GALA 2026

We’ve come of age!

Join us on June 18, 2026 as we mark a significant milestone – Lab/Shul’s B MITZVAH.

Thirteen years in, Lab/Shul has grown from a bold experiment into a thriving spiritual community and a catalyst for global change. Building on the legacy of Storahtelling, Lab/Shul’s artist-driven, everybody-friendly, God-optional ethos lives at the center of how we make meaning of our inherited traditions and create space for everyone to belong.

Our B Mitzvah is an opportunity to honor what we’ve co-created thus far and to face what lays ahead with confidence, curiosity, and a deep sense of purpose. At this time of uncertainty and strain, it’s also a moment to intentionally embrace joy and celebration as an act of resilience. We’ll honor the moment with a special Storahtelling ritual performance honoring beloved community leaders, toast, feast, and party into the night (yes, we’re taking the B Mitzvah moment seriously—celebration included!)

This is Lab/Shul’s moment of BECOMING. Join us on June 18th to honor the commencement of a new chapter for us all.

Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn NY

6:30PM: Cocktails / Buffet Dinner
8:00PM: Ritual Program / Honoree Celebration
9:00PM: B Mitzvah Party / Dancing / Bowling

The attire:

Wear what you wore when you were 13.
Or re-create your B Mitzvah garb
(or what you wished you had worn)!

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Gala Honorees

Jennifer and Jon (aka JAR) have been active leaders of Lab/Shul since the early 2000’s. JAR was a founding company member of the Storahtelling Ritual Theater Company, and has developed, directed and performed in more than 30 Storahtelling ritual pieces across the country in synagogues, schools, JCCs, summer camps and at prestigious Jewish conferences. As a senior Storahtelling Maven and B Mitzvah trainer, JAR has worked with more than 20 B Mitzvah families utilizing Lab/Shul’s signature Raising the Bar curriculum to develop bespoke Storahtelling rituals. Jennifer has served on the Lab/Shul Board of Directors from 2014 until 2025, with leadership roles including serving on the Executive Board as Secretary, co-chairing Lab/Shuls’s 2019-2024 Strategic Planning process, serving on the year-round Programming Team, BECOMING business planning Task Force, and Lab/Shul’s Leadership Reimagining Task Force. Jen and JAR count Lab/Shul and many in the Lab/Shul community as some of their closest friends and “framily”.

Professionally Jennifer is an urban designer, planner, and strategic leader with nearly 20 years of experience shaping urban projects that strengthen communities and the shared spaces that bring people together. Jen works at the intersection of planning, design, infrastructure, and policy to support more resilient, inclusive, and connected neighborhoods. Throughout her career, she has collaborated on civic and community-centered initiatives, both in New York City and around the world, helping guide complex development projects from vision to implementation. She is deeply committed to the idea that the places we create reflect communities’ collective values—and that thoughtful design can advance equity, health, and dignity. Jen holds dual master’s degrees in Urban Planning and Public Health from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from Barnard College.

JAR is a theater maker, performer and arts executive who has co-created theater in communities around the United States and across the globe to address acute civic divisions. Jon is the Executive Director and a Co-Founding Artist of Inheritance Theater Project (ITP), a national nonprofit that bridges divisions through creative collaboration. Over the past decade, ITP has employed more than 250 artists to engage 14,000 people to collaborate across generational, political, and religious divides in projects spanning 19 cities around the country. Jon has served as an artist in residence at Harvard Divinity School, Union Theological Seminary, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and many other religious and educational institutions. Jon has held fellowships with Cogenerate, Invested Faith, the Covenant Foundation, LABA, M², and as a Spielberg Fellow in Theater Education with the Foundation for Jewish Camp. As an actor, Jon’s stage credits include: a dog, a 2,000-year-old bird, a spurned housewife, a horse, a British naval officer, a goat, Jesus, a wrestler, a hapless police chief, and a cyclops. Jon holds a BFA from NYU/Tisch. And as a parent to a 5 year old, Jon has recently provided silly voices to such inanimate objects as a winter hat, a rubber ducky, and a syringe of children’s tylenol. www.inheritancetheater.org

Jodi Cohen & L Michael Graver (z”l) Legacy Award Recipient

Jodi Cohen & L Michael Graver (z”l)

Legacy Award Recipient

Jodi Cohen

& L Michael Graver

Legacy Award Receipient

Harry Otterman is a founding Co-Creator of Lab/Shul and a dedicated community builder whose leadership has helped shape the organization since its earliest days. Over the years, he has generously contributed his time, resources, and strategic insight, while leveraging a broad professional network to support Lab/Shul’s growth and impact. His commitment reflects a deep belief in creative, inclusive Jewish life and the power of community to evolve and thrive. Professionally, Harry is the Owner of Norcor Management Corp, overseeing real estate property management and operations. As a recipient of this award, Harry’s contributions reflect a legacy measured not just in resources given, but in the strength, spirit, and sustainability of the community he has helped shape.

GALA CO-Chairs

Sarah Connors & Michael Dorf
Marnie Berk & Jon Silvan
Rebecca Weller & Adam Stettner

HOST COMMITTEE (in formation)

Mollie Andron
Karin & Paul Barman
Jacqui & Todd Brecher
Jonah Canner
Lori Roth Gale & Brian Gale
Brian Gelfand
Janee Graver
Erin & David Loewy-Harris
Naamah Harris Imir
Karen Hauser & Warren Leight
Annie G. Levy
Rabbi Annie Lewis
Deanna Neil
franny silverman newman & Mike Newman
Ora & Chuck Ramat
Chana Rothman
Ava & Steve Schlesinger
Kippy Joseph & Jason Scott
Shawn Shafner
Jake Goodman & Sean Shepherd
Tracey Erin Smith
Rhona Silverbush & Peter Vogelsang
Emily Warshaw
Keeli Sorensen & David Wolkin

Premier REserved Seating

Epic: $20,000+

Premier seating for 10
Listed as Epic in invitation, event screen, and website
Prominent recognition on screens at event
Invitation for 2 to pre-event Sponsor reception
Early access to sign up for bowling lane at the After Party bowling tournament
Exclusive private study salon for 10 with Rabbi Amichai
Shabbat dinner with Lab/Shul Ritual Team at an upcoming Sabbath Queen
Entry into Lab/Shul’s “Visionary Circle”*

Chronicle: $12,500+

Premium seating for 8
Listed as Chronicle in invitation, event screen, and website
Prominent recognition on screens during event
Invitation for 2 to pre-event Sponsor reception
Early access to sign up for bowling lane at the After Party bowling tournament
Shabbat dinner with Lab/Shul Ritual Team at an upcoming Sabbath Queen
Entry into Lab/Shul’s “Visionary Circle”*

Saga: $10,000+

Premium seating for 6
Listed as Saga in invitation, event screen, and website
Prominent recognition on screens during event
Invitation for 2 to pre-event Sponsor reception
Early access to sign up for bowling lane at the After Party bowling tournament
Shabbat dinner with Lab/Shul Ritual Team at an upcoming Sabbath Queen

Legend: $5,000+

Priority seating for 4
Listed as Legend in invitation, event screens, and website
Prominent recognition on screens at event
Invitation for 2 to pre-event Sponsor reception
Early access to sign up for bowling lane at the After Party bowling tournament
Shabbat dinner with Lab/Shul Ritual Team at an upcoming Sabbath Queen

Preferred Seating

Myth: $2,500+

2 Tickets
Preferred seating
Invitation for 2 to pre-event Sponsor reception
Listed as Myth on invitation, event screens, and website

Fable: $900+

1 Ticket
Preferred seating
Invitation for 1 to pre-event Sponsor reception
Listed on tribute screens during the event

Tale: $360+
Cost of admission plus a donation.

Story: $195+

Cost of admission. A limited number of tickets are available at this level.

Poem: $80+

Welcoming our extended community at a subsidized price-point. A limited number of tickets are available at this level.

Corporate Sponsorships

IS YOUR BUSINESS INTERESTED IN ENHANCING YOUR BRAND VISIBILITY?

Becoming a Corporate Sponsor of the Lab/Shul Gala and enjoy a range of on site and long-term benefits that demonstrate your commitment to supporting community and philanthropic initiatives. Examples include: Premier seating at the Gala, on-site signage, pre-event Sponsor reception, promotional item giveaways, web and social media recognition.

Questions

Questions about event sponsorship or tickets?

Email [email protected]

Not able to join us in PERSON?

Can’t join in PERSON?

We invite you to offer a blessing or well wishes.

Contributions in any amount are welcome! Click here to offer a blessing.

*LAB/SHUL VISIONARY CIRCLE:

Lab/Shul Partners who contribute $11K and above annually are invited to join the Visionary Circle, a think tank and social network led by Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie that addresses challenging and controversial issues facing the Jewish community. The salons feature Rabbi Amichai and other guest teachers, leading study sessions and discussions through a lens of inclusivity, progress and justice, and utilizing Jewish texts as sources of context. With Lab/Shul’s Everybody Friendly mission as a driving force, Visionary Circle topics include inclusivity and post-tribalism; patrilineal descent, racism, intermarriage; God and theology, prayer; Israel/Palestine; and antisemitism.

On-Site Volunteering

We are gladly welcoming a limited number of on-site volunteers to serve as greeters and to assist with registration and some on-site programming. All volunteers will receive free access to the entire event. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact [email protected].