Who We Are
As Jewish and Israeli social work academics and allies in the United States, we represent diverse perspectives, roles, and institutional contexts within social work education. We recognize that our community members may have different priorities, concerns, and approaches to addressing challenges we face. We welcome colleagues who share our commitment to combating antisemitism and creating inclusive academic environments.
Our Story
We are a group of Jewish social work academics and allies who found one another in the aftermath of October 2023, when many of us experienced a profound disconnect between our professional and personal selves.
We came together because we needed connection—to people who understood, to people who could offer mutual support, and, importantly, to find moments of joy in profoundly challenging times.
We met at SSWR and CSWE conferences, gathered in organic Zoom sessions, and slowly became a community. We laughed, cried, and drank together. We admired one another’s jewelry and curly hair. We shared our experiences, our struggles, and our hopes.
Somehow, along the way, we became family.
Our Mission
Our Vision
To create a supportive and inclusive environment for Jewish and Israeli social work academics and students in the United States. In alignment with the profession’s commitment to social justice, we advance knowledge of the diversity of Jewish experiences through collaboration, scholarship, and strategic action.
We envision a social work profession where Jewish and Israeli academics, students, and practitioners can participate fully in educational and professional spaces without fear of discrimination, marginalization, or hostility.
We aspire to create academic environments that embrace nuanced dialogue, reject antisemitism in all its forms, and uphold the dignity and rights of all individuals. Our vision includes social work education that values and integrates the experiences of Jewish communities.
Leadership
Steering Committee
Roni Berger | Adelphi University
Roni Berger, PhD LCSW was born, was raised, and practiced in Israel and immigrated to New York, where she serves as a professor of social work at Adelphi University School of Social Work. She specializes in trauma practice and research, has published and presented extensively in English and Hebrew, and consults and trains domestically and internationally.
Ray Engel | University of Pittsburgh
Rafael (Ray) Engelis an emeritus associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. While he continues to do research in gerontology and lower wage work, he enjoys walking through his local parks listening to the Grateful Dead.
Shirley Gatenio Gabel | Fordham University
Dr. Shirley Gatenio Gabel, M.S.W., M.Phil, Ph.D., is a Professor and holds the Quaranta Chair for Justice for Children at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service. Dr. Gatenio Gabel’s research focuses on human rights and social policies, particularly those affecting children and families. She represents the International Association of Schools of Social Work at the United Nations, is a member of the CSWE Board, and chairs CSWE Commission on Educational Policy. Dr. Gatenio Gabel co-founded the Journal on Human Rights and Social Work. Her recent books include A Human Rights-based Approach to Justice in Social Work, (2024)Oxford, and her co-edited book, Navigating Family Policies in Precarious Times: Examining Diverse Approaches in European Countries, (2025) Springer. As a child of Holocaust survivors, Dr. Gatenio Gabel is passionate about promoting human rights and combating rising antisemitism with positive Jewish identities.
Shelley Horwitz | Stony Brook University
Shelley Horwitz, MSW, is Assistant Dean at the Stony Brook School of Social Welfare, where she leads operations for the School’s Manhattan site and supports administration, adjunct faculty, student affairs, teaches MSW students and develops continuing education programs for nonprofit and governmental partners. She has built numerous university and community partnerships, contributed to interdisciplinary research as Co-PI on a $1.7 million NSF grant, and secured more than $1.3 million in foundation and government funding. Shelley began her career as a community organizer in low-income communities and spent more than 20 years in Jewish communal service. Her work has included developing domestic and international responses to psychological trauma and disaster, supporting community-wide refugee resettlement initiatives, and advancing workforce development programs. Across her work, Shelley is committed to promoting equity, countering antisemitism, and ensuring that Jewish experiences and perspectives are represented in broader conversations about inclusion and belonging in academic spaces.
Maayan Lawental | University of South Florida
Dr. Maayan Lawental is an Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida School of Social Work, where she has taught for ten years, and a part-time lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice. She earned her BSW and MSW at the University of Haifa in Israel and her PhD in Social Welfare at the University of Pennsylvania. Her current research examines how a geographically distant political conflict affects social work academics in the United States. She is the Director of the Social Work Therapeutic Modalities Graduate Certificate at USF and serves as a site visitor for the Council on Social Work Education.
Randy Magen | Yeshiva University
Dr. Randy Magen is the Dean of the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University, where he leads a commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and community engagement. He holds a Doctorate in Social Welfare and a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Sara Schwartz | University of Southern California
Sara L. Schwartz, PhD, MSW, MA is an Associate Professor of Teaching at the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She earned an MSW from Virginia Commonwealth University, a PhD in Social Work and Social Work Research from Portland State University, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, and recently earned an MA in Visual Anthropology from the University of Southern California.
Corey Shdaimah | University of Maryland, Baltimore
Corey Shdaimah is Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. With degrees from Tel Aviv University and University of Pennsylvania Schools of Law and a PhD from Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, her research explores policy implementation, social work ethics, and meaningful inclusion in higher education with a focus on international students and Jewish social work academics. Her next book, co-authored with Dassi Postan-Aizik (Max Stern Yizreel Valley College) and Jörg Fischer (Erfurt Fachochshule), Teaching and Learning Across Conflict: Social Work Pedagogy for Our Turbulent Times explores how social work educators can foster generative and inclusive dialogue that align with our professional values.
Amy Werman | Columbia University
Amy Werman, DSW, LCSW, recently retired from Columbia University School of Social Work, where she served as a Senior Lecturer in Discipline for ten years. She now devotes her time to private psychotherapy practice, as well as the study and research of interventions that address antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Dr. Werman earned her Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and her Doctor of Social Work degree from Adelphi University.
