This year we have had Erica Brown serve as our Scholar in Residence throughout the year. She has come for a number of Shabbatot, given session online, and will be speaking at our Yom Hazikaron/Yom Haatzmaut program. Other guest speakers throught the years have included Rabbi JJ Schachter, Rabbi David Stav, Rabbi Francis Nataf, , Rabbi Meir Goldwicht, Gila Block, Alan Mendoza, Sgt. Benjamin Anthony, Danny Ayalon, Yehuda Avner, Yael Rabinowitz and more. Topics have included Current Events in Israel, Infertility, Modern Biblical Analysis, and Contemporary Halacha.  In addition, Rabbi Klibanoff periodically speaks in a special Limmud Shabbat format after Musaf on an assortment of topics.

Dr. Erica Brown is an associate professor at George Washington University and the director of its Mayberg Center for Jewish Education and Leadership. She is the author of eleven books on leadership, the Hebrew Bible and spirituality; her forthcoming book is a commentary on the Book of Esther. She has been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Tablet and The Jewish Review of Books and writes a monthly column for the New York Jewish Week. She has blogged for Psychology Today, Newsweek/Washington Post's "On Faith" and JTA and tweets on one page of Talmud study a day at ericabrown.com