Two JTS Students Named to Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36″ List

May 25, 2016, New York, NY

The Jewish Week’s ninth annual “36 Under 36” list of rising Jewish innovators features two students from The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS):

Zohar Atkins, a student at The Rabbinical School, is recognized for his artistic approaches to spirituality. He founded a weekly meditative dance group in Israel called “Ecstatic Dance in Jerusalem,” and explores the art of Talmudic writing through “Write Your Own Talmud” at the Shalom Hartman Institute. A Rhodes Scholar, he was a theology student at Oxford where he wrote a doctoral thesis in 2014 on the theological importance of poetry.

Ruti Regan, also a student at The Rabbinical School, is recognized for her leadership in disability advocacy in the Jewish community. She founded Anachnu, a nonprofit organization led by Jews with disabilities working to build Jewish spaces where disability experiences are fully acknowledged and honored. #ParshaChat, a notable project of Anachnu, is a Twitter hashtag used to guide discussions about the weekly Torah portion, particularly regarding how it may interact with the disability experience.