Our mission:
Tiferet offers mindful spiritual practices grounded in Jewish wisdom in the Greater Pittsburgh area. We believe these practices can nourish and strengthen the inner life of seekers while supporting our ability to do good in the world.
Vision Statement:
We aspire to encourage balance and growth through engagement with Jewish spiritual practices as part of a modern life. We aim to expand awareness and appreciation for contemplative and embodied practices that can lead to a fuller human experience. Through teaching and our own practice, we envision bringing people together in communities of practice within and beyond existing Jewish institutions. Tiferet operates in the space between synagogues and “the wilderness.” We work towards creating localized communities of practice.
Cantor Julie Newman, Founder and President
Cantor Julie Newman is the founder of Tiferet Project. Receiving cantorial ordination and a Master’s in Jewish Education from Hebrew College in 2017, Julie has studied Jewish music with some of the most influential composers and songwriters in Jewish music today. The music she leads speaks from the heart of tradition, and is infused with energy and life from modern Jewish voices around the world. She is passionate about bringing Jewish wisdom and contemplative practices to creating lives rich with meaning and joy. She is a RYT 200 yoga teacher, having also received certification from the Yoga and Jewish Spirituality Teachers Training program. Receiving certification through IJS’s Jewish Mindfulness Training program, she has been leading Jewish meditation since 2019. She has been deeply engaged with the Institute of Jewish Spirituality for many years as a student, Hevraya member and occassional teacher.
Julie lives amongst the trees just north of Pittsburgh, PA (McCandless Top) with her husband Bill Klingensmith, where they raised their kids (who are now adults), Jake and Ben. Julie and Bill met in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon University, where they both got their MBAs.
Edie Raphael – Program Coordinator
Edith “Edie” Raphael, PhD, RYT 500, is a Wexner Heritage Alumna and an experienced educator passionate about finding, creating, and sharing meaningful spiritual connections to Judaism. Edie is a recipient of the Dorbrecht Grant for Judaic Yoga and was named one of Baltimore’s favorite yoga teachers in Baltimore Magazine’s “Best of Baltimore.” She is the founder of Off The Grid Yoga and Camping, and has taught yoga for the Jewish Theological Society’s Rabbinic Training Institute and the Wexner Foundation’s Heritage Program retreat. Edie is the author of Mussar Yoga (Jewish Lights, 2014), and The Art of Being Present (Red Lizard Press, 2018) and she has over 19 years of experience leading yoga and mindfulness around the country. In 2022, she happily returned to her hometown of Pittsburgh. She has two adult children who also love Pittsburgh.
Board
Jane Liebschutz – Board Member
Jane Liebschutz is a primary care and addiction medicine physician, substance use researcher, educator, and administrator at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. She is a practicing Jew who enjoys exploring both traditional and nontraditional ways of experiencing Judaism, including yoga, movement and meditation. She, her husband Roger and their young adult children, Eli, Abigail and Maya have been anchored in different Jewish communities- synagogue, Jewish summer camp, Hillel and larger community groups. She is an active volunteer at Congregation Beth Shalom and serves on the boards of local substance use nonprofit organizations. She has enjoyed taking part in all of Tiferet’s offerings and looks forward to seeing it grow to the next level.
Tom Michael – Board Member
Tom Michael is an owner and entrepreneurial executive manager of Larrimor’s, a luxury retail store in downtown Pittsburgh. Tom has more than 20 years of management experience and has been an active participant in Tiferet Project’s programs since its inception in 2017. He has a long-time personal meditation practice.