2022-2023 Fellows

Josh Burstein

Josh Burstein is a standup comedian and journalist. A digital strategist who produced content for the Obama Administration and Biden campaigns, Josh works at the intersection of impact, education, and entertainment.

Dan Goldman

Screenwriter, illustrator and narrative designer, Dan Goldman tells stories across comics, animation and video games. His graphic novel Chasing Echoes recounts a road trip of Holocaust survivors' descendants across Poland to find their family's land seized by Nazis during WWII. He is currently based in Brooklyn.

Sophie Greenbaum

Sophie Greenbaum is a songwriter, Torah educator and the mother of two young kids. She has written songs for the likes of Britney Spears, Kesha, and many other pop artists. She currently studies full-time in the Beit Midrash program of Maharat.

Yael Levy

Yael Levy is an author, illustrator, and screenwriter who loves creating Jewish - themed projects for kids. Represented by the Seymour Agency in NY, Yael currently writes graphic novels, and scripts for animated TV shows. She enjoys reading, hiking, and her husband's perfect potato kugel.

Brian Ash

Bronx raised and Yeshiva educated, Brian Ash is a producer and writer specializing in adult animation, comic books and feature films. Brian's TV credits include Adult Swim's "The Boondocks", "Black Dynamite", "The Jellies" and "Lazor Wulf". He is the co-creator of the "Alef Blessed" collectible card game.

Michael O'Konis + Marnina Schon

Michael O'Konis (they/he) and Marnina Schon (she/her) are a real-life couple who create sketch comedy together as Couplet and #NotARabbi. They wrote and performed the award-winning musical comedy More Guns! which ran for two years at Second City and toured to San Francisco. Marnina has also performed as an actor on stage with South Coast Rep, Center Theater Group, Berkeley Rep, and Story Pirates, as well as on screen in the upcoming series Chanshi with Henry Winkler, while Michael writes sketches at Upright Citzen’s Brigade, scores films, and releases music as Lookalike (feat. Marnina on violin and vocals).

Robert Axelrod

Robert Axelrod is a gay Jewish writer based in Los Angeles, originally hailing from Michigan, whose work focuses on exploring the intersectionality of identity and culture. He is the recipient of the Humanitas New Voices fellowship, CineStory TV fellowship, and is a previous winner of the ScreenCraft Stage Play Competition as well as The A-List, an annual competition honoring the best work by assistants in the entertainment industry.

Alex Mann

Alex Mann is a writer, director & producer in the action, sci-fi and thriller genres, and the founder & CEO of Space Oddity, a next-gen content studio backed by Snap Inc. Mann has written, directed & produced original content for Participant, SundanceTV, Crypt TV, Awesomeness, Hooked and Disney, and is a sought-after commercial director for brands such as Netflix, TikTok, Amazon, Verizon and Honda. Mann is a member of the Writers Guild of America West and is represented by The Gotham Group.

Danielle Dardashti

Danielle Dardashti returns to her roots with this project – revisiting her family’s story and getting back to broadcasting. She’s a former TV/radio reporter and Emmy-winning documentary writer/producer. Danielle now leads storytelling workshops and advises companies on story strategy. She’s a Moth StorySLAM champ and co-founder of Storyboom, a live storytelling show. Danielle and her husband are co-authors of the Jewish Family Fun Book series.

Omer Benjakob

Omer Benjakob is an investigative journalist with Haaretz in Israel. He covers disinformation and is focused on the intersection of technology and politics. He was born in New York, raised in Tel Aviv and is a research fellow at the LPI in Paris. He divides his time between these locations.

Sam Butin

Sam Butin is a writer and narrative designer. His work blends cinematic storytelling with game design to tell unique stories that invite audience agency. Past projects include: 1979 Revolution: Black Friday (BAFTA, SXSW, Facebook Game of the Year), HERO (Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival Storyscapes Winner) and Fire Escape: An Interactive Narrative Series (NYFF, Tribeca, VIFF).

Vi "SnappyDragon"

V (she/her) of the YouTube channel SnappyDragon, is a dressmaker, public historian, and videographer who explores the social realities of the past and present through fashion history. Her videos use everything from sewing techniques to TikTok trends and popular media to break down historical misconceptions and discuss topics such as representation, Jewish history, and disability justice.

Marina Michelson

Marina Michelson is a writer, director, and actor originally from Tel Aviv, born to Soviet émigrés from the Republics of Georgia and Moldova. Her work explores identity and power dynamics through the day-to-day lived experiences of women, as well as her upbringing as a third culture kid. She holds a BFA in Theater from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and her short films have been recognized on the film festival circuit, including “Stagiaire,” which premiered at the 2021 Maryland Film Festival and “Biophilia,” which garnered the Outstanding Achievement Award for Best Screenplay at the 2018 Brooklyn Film Festival.