Shayna Han

Shayna Han (she/her) grew up in New York and is a member of Temple Israel of New Rochelle. The intersection of Judaism and social justice is a deep and abiding part of Shayna’s life and identity: she was involved with NFTY, Urban Mitzvah Corps, Crane Lake Camp, Hillel, Birthright, Masa Israel Teaching Fellows, and the RAC’s very own L’Taken and Machon Kaplan programs. Shayna graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Union College. She earned the Minerva Prize her senior year for her history thesis on watershed literary heroine Nancy Drew and her work to establish the Committee for Consent Education (a group dedicated to combating sexual assault). After graduation, Shayna interned for U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in New York City and earned a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certification. From 2016-2021 she lived in Spain, Israel, and South Korea, teaching English to elementary school students. Her experiences abroad enriched her cultural knowledge by allowing her to learn different languages, meet new people, and experience different foods, holidays, and beliefs.

Shayna’s portfolio includes gun violence prevention, environment and climate change, Israel, foreign policy, antisemitism, the Holocaust, international religious freedom, and Native American rights. She is proud to be in the first cohort of the Jews of Color Initiative partnership with the RAC LA program.

an image of a teepee in front of the Washington monument in Washington DC

Native American issues

Native American Heritage Month: Continued Support for the Indigenous Population is a Necessity

Israel Harris

Lillie Heyman

Shayna Han

November 15, 2022

In November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month. Unfortunately, much of North America is just beginning to recognize the contributions of Indigenous peoples.

Sukkot

The Concept of “Home" Defined Through Chuseok and Sukkot

Shayna Han

October 7, 2022

When I lived in South Korea, my Korean family celebrated and taught me about Chuseok, the Korean fall festival holiday. During Chuseok, many Koreans travel back to their hometowns, spend time with their families, and cook and eat a lot of traditional foods. Chuseok is often referred to as "Korean Thanksgiving," but I think Chuseok more strongly resembles Sukkot.

jewish holidays and environmental justice

Environment and Climate Change

A Climate Reading of the Unetaneh Tokef

Shayna Han

September 23, 2022

I have long wondered: what must Isaac have been thinking as his father bound him and laid him across the altar? Isaac must have realized his father had lied to him - did Isaac cry out? Did Isaac see his father pick up the knife?

Rosh HaShanah

Shanah Tovah, Congress: Reflections on 5782 and Goals for a Sweet 5783

Rachel Klein

Lillie Heyman

Shayna Han

Israel Harris

Jacob Greenblatt

September 23, 2022

Rosh Hashanah is a time of reflection and celebration of the past year and the year to come. As we reflect on 5782, we celebrate the legislative victories from this past year.

Death and Mourning

This Tishah B'Av, Act as if There Was No God

Shayna Han

August 2, 2022

Tishah B'Av is a day of mourning, commemorating the destruction of the first and second Temples. In recent years, it's also a day to mourn other tragedies that have darkened Jewish history - the Romans putting down the Bar Kochba revolt, mass murders of Jewish communities during the Crusades, expulsions from England, France, and Spain in the Middle Ages, and the Holocaust.