Our story
Openlev is not just a community—
it’s a sanctuary for the modern soul.
Welcome to the Openlev life
Openlev gatherings nourish the soul and grow the self. In a world that’s disconnected and lost in the noise of daily life, many of us yearn for meaning, purpose, and connection. Within this, Jewish identity often feels distant from the rhythms of everyday life.
We started Openlev as a way of bringing people together—in song, movement, and meaning—to live our values and connect with each other. Each event—from intentional coworking to Shabbat dinners infused with deep conversation to soul-stirring music—guides you closer to living your most embodied life.
—
Benjamin Richman,
Openlev Founder
Our Values
Inspired by the Jewish mystical tradition, teaching us that we live simultaneously in four worlds: Essence, Intellect, Design, and Action.
Atzilut
(Essence)
Honor Each Spirit
We celebrate the uniqueness and brilliance within each of us.
Briyah
(Intellect)
Students and Teachers
We stay open to new wisdom, shared discovery, and a lifelong commitment to growth.
Yetzirah
(Design)
Open Heart
We shape ourselves and our relationships through kindness, compassion, and generosity.
Asiyah
(Action)
Embodied Purpose
We bring our ideas into the world and live our values with intention.
Meet the Collective
Openlev is made up of tastemakers, leaders, and creatives re-imagining Jewish life.
Lawrence Dreyfuss
Lawrence is a movement facilitator, ritualist, and ecstatic dance DJ devoted to awakening the body as a sacred site of Jewish memory, meaning, and joy. He is the founder of The Jewish Embodiment Lab, an ecstatic dance and somatics community in New York City grounded in Jewish mysticism. A 500+ hour certified yoga teacher, Lawrence weaves somatics, storytelling, and ancestral wisdom into spaces of collective transformation. He teaches regularly at Othership, leads seasonal retreats, and is passionate about renewing seasonal rhythms through embodied practice.
Noah Aronson
Noah is a Brooklyn-based recording artist, composer, and performer, Noah Aronson is widely recognized as one of the top touring Jewish performers in the United States. With twenty years of experience, Noah tours worldwide with his band and as a solo act, creating engaging music events that blend wellness, spirituality, and creativity. His immense musicality combined with his lighthearted yet deeply intentional approach inspires audiences time and time again.
Rav Jericho
Rav is the founding rabbi of Temple of the Stranger, a growing Ivri community in Brooklyn. A frequent guest lecturer in communities across the country, they serve as an advisor to both Beit Kohenet and The Shalom Center. They are a Wexner Fellow, a member of B’not Esh and the Schusterman ROI Community, and a recent fellow at Atra: The Center for Rabbinic Innovation. Their work has been recognized by the Forward 50.
Raised in a rabbinic ultra-Orthodox family, Rav Jericho is a first-generation college graduate. They hold a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University, where they were a Pforzheimer Fellow, and received rabbinic ordination from the Aleph Ordination Program in the lineage of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. They teach Torah on Instagram @thealef.
Zvika
Zvika is the Spiritual Leader of Chochmat HaLev in Berkeley, CA. He formerly served as Facebook/Meta's first-ever Director of Responsible Innovation, created and led the World Economic Forum's Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and served as the US Department of State's first-ever "Ambassador to Silicon Valley." He has taught courses on design and social impact at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and the Rhode Island School of Design. Zvika has served in board and leadership positions for Milk+Honey camp at Burning Man, Jewish Studio Project, and other organizations dedicated to nourishing the mind, body, and soul. He is ordained by the Aleph Ordination Program in the lineage of Reb Zalman Schachter Shalomi.
Noah Appel
Noah is a percussionist and handpan artist with training in jazz, afro-cuban, and West African drumming. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Noah has spent his time as a musician touring around the world with a rock band, forming his own funk/hip-hop group, accompanying DJs around the world on djembe, and expanding into the world of immersive sound-producing, sound-designing, and multi-instrumental live-looping. Noah currently lives in Brooklyn, drumming for dance events such as Daybreaker, The Get Down, and Ecstatic Dance, recording with artists such as Grammy Award-winner Arooj Aftab, and spending his time composing and producing live handpan looping arrangements for sound journeys and meditations
