Naomi Chazan Global Activism Fellows, 2025-2026 Cohort
Aidan’s interest in the region deepened during his gap year, when he lived on Kibbutz Ma’agan Mikha’el, and he has remained committed to promoting peace and understanding ever since. He currently serves as an Assistant Regional Director at J Street, overseeing the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware region from his base in New York. Aidan previously worked as J Street U’s Regional Coordinator for the West Coast. Through his work, he has developed a nuanced understanding of the United States’ influence on the region and the ongoing conflict, as well as how these conversations unfold within the Jewish community and American politics more broadly.
Kellen Joseph Quinn is a community organizer based in Los Angeles, serving as the Community Organizing and Programs Coordinator at IKAR, a leading Jewish community where he advances service initiatives, civic engagement, and programming rooted in the Jewish value of tzedek (justice). Kellen began his career in television, best known for his portrayal of Grady on AMC's The Walking Dead: World Beyond and as William on Apple TV’s High Desert. The son of a U.S. Army veteran and raised under turbulent circumstances, Kellen’s personal lens on poverty, addiction, and incarceration grounds his approach to both policy reform and Jewish life in lived experience. He has lobbied on overdose-prevention and diversion legislation, advised Jewish institutions on harm reduction and barriers to economic security, and participated in programs exploring conflict and narrative in Palestine, Israel, and the United
States. Kellen is pursuing a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in National Security at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and plans to attend rabbinical school to deepen his commitment to the Jewish future.
Mike Kriesberg graduated from the State University of New York at Albany in 2018 after obtaining his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in Global Politics. He also has a Masters in Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. His interest in Israeli-Palestinian conflict along with a personal commitment to democracy, civil rights, and shared society brought him to the New Israel Fund in 2019, when he joined as a fundraiser. While at the New Israel Fund, he organized events in the US with Israeli civil-society organizations, helping to facilitate nuanced discussions on topics such as Jewish-Arab partnership and fighting political extremism.
After a career switch, Mike is now the Policy and Advocacy Manager at Abundant Housing Massachusetts, a statewide pro-housing advocacy organization committed to addressing Massachusetts’ housing shortage. However, he remains committed to continuing his education of the region and being an ambassador for Israelis and Palestinians fighting for justice, equality, and shared safety. Mike is based in Boston.