Miriam Leah Gamliel (born Lani Droz; 1976; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
is an American Orthodox Jewish actress, singer, and activist. A baalat
teshuva with a background in musical theatre, she is the founder of
the Arts and Torah Association for Religious Artists (ATARA), an
organization promoting Orthodox women in the arts. In 2012, she was
named one of The Jewish Week's "36 Under 36", a list of influential
Jewish figures under age 36.Droz was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
to a Conservative Jewish family. She studied at a local music
conservatory before switching to Barnard College. She also studied
musical theater at Pennsylvania State University.While pursuing a
Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater, she took a year-long trip to
Israel to study abroad at She'arim College of Jewish Studies for Women
in Har Nof, which motivated her to become religious. Told that theater
was incompatible with an Orthodox lifestyle, she abandoned the field
for several years.Upon returning to the United States, she completed
her bachelor's degree from Barnard College in 1999 and earned a
master's degree in library sciences. She then attended Touro College's
Graduate School of Jewish Studies, where she worked as a librarian and
was involved in the Association of Jewish Libraries, graduating with a
second master's in Jewish history.
is an American Orthodox Jewish actress, singer, and activist. A baalat
teshuva with a background in musical theatre, she is the founder of
the Arts and Torah Association for Religious Artists (ATARA), an
organization promoting Orthodox women in the arts. In 2012, she was
named one of The Jewish Week's "36 Under 36", a list of influential
Jewish figures under age 36.Droz was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
to a Conservative Jewish family. She studied at a local music
conservatory before switching to Barnard College. She also studied
musical theater at Pennsylvania State University.While pursuing a
Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater, she took a year-long trip to
Israel to study abroad at She'arim College of Jewish Studies for Women
in Har Nof, which motivated her to become religious. Told that theater
was incompatible with an Orthodox lifestyle, she abandoned the field
for several years.Upon returning to the United States, she completed
her bachelor's degree from Barnard College in 1999 and earned a
master's degree in library sciences. She then attended Touro College's
Graduate School of Jewish Studies, where she worked as a librarian and
was involved in the Association of Jewish Libraries, graduating with a
second master's in Jewish history.
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