Jewish Writers Institute

Alexandra Ozeri

Alexandra Ozeri is a writer and satirist currently residing in Los Angeles. She grew up in New York City and is of mixed Yemenite heritage on her father’s side and Ashkenazi Holocaust survivors on her mother’s side. She has written for Redcutress, The Belladonna, The Foreigner, Flexx, Robot Butt, Disney, Dreamworks, as well as the Jewish Journal, and has had her writing reported on by Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, The Miami Herald, Yahoo, Teen Vogue, Bustle, Metro UK and more. She received her education at the University of Maryland, Tel Aviv University, and UCLA. She is also an educator and has over fifteen years of diverse teaching experience.

Jake Emanuel and Willie Block

Jake Emanuel and Willie Block are writing partners originally from the east coast. They’re most known for writing the film “Reunion” and the horror podcast “The Edge Of Sleep,” which was adapted into a TV series.

Dikla Sachs

Born in Jerusalem in 1991, Dikla studied film at the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University. She has worked as an actress and screenwriter on various Israeli film and television projects, and directed several short films that were screened at film festivals around the world.

Uri Rosenrauch

Uri Rosenrauch is a two-time Emmy Award nominee and New York City based writer and producer whose work spans television, film, streaming, and short fiction. From live action and animated comedies to psychological thrillers, scripted content for NBA live shows to a cooking series, he’s written and produced a wide range of projects.

Sarah Afkami

Sarah Afkami is a Persian-Texan Jewish comedy writer known for her cultural humor and compelling storytelling, with credits including series on Showtime, FX, TBS, and Comedy Central. She’s passionate about creating stories that authentically represent diverse Jewish communities, blending emotional depth with comedic insight. Sarah currently splits her time performing stand-up and developing original series in Los Angeles, Austin, and New York.

Lola Petitbon

Lola Petitbon is a Franco-American screenwriter and director who trained at UCLA after beginning her career as an actress. A finalist and winner of several international screenwriting competitions, she is currently developing a TV series in Los Angeles, backed by an Oscar-winning producer, and a short film produced in France, where she will make her official directorial debut. Her work blends intimate, character-driven storytelling with music, humor, and a touch of burlesque.

Malka Wallick

Malka Wallick (she/they) is an award winning actor, writer, and filmmaker based in NYC. Their feature film Our Bodies & Other Shames is currently in post production and was the recipient of the 2025 ScreenCraft film fund, the CineStories Underrepresented Stories scholarship, and was a finalist for the Sundance Development Lab. Malka has developed their work as a 2024 Theatremacher Fellow with the Alliance for Jewish Theatre and is an active member of the She-Collective writer’s cohort. Her short play — in verse — Women of Valor, was a finalist with Red Bull’s short play competition. malkawallick.com

Isaac Feder, Samuel Limor and Danny Weiss

Isaac Feder is a film director and television showrunner who has produced and directed shows for Netflix, Sony, Disney+, Amazon, and Comedy Central. His debut feature Sex Ed won the Grand Jury Prize at the Portland Film Festival, and his ESPN 30 for 30 film AC Green: Iron Virgin was a TriBeCa selection. Born and raised in Chicago, he holds degrees from Northwestern and the AFI Conservatory, and now lives in Los Angeles.

Samuel is a Producer and Production Executive with credits at companies such as Awesomeness TV, Dreamworks Animation, E!, Investigation Discovery, Nickelodeon, and Netflix

Danny Weiss is a television Writer and Producer with a broadcast procedural background having written for HOUSE, M.D., BATTLE CREEK on CBS and most recently having served as a Co-Executive Producer on NBC’s CHICAGO MED. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Joni and his three children.

Camille Shooshani and Aaron Shooshani

Camille Shooshani is an Iranian-Jewish writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Her debut documentary feature, “Léa & I” premiered on Netflix in 2019. She was awarded the USC Presidents’ Sustainability Award in 2024 for “The Concrete River,” a film documenting a 51-mile trek along the Los Angeles River. In 2020, she received her MFA in creative nonfiction writing from Columbia University. She received her BA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2017.

Aaron Shoooshani (he/him) is a writer and producer based in Los Angeles. Before writing, Aaron worked in political strategy for Economic Justice Initiatives like the Fight For $15, that aimed to raise the minimum wage. He has worked as a writer’s assistant to Showrunner Chris Romano (Blue Mountain State, Kill the Orange-Faced Bear) and produced and written a number of independent shorts. Raised in Los Angeles to Iranian Jewish immigrants, Aaron attended Columbia University where he received a B.A. in History and Economics.

Boaz Dror

An award-winning screenwriter, Boaz has scripted dialogue for Japanese television shows on the Anime Network, written sketches for Second City LA, and independently produced and launched a sci-fi/horror graphic novel titled NIGHT OF THE MULLETS. His most recent project, an animated detective show set on Noah’s Ark, was developed by CBS with Jack Black’s Electric Dynamite, but ended up in turnaround as a result of the pandemic. After a brief sabbatical to pursue an MFA from UC Riverside and be full-time daddy to his baby daughter, he now hopes to resurrect and relaunch ARK CITY JAZZ as a feature, with the help of the Jewish Writers Institute.