Meet the people shaping Shefa with care, expertise, and intention.

Team

  • Zac is a rabbi and community leader based in Berkeley, CA.  As the founder and CEO of Shefa, Zac is leading a movement to integrate safe and supported psychedelic use into the Jewish spiritual tradition, advocating for the healing of individual and inherited traumas, and inspiring a Jewish religious and creative renaissance in the 21st century. He is a qualified instructor of MBSR and is trained in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapeutic care through Inbodied Life and is certified in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy by the Hakomi Institute of Northern California

Rabbi Zac Kamenetz
Jessie Gerzon

  • As Program Director at Shefa, Jessie bridges the practical & spiritual through thoughtful creative program development and a love for community building. Her work is rooted in helping people connect with their hearts, intuition, and the Divine, shaped by her own journey through healing, ancestral inquiry, plant medicine, and remembering who she is and where she comes from. They also led to her belief that Judaism – whose traditions and lineages have long included practices of expanded consciousness – has profound wisdom to offer ceremonial spaces and our daily lives. This experience shapes her passion for creating opportunities for Jews to explore expanded states supported by the richness of Jewish tradition. Jessie has spent a decade building communities across Jewish, wellness, and entrepreneurial spaces. She is also the founder of Bendichas Manos Ceremonial Cacao & Experiences and host of the Embodied Judaism podcast. Her plant path is rooted primarily in cacao, eight (and counting) dieta suaves, and opportunities to learn within traditional ceremonial contexts. She has completed Plant Medicine People’s Dieta Training, the Psychedelic Sitter School at the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness, and multiple levels of Authentic Relating International training. She is also a 200-hour certified yoga teacher with additional study in trauma-informed yoga, somatic practices, and more.

Shelbi Stanfill

  • As a passionate advocate for healing and helping others, Shelbi brings compassion and kindness to all she does. With a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Texas Arlington, she has dedicated her skills to counseling, with a particular focus on youth. Shelbi has a talent for understanding others and providing them with the support they need to reach their goals. She currently serves as Operations Coordinator at Shefa, a Jewish spiritual wellness organization working at the intersection of Jewish practice and consciousness work. In this role she manages day-to-day content and operations across the organization's communications channels, coordinates programs and retreats from promotion through logistics, and supports leadership directly — building the systems and processes that keep a small, mission-driven team running smoothly while honoring the strengths of each person on it. 

Board of Directors

  • Kevin is a commercial real estate professional advising dynamic and growing technology companies on their workplace needs across the globe. Kevin also has extensive experience in volunteer leadership roles in the non-profit sector, including serving as the international board chair for Mem Global (fka Moishe House) during a period of significant expansion. Kevin is an explorer and connector with a devotion to Jewish learning, building community, personal growth, and transformation. He also holds a deep personal interest in the healing potential of expanded states of consciousness. Kevin is energized to support Shefa’s team and its important work. Kevin lives in San Francisco.

Kevin Waldman
Barbara Gottesman

  • Barbara Gottesman is the founder of BGCoaching & Consulting, an executive coaching practice specializing in women’s leadership, team development, and communication and speaker training. Since her high school years, she has been influenced by her parents’ deep commitment to Jewish communal life and as such has spent much of her life involved in Jewish organizations serving in various capacities, whether youth organizations, her children’s day schools, her synagogue, or Federation. She is passionate about helping others feel a sense of belonging, and believes that expanded states of consciousness are a path to finding a connection to one’s roots and to healing spiritually. Barbara holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Toronto and a Law Degree from the University of Ottawa. She has two adult children, and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband.

Mordechai Walder

  • Mordechai is a research scientist, investor, and philanthropist working at the intersection of neuroscience, spirituality, and mental health. After years of study at Yeshivat HaKotel, Yeshiva University and other institutions, Mordechai developed a deep foundation in Jewish thought and practice, which continues to shape his commitment to healing and community building. His time with Indigenous communities in the Amazon further deepened his understanding of how sacred plant medicine - when held in the right spiritual and communal contexts - can serve as powerful tools for psycho-spiritual healing, individual growth, and collective connection. Altogether, this has motivated his philanthropic support of initiatives that advance psychedelic science, nurture vibrant Jewish life, and uplift Indigenous Amazonian cultures, often seeking to harmonize these realms in pursuit of healing and transformation - both personal and communal.

    His scientific training and Jewish study also inspire and inform his current research at the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies focused on implementing neurotechnology to deepen spiritual experiences.

Della Heiman Goldkind

  • Della is a hospitality entrepreneur who is passionate about the intersection of community-building, culture, and health. She founded The Wynwood Yard, Miami’s first food hall and culinary incubator, della bowls, an award-winning plant-based restaurant and The Doral Yard, among other projects. Della is drawn to the healing potential of psychedelics on an individual level, as well as their capacity to bridge communal chasms, foster empathy, and inspire human connection. She holds a BA in History and Spanish Literature from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Della lives in Nosara, Costa Rica with her husband and two daughters. 

Zachary Schaffer

  • Zach Schaffer is a facilitator, educator, and advisor who helps people build trust across differences. His psychedelic journey began unexpectedly: a joyful mushroom experience that dissolved the distance between himself, the world, and the people he loved. 


    Since then, he’s come to see psychedelic practice as less about a substance than a way of expanding consciousness, connection, embodiment, and everyone's capacity to encounter the sacred directly.  For Zach, this wasn't a departure from Judaism, but a return to it: part of a Brooklyn-based movement rediscovering an old-new Judaism rooted in our ancestors' mystical inheritance.


    As co-founder of Project Shema, Zach built a leading antisemitism education organization rooted in curiosity and compassion, delivering hundreds of workshops at institutions like Harvard, Amazon, and the Guggenheim. Today, he trains leaders worldwide, teaches a graduate course, designs rituals, and advises clients ranging from AI startups to social impact initiatives in Europe.

Advisory Board

Erica Siegal

  • Erica Siegal is a California-based Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the founder of NEST Harm Reduction, an organization focused on psychotherapy, psychedelic-adjacent care, drug education and consultation for communities and  organizations working in high-influence environments. 

    Erica has spent over 15 years working across various areas of the emerging psychedelic industry, including clinical research, behavioral health, community settings, and spiritual care spaces, helping individuals and organizations reduce harm while preserving autonomy and dignity.

    Her organizational work centers on container design, consent practices, power dynamics, boundary clarity, and the ways authority can quietly shape behavior—especially in spaces involving vulnerability, altered states, or promises of healing.

Joshua White

  • Joshua White is the Founder and ED of Fireside Project, a nonprofit devoted to providing accessible, culturally attuned psychedelic support and training at scale. Fireside Project operates three core services: a telephonic helpline for people navigating psychedelic experiences; an emotionally intelligent voice-to-voice chatbot to train psychedelic practitioners, and a psychedelic coaching program. Joshua is a lawyer, vibe coder, and psychedelic researcher. Before Fireside, Joshua spent about 20 years practicing law, mostly as a Deputy City Attorney in San Francisco, where he focused on suing businesses exploiting vulnerable communities and co-teaching a nationally renowned clinic at Yale Law School. Psychedelics have been instrumental in helping Joshua deepen his connection to Judaism.

Jay Michaelson

  • Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson is the author of ten books as well as an academic, a journalist, and a teacher of Jewish spirituality.  His books include Everything is God: The Radical Path of Nondual Judaism and his most recent, The Secret that is not a Secret: Ten Heretical Tales. In the academic world, Jay is a field scholar at the Emory Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality and a visiting researcher at Harvard Law School.  He holds a Ph.D. in Jewish Thought from Hebrew University, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and nondenominational rabbinic ordination.  For twenty years, Dr. Michaelson’s scholarly work has focused on mysticism, law, sexuality, and religion, and for the last several years, on the use of psychedelics in religious contexts. His 2022 book, The Heresy of Jacob Frank: From Jewish Messianism to Esoteric Myth, won the National Jewish Book Award for Scholarship, and in Spring 2025, he convened the first-ever symposium on psychedelics in monotheistic traditions at Harvard.  At Emory, Dr. Michaelson co-directs the MOSAIC project, an interdisciplinary initiative investigating the role of psychedelics in the lives of individuals from diverse religious backgrounds.

    Outside the academy, Dr. Michaelson is well-known as a journalist, having worked at CNN, The Daily Beast, and the Forward, and now his Substack newsletter, Both/And with Jay Michaelson.  He has taught meditation, Kabbalah and spirituality for twenty years, and previously worked as an LGBTQ activist for ten years. He lives outside New York City.

Dr. Erica Zelfand

  • Dr. Erica Zelfand is a naturopathic physician, ketamine prescriber, psychedelic facilitator, author, and acclaimed educator.

    She co-developed the curriculum and practicum of the country’s first licensed psilocybin facilitator training program (Inner Trek), where she continues to teach. She is also a mentor and supervisor to psychedelic facilitators and clinicians internationally.

    Dr. Zelfand is the executive director of the mental health nonprofit Right to Heal and the founder and medical director of the psychedelic retreat company Rise Up Journeys. Bridging conventional and holistic healing systems, she helps clients get the best of the myriad tools available, so they can claim their happiest, healthiest lives.

    She is an extroverted introvert, the child of Ashkenazi refugees, and a group hug initiator.

Anna Ackerman

  • Anna Ackerman is a strategic advisor, entrepreneur, and guide devoted to the intersection of personal transformation, community, and conscious leadership. A Jewish immigrant from Kyiv, Ukraine, Anna’s life journey has been shaped by resilience, service, and a deep commitment to spiritual growth. Drawing from a background in wealth management, business development, and years of study and experience in healing modalities, contemplative practice, and psychedelic integration, she is passionate about helping individuals reconnect with purpose, belonging, and the wisdom that emerges through expanded states of awareness.

Hadas Alterman

  • Hadas Alterman, an Israeli-American attorney, is the psychedelic practice group leader at Ritter Spencer Cheng PLLC, and a leading legal advocate in the psychedelic industry. As co-founder of Plant Medicine Law Group LLP, she built a boutique firm to support psychedelic infrastructure businesses. Hadas is an advisor to the Texas Ibogaine Initiative. Previously, she was the Director of Communications & Policy for the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association, and has played an active role in shaping psychedelic legalization at the state level, as a member of the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board for Measure 109 in Oregon, and Natural Medicine Advisory Board for Proposition 112 in Colorado. She was also a Founding Board Member of the Psychedelic Bar Association.

Jay Waxenberg

  • Jay Waxenberg, MA, is a spiritual counselor, ordained interfaith minister, psychedelic specialist, and guide whose work explores the meeting place of psychedelics, Jewish wisdom, ritual, and spiritual care. With a background in philosophy, mysticism, nonprofit leadership, and psychedelic experience, Jay has spent years studying and practicing across spiritual traditions while developing a grounded approach to preparation, ceremony, integration, and meaning-making.

    As a Jewish practitioner, Jay understands psychedelic work as part of a larger human longing for healing, belonging, and return. His own relationship with Judaism and ancestral connection has become a central guide in his work, shaping his belief that spiritual traditions can offer some of the most powerful vessels for integrating expanded states of consciousness. For Jay, Jewish wisdom carries resources for grief, repair, humility, awe, ethical responsibility, and remembrance — all of which can help psychedelic experiences become rooted in a larger story than the self alone.

    Before focusing more fully on psychedelic spiritual care, Jay served with nonprofit and community-based organizations in Florida, including work in environmental preservation, historical memory, and cultural storytelling. These experiences helped shape his commitment to service, stewardship, resilient communities, and the preservation of wisdom across generations.

    Jay currently supports clients at the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness through psychedelic preparation and integration, spiritual counseling, psychedelic spiritual care, harm reduction, and ritual support. He feels especially called to work with people at thresholds: those navigating grief, spiritual crisis, religious trauma, life transition, identity reformation, or a longing to reconnect with their own souls, ancestors, and communities.

    Jay’s approach is compassionate, relational, and tradition-sensitive. He works with people from many backgrounds while bringing particular care to those who are returning to, reimagining, or deepening their relationship with Judaism. His work is grounded in the belief that psychedelics, when approached ethically and held in community, can help open pathways toward healing, spiritual maturity, and renewed connection with the Divine. Jay is currently pursuing a PhD at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), where his research focuses on the intersection of spirituality, psychedelics, meaning-making, and transformative experience.

Rabbi Ami Silver

  • Ami is a rabbi and psychotherapist based in Jerusalem. He has been part of the Shefa family from the beginning, first serving as Shefa's founding Director of Emergent Education, and over the years contributing written holiday resources and classes on Jewish psychedelic wisdom. A longtime student of contemplative, embodied Jewish practice, he teaches Jewish wisdom and practice independently and in collaboration with organizations including Applied Jewish Spirituality and Or Halev, among others. Alongside his rabbinic work, he maintains a private therapy practice and works at the forefront of psychedelic-assisted therapy in Israel, serving as a therapist and supervisor for MAPS Israel's clinical research trials, and providing psychedelic-assisted therapy, training, and supervision at treatment centers throughout the country.

Roman Palitsky

  • Roman Palitsky, MDiv, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of Research Projects in Spiritual Health at Emory University, and he is faculty in the Emory Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality. His research applies a bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach to improving behavioral interventions by ensuring that the treatments we offer are responsive to care seekers’ cultural needs and strengths. His work in psychedelic treatment research reflects these commitments by seeking to make psychedelic therapies rigorous, effective, and accountable to the many patient populations who might benefit from them, and to support those care seekers who may experience adverse effects.

Natalie Ginsberg

  • Natalie Lyla Ginsberg (MSW) is a bridge builder — a relational therapist, a community organizer and strategist, a psychedelic educator, and now a rabbinical student at ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. She spent over a decade in leadership at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), where she founded and directed the Policy & Advocacy team, established MAPS' Health Equity program, and most recently served as Global Impact Officer.  She co-authored a study with Imperial College London interviewing Palestinians and Israelis who share ayahuasca ceremonies, and is currently conducting research with Columbia University on MDMA couples therapy. In 2021, Natalie co-founded the Jewish Psychedelic Summit. Before MAPS, she got her start working to dismantle the global war on drugs at the Drug Policy Alliance. Natalie received her bachelor's in history from Yale and her master's in social work from Columbia. She grew up in New York City, where she attended the Brearley School.  She currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

Ean Seeb
Madison Margolin

  • Madison Rachel Margolin is an author, journalist, and facilitator, trained in Lev Emunah Therapy (based in Kabbalistic and Breslov concepts), narrative therapy, and MAPS Zendo Sit (psychedelic space holding). Her first book is a journalistic memoir entitled Exile & Ecstasy: Growing Up with Ram Dass and Coming of Age in the Jewish Psychedelic Underground (Hay House, 2023), while her second and third books are more educational: The DoubleBlind Guide to Psychedelics (Artisan Books, 2026; co-written with Shelby Hartman) and, forthcoming, Judaism is Psychedelic: A Practical Guide (Ayin Press, 2027). She is the co-founder of both DoubleBlind Magazine and the Jewish Psychedelic Summit, and hosts a podcast on the Be Here Now Network called Set & Setting. She has written for dozens of publications including Vice, Rolling Stone, and Playboy, and has presented on psychedelics, Judaism, and more at conferences around the world, spanning NYC, Denver, London, and Israel. Based between New York and Israel, Madison spends her free time practicing yoga and dancing.

  • Ean Seeb is a Denver-based entrepreneur, public policy leader, and advocate for natural medicine and plant-based therapeutics. Best known for his pioneering work in Colorado's cannabis industry, Seeb has spent two decades helping shape the legal cannabis, hemp, and natural medicine landscapes through entrepreneurship, public policy, and regulatory innovation.

    He co-founded Denver Relief, one of Colorado's oldest and most successful pre-regulation medical cannabis businesses, which he partially sold to international country music icon Willie Nelson. In 2011, he also co-founded Denver Relief Consulting, one of the nation's first cannabis consulting firms. During his tenure, he helped launch dozens of licensed cannabis businesses across more than 15 states, including two of the world's largest cannabis companies, as well as numerous ancillary businesses.

    Throughout his career, Seeb has served on the boards of several influential companies and organizations, including one of the first publicly traded cannabis companies, as well as Dymapak, the first cannabis child-resistant packaging company and Manna Molecular Science. He also served for seven years on the Board of Directors of the National Cannabis Industry Association, including two terms as Board Chair, helping guide the industry's national advocacy efforts during a period of rapid growth and legalization.

    In 2019, Seeb transitioned from the private sector to public service, joining the Office of Colorado Governor Jared Polis to help advance thoughtful cannabis policy and regulatory reform. His work has contributed to numerous landmark initiatives, including the creation of the Colorado Cannabis Business Office, the implementation of Governor Polis's pardon of more than 4,000 prior cannabis possession convictions, USDA approval of the state's hemp plan and the development of Colorado's regulatory framework for intoxicating hemp products.

    Today, Seeb serves as Special Advisor on Cannabis and Natural Plant Medicine to Governor Polis. His work now spans cannabis, natural medicine, and psychedelic therapies, with an emphasis on evidence-informed policy, compassionate access, consumer safety, and the future of integrative wellness. He played a leading role in implementing Colorado's first-in-the-nation regulated Natural Medicine Program, including development of the state's groundbreaking outcome measurement database and the creation of Colorado's pioneering Ibogaine Pilot Program.

    Beyond his professional work, Seeb has served for more than 15 years on the Board of Directors of the Mountain States Region of the Anti-Defamation League. He is a graduate of the Wexner Heritage Program and remains deeply engaged in civic and philanthropic initiatives. A third-generation Denver native, he lives in Colorado with his wife and daughters and enjoys skiing, travel, and exploring innovative approaches to health and healing.

    Ean is honored to support Shefa in its mission to help individuals and communities heal from trauma while advancing thoughtful, evidence-informed approaches to Jewish healing, resilience, and well-being.

Rachel Yehuda

  • Rachel Yehuda, PhD, is the Chemers Neustein Family Professor of Trauma and Resilience and Vice Chair for Veterans Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She directs the Parsons Research Center for Psychedelic Healing at Mount Sinai and the Center for Psychedelic Therapy at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

    Dr. Yehuda is internationally recognized for her research on post-traumatic stress disorder, resilience, and the biological effects of trauma. Her work has examined combat veterans, Holocaust survivors and their descendants, and people exposed to the September 11 attacks, with particular emphasis on neuroendocrine, genetic, and epigenetic mechanisms. She is currently investigating MDMA-assisted psychotherapy and other psychedelic treatments for trauma-related disorders.

    She has authored more than 600 scientific publications and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2019.

Shefa Facilitators

Tal Sharabi

  • Tal Sharabi is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado and Oregon, psychedelic psychotherapist, educator, and facilitator whose work is grounded in deep respect for the many ways people heal, grow, and make meaning of their lives. She believes transformation unfolds through relationship- with ourselves, with one another, and with the communities that hold us- and brings warmth, humility, and a deeply attuned presence to every space she facilitates.

    Since 2015, Tal has worked across the mental health field supporting individuals navigating trauma, attachment wounds, grief, anxiety, depression, addiction, and major life transitions. She earned her master's degree in counseling from Regis University and completed the Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). She has also completed MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy training, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy training through Polaris Insight Center, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy training.

    Tal was part of the first cohort of state-licensed psilocybin facilitators in Oregon and served as a lead educator for InnerTrek, where she taught the first government-licensed psilocybin facilitators in the United States. Drawing from more than 20 years of mindfulness practice alongside somatic, relational, and trauma-informed approaches, she supports individuals and groups in reconnecting with themselves, one another, and the wisdom that emerges through embodied healing.

Rivkah Standig

  • Rivkah Standig (she/they) is a licensed clinical social worker and psychedelic-assisted therapist. She combines elements of somatic and mindfulness practices, Brainspotting, depth psychotherapy, and spirituality as holistic paths for healing, inner reflection, and growth. She has completed training through Shefa on Judaism as a psychedelic container; studied under Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Ph.D. on the use of Jungian depth psychology and embodied ritual work for intergenerational trauma healing; and completed multiple Kabbalah trainings with Dr. Yosef Rosen and Geo Poor.

    Rivkah has lived in 9 different US states and Tel Aviv, Israel, and sampled many different careers before determining that psychedelic therapy is her life's passion. Her unconventional path and unique life experiences allow her to provide a safe and inclusive space centered on creativity and exploration. She has advanced training in ketamine therapy, psilocybin facilitation, psychedelic care for neurodivergent individuals, Jewish psychedelic practice, healing intergenerational and ancestral trauma, and various therapeutic modalities.

    You can find out more about Rivkah here.

JennyBess Chaim

  • JennyBess Chaim, JD, MDiv, is the founder of Santosha at Hillholm Estate, a nondenominational mindfulness retreat center in the mountains of Maine. Formerly a venture capital attorney with Latham & Watkins LLP, she now serves as the Jewish chaplain at Massachusetts General Hospital. She trained in psychedelic integration facilitation through the Brigham & Women’s Faulkner Hospital Ketamine Clinic and oncology chaplaincy at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. JennyBess is a graduate of Middlebury College, Boston University School of Law, and Harvard Divinity School where she studied the intersection of ecstatic prayer, psychedelic experiences, and palliative care interventions for patients with terminal diagnoses. She is a yoga teacher (RYT-500) and forever student. She is also a certified mediator trained in collaborative dispute resolution. JennyBess divides her time between Boston, MA, and coastal Phippsburg, ME, where she lives with her two doodles.

Please note that our facilitation team varies by retreat; this is not a complete list of our facilitators.