BaMidbar is excited to welcome Rabbi Batya Elana Ellinoy and Hannah Horowitz to its professional team, bringing BaMidbar’s staff to 11 employees.
Rabbi Ellinoy is BaMidbar’s first Rabbi-in-Residence, a position made possible by a 1-year grant from the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah.
Hannah Horowitz is BaMidbar’s first Colorado-based Clinician & Educator.
The creation of these two positions represents another step forward towards the fulfillment of BaMidbar’s strategic plan, Charting Out Path: A Strategic Compass for 2023-2026, which calls for significant investments in programmatic and operational capacity.
“We are so happy to welcome Rabbi Ellinoy and Hannah to BaMidbar,” says BaMidbar CEO, Jory Hanselman Mayschak.
“Exploring meaning, values, and purpose through a Jewish lens is a core component of BaMidbar’s approach,” Hanselman notes. “As we grow, Rabbi Ellinoy will play a critical role in shaping the development and integration of innovative, substantive, and accessible Jewish content to support this work.”
While Rabbi Ellinoy will help define BaMidbar’s content, Hannah will play an equally critical role in regional expansion, Hanselman emphasized.
“Hannah has a big job. She will be establishing BaMidbar’s presence in Colorado, which includes partnering with the local Jewish community to launch the community education, professional development, and clinical services that we’ve piloted in Massachusetts over the past several years.”
Rabbi Ellinoy is uniquely suited for her new role. In addition to being a talented Jewish educator, she is a certified practitioner in Somatic Experiencing®, a psychobiological approach to help resolve trauma and stress disorders, and her Master’s thesis explored the effects of Torah-informed nervous system regulation in a Jewish educational context.
“I am thrilled to bring my gifts as an educator, healer, and spiritual leader in uplifting and embodying the intersections of Jewish wisdom and well-being in collaboration with the BaMidbar team,” Rabbi Ellinoy says.
Originally from Monterey, CA, Rabbi Ellinoy received ordination from Hebrew College and continues to live in Greater Boston.
Hannah, too, is well-poised for success, bringing both clinical and communal perspectives to the table.
“I am thrilled to weave together my passions of supporting youth and families, working within a community and systems framework, and empowering the innate ‘naturalness’ of each human being,” Hannah shares.
“I have worked with people of many ages and backgrounds in numerous parts of the world, which has informed my work in community mental health settings, home-based therapeutic care, and private practice. I love applying Jewish tradition to our contemporary times and locating ourselves in a rich tradition of belonging, community, ritual, and celebration of life.”
Hannah lives in Boulder, CO. In addition to being a licensed therapist, she is a Certified Yoga Instructor and is trained in EMDR and Sensorimotor techniques for Trauma Themes Level I.
Connect with a member of our team to learn more about BaMidbar.