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Bios of Academy Faculty Members* and Administration
 Cantor
Perryne Anker, Associate
Dean, Cantorial School and Professor of Liturgical Studies
A student at the Cleveland Institute of Music and mentored by
Cantor Saul Meisels and Maurice Goldman, Cantor Perryne Anker
received her Bachelor of Science degree (and the Catherine Tuck Award) from
the Julliard
School in New York. While in New York, she studied and performed
with the leading Jewish music composers, cantors, conductors and music scholars
of
that era. Cantor Anker has served as cantor at Stephen S. Wise
Temple in Bel Air, Beth Shalom in Santa Monica, and Temple of the Arts in
Los Angeles.
She is a leading voice teacher and coach as well as a member
of the American Conference of Cantors.
 Judy Aronson, Professor of Jewish
Education
A long-time educator, Judy Aronson has
directed Religious and Day Schools in Boston and
Los Angeles.
Ms. Aronson is a graduate
of Brandeis University and
holds a Master of Theology degree from Harvard University.
Her article on "Mentoring" is
included in the Ultimate Jewish Teachers Handbook (ARE, 2003).
 Rabbi Toba August, Professor of Rabbinics
The Associate Rabbi and Director of Education at Temple Adat Shalom in Los
Angeles, Rabbi Toba August received her ordination from the Jewish Theological
Seminary. With a rabbinic degree as well as a Masters degree in Education
and Reading, Rabbi August has significant experience in congregational work
as
well as in Jewish Education. Her background includes serving as one of four
main pulpit rabbis at Stephen S. Wise Temple in Bel Air and the Director
of Education at the Pinellas County Jewish Day School in St. Petersburg,
Florida.
At Adat Shalom, Rabbi August has created a monthly Women's Minyan, Lev
Elisha,
which emphasizes spiritual growth through prayer. She has also designed and
implemented creative curriculum and numerous teacher-training programs in
both Los Angeles and Florida.
 Cheryl Cutler Azair, Director of Communications
The former Associate Director of the Anti-Defamation League's New England
as well as Pacific Southwest Regional offices, Cheryl Cutler Azair holds
a Masters
degree in Middle Eastern Studies from The George Washington University where
she was a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Political Science. One of
the co-authors of The Powers in the Middle East: The Ultimate Strategic
Arena (Praeger
Publishers, 1987), her writing has appeared in numerous publications including
the Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor and Los
Angeles Times.
Dr. Shlomit Baruch, Professor of Hebrew
Dr. Shlomit Baruch received her PhD in Philosophy from Haifa
University where she also obtained her Bachelors and Masters
degrees. She has been a Lecturer at West Galilee College as well
as the Haifa Regional Center for Advanced Education. Dr. Baruch's
paper on "Transcendental Subjectivity in Husserl's Ideas 1" appeared
in the British Society for Phenomenology.
Dr. Yolande Bloomstein, Professor
of Chaplaincy Studies
With a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute
and a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Southern
California, Dr. Yolande Bloomstein is in private practice with Village
Mental Health Associates. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Dr.
Bloomstein was a Chaplain at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center Hospice
Program as well as a member of the Chevra Kaddisha (Jewish Burial
Society). She has conducted numerous workshops and seminars on “death
and dying” to hospice, medical, nursing, social work and spiritual
workers.
 Rabbi
Daniel Bouskila, Professor of Talmud
As the dynamic religious leader of Sephardic Temple Tifereth
Israel, a non-denominational Sephardic synagogue, Rabbi Daniel
Bouskila leads a congregation
of well over 1000 families. He received his ordination from Yeshiva University
and, in his ten years at Sephardic Temple, has continued and expanded
the programs and influence of that distinguished Sephardic
institution. Rabbi
Bouskila studied in Israel for four years and has a special expertise
in rabbinic literature.
 Rabbi Anne
Brener, Professor of Ritual and Human Development
Rabbi Anne Brener, LCSW is a Los Angeles based psychotherapist and spiritual director and a frequent scholar –in-residence, who has assisted institutions- from Brazil to Israel and Africa and throughout North America- in creating caring communities. A prolific writer, she is the author of the acclaimed Mourning & Mitzvah: Walking the Mourner's Path (Jewish Lights, 1993 & 2001) and has contributed chapters to LifeCycles: Jewish Women on Personal Milestones and Life Passages, Jewish Pastoral Care, Jewish Spiritual Direction, Making Prayer Work, and many other publications. She is a frequent columnist for the Los Angles Jewish Journal. Her work has been translated into Portuguese, Spanish, and several African dialects. Ordained as a Reform Rabbi in 2008, she is also a graduate of Hebrew Union College's School of Communal Service, theUniversity of Southern California's School of Social Work (1983), and San Francisco State University's Department of Broadcast Communication Arts. Anne has taught at her alma mater, Hebrew Union College and is also on the faculty of Yedidya's Morei Derekh- Jewish Spiritual Direction Program and on HUC's Kalsman Institute of Judaism & Medicine's advisory board. A New Orleans native, she spent three months doing relief work in the Gulf South following Katrina. Anne is the mother of Jen, 23, who has just graduated from New York University. Rabbi Brener is a member of Temple Israel of Hollywood.
 Steve
Breuer, Professor of Practical Rabbinics
For over 20 years (1980 – 2004), Steve Breuer served as the Executive Director
of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, the oldest Reform congregation in Los Angeles.
In 2005, he established Steve Breuer and Associates, Consulting
for Nonprofits,
working with congregations, schools and nonprofits in numerous states and Canada.
Mr. Breuer serves as executive director of the Progressive Association of Reform
Day Schools and is an adjunct professor on the faculty of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish
Institute of Religion. He has been published extensively on synagogue management
and informal education.
Rabbi Lynn Brody, '05 Associate Dean of Internships and Placement
Ordained in 2005, Rabbi Lynn Brody is the Associate Dean of Internships and Placement at AJR, CA. She is Co-President of MAJR, the Professional Rabbinical Association of AJR, CA's ordinees. She served as Spiritual Leader for Sun City Jewish Congregation in Palm Desert, as Associate Rabbi at Temple of the Arts in Beverly Hills, and as President of the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity, an international non-profit educational organization dedicated to further promoting Jewish Arts and Artists through sponsorship, training, mentoring, and performance (http://www.jewishcreativity.org). Rabbi Lynn enjoys providing unique and meaningful life-cycle events for unaffiliated Jews including weddings, B'nei Mitzvah, funerals and baby namings. She serves as an active board member of SHARE (http://www.share4children.org), a non-profit organization, which funds facilities for developmentally and physically disabled, abused, and at-risk children. SHARE has raised close to $50 million since its inception 55 years ago. She is a member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains, a Life Member of Hadassah, and the only rabbi in the Professional Dancers Society. She is currently writing a book on the first 40 years of women in the Rabbinate. Rabbi Lynn can be reached at rabbilynn@usa.net.
 Rabbi Mark Diamond, Professor of Practical Rabbinics
As the Executive Vice President of the Board of Rabbis of
Southern California, Rabbi Mark Diamond directs a multi-denominational
organization of 254
rabbis, and serves on the senior management team of the Jewish
Federation
of Greater
Los Angeles. He is the founder and director of KOCHAV: The
L.A. Jewish Living Network, an innovative partnership designed
to
foster synagogue
transformation and renewal. Rabbi Diamond received his ordination
and Masters degree
in Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary and, for
18 years, served
in various
pulpits, including 9 years at Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland,
California. He is the founder and the former coordinator of "Ask a Rabbi," an acclaimed
cyberspace forum answering online questions from AOL subscribers.
 Rabbi
Mordecai Finley, Professor of Jewish Thought
The former Provost and former President of the Academy for
Jewish Religion, California, Rabbi Mordecai Finley is the
founding rabbi of Ohr Ha-Torah Congregation, Los Angeles,
a traditional-progressive congregation. Rabbi Finley
received
his ordination from
Hebrew Union College as well a PhD in Religion-Social Ethics
from the University of Southern California. For over a decade,
he has
taught
courses
in spirituality,
Jewish thought and rabbinics, in the Department of Continuing
Education, University of Judaism. An incisive and deeply informed
instructor,
Rabbi Finley has taught at HUC-JIR, Loyola Law School, Wexner
Heritage Foundation,
and the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
 Cantor
Jay Frailich, D.M., Professor of Liturgical Studies
Since 1974, Cantor Jay Frailich has served as
the Cantor of University Synagogue; a Reform congregation with over 500 member
families in Brentwood, CA. Cantor Frailich received his commission as Cantor
from Hebrew Union College – School of Sacred Music from which he also holds
a D.Mus.
Dr. Tamar Frankiel, Dean of Academic Affairs
and Professor of Comparative Religion
Dr. Tamar Frankiel, received her PhD in History of
Religions from the University of Chicago. She has taught
at Claremont
School of
Theology,
the Department of
Continuing Education, University of Judaism, Stanford
and Princeton Universities, and UC Berkeley and Riverside.
Dr. Frankiel is
the author of The Gift of
Kabbalah (2001), The Voice of Sarah: Feminine Spirituality and Traditional
Judaism (1990),
co-author of Minding the Temple of the Soul and Entering the Temple
of Dreams (1997 and 2000, with Judy Greenfeld),
as well as four books and numerous scholarly articles
on comparative
religion
in
America.
Her most recent publication is A Brief Introduction to Kabbalah for Christians
(Jewish Lights, 2006).
 Dr.
Joel Gereboff, Professor
of Biblical Thought
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of
Religious Studies at Arizona State University, Dr.
Joel Gereboff
received his PhD
in Religious Studies
from Brown University. Dr. Gereboff is the author
of Rabbi Tarforn: The
Tradition, the Man and Early Rabbinic Judaism (Scholars
Press, 1979). He has written many
scholarly articles as well as chapters in numerous
books including the forthcoming Sports and the
American Jew,
(ed., Jack Kugelmass, Indiana University Press).
Dr. Gereboff is
also a
graduate of the Teachers
Institute-Seminary College
of the Jewish Theological Seminary.
 Lauren Shandling Goldner, Director of Administration
A graduate of the University of Cape Town, Lauren
Shandling Goldner has an extensive background in
administration,
both in the U.S.
and South Africa. Her experience includes facilitating
the operations of several Jewish educational institutions
and
organizations such as Yavneh
Hebrew Academy and the Development Corporation for
Israel (State of Israel Bonds), both in Los Angeles.
 Cantor Joseph Gole, Professor of Liturgical Studies
The hazzan of Sinai Temple, the oldest and largest
conservative congregation in Los Angeles, Cantor Joseph
Gole attended
the University of
Judaism and Hebrew Union College, and is a graduate
of the University of Southern
California
School
of Music, where he majored in opera and voice.
Formerly under the tutelage of cantorial artists Hazzan
Allan
Michelson and
Hazzan Samuel
Kelemer
and Jewish repertoire coach Erwin Jospe, Cantor Gole
is a past faculty member of the University
of Judaism's Baal Tefila Institute, he is mentor to numerous young
hazzanim. A past chairman of the West Coast Region of the Cantors Assembly,
he
currently serves as a national officer of the Cantors Assembly.
 Rabbi Mel Gottlieb, President and Dean, Rabbinical School and Chaplaincy Program
As the President of the Academy and Dean of its Rabbinical School and Chaplaincy Program, Rabbi Mel Gottlieb brings a distinguished background in academia as well as congregational and organizational experience to his position. Ordained at Yeshiva University, he also holds a doctorate in Mythology/Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute where he serves as an Adjunct Faculty member. He has also taught at Columbia, Yeshiva University and the University of Southern California's Graduate School of Social Work. Widely published, his essays have appeared in such publications as the national journal, Shma, and the book, Illuminating Letters. A dynamic and engaging speaker, he is a popular guest lecturer at the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles as well as at synagogues of all denominations throughout Southern California. Rabbi Gottlieb is the former Director of Hillel at MIT and Princeton, and was the Rabbi at Kehillat Ma'arav inSanta Monica as well as Westwood Village Synagogue. He has inspired countless students with his enthusiasm for Jewish learning and deeply believes in the emphasis that the Academy places on spirituality as a major component of religious training and teaching.
 Dr.
Gil Graff, Professor of Jewish History
As Professor of Jewish history
at the Academy for
Jewish Religion, CA, Gil Graff conducts
seminars in Jewish life and thought in the medieval
and modern
periods.Beyond an extensive
academic background (Ph.D in Jewish history,
J.D., and Masters degree in history,
all from UCLA, as
well as Masters degrees in both Jewish studies
from the University of Judaism and
in educational administration from California
State University at Northridge), publications and years
of experience as a university
instructor, Dr.
Graff brings his unique perspective as Executive
Director of the Bureau of Jewish
Education of Greater Los Angeles to Academy students.
 Cantor Don Gurney, Professor of Liturgical Studies
Wilshire Boulevard Temple's Hazzan Don Gurney
is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, where he was
introduced
to the art
of Hazzanut
by Cantor Saul
Meisels. Don is a graduate of the Hebrew Union
College - Jewish Institute of Religion,
School of Sacred Music in New York City. Upon receiving his degree, he
served the Emmanuel Synagogue of West Hartford, Connecticut, from 1986
to 1994.
He joined the faculty of Hebrew Union College as an instructor of Hazzanut
and
19th Century
Synagogue Music and served as Director of the School of Sacred Music
Chorus from 1985 until 1999. In 1995, he made his Lincoln Center conducting
debut
at the
International Choral Festival. Cantor Gurney served Congregation Rodeph
Sholom in New York from 1994 until 1999, before coming to Wilshire Boulevard
Temple.
His exquisite tenor voice can be heard on the CDs, "One Voice" and "Meditations
of the Heart". Don is married to Los Angeles native Nancy Binder
and they are the proud parents of daughter Gillian.
Rabbi Carla Howard, Professor
of Chaplaincy/Hospice
Rabbi Carla Howard is the Founder and Executive Director of The Jewish Healing Center of Los Angeles. She combines rabbinic ordination from American Jewish University with a unique background in pre-medical studies and clinical work in women's medicine and midwifery. She has served as the Rabbi for Gateway's Beit T'Shuvah and Associate Rabbi of Metivta with Rabbi Jonathan Omer-Man. Rabbi Howard began chaplaincy work at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's hospice and went on to co-found and serves as Executive Director of Jewish Hospice Project- Los Angeles, the city's first Jewish hospice service. Rabbi Howard is on the faculty of UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and sits on the Santa Monica/UCLA Hospital Bio-Ethics Committee. She has published numerous articles and lectures on spiritual care and end-of-life issues to both lay and medical organization in the U.S. and internationally.
 Dr. Snira Klein, Professor of Hebrew
An instructor and formerly Adjunct Assistant Professor of
Hebrew at the University of Judaism, Dr. Klein received a
Masters of Hebrew Letters from the University of Judaism
as well as a Masters degree and PhD in Modern Hebrew Literature
from UCLA.
 Cantor Nathan Lam, Dean, Cantorial School and Professor of
Liturgical Studies
One of the outstanding leaders of the American cantorate, Cantor
Nathan Lam is the Dean of the Academy's Cantorial School, the only
institution of its kind outside of the New York area. Cantor Lam received
his commission
as Hazzan from the Cantors Assembly and cantorial certification
from Hebrew
Union College. For the past 28 years, he has been the cantor
at Stephen S. Wise Temple, the largest congregation in the
world. Cantor Lam is a past
international
president of the Cantors Assembly and a fellow of the Jewish
Theological Seminary, the latter of which awarded him an Honorary
Doctor of Music.
Dr. Robert Levy, Professor of Jewish History
The recipient of a PhD in History from UCLA, Dr. Robert
Levy teaches European and Jewish history at UCLA, USC and
Hebrew
Union College in Los Angeles. He is the author of Ana
Pauker: The Rise and Fall of a Jewish Communist (University
of California Press, 2001, and six scholarly articles in academic
journals on Jewish and East European history. Dr. Levy also
has a BFA in film/video production from the California Institute
of the
Arts and worked for several years in Jewish media.
 Rabbi
Stan Levy, Chairman of AJR, CA
Board and Professor of
Spiritual Development
The spiritual leader of Congregation B'nai Horin-Children of Freedom-in Los Angeles, and partner in the nationally known law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips,
Rabbi Stan Levy is also the co-founder of Bet Tzedek, which provides
free legal services to over 10,000 poor and elderly people each
year. The Vice-Chair of the Academy's Board of Directors and co-founder of AJR, CA,
Rabbi Levy received his ordination through the Aleph Rabbinical
Program and has compiled and edited a High Holy days mahzor,
a Shabbat morning siddur, a Passover haggadah, a Hannukah
haggadah, a Purim haggadah, and special prayer books
for Succot, Simhat
Torah,
and Shavuot,
all of which have been published by his congregation.
He received his JD from UCLA School of Law and is the
former General
Counsel of Guess?, Inc.
Rabbi
Levy has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Law
at Loyola University School of Law, as well as the John
F. Kennedy
School
of Law.
 Rabbi Marc Mandel, Director
of Beit Midrash
Rabbi Mark Mandel is the Associate Rabbi of Beth Jacob Congregation; a Modern
Orthodox synagogue with over 750 member families in Beverly Hills, CA. Rabbi
Mandel received his Rabbinical Ordination and B.A. from Yeshiva University and
an M.S.W. from Yeshiva University's Wurzweiler School of Social Work. He
received a D.Min. from Bangor Theological Seminary in Bangor, Maine and was formerly
the rabbi of Congregation Shaarey T'philoh in Portland, Maine.
Dr. Michael Menitoff, Professor
of Jewish Thought and Jewish Law
Dr. Michael Menitoff holds a PhD in Early Childhood Development
from UCLA as well as an MA in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University.
He received his rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary
of America and did his undergraduate work at Harvard University as well as
Boston's Hebrew College. A psychotherapist with a private practice
in Beverly Hills, Dr. Menitoff is also a lecturer in the Department of Psychology
at the University of Judaism. He has served as a rabbi for congregations
in both New England and California and has lectured widely throughout the
United States. His interfaith work has included being selected as one of
seven rabbis and seven Catholic bishops who participated in meetings with
Pope John Paul II at the Vatican on the day of publication of We
Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah.
Rabbi Menachem M. Metzger, Professor
of Rabbinics
A PhD candidate at Claremont Graduate University, Rabbi Menachem M. Metzger holds an MA in Judaic Studies from Touro College and received his Rabbinical ordination from the Central Yeshiva Tomchei T'mimim (New York) as well as from Rabbi Pinchus Hirshprung z"l, Chief Rabbi of Canada. A longtime educator, Rabbi Metzger has taught at Touro College in Los Angeles, Yeshiva University High Schools of Los Angeles, the Southern California Jewish Center (School of Rabbinical Studies) as well as educational institutions in Jerusalem including Yeshiva Beit Menachem and the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies. Rabbi Metzger has also been invited to serve as a Visiting Lecturer for communities throughout the United States, as well as Vancouver, British Columbia and Goteberg, Sweden.
 Rabbi Haim Ovadia, Professor of Rabbinics
The spiritual leader of Congregation Kahal Joseph, an Iraqi nondenominational synagogue in Los Angeles, Rabbi Haim Ovadia was born in Israel and received his ordination from the then Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Mordekhai Eliyahu. Rabbi Ovadia holds an MA in Hebrew Literature from UCLA and is currently a doctoral student in Jewish Studies at Spertus College (Chicago). In addition to his congregational work in the United States and Israel, he spent five years serving as the Assistant Rabbi and Cantor at Communidad Hebrea Sefaradi de Bogota in Bogota,Columbia. Rabbi Ovadia has taught at the American Jewish University (formerly the University of Judaism) and is now spearheading a series of concerts throughout the Los Angeles area that seek to revive the cultural heritage of Sephardic Jews as a means of strengthening Jewish identity, tolerance, and multiethnic awareness.
Cantor Samuel B. Radwine, Professor
of Cantorial Studies
Cantor Sam Radwine received his Bachelors degree in Music Education
from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. After teaching
instrumental music in Illinois, Cantor Radwine entered New York's
Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, School of Sacred
Music, where he was invested as a Cantor in 1981. He has served
Congregation Ner Tamid of South Bay since 1986, previously serving
congregations in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and Danbury, Connecticut.
He is also Visiting Lecturer in Liturgical Music at Hebrew Union
College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, as
well as mentor to cantorial soloists in the Los Angeles area.
Cantor Radwine is a member of the Cantors Assembly and the American
Conference of Cantors, currently serving as its National Membership
Chair and Executive Board Member. He has chaired national conferences
of the American Conference of Cantors and the National Association
of Temple Educators. Cantor Radwine has been a vocal student of
Ray Evans Harrell, Ronald Hedlund, and is currently a student of
Cantor Perryne Anker.
 Eva Robbins, Professor of Professional Skills
Hazzan Eva Robbins received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion, CA in 2004. She is a member of the Cantors Assembly and presently sits on the Executive Council. She is the Cantor of Congregation N'vay Shalom (www.nvayshalom.org), a nondenominational synagogue in Los Angeles that places emphasis on spiritual and mystical studies. Hazzan Eva teaches and nurtures spiritual growth and healing through meditation and music. Much of her work also includes personalized approach to preparing children and adults for Bar and Bat Mitzvah, teaching Hebrew language skills, offering spiritual guidance, officiating at lifecycle events and guiding the conversion process. She has created a new Shabbat morning service that reflects the Transdenominational nature of her Academy training including fusion of nusach and contemporary melodies and an innovative prayer book reflecting the voices of different denominations in Judaism. Her recently published composition of R'fa-aynu is available in the Transcontinental Publication of "R'fuah Shleymah," as well as on tape through Sh'neyhem Productions. She can also be heard on the CD "Spirit of Passover" produced by the Cantors Assembly and United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism. Hazzan Eva also teaches in the Department of Continuing Education at the University of Judaism and is on the faculty of Los Angeles Hebrew High School where she teaches Liturgy and T'fillah. Hazzan Eva served as the Director of Admissions and Recruitment for the Academy and is teaching nusach in the Rabbinic and Chaplaincy Departments.
 Rabbi
Stephen Robbins, Professor of Mystical Thought
The co-founder and former president of the Academy
for Jewish Religion, CA, Rabbi Stephen Robbins is also
the founding rabbi of Congregation N'vay Shalom in
Los Angeles and the former spiritual leader of Temple
Emanuel in Beverly Hills. In addition to being a teacher
of Kabbalah, meditation and healing, he is a clinical
psychologist in private practice integrating spiritual,
psychological and natural medicine techniques. Rabbi
Robbins holds a Psy.D. from Ryokan College and received
his rabbinic ordination and Master of Hebrew Letters
in History from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute
of Religion, from which he was also awarded an honorary
Doctor of Divinity degree.
Rabbi Rochelle Robins, Professor of Clinical Pastoral Education
Rabbi Rochelle Robins was ordained at the New York campus of the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 1998. She served as the Rabbinic Staff Chaplain at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the Supervisor of Pastoral Education and Co-coordinator of the Jewish Hospice Program at Samaritan Hospice of So. New Jersey, and is a certified Associate Supervisor in Clinical Pastoral Education. Rabbi Robins is a Co-founder and the Executive Director of Bat Kol, an organization that began as Jerusalem's first feminist yeshiva. Bat Kol has expanded its mission to include interfaith coalition building and health care education in the United States. Rabbi Robins is currently the Associate Director for the Clinical Pastoral Education program at the Center for Urban Chaplaincy in San Diego, CA. She is also serving as a per diem chaplain and rabbinic consultant at The Elizabeth Hospice in Escondido, CA., providing rabbinic support and pastoral care for its Jewish Hospice Program. Rabbi Robins is also a published writer of articles which focus on Jewish text and pastoral theology. Whether Rabbi Robins is teaching text, assisting patients and family members, training chaplains, or administrating Bat Kol projects, healing and wholeness is at the heart of her rabbinate.
Reesa Rotman, Registrar
Reesa Rotman's significant administrative experience ranges from the
Entertainment industry to the Jewish community. With regard to the former,
she has worked with several major Recording studios as well as served as the
Executive Assistant to one of the senior executives in the Recording
industry. Her work in the Jewish community includes administrative positions
with such institutions as Kehillat Yavneh and managing the business
operations of one of Los Angeles' most well known sofers or Torah scribes.
As a layperson, she has also been involved in the Anti-Defamation League's
Young Leadership Institute.
Rabbi J. B. Sacks, Professor of Jewish Thought
Rabbi J.B. Sacks recently completed a Doctor of Ministry program at the Claremont School of Theology. His dissertation brought together the fields of Bible, Jewish thought, worship and mental health to produce a spiritual commentary on Psalm 32, in order to demonstrate the universal appeal and applicability of the book of Psalms. He has also completed his course work towards the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Hebrew Bible at Claremont Graduate University. Ordained from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Rabbi Sacks has advocated for greater inclusion and diversity in Jewish life and for creative liturgy, particularly within the Conservative Movement., where he has served congregations in Jersey City (NJ) and Arcadia (CA). Rabbi Sacks descends from 17 generations of Rabbis. He has served as co-editor of two volumes: We See Ourselves as Redeemed: A Liberation Haggadah (1996) and Ka-Afikim Ba-Negav: A Manual for Rabbis in Engaging Their Communities in Embracing Gay and Lesbian Jews (1994). He currently lives in Woodland Hills with his partner, Steven Karash, and their son Evan, who attends El Camino Real High School.
Rabbi
Elijah Schochet, Professor of Talmud
The Rabbi of Shomrei Torah Synagogue in West Hills,
California, from 1960 until retirement in 1999,
Rabbi Elijah Schochet
did his graduate studies
in
Psychology at Columbia University and received
his rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological
Seminary.
Studying
under Professor Saul Lieberman,
Rabbi Schochet was also awarded a Doctorate in
Rabbinic Literature, from JTS.
He is an Adjunct Professor of Rabbinic Literature
at the University of Judaism as well as a Licensed
Marriage
and
Family Counselor and was the
founder of
Kadima Hebrew Academy in the San Fernando Valley.
Rabbi Schochet is the author of six books on
rabbinic studies,
and is considered a world-renowned
expert
on the origins of the Hasidic Movement, having
authored the definitive book on the subject, The Hasidic Movement and the Gaon of Vilna (Jason
Aronson, 1994). His other publications include Animal Life in Jewish Tradition:
Attitudes
and Relationships (K'Tav Publishing House, 1984, reissued
1991) and Amalek:
The Enemy Within (Tara Publications, 1991).
 Ronnie Serr, Professor of Jewish Thought
Ronnie Serr teaches the love of HaShem, the love of Torah and the love of Israel in Los Angeles. He holds a CPhil degree in Theatre Arts from UCLA as well as a Masters Degree in Communications from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has translated Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way and Aryeh Kaplan's Jewish Meditation into Hebrew.
 Dr. Marvin Sweeney, Professor of Bible
Professor of Hebrew Bible at Claremont School of Theology
and Professor of Religion at Claremont Graduate University,
Dr.
Marvin Sweeney
received his PhD in Bible from Claremont Graduate School.
Dr. Sweeney has taught
at Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion,
as well as the Albright Institute for Archeological Research
and
the Hebrew University
in Jerusalem.
A prolific writer, he has authored numerous works including Zephaniah:
A Commentary (Hermeneia) (Augsburg Fortress Publications, 2003), King
Josiah of Judah:
The Lost Messiah of Israel (Oxford University Press, 2001) and Isaiah
1-39: With an Introduction to Prophetic Literature (Wm B. Eerdmans Publ.
Co., 1996).
Dr. Sweeney is also editor of the Review of Biblical Literature.
 Nira Weiss, Professor of Hebrew
A graduate of Gordon's Teachers College in Haifa, Israel,
Nira Weiss has over two decades of experience teaching Hebrew
to
students of
all ages
and
levels of aptitude. Reflecting her bilingual skills, Ms.
Weiss has also taught English
as a second language.
 Jacob Zighelboim, M.D., Professor of Philosophical Thought
Chairman of the Academy's Board of Directors and former Professor of Medicine (Hematology-Oncology)
and Microbiology and Immunology at UCLA's Medical School,
Dr. Jacob Zighelboim has authored some 90 peer-reviewed
scientific research papers and co-authored 10 chapters
in medical science books, most of which had to
do with the immunology of cancer
and the application of immunology principles to
the treatment of human cancer. Dr. Zighelboim is a
recognized expert on the subject of healing and
is the author of From Fear to Awe: A New Understanding
of the Book of Job (Toren Publishers, 1998) and To
Health: The New Humanistic Oncology (J.
Zighelboim,
2003).
Dr. Clara
Zilberstein, Professor of
Women's
Biblical Studies
Dr. Clara Zilberstein received her BA from UCLA, and an MA and PhD from California
School of Professional Psychology. Formerly on the Clinical Faculty of UCLA's
School of Medicine, she also served as a talk show host on Radio West Jerusalem
in Israel. Dr. Zillberstein has contributed chapters to such books as A
Modern Jew: In Search of a Soul by J. Marvin Spiegelman and Abraham Jacobson and Lifecycles:
Jewish Women on Life Passages and Personal Milestones by Rabbi Debra Orenstein.
She is a therapist in private practice as well as a lecturer in Jewish Studies.
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