About Us
Romemu Brooklyn began as a shared dream. In 2016, Founders Amy Abrams and Marcella Kanfer Rolnick married their shared longing for a spiritual home to the vision that created Romemu, Rabbi David Ingber’s groundbreaking Renewal community on the Upper West Side.
Romemu Brooklyn seeks to integrate body, mind, and soul in Jewish practice. We offer passionate services and communal spiritual connection to build authentic relationships with both ourselves and our community.
We are an emerging and energetic community building roots in Northwest Brooklyn. We ground ourselves in being intergenerational, musical, poetic, intentional, and fun. We commit to care of each other and the pursuit of justice in the world around us.
Come experience the easy joy we bring to our services and spiritual lives, and connect with our clergy and community members.
We welcome all, no matter your journey.
Hazzan Basya Schechter
Chazan Basya Schechter was ordained January 2016 by ALEPH Cantorial School, and has been the recipient of numerous compositional and project grants from NY State Council of the Arts and the American Music Center. She is also known for her group Pharaoh’s Daughter, a seven-piece neohasidic world music ensemble that travels effortlessly through continents, key signatures, and languages with a genre-bending sound.
Sela Alexander
Growing up between Atlanta, GA, and a kibbutz in northern Israel, Sela was always drawn to music, spiritualism, and event production. He started playing the piano at the age of 6, and participated in cross religion workshops and projects through Israel, India, and the United States. While at the kibbutz, Sela worked as a Cultural Manager, producing events, holidays and musical gatherings for all ages.
During his Bachelor’s degree at Tel Aviv University Sela continued to produce musical theater shows and live musical poetry events, and during his Master’s at NYU he produced live music concerts, recording sessions and had his music recorded with a full orchestra.
After graduation, Sela founded his own music label, where he produced countless songs, music scores, and live music performances.
Sela currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two kids.
Mara Jill Herman
Mara Jill Herman is a Jewish activist and award-winning artist who endeavors to abolish antisemitism, advocates for gender equity, and helps protect human rights. Her work has been featured on CBS Mornings, NPR, New York Jewish Week, Moment, and more.
As an Event Producer, Mara orchestrates theatrical plays, benefit concerts, company launch parties, and panel discussions. Affiliations include: 92nd Street Y, Museum of the Moving Image, SheNYC Arts, Queens Theatre, The Tank, The Cell, The Green Room 42, and ART/NY.
Mara made her Carnegie Hall debut in We Are Here: Songs From The Holocaust and put her Hebrew vocals to work developing The Band’s Visit. She is a proud native New Yorker and alumna of Birthright Israel. Mara formerly sang in Temple Judea’s youth and professional choir for High Holiday services and is delighted to cultivate Jewish community with Romemu Brooklyn.
Former Leadership and Staff
Grace Hack (they/them)
Grace grew up 4th generation Jewish in Omaha, NE and spent their summers leading daily outdoor t’fillah and rockin’ song sessions at Shwayder Camp in the Colorado Rockies. After a year of studying and volunteering in Israel, they moved to New Orleans and founded a Jewish communal home with friends, nicknamed “The Shwamp Shtetl”. Now in New York, Grace works in a variety of Jewish educational and music settings and is currently pursuing their master’s degree in Jewish Education from JTS. With a soul both deeply earnest and deeply silly, they love holding moments of joyful connection for kids of all ages.