Ari Axelrod, (HDS class of 2005), was named by The Jewish Week as one of the “36 To Watch Award,” recognizing him as one of the 36 most influential Jews in The United States. Ari is the recipient of the Mabel Mercer Foundation’s Julie Wilson Award. He received the 2022 Bistro Award for Best Theatrical Artistry in Song. His multi-award-winning show, “A Place For Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway,” has been performed to sold-out audiences around the world.

Robert Axelrod (HDS class of 2003), is an award-winning screenwriter and playwright whose work focuses on using storytelling to humanize contemporary Jewish life. Robert’s work has been showcased at major theaters and festivals in North America, and has been recognized most recently through fellowships with Warner Bros. Discovery, Humanitas, and the inaugural Jewish Writer Initiative’s Digital Storyteller Lab. Robert’s love of telling Jewish stories began in the classrooms of HDS and remains his lifelong passion.