Hen Mazzig, Yiscah Smith and 92NY’s Rabbi David Ingber in Conversation: Dare to Be Jewish

Hen Mazzig is an Israeli writer, speaker, and digital creator described by The New York Times as one of the most nuanced online commentators on Israel and Jewish issues of our time.

A globally recognized Jewish voice, he has appeared across four continents on outlets including MSNBC, BBC, CNN, Sky News, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. His content reaches over 100 million users monthly across nearly a million followers from all of his social platforms combined, making him one of the most influential Jewish voices online.

Born in Israel to a family of Mizrahi heritage — with roots in Iraq and Tunisia — Hen’s family story of displacement from the Middle East shapes his work as a bridge between cultures. He served for five years as a humanitarian officer in the West Bank and Gaza, working as a liaison between Israeli security forces, the Palestinian Authority, and international NGOs.

After earning a degree in Middle Eastern and Jewish Studies from Bar-Ilan University, Hen began speaking internationally about identity, antisemitism, and Jewish history. He has since lectured at more than 500 universities and events worldwide.

Hen is the co-founder of the Tel Aviv Institute, a research and media organisation combating antisemitism and misinformation about Jews. His bestselling debut book, The Wrong Kind of Jew (2022), explores the Mizrahi Jewish story and the complexities of Jewish identity in modern discourse.Hen is also the creator and host of And They’re Jewish, a YouTube series celebrating Jewish creatives and cultural figures from around the world, and has led viral online campaigns, which challenge stereotypes and highlight the diversity of the global Jewish community.

His impact has been recognized globally: he was named among The Algemeiner’s Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life (2018, 2021), one of the Top 50 Most Influential Jewish LGBT Voices (2020), recipient of CAMERA’s Portrait in Courage Award, one of The Jewish News’ Top 20 Young Jewish Creatives in the UK (2024), and one of The Jerusalem Post’s 25 Most Influential Young Jews (2023) and 50 Most Influential Jews in the World (2025).

Yiscah Smith is a thought leader, spiritual activist, and author who addresses “Jewish Identity Redefined.” She is committed to empowering and ennobling individuals in the spiritual practice of encountering the Divine spark within and beyond.

Yiscah envisions this next era in Jewish history “returning forward” to a spiritually sensitive Judaism—emphasizing a fresh and vibrant Jewish identity — radically compassionate, kind, joyful, confident, unapologetic, spiritual, holistic and unifying — with gratitude, pride, dignity and an informed contemporary Jew familiar with the Jewish story, honoring our past and creating a new path into our future.

As a lifetime learner Yiscah presents a diverse palette of scholarship which has included the Chabad Torah institutions, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and mostly with independent scholars who emphasize both traditional Hasidic and also neo-Hasidic texts.

Yiscah teaches at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Applied Jewish Spirituality (AJS) and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS). Yiscah travels the globe sharing her ideas that are both spiritual texts supported and creative as well. She graciously accepts invitations for scholar-in-residence and keynote speaker engagements.

Her newest book, Planting Seeds of the Divine: Torah Commentaries to Cultivate Your Spiritual Practice, was recently published by the Jewish Publication Society (JPS).

Rabbi David A. Ingber is Senior Director for Jewish Life and Senior Director of the Bronfman Center at 92NY. A nationally recognized Jewish leader, educator, and teacher of Jewish spirituality, he is the founding rabbi of Romemu, the largest Jewish Renewal synagogue in the United States.

Ordained by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi, founder of the Jewish Renewal movement, Rabbi Ingber founded Romemu in New York City in 2006 and later established Romemu Yeshiva, the first fully egalitarian yeshiva dedicated to mystical and meditative Jewish learning and practice.

His approach to Torah, Jewish mysticism, prayer, and spirituality is informed by a broad range of Jewish traditions, philosophy, psychology, and religious thought. Rabbi Ingber has taught and lectured internationally and serves on the faculties of the Wexner Heritage Program and the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America and Israel. He was also an AJWS Global Justice Fellow.

Named by Newsweek as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in the United States and by The Forward as one of America's 50 most notable Jews, Rabbi Ingber is widely recognized for his thoughtful, inclusive approach to Jewish learning. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Ariel, and their three children.