Staff

Staff and Affiliates

Sarah Bassin, Executive Director, sarahbassin@gmail.com
Sarah Bassin grew up in Overland Park, Kansas and graduated summa cum laude with a BA in religion and history from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, Sarah worked as a programming professional at Princeton University's Hillel where she helped form the first AJC college chapter. Deeply interested in interfaith relations, Sarah entered the rabbinic program at Hebrew Union College with the intention of pursuing a rabbinate in community relations. During the year in Israel portion of her rabbinic education, Sarah became both a participant and a facilitator for Encounter, helping Jewish leaders better understand the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. She traveled to Iran in November 2008 as part of a civilian diplomacy delegation through the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Having served as student rabbi of Congregation Bamidbar Shel Ma'alah in Victorville, CA, and as rabbinic intern at the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, Sarah has spent the last portion of her rabbinic training as the program manager at the Center for Muslim/Jewish Engagement where she implemented the first comprehensive survey on Muslim-Jewish relations in the United States. She received a certificate in Jewish Communal Service in August 2010 and was ordained as a rabbi in May 2011. In 2012, Sarah received a fellowship with the Joshua Venture Group Dual Investment Program that supports rising Jewish innovators and their projects with a grant of $100,000 over two years.

Aziza Hasan, Consultant and former NewGround fellowship co-director, azizahasan@gmail.com
Aziza served as the NewGround fellowship co-director and continues to work with NewGround as a consultant. Aziza also coordinates inter-faith relations for MPAC by working with religious leadership in Southern California in the areas of social justice, community education and outreach, and youth engagement. She has led numerous workshops for international scholar forums, at conferences, university/college campuses, civic and religious groups on inter-faith dialogue, community organizing, and youth leadership training. Aziza has given various speeches to audiences across the country that included introductions to Islam, forgiveness and peace in Islamic tradition, and conflict resolution in Muslim communities. She has appeared on CNN, National Public Radio, KCRW, Arabic Radio and Television, The Mennonite, The Jewish Journal, InFocus, The Wichita Eagle, The Newton-Kansan, The Halstead Independent, Hutchinson News and The Bethel College Collegean. Her undergraduate and graduate background is in history, social science and conflict resolution. While at Bethel, a four-year liberal arts school in Kansas, she was active in student government, debate and forensics, and social justice organizations. During her two years as the first Muslim Student Body President at Bethel she organized numerous teach-ins, speaking events and charity fundraising projects. She is experienced in Small Claims Court mediation, and coaching individuals and leading groups in conflict resolution. Her two years of AmeriCorps service gave her hands-on experience in community organizing and group problem-solving. During her time working for Inter-Faith Ministries, in Wichita, KS, and as an active member of the MPAC Wichita Chapter, she worked on multiple educational and political issues. Aziza chaired the MPAC Political Action Committee, which successfully organized political forums one of which the Kansas Governor, Kathleen Sebelius, was the main speaker. She also authored the More Alike than Different Project, a joint effort by Wichita, Ks organizations such as the local MPAC Chapter, Inter Faith Ministries, and the National Conference for Community Justice. The project was made to be duplicated and to educate the community about the basic tenants of Islam and dispel misconceptions about the religion. More Alike than Different was presented to several different businesses personnel, schools, government employees, and social service agencies.

Malka Fenyvesi, Consultant and former NewGround fellowship co-director, mfenyvesi@gmail.com
Malka Haya Fenyvesi is an educator, peace-builder, and trainer based in Southern California. She leads workshops throughout the US. The topics include Judaism, Reconciliation, Conflict Resolution/Transformation, Pluralism and the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict and Muslim Jewish relations. She is the co-founder of NewGround: A Muslim Jewish Partnership for Change and the former Director of Interfaith Programming for the Progressive Jewish Alliance. Prior to PJA she worked with Search for Common Ground in Washington DC. Malka has a M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR). She also studied Conflict Resolution, Religion and Peacebuilding at Hebrew University and at the US Institute of Peace. In June 2008, Malka was honored to be a delegate on a State Department Funded, and National Peace Foundation and Islamic Society of North America led Citizen Diplomacy Trip to Syria and Egypt. Most recently Malka has a guest on National Public Media’s Speaking of Faith Program entitled Curiosity Over Assumptions, Interreliogiosity meets a New Generation. She is a veteran of the domestic Jewish peace movement. She has participated in a number of local and national coalitions and interfaith efforts to bring a peaceful and just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has traveled throughout Israel and the Palestinian territories.