Rabbi and Eco-Chaplain Katy Z. Allen

Rabbi Katy Z. Allen is the founder and spiritual leader of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope. She began her career as a biology teacher, turned to writing and editing educational materials, then started teaching Hebrew school and became involved in family and adult education before entering rabbinical school. She received a Masters of Arts in Jewish Studies from Hebrew College in Newton, MA, in 1999, and rabbinic ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY, in 2005 and is a Board Certified Chaplain through Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. For ten years, Katy served as a staff chaplain at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and then as a hospice chaplain. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Jewish Climate Action Network  and consideres herself an eco-chaplain.  

Rabbi Katy writes about matters of the spirit and the world (and encourages others to write) and blogs at here. She is certified as a Bibliodramatist by Peter and Susan Pitzele, and has published Loss and Transformation: One Women's Journey Out of Grief to Opportunity, which is based on her senior rabbinic project, and Earth Etudes for Elul: Spiritual Reflections for the Season, with reflections on Earth and t'shuvah by many writers. She is a member of the Advisory Boards of Jewcology.org, Jewish Veg and Shomrei Bereshit: Rabbis and Cantors for the Earth.

Rabbi Katy can be reached at rabbi@mayantikvah.org.

Director of Education Stephanie Kennedy
 

For the past four years, Stephanie Kennedy has been studying at Hebrew College pursuing a joint degree of rabbinic ordination and a Masters in Jewish Education. She holds a B.A. in History and Religious Studies from The Australian National University, an M.A. in Judaic Studies (with a focus on post-Holocaust theology) from King’s College London, and is a graduate of Pardes Instute Fellow’s Program in Israel.

Born in England and raised in Sydney, Australia, she grew up across the street from a community garden that her family transformed from an abandoned lot. Since then, she has attempted to create a garden everywhere she's ever lived.

Stephanie is fascinated by what makes education successful, Torah study and what it means to be a people that has a deep connection to land and agriculture. Building community, social-emotional learning and empowering all learners are guiding priorities for her as an educator. Stephanie is excited about collaborating with students, staff and families to empower students’ learning.

Stephanie can be reached at eddirector@mayantikvah.org.
 

Teacher Lizzy Cantor

Lizzy grew up in Los Angeles and then attended UC Santa Cruz, where she majored in Environmental and Jewish Studies. After a few years serving with AmeriCorps and working at various outdoor schools (including Teva Learning Center at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center!) it was time to enter the classroom as a Middle School Science Teacher. She spent the past few years working in public and Catholic schools in Western Massachusetts, as well as at Hebrew schools in Northampton and Amherst. Lizzy has been teaching with Lynn Public Schools and Ma'yan Tikvah since 2019.

Lizzy can be reached at teacher@mayantikvah.org.