Linda Holtzman (she/they) is a queer rabbi who has lived in Philadelphia her entire life. She founded the Tikkun Olam Chavurah in 2014 and is thrilled to see it growing and broadening its reach. Linda teaches at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) and has been on their faculty for many years. They were ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1979 and has a B.A. and M.A. in English from Temple University and a B.H.L. from Gratz College. 

In addition to her work at RRC, Linda has served as rabbi at Beth Israel (Coatesville, PA), Beth Ahavah (the queer congregation in Philadelphia that existed from 1975-2012), and as Education Director and rabbi of Mishkan Shalom (Philadelphia, PA). They are the founder and organizer of the Reconstructionist Chevra Kadisha of Philadelphia. Linda is an member of Philadelphia’s New Sanctuary Movement, POWER Interfaith Philadelphia Chapter, and the Rabbinic Councilof Jewish Voice for Peace, where she has also served on the national board. She is currently on the board of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. Linda and their partner have two adult sons and two adorable grandchildren. She lives with her partner and their extraordinary dog, Oliver, and their cat, Tommy. 

Linda sees God as the force that moves us to work for justice and they devote much of their life to responding to that force. Building a chavurah, a community, that treats people with kindness and deep respect is a vital part of that work.

Rabbi Lonnie Kleinman

Rabbi Lonnie Kleinman (they/she) is a spiritual director, ritualist, and death educator, among other things. They are from the Sonoran desert of the Southwest and often dream of the smell of creosote after a monsoon. Lonnie was ordainded by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) in 2022.

Lonnie has spent over 10 years organizing with Jewish Voice for Peace, committed to a movement for justice in Palestine. She is currently a member of the Rabbinical Council of Jewish Voice for Peace. Lonnie has served a variety of communities in their time in Philadelphia- from Abramson Senior Care and Arcadia University, to POWER Interfaith Philadelphia. They served as a chaplain with the Philadelphia Movement Chaplaincy Network and at the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania. Lonnie’s meditation practice spans the past few decades of their life and asks them, over and over again, to be still and see. Lonnie currently works for Keshet as the Associate Director of Education and Training. Lonnie loves to tend to her garden and house plants and hike in the Wissahickon with their pup, kaya. 

Lonnie’s commitment to justice and honoring the inherent dignity in every human being is rooted in the knowledge that we are all created in the image of the divine. In seeing, honoring, and fighting for one another, we have the opportunity to know God more deeply.

Rabbi Rachel Kipnes, or Kip, is over-the-moon delighted to teach your children at Tikkun Olam Chavurah! With a decade+ experience in Jewish and secular education, Kip builds toward a collaborative learning environment that is accessible and heartfelt – one that encourages our children to ask the hardest hitting questions, teaches them to rely on imagination and ancestors when they need help…and most importantly, Kip wants to teach our children about what a blessing it is to be Jewish. When she’s not rolling around on the carpet playing Hebrew letter games or making parsha puppets with your kids, Kip is a prison chaplain and an organizer teaching and praying toward collective liberation and Jewish diaspora as a source of increased political bravery and audacious hospitality.