Scholars In Residence

The Honorable Jason Greenblatt

Jason Greenblatt is a diplomat, lawyer and commentator who served as an Assistant to the President and the White House Special Envoy to the Middle East from 2017-2019. In this role, Jason served as one of the chief architects of the Peace to Prosperity plan between Israel and the Palestinians and was one of the key players in laying the foundation for the Abraham Accords. He is the host of The Diplomat Podcast with Newsweek and author of the new book In the Path of Abraham, a widely acclaimed book about his time at the White House and United States policy regarding Israel and the broader Middle East, as well as his insights on today’s Middle East.

Jason has spoken in front of the UN Security Council numerous times about the tremendous bias against Israel at the United Nations. During the nearly three years that Jason worked at the White House he traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and elsewhere meeting with heads of state and a large array of politicians, diplomats and key influencers to re-educate people about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its complexities and to begin to build the bridge necessary to achieve peace.

Jason remains involved working toward peace and prosperity throughout the Middle East region, focusing on continuing to develop what he calls a Middle East 2.0, by building economic, cultural and friendship bridges between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

Jason & his family will be joining us for the entirety of the program – Jason will be conducting Q&A Sessions discussing such topics as his time at The White House, Working on the Abraham Accords, Making Peace in the Middle East & Much More!

Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager is one of America’s most respected radio talk show hosts. He has been broadcasting on radio in Los Angeles since 1982. His popular show became nationally syndicated in 1999 and airs live, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to Noon (Pacific Time) from his home station, KRLA. Widely sought after by television shows for his opinions, he’s appeared on Fox and Friends, Red Eye, Hardball, Hannity, CBS Evening News, The Today Show and many others.

In 2011, Dennis co-founded with Allen Estrin, Prager University, an institution of higher learning on the Internet with a unique difference – all the courses are five minutes long. The courses distill the best ideas of the best minds in the world and cover the disciplines of Political Science, History, Philosophy/Religion, Economics and Psychology. The faculty includes Paul Johnson, George Gilder, Arthur Brooks, Peter Kreeft and many others.

Elan Kornblum

Known as “The Restaurant Guy”, Elan Kornblum started the Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine in 2003 and ever since has expanded his online network to the #1 ranked kosher restaurant website in the world, an award-winning monthly newsletter, the largest kosher group on Facebook in the world with over 76,000 members, and a very popular Instagram page of over 33,000 followers.

He has eaten at over 1000 kosher restaurants on 4 continents and is considered to be the #1 kosher restaurant influencer. He has revolutionized the way people get their restaurant information, been instrumental on where diners go out to eat and has bridged the gap as a liaison between customer and owner by teaching lessons, positive dialogue and respecting when reviewing.

He has launched numerous social projects including a Facebook group of over 1,000 which assists in getting volunteers at funerals and shiva for a minyan; the #foodieforward project that has helped special needs children and families in need enjoy their time at restaurants; and #foodiefitness, to get more people to be active, all while enjoying their dining experiences.

Elan Will Be Joining VIP Kosher Tours As A Host, Speaker & Foodie Private Tastings.

He is the author of Jewish Guide to Practical Medical Decision-Making (Urim Press) and Guide to Observance of Jewish Law in a Hospital (Kodesh Press). He has published more than forty scholarly articles and book chapters, as well as several “popular” pieces.

Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner

Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner, BCC, serves as the senior rabbi and director of the Spiritual Care Department at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, where he is responsible for the chaplaincy team and all aspects of spiritual care throughout the health system.

Rabbi Weiner previously served as the assistant rabbi at Young Israel of Century City. He has earned two rabbinic ordinations, as well as a Doctorate in clinical bioethics from Loyola University (Chicago), where he also earned a master’s degree in bioethics and health policy, in addition to a master’s degree in Jewish history from Yeshiva University. Rabbi Weiner has completed four units of clinical pastoral education. He is a board-certified chaplain through Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains, and he sits on the association’s board.

Rabbi Weiner is a member of the executive committee of the Cedars-Sinai Bioethics Committee. He is past president of the Southern California Board of Rabbis and has been honored with Rabbinic Leadership Awards from the Orthodox Union and Chai Lifeline. Rabbi Weiner is also the rabbi of Knesset Israel Synagogue of Beverlywood, and he frequently serves as a scholar-in-residence at conferences and synagogues throughout the nation on topics related to Jewish medical ethics, pastoral care, health and wellness, and teaches hands on Jewish medical ethics in the hospital to numerous Jewish high schools in Los Angeles.

Rabbi Moshe Kohenbash

Rabbi Moshe Kohenbash, a well respected rabbi of his community, will be joining us to run the Sephardic Shul & provide the additional Hashgacha to our Persian Kitniyot Resturant. Rabbi Kohenbash will also be speaking on a wide variety of topics pertaining to our current lives and Pesach.

Jay Will Be Holding Wine Tastings & Speaking About Hard To Find Kosher Wines From Around The Globe.

Jay Buchsbaum

With his extensive background, Jay is no newcomer to the world of wine. A native Brooklynite and graduate of the renowned Grossman’s Guide wine course, taught by wine expert Harriet Lembeck. Jay has worked with leading wineries including Grgich Hills, Lytton Spring, David Bruce, Martin Ray, Durney, Foppiano and others. He also worked for the San Francisco Wine Exchange early in his career. He’s been with Royal Wine Corp. for 20+ years and is best known for his radio show appearances, and countless articles for a host of publications. He’s also been quoted by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and others. Most recently, Jay has launched the web series “Swirl” with his co-host, Gabe Geller on Kosher.com that focuses on wine reviews, viewer questions, and general wine talk. Over the years, Jay has worked with viticulturists and winemakers to advance the level of wine quality from the vineyard to the bottle.

Jay works with wine retailers and consumer groups to conduct seminars and wine tastings that will teach audiences about the various types of grapes that are used in wine production, the various types of wine that are available, how wine is produced, and the superb quality of today’s kosher wines. In Jay’s words: “There is a void in the public’s general wine knowledge and there are so many fine kosher wines available today that many people are not aware of. My mission is not only to educate the public about wine and winemaking in general, but I hope to encourage everyone to taste, appreciate and enjoy the outstanding kosher wines that are available.”