MICHAEL ALTERMAN is a long-time member of Havurat Shalom, an egalitarian member-led Jewish community in Somerville, Massachusetts.  He is an experienced leader of the Friday night service, and has also led ma'ariv on Rosh Hashanah and a Tu B'Shevat seder.  Michael says, "I am most comfortable with liturgy and ritual that reflect both a reverence for Jewish tradition and a commitment to values such as feminism, egalitarianism, non-violence and respect for other faiths."

Michael holds a master's degree in Urban and Environmental Policy from Tufts University, where he focused his studies on sustainable agriculture.  He interviewed more than 30 apple growers for his master's thesis on the Massachusetts wholesale apple industry.  Also while at Tufts, he led the Tufts Food Awareness Project, which educated the university community about the benefits of local, organic and vegetarian food.  Michael is an avid gardener and claims to be "a pretty darn good vegan cook."

Michael has been involved with social change organizing projects since he was in high school.  Most recently, he started the San Francisco chapter of the Lavender Greens, the GLBT caucus of the Green Party.  He led the effort to organize the GLBT community for mayoral candidate Matt Gonzalez, who nearly succeeded in becoming the first Green mayor of a major U.S. city.  Defying conventional wisdom, Gonzalez carried the city's predominantly gay neighborhoods by a wide margin.

Michael has practiced Taoist Water Method chi gung (qi gong) for over eight years, and has recently begun teaching.