Rabbi Jesse Paikin

Rabbi Jesse is the Executive Director for Base. Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Jesse has called Montreal, New York, Jerusalem, and Washington DC home. Prior to coming to Mem Global, Jesse served as a rabbi at Washington’s Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, where he held a Fellowship from the Jewish Emergent Network – a group of seven upstart, independent spiritual communities. Jesse also recently served as a Research Fellow with M², the Institute for Experiential Jewish Education, where he researched and designed new pedagogies to influence the ways that Jewish educators teach.

Jesse holds a Bachelor of Arts from York University, a Master’s degree and a Graduate Certificate in Experiential Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College, and is currently a Master’s Candidate in Clinical Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He has also studied at Yeshivat Hadar, NYU, the University of Toronto, and the National Theatre School of Canada.

A lover of live music, Jesse lives in Washington DC with his wife, Stephanie.

Rabbi Stephanie Crawley

Rabbi Stephanie Crawley brings warmth, innovation, and global experience to her role as Associate Rabbi at Temple Micah in Washington, D.C. A St. Louis native, she grew up balancing softball with summers at Jewish camp, where her passion for Jewish life and community first took root.

Rabbi Crawley’s innovative work includes leading Sacred Milestones and The Storefront Project – initiatives that create transformative Jewish experiences for those disenchanted with formal institutions.

A Case Western Reserve University alumna with a background in Political Science, International Relations, and Jewish Studies, her work has taken her across North America, Israel, and diverse regions from Argentina to Azerbaijan. A recipient of the prestigious Tisch Rabbinical Fellowship, she also served as a Spiritual Counselor at Beit T’shuvah, a Jewish addiction treatment center.

She believes that the search for hidden voices in sacred texts helps us find our own voices. Her ongoing project is to be a rabbi who is rooted, hopeful, and fully human.

Rabbi Crawley is also a writer of poetry, a voracious reader, and a St. Louis Cardinals devotee. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Rabbi Jesse Paikin, and their inquisitive daughter, Ruthie.