Tackling Antisemitism in Independent Schools

After losing her sister Melissa to a degenerative neuromuscular disease at 28, Wendy Marantz Levine and her family Beauty Bus Foundation, a 15-year-old nonprofit that offers beauty and grooming treatments to patients and caregivers in homes and hospitals to deliver dignity when families need it most.  Wendy is a graduate of Duke University, where she wrote her senior honors thesis on the response of American Jewish Women to the Holocaust.  Wendy earned her law degree from University of Michigan.  After serving as a law clerk on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, teaching Appellate Education at Georgetown University Law Center and working at a law firm, Wendy was the Director of Litigation at Bet Tzedek Legal Services, where she helped spearhead the Holocaust Services Justice Network, helping thousands of Holocaust survivors around the country access reparations.

Rabbi Joel Nickerson is the Senior Rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, the largest synagogue on the West Coast, with over 10,000 members.  In his role, he oversees the vision and direction of the institution, which includes three preschools, two Jewish Day Schools (K-6 grade), three Religious Schools, a summer camp, an event space, and the Karsh Family Social Service Center, which provides vital resources to individuals in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles.  In addition to his work at the synagogue, Rabbi Nickerson serves on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles Board of Rabbis, an organization that supports rabbis of all denominations throughout the Los Angeles area, and is a Fellow in the Rabbinic Leaders Initiative of the Shalom Hartman Institute, a think-tank based in Jerusalem.  He is a co-founder of JLIS (Jewish Leaders in Schools), which supports Jewish parent leaders at nearly 40 Independent (Private) schools across Los Angeles and serves on the DEIB Steering Committee at the Windward School in Los Angeles. Instagram: @rabbijoel

Adam Shapiro is an educational thought leader, experienced strategic advisor, and non-profit CEO. His organizational leadership success as the Head of a PreK-12th independent school (Golda Och Academy, NJ), established him as a leader in both the education and non-profit world. Following his 2 decades at Golda Och Academy, Adam launched H3 Strategy Group, a consulting firm that provides high-level strategic guidance and support for non-profits, foundations, schools (public, independent, and Jewish day schools), political campaigns, and educational policy organizations. As the Senior Advisor to JLIS (Jewish Leaders in Schools), he has had the opportunity to combine many of his professional skills while guiding Jewish parents and students on ways to create positive and collaborative working relationships with their respective school leaders. Adam is a graduate of Emory University and received his masters degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He’s an avid Philadelphia sports fan, little league baseball and basketball coach, and an active leader in his community. Currently, Adam and his wife Rena reside outside of New York City with their three school-aged children.

Modi Wiczyk is the co-founder and co-Chairman of leading independent entertainment company MRC, whose film and television shows include AMERICAN FICTION, SALTBURN, KNIVES OUT, TED, POKER FACE, OZARK, and HOUSE OF CARDS. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School. Modi served as Board Chair of the Mirman School from 2017 until 2022. He is also the co-founder of Jewish Leaders in Schools and the founder of Students for 2 States, a group which educates high school seniors about anti-Zionism on college campuses.