a senior advisor to human rights leader Natan Sharansky in Israel’s Prime Minister’s office, as an IDF briefing officer for the foreign press, and was the founder and director of MediaCentral, a Jerusalem project providing services for the foreign press in Israel and the region.

A leading regional peace and democracy activist, Aryeh’s new book coming out in ’26, Finding Peace in the Promised Land, proposes a radical approach to resolving the Arab-Israel conflict. He is a frequent and captivating speaker; his talks about My Israel Trail and about Israeli society and regional issues, the media, human rights in the Middle East and in Jewish sources, and Israel’s relations with Africa (and his work in renewable energy) have been extremely well-received.

Aryeh is a direct descendant of some of the first Jews in America (who arrived in 1690), and grew up in the US, in Washington DC and the San Francisco bay area. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley, and has an MA in international relations from Hebrew University and an MSc in business from Ben Gurion/Boston universities, and studied at Hebrew Union College for the Reform rabbinate. When not promoting Israel and renewable energy, spending time with his 9 grandchildren and 6 step-children, or hiking the Land of Israel, Aryeh grows grapes and makes wine.

Learn more at www.myisraeltrail.com.

Introduction to Ethiopian Jewish Cuisine
Presenter: Beejhy Barhany
Sunday, January 25, 2026 | 4:30 PM
Congregation Beth Tefillah, Scottsdale

Step into the rich and vibrant world that weaves together history, heritage, and flavor. Inspired by the story of Beejhy Barhany—founder and chef of Harlem’s Tsion Café and author of Gursha: Timeless Recipes for Modern Kitchens—this session explores the essence of Ethiopian Jewish food traditions and their culinary evolution.

About the Presenter
Beejhy Barhany is the founding owner and executive chef of Tsion Cafe, an Ethiopian and Israeli restaurant in Harlem’s historic Sugar Hill neighborhood. She was born in Ethiopia, raised mostly in Israel, and moved to New York in 2001.

Confronting the Antisemitism and Radicalization of the Global ‘Red-Green Axis’: Is the World Finally Waking Up to the Marxo-Islamist Threat?
Presenter: Dr. Zuhdi Jasser
Sunday, February 1, 2026 | 4:30 PM
Temple Kol Ami, Scottsdale

Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser will examine how political Islam fuels antisemitism and radicalization within global Muslim communities, why there is no military solution, and how modern Muslim reform is essential for the security of the West and Israel. He will explain how the greatest obstacles to reform are not only Middle Eastern ‘petro-Islam’ and entrenched Islamist networks but also their alliances with far-left movements and identity politics in the West. Dr. Jasser will present the work of the CLARITy Coalition, a diverse group he co-founded to unite Muslims, ex-Muslims, and allies in defending liberty, democracy, and secular governance against Islamist tyranny.

About the Presenter
Dr. Zuhdi Jasser is a prominent activist and expert on jihad, terrorism, religious liberty, the Mid-East, and national security policy. He founded the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (in 2003), a counter-ideology, counterterrorism, national security organization based in Phoenix. He was presented with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award in 2007. Dr. Jasser has become a frequent lead witness and trusted subject-matter expert for several congressional and senate committees over the past 12 years. Dr. Jasser was appointed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), serving two terms as Commissioner and Vice-Chair from 2012 to 2016. Dr. Jasser helped lead and co-found in 2015 the Muslim Reform Movement a growing coalition of pro-liberty anti-Islamist Muslim reform-minded organizations based in the United States, Canada and Europe. He is also the co-founder and co-chair of the CLARITy Coalition founded in 2020 to defend Western values against Islamism (political Islam).

The Nightingale of Iran: Persian Jewish Music from My Family Tradition
Presenter: Galeet Dardashti
Sunday, February 22, 2026 | 4:30 PM
Congregation Or Tzion, Scottsdale

Renowned Iranian-descended vocalist/composer, anthropologist, and award-winning podcast-creator, Dr. Galeet Dardashti, will offer this interactive musical program exploring her family’s Judeo-Persian musical tradition through both recorded and live music examples. Galeet Dardashti’s Jewish grandfather, Younes Dardashti, was one of the most famous radio stars of Persian classical music in Iran—known as The Nightingale of Iran. Galeet’s own story of how she came to reclaim her family’s Iranian musical heritage is central to this program.

About the Presenter
As vocalist, composer, anthropologist, and producer, Galeet Dardashti has earned a reputation as a trail-blazing performer and advocate for Middle Eastern and North African Jewish culture. Dardashti is the first woman to continue her family’s tradition of distinguished Persian and Jewish musicianship.

Listed among “NY Jewish Week’s 36 to Watch” in 2024, Dardashti is widely known as leader/founder of the renowned all-woman powerhouse Sephardi/Mizrahi Jewish ensemble, Divahn. According to the Jerusalem Report, Dardashti’s “sultry delivery spans international styles and clings to listeners long after the last round of applause.” Dardashti’s nationally acclaimed release, The Naming, musically interprets some of the compelling women of the Bible. Time Out New York described The Naming as “urgent, heartfelt and hypnotic;” The Huffington Post called it “heart-stopping.”

Learn more about Galeet.

War and its Aftermath: An Israeli Expert’s Insight on Today’s Middle East
Presenter: Dr. Harel Chorev
Sunday, March 1, 2026 | 4:30 PM
Beth El Congregation, Phoenix

A moderated conversation

In this timely and incisive discussion, Dr. Harel Chorev—a senior researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center, CNN and media commentator, and renowned historian of the Middle East—offers an analysis of how war shapes the social and political landscapes of the region long after the last shot is fired. Drawing on two decades of research, his deep understanding of the Palestinian society, and the evolving role of cyberspace, Dr. Chorev explores the hidden forces that drive post-conflict transformation.

From the shifting alliances in Gaza and the West Bank to the ripple effects of normalization agreements and digital activism, this talk unpacks the complex aftermath of war in the Middle East. With a unique blend of historical insight and contemporary relevance, Dr. Chorev provides a nuanced Israeli perspective on the region’s most pressing challenges—and the possibilities for its future.

About the Presenter
Dr. Harel Chorev is a Research Fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University. He is an expert on Palestinian society and politics and he has written widely on terrorism, social media influence, and other issues, including in the landmark 2019 book Networks of Power in Palestine: Family, Society, and Politics Since the Nineteenth Century. A frequent media commentator and lecturer, he is an alumnus of Tel Aviv University, having earned a PhD in 2011.

The History of the Jews Under Islamic Rule
Presenters: Omer Karavan
Sunday, March 8, 2026 | 4:30 PM
Ina Levine Campus, Scottsdale

Omer will explore the history of Jews under Islamic rule to address common misconceptions about Jewish indigeneity to the Land of Israel. Omer utilizes his personal narrative to examine how Jewish communities lived, adapted, and often faced challenges under various Islamic empires, and how this complex history connects to today’s claims that Jews or Israelis are not indigenous to the region. This lecture will provide historical context and evidence to help participants better understand and respond to these narratives in public discourse

About the Presenter
Omer Karavani is the Israeli emissary to the Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley. He is 24 years old, and was born and raised in Ashkelon, Israel, a coastal city, about a one-hour drive south of Tel Aviv. It is located eight miles from the border with Gaza.

Before his mandatory service in the Israeli army, out of motivation to serve his country, Omer decided to do a gap year of volunteer service. He worked in Jerusalem in underserved communities with children and the elderly.

In August 2019 he joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to be a combat soldier in the Artillery Corps and served for almost three years.

Omer’s family story represents the diversity of the Jewish people. His family came from Iraq, Romania and Yemen.