B’ NEI MITZVAH CLASS OF 2013 FOR 13 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
RABBI JILL G. HACKELL, MD
RABBI HANNIEL LEVENSON
Before attending AJR, I received my MD and my pediatrics training at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. I transitioned to a career in the pharmaceutical industry, where I was responsible for clinical research on new vaccines for more than 20 years.
Following Rabbinic ordination, I became the rabbi at West Clarkstown Jewish Center in New City, New York. This year we had to merge – and we all transferred to Congregation Sons of Israel in Nyack, NY, a place I knew well – it was the place that set me on my Jewish journey( thank you, Rabbi Jeff Hoffman), and where I have been a member for 43 years. Now, I am part of their clergy team.
I have combined medicine and Judaism by teaching Bioethics- from a Jewish point of view as adjunct faculty at AJR, at Jewish Federation of Rockland, and at synagogues; and from a secular point of view as adjunct faculty at the graduate level at Dominican College. I discovered a true love of teaching and have taught many Jewish subjects in Adult Education venues. In 2022, AJR awarded me the P’ nei Torah Faculty Award for excellence in teaching in religion and science.
My approach to spiritual leadership is rooted in an integrative view of life and practice. For me, the world itself is a sanctuary, and the practices that shape my life include meditation, yoga, chanting, surfing, sacred art, study, and service. Through these practices I seek to share a Judaism that is open, experiential, and connected to the wisdom of the natural world.
Born in Haifa and raised in New York City, I studied Religion and Art at New York University, earned a Master of Science in Environmental Policy from Bard College, and received rabbinical ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion.
I have been grateful to serve communities as Associate Rabbi and Director of Education at The Jewish Center of the Hamptons and as Head Rabbi of Congregation Mount Sinai in Brooklyn. Today I serve as the Rabbi and Executive Director of Maui Jewish Ohana in Hawai‘ i, while continuing a personal practice of sacred art inspired by mystical texts and the landscapes that surround me.
I’ ve stayed attached to the AJR community – serving on the AJR Board of Trustees as liaison for the Association for Rabbis and Cantors( ARC). And, as faculty, I continue to meet all the wonderful students.
I’ m blessed to have a son, a daughter and 4 grandchildren, and to share life’ s journey with my bashert, Shimmy Cohen.
32 AJR 2026