Team

Jenny Karr (pronounced Jen-IKAR) has built a dynamic career in music, singing, and songwriting, performing live with renowned artists and comedians and lending her voice to projects for DreamWorks, The Voice, and the Grammys, as well as hit songs for today’s biggest pop artists. She discovered Ikar through her mother, who had a deep connection to Jewish life and recommended it as a synagogue that would resonate with her. Little did Jenny know that Ikar would become such a cherished and big part of her life. In addition to her work in entertainment, Jenny founded “Everybody Has a Voice”, a company where she coaches talent in songwriting, singing, and recording, helping others discover and refine their unique voices. She loves being at Ikar with her husband, Mati Gavriel, who is often involved with audio and video production or jumping in to play the harmonium or sing alongside Hazan Hillel. But of all her roles, Jenny’s most treasured is as a member of the Davening Team, where she finds deep joy, spirituality, and fulfillment and loves being a part of the Ikar family. 

After many years of shul-hopping, Janeen landed at a Roxbury Park Shabbat where she had been invited on a Jdate. Once there, this would-be suitor was clearly disinterested in her. Nevertheless, the hypnotic music of the service and the sermon delivered by Rabbi Sharon Brous-which touched on vegetarianism-spoke to her soul. She knew she had found her people—just not her man. Fast forward: Janeen loves singing on the davening team beside her djembe-playing husband, Gary and the beautiful people who make up the IKAR community. Professionally, Janeen has worked as a hypnotherapist, songwriter, singer, guitarist and sawyer (musical saw player). Her music can be heard in film and television as well as on podcasts and records for artists such as Ricky Lee Jones, Joan Baez, and others. She played Ravel’s Bolero on saw live at the Hollywood Bowl with Blue Man Group, and has made numerous appearances on primetime network television.  She is currently working on two children’s books. Janeen will forever be grateful for the gift of IKAR.

Sister of Rabbi Sharon, Dev serves as the Director of Consulting at a women-run firm, Givver, where she brings expertise in strategic planning, leading-edge programming, and coalition-building skills. With a 20-year track record of securing diversified funding streams, she founded two grassroots multi-faith nonprofits that advanced food sovereignty and healing justice. She’s also the creator of FromSoil2Soul, where she facilitates monthly Rosh Hodesh rituals, and grief garden circles. Mama of two athletes, Dev can be found cheering them on at a tournament; tending their family’s urban homestead; or stuck in traffic on the 405.

Sharon Brous is the senior and founding rabbi of  IKAR, a leading edge Jewish community based in Los Angeles, and author of The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Heal Our Hearts and Mend Our Broken World, a national bestseller. Brous offered the invocation at the Democratic National Convention in 2024, led the Hanukkah candle lighting with the Vice President and Second Gentleman in 2023, and the White House Passover Seder in 2021. She blessed President Biden and Vice President Harris at the Inaugural National Prayer Service in 2021, and in 2013, she blessed President Obama and Vice President Biden. She was named #1 on the Newsweek/The Daily Beast list of most influential Rabbis in America, and has been recognized by The Forward and Jerusalem Post as among the most influential Jews alive today. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post, and her 2016 TED talk, “Reclaiming Religion,” has been viewed by more than 1.5 million people. Brous is in the inaugural cohort of Auburn Seminary‘s Senior Fellows program, which unites top faith leaders working on the frontlines for justice, she sits on the faculty of REBOOT and serves on the International Council of the New Israel Fund and national steering committee for the Poor People’s Campaign. A graduate of Columbia University (both undergraduate and M.A. in Human Rights), she was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children.

Rabbi Hannah Jensen was ordained by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in 2023. She lived in many states, traveled many places, and had many jobs, before eventually finding herself in Los Angeles, where she started to find that the ‘Jewish’ piece of the professional puzzle had been missing. She has spent many years working with many b’nai mitzvah students, being involved in community organizing leadership, working with adults learning Hebrew, and always trying to meet new people. Rabbi Jensen spent two and a half years working as a spiritual counselor at Beit T’shuvah (a residential addiction treatment center), did a fellowship with T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, and did a fellowship with the New Israel Fund. When not engaging in a variety of Jewish and justice work, Rabbi Jensen loves walking (yes, people walk in L.A.), discovering new donut shops, writing, and the moon. Email her at [email protected].

Rabbi Morris Panitz is thrilled to be an Associate Rabbi at IKAR, a community he’s cherished for the past 8 years. Previously, he served as the Director of the Ziering BCI Program and Director of Immersive Experiences at American Jewish University.  He cherishes the opportunity to partner with people who are seeking meaningful connection to Jewish wisdom and community. Morris received rabbinical ordination from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and was a recipient of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship. Prior to rabbinical school, he combined his love for Jewish, experiential education and environmental sustainability as the Program Director of the Pearlstone Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Morris completed a Certificate in Jewish, Experiential Education from Yeshiva University and received his B.A. from the University of Maryland in philosophy and Jewish Studies. Morris loves hiking and gardening with his wife, Elana, and three children, Ziva, Matan, and Luna. Week after week, he has shared with us his stirring and heartfelt Torah. He has held us during moments of loss, and graced us with his presence in times of challenge and celebration. In a very short time, he has become an indispensable part of our clergy team. And Rabbi Panitz and Elana, along with Ziva, Matan and Luna, have become deeply embedded in the life of our community. We are thrilled that Rabbi Panitz was promoted in December 2022 from Assistant Rabbi to the role of Associate Rabbi, where continues to serve, teach and care for our community with his big heart and deep wisdom. Email [email protected].

Hillel majored in musicology, and specialized in composition, classical guitar, the renaissance lute and pop music. He went on to co-found the Jewish rap band MOT. He has released two albums Judeo and Judeo Volume II, and under Palms Station, has released Stand Together. Fall Apart. Listen and follow on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and Soundcloud. And we can’t forget the spectacular live renditions of “Mad World” and with “Alive” Hillel and Curt Smith (Tears for Fears). The son of a rabbinical scholar, Hillel has spent his life expressing his love of yiddishkeit. He spent several years living in Israel, has cantored during High Holy Days since his high school years, and has been the bar mitzvah tutor at Beth Am in Los Angeles since 1991. In addition to leading IKAR services, he spends his time writing his own Jewish music and posing as an international male tweed model. Email him at [email protected].

Sean and his wife Rebecca raised their two children in the IKAR community and are grateful to be part of it. Sean feels fortunate to have the opportunity to contribute, as a member of the davening team. He also loves the experience of using music to deepen his own engagement with Shabbat and holiday services. Professionally, Sean is a public-interest environmental lawyer, working as the California managing attorney for the nonprofit Earthjustice, and was previously a full-time member of UCLA’s law school faculty for two decades, co-directing the environmental law program there.

Gary has been a professional drummer most of his life. He also runs his own law practice, where he represents musicians and helps them navigate the music business. He has published two books on the music industry and teaches a class on music licensing at UCLA Extension. Like so many American Jews, Gary had lost his love of davening until he was brought to IKAR by his wife, Janeen. There he re-discovered how powerful the union of music and prayer can be.

Ross grew up in Brooklyn, NY playing music, acting, and acting out. Along with his wife, Nan Friedman, he was one of the OGs that founded ikar and all these years later, still loves singing and playing for services.