Rabbi Joey Felsen, Founder and Executive Director of the Jewish Study Network, hails from Toronto, Canada. He completed a B.A. in Political Science at York University before pursuing rabbinic ordination in Israel at the Mirrer Yeshiva.  As an activist in university, Rabbi Felsen held the titles of National Chairperson of the Jewish Students’ Network of Canada and the Vice-Chairperson of the World Union of Jewish Students.
Rabbi Felsen and his family moved from Jerusalem to Palo Alto in 2001 to launch the Jewish Study Network.  He received the 2006 Grinspoon-Steinhardt National Award for Excellence in Jewish Education for his teaching at Kehillah Jewish High School. He currently teaches in the Florence Melton School for Adult Education at the Jewish Community Centers in Palo Alto and Los Gatos, in addition to the regular classes that he conducts as independent JSN educational offerings.
Rabbi Felsen is a member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Community Federation of the San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties.  He is also the founding Board President of Meira Academy and the proud parent of a pioneering freshman.

​Rabbi Avi Lebowitz received his ordination from Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore and a Masters in Education from Johns Hopkins University. He moved to Palo Alto in 2002 with his family to join the Jewish Study Network and became the Educational Director of the JSN in 2005. He served part-time as the Rabbi of Congregation Ahavas Torah in San Jose for the first two years following his arrival to the Bay Area.
An expert in the realm of Halacha (Jewish law), Rabbi Lebowitz recently published a comprehensive and scholarly work on the Mikvah (ritual bath), which includes an innovative commentary on the related Mishnaic tractate. He is also the author of “Nasiach Bechukecha”, a commentary on the Chayei Adam’s principles of the commandments.  Rabbi Lebowitz is consulted worldwide on intricacies of Jewish law.
In addition to being on our board of directors, Rabbi Lebowitz teaches halacha at Meira Academy. He is an active member on the Head of School search committee of South Peninsula Hebrew Day School and is the only rabbi in the Bay Area who is qualified to write Gittin (Jewish divorce papers) that are universally accepted.