Who We Are
Our team is dedicated to helping animals and people heal each other from trauma, PTSD, and mistreatment. Healing Together is a project of Breeyah, a non-profit 501c3 organization. Special thanks to The Rayor Family Center for Loving Kindness for helping to fund this initiative.
Cantor Steven PuzarneExecutive Director, Rayor Center/Breeyah
Cantor Steven Puzarne is the Founder of Breeyah, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to respond creatively to the changing needs of the Jewish community, including providing holistic, spiritually based care to special needs children and adults and their families. After the October 7th attack, Cantor Puzarne established Breeyah's Israeli branch, The Rayor Family Center for Loving Kindness of which Healing Together is the first major project. In addition, through the Rayor Center, Cantor Puzarne manages the "smitten with kitten" initiative, striving to significantly reduce the number and the suffering of stray cats within Israel/Palestine.
He can be reached at: Healing.Together.Israel@gmail.com
He can be reached at: Healing.Together.Israel@gmail.com
Rabbi Suzanne SingerCo-Executive Director, Rayor Center/Breeyah
Rabbi Suzanne Singer lives in California. As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, she is keenly aware of the need to make our world a better place. In her capacity as a rabbi, she has served several congregations and has been engaged for over 20 years in social justice work. She has also served on a variety of non-profit boards and has led advocacy efforts through local interfaith organizations. Before becoming a rabbi, she was a television producer and programming executive in news and public affairs as well as children’s programming. In that capacity, she won two national Emmy awards. She can be reached at: Healing.Together.Israel@gmail.com
Dr. Lori KoganBoard of Academic Advisors
Lori Kogan, Ph.D. is a Professor of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University and has worked to support veterinary professionals for over 20 years. She is the Chair of the Human-Animal Interaction section of the American Psychological Association and Editor-in-Chief of the Human-Animal Interaction journal, an open-access, online publication published by CABI. She publishes and presents regularly on topics related to human animal interactions in both psychology and veterinary medicine venues.
Dr. Batya G. JaffeBoard of Academic Advisors
Originally from Mexico, Dr. Batya Jaffe, MSW, PhD, is a certified Animal-Assisted Therapist and canine handler. She earned her doctorate from Yeshiva University, focusing on Animal-Assisted Crisis Response in Israel. Dr. Jaffe founded the K-9 Unit for United Hatzalah, a non-profit providing crisis and mental health interventions. She has conducted extensive research and published widely on animal-assisted interventions. Additionally, she is certified with HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response and works alongside her dog, Lucy.
Gal HakimBoard of Academic Advisors
Director, The Human and Animal Institute: Promoting Coexistence between Animals and Ourselves strives to change social attitudes and behavior to animals, through collaboration with educational, professional and government authorities. The Institute works closely with Hadassa Neurim Youth Village. It operates in community and professional settings throughout Israel.
Rokaya MarzoukBoard of Academic Advisors
Rokaya Marzouk was raised in an Arab village in Israel and knew from a young age that she couldn’t follow the traditional path of an Arab woman. She went to study in a university when it was very uncommon for Arab women in Israel, and became the first school counselor to work with the Bedouin tribes of south Israel. She later was trained as a psychotherapist to practice in a center for sexually abused girls/children of the Bedouin community. She believes that Sandplay therapy has proven to be an exemplary tool in helping to deal with the great challenges of people’s of the desert cultural crises. She is the co-author of "Israeli Arab-Jewish Sandtray Group Work: Creating a World Together" as well as "Complex collective trauma and Sandplay therapy in the Bedouin population of Israel."
Dr. Raed MualemBoard of Academic Advisors
Born to an Arab Christian family in Israel, Dr. Mualem is an educational administrator. He earned undergraduate degrees in biology (B.Sc) from Oranim College and law (LL.B) from Tel Aviv University, followed by master's degrees in science (M.Sc), educational leadership and management (M.A), and health administration (M.H.A), as well as a doctoral degree in life science. Dr. Mualem's post-doctoral work is in biochemistry which he has utilized to teach human biology and animal physiology at Oranim Educational College. Dr. Mualem's current role is as the head of the Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences for Elementary Schools at Oranim Academic College, where he leads the research group on Educational Neuroscience (Eco-neurobiology) and brain development. He aims to raise awareness of the interaction between education and health as determinants of social well-being and the health of societies.
Prof. Dr. Vilma VilienėBoard of Academic Advisors
Prof. Dr. Vilma Vilienė is an expert in equine-assisted activities with extensive experience working with horses in therapeutic and educational contexts. Her work includes the selection, testing, and preparation of horses for therapeutic purposes, ensuring that only suitable horses are involved in therapy programs. Prof. Vilienė places a strong emphasis on the breeding, care, and welfare of horses to ensure they are physically and psychologically prepared for therapeutic work. She continuously researches and develops best practices to ensure horses’ suitability for various therapeutic applications, considering their behavior and social skills. Prof. Vilienė’s work contributes to the responsible and scientifically based use of horses in therapy, ensuring that these animals are respected and appropriately utilized for the well-being of individuals.
Dr. Monika NutautaitėBoard of Academic Advisors
Dr. Monika Nutautaitė is a researcher in canine-assisted therapy, focusing on innovative strategies to improve the health and welfare of therapy animals. With a PhD in Animal Sciences, she employs the "One Health" concept, which emphasises the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. Her research explores the positive effects of therapy animals on human well-being, aiming to identify best practices that enhance therapeutic outcomes while ensuring the humane treatment of these animals. Committed to advancing therapy animal practices, Dr. Nutautaitė collaborates with healthcare professionals and trainers to educate stakeholders and promote ethical programs. Through her work, she strives to enhance the quality of life for both animals and the people they assist.
Prof. Dr. Asta Racevičiūtė-StupelienėBoard of Academic Advisors
Prof. Dr. Asta Racevičiūtė-Stupelienė has over 5 years of experience in the field of raising and integrating alternative assistance animals, such as therapy and support animals, with a focus on non-traditional species of animals. Her expertise covers the careful selection, specialized training, and dedicated care of these animals, welfare, and ethical treatment. Prof. Racevičiūtė-Stupelienė explores the potential of alternative animals in therapeutic settings, studying how diverse species can positively impact mental and physical health outcomes. Her work is particularly focused on bioethical practices in animal-assisted interventions, aiming to create and refine effective and humane methods of using alternative animals in therapeutic contexts.
Dr. Shlomit Flaisher-GrinbergBoard of Academic Advisors
Shlomit Flaisher-Grinberg, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Saint Francis University, Pennsylvania, where she serves as the coordinator for the Animal-Assisted Health and Education program. She is the Teaching Program Committee Chair for the Eastern Psychological Association. Her current research focuses on pedagogical practices that promote the wellbeing of shelter animals, the assessment of shelter animals' behavior and cognition, and the neurobiological factors that underly the human-animal bond.
Nancy Parish-PlassBoard of Academic Advisors
Nancy Parish-Plass (M.A. Social Work) is the Founding Chairperson of the Israeli Association of Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy. Areas of research: the therapeutic alliance in AAP, first-time self-disclosure of maltreatment by children in AAP, and the potential for human-animal interactions in preventing PTSD due to war. A lecturer and researcher, for most of her career she worked in AAP with maltreated children in welfare institutions. Author of Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy: Theory, Issues, and Practice and other publications, she is currently exploring the connection between the interpersonal neurobiology of trauma and the neurobiology of the human-animal bond.
Dr. Laura ContalbrigoBoard of Academic Advisors
Laura Contalbrigo, PhD is a veterinary officer and has worked at the National Reference Centre for Animal-Assisted Interventions (CRN IAA) of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie since 2015. She is the author and co-author of several scientific publications, she teaches human-animal interactions, animal-assisted interventions and companion animal welfare at universities and private organisations, and she is a speaker on the same topics at national and international conferences.
Breeyah is an IRS certified non-profit incorporated in the state of California. In Jewish Mysticism, the name Breeyah means a world of divinely inspired creativity. In this spirit our mission has been to creatively respond to the changing needs of the Jewish community and the world at large. When the catastrophic October 7 th attack severely impacted Israel’s physical and emotional well-being, we established The Rayor Family Center for Loving Kindness in Northern Israel to address the psychological fallout. The Healing Together Initiative, our first project, has already born fruit in only a few months.
Karen SteinBoard of Directors
Karen Stein has taught Elementary Education, been a substitute teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), and a paraprofessional with Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD). She became an advocate for her son, Colin, who was diagnosed with Autism, researching meaningful ways to help him navigate through life in order to be his best, most independent self. She is a Founding Member and the Treasurer for the Help Us Speak Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit organization that offers programs for people with special needs who utilize Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) methods which enables access to academic and recreational opportunities, as well as the state-run Self Determination Program (SDP). Karen was impressed with the Cantor Steven Puzarne's approach to helping Colin become a Bar Mitzvah. This inspired her to join the Board of Directors of Breeyah to support Cantor Puzarne’s vision of wholeness and his spiritual approach to working with people with special needs.
Rosanne KorenbergBoard of Directors
Rosanne Korenberg a Film Producer and a Clinical Professor
in the School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount
University in Los Angeles.
She has worked as an acquisitions and production executive at several production and distribution companies including Universal, Fox, Miramax and Constantin. Rosanne started her career in business and legal affairs after graduation from law school.
Rosanne devotes her free time to travel, volunteer work, including with refugees, her garden and her very needy cats.
Kathy FinnBoard of Directors
Before she even stepped out of law school, Kathy Finn began fighting for the rights of working people. Since 1990, she’s brought that grit and dedication to UFCW 770 workers. With a passion for protecting the health and pension benefits of our members, she currently serves as a trustee on the Southern California UFCW Health & Welfare Fund and the Pension Fund. For 20 years as Director of Collective Bargaining, Kathy sat at the bargaining table during contract negotiations to ensure our members get the benefits we deserve. As Secretary-Treasurer for the last 5 years, Kathy has worked side by side with recently retired John Grant to strengthen our union and make it more democratic. Kathy the first woman to be elected president by the membership of the United Food and Commercial Workers UFCW Local 770.
Rabbi Suzanne SingerBoard of Directors
Rabbi Suzanne Singer lives in California and serves as Co-Executive Director of The Rayor Family Center, the Israeli arm of Breeyah. As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, she is keenly aware of the need to make our world a better place. In her capacity as a rabbi, she has served several congregations and has been engaged for over 20 years in social justice work. She has also served on a variety of non-profit boards and has led advocacy efforts through local interfaith organizations. Before becoming a rabbi, she was a television producer and programming executive in news and public affairs as well as children’s programming. In that capacity, she won two national Emmy awards.
Cantor Steven PuzarneBoard of Directors
Cantor Steven Puzarne lives in Israel, and is the Founder of Breeyah and the Executive Director of The Rayor Family Center. Breeyah, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to respond creatively to the changing needs of the Jewish community, including providing holistic, spiritually based care to special needs children and adults and their families. After the October 7th attack, Cantor Puzarne established Breeyah's Israeli branch, The Rayor Family Center for Loving Kindness of which Healing Together is the first major project. In addition, through the Rayor Center, Cantor Puzarne manages the "smitten with kitten" initiative, striving to significantly reduce the number and the suffering of stray cats within Israel/Palestine.