Upcoming Events
Marvin Sweeney, PhD
Dimensions of the Divine Presence:
The Meaning of Shiur Qomah in Jewish Mysticism, Liturgy, and Rabbinic Thought
RSVP
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Dear Friends,
It is truly a blessing to be able to provide you with information about the kavod, (honor or recognition) that the Academy and those affiliated with it are garnering on a regular basis. With your help, may we continue to go from strength to strength!
Rabbi Mel Gottlieb, PhD
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ORDINATION 2010
On Monday, May 31, 2010, we will be celebrating
our eighth ordination ceremony. Held at Stephen
S. Wise
Temple in Los Angeles, the event draws hundreds of
friends, family and Academy supporters who come to honor this tremendous
milestone in the lives of the ordinees. Six rabbinic students will be ordained
this year. They are Roberta "Birdie" Becker, Randall Brown, Rita Hertzberg,
Janice Mehring, Lori Schneide, and Linda Seidman. Four students are receiving
their cantorial ordination. They are Jonathan Friedmann, Rebekah Mirsky, Edward
Robin and Pamela Simmons. Amy Altshuld, Robert Lifson and Laura Young will be
graduating from the Chaplaincy Program. The ceremonies will begin promptly at 2
pm and we urge everyone to attend this very moving and memorable occasion. If
you would like to make a donation to the Academy in honor of one of our 2010
Ordinees/Graduates,please click here.
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BIOETHICAL DILEMMAS OF OUR TIME
 On March 14th,
over 100 people attended the second in a three-part Academy sponsored community
lecture series addressing the "Bioethical Dilemmas of Our Time." The focus of
the program, "Ethics of Caring for the Elderly," featured presentations by James W. Davis, MD, Professor of Medicine,
Division of Geriatric Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA;
Stuart Finder, PhD, Director of the Center for Healthcare Ethics at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; and D'vorah Epstein, Senior Chaplain at Work at
Providence St. Joseph Medical Center (AJR, CA Chaplaincy Program '06). Jacob
Zighelboim, MD, Chair of the Academy's Board of Directors and AJR, CA
Professor of Philosophical Thought moderated the program. The third program in
the series will be held on June 13th.
On
a related note, on February 1st, the Academy launched a new series of colloquia
for Jewish physicians and Jewish bioethicists, the objective of which is to
provide a forum for the thoughtful discussion of the dilemmas
physicians confront in their daily practice and lives. The meeting was attended by
18 physicians from a variety of specialties, and by Rabbi Elliot Dorf, PhD,
Rector and Sol & Anne Dorff Distinguished
Service Professor in Philosophy at American
Jewish University; Rabbi Abner Weiss, LMFT; and Academy President, Rabbi
Mel Gottlieb, PhD, LCSW. On May 3rd, the second session in this
series will bring together the same group of physicians and bioethicists as
well as Stuart Finder, PhD (as noted above), the Director of the Center for
Healthcare Ethics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
In discussing the impetus for both the community lecture series and physicians'
colloquia, Dr. Zighelboim said "These programs exemplify the fact that AJR, CA
is becoming an "Academy" not just a "school." By that I mean a center for the
exploration of new ideas and the expression of a contemporary understanding of
the teachings and wisdoms of our sacred, ancient Texts. The Academy is also
becoming a center for the expression of a pluralistic Jewish perspective on
contemporary issues of general concern and interest. By providing this kind of
valued resource, we are once again demonstrating that the Academy is indeed an
essential institution in service to the Jewish community."
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COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM WITH CLAREMONT SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
Recognizing the Academy's reputation for
excellence, the highly respected Claremont School of Theology approached and is
currently working with the Academy to create a collaborative program. Once
launched, this program will provide for an exchange of classes between the two
institutions. The goal of the program is to enhance an understanding of the
teachings and traditions of our respective religions by the next generation of
spiritual leaders.
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SAVINA J. TEUBAL VISTING LECTURER
 Rabbi Arielle Hanien has been
appointed the Savina J. Teubal Visiting Lecturer for the Spring
Trimester 2010. As part of that appointment, Rabbi Hanien is teaching the
course "Approaches to the Infinite;" an "exploration of the ways that the
language of Jewish prayer, built on root words and Biblical quotes, itself
provides a medium through which we can connect in an unlimited way to
the experience of addressing the Infinite One." Rabbi Hanien received her
rabbinic ordination with Distinction in Talmud from the American Jewish
University's Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. A frequent guest lecturer and
scholar-in-residence, her writing was recognized by Elie Wiesel, who awarded
her the prestigious "Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics." The Savina J.
Teubal Chair for Jewish Women's Studies was established in memory of Savina
J. Teubal, PhD z"l, the noted feminist scholar, prolific author and
innovator of Jewish ritual. The Chair was endowed by Sarah's Tent, the
organization co-founded by Dr. Teubal (with Rabbi Judith Halevy), to promote
creative Jewish spirituality.
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POSITIVE VOTE BY AMERICAN CONFERENCE OF CANTORS
In mid-March 2010, Cantor
Kay Greenwald, President of the American Conference of Cantors (ACC) notified
Cantor Perryne Anker, Associate Dean of the Cantorial School that the ACC Board
had passed a motion "stating that cantorial graduates of the Academy for Jewish
Religion, California (AJR, CA) will have the opportunity to apply to the ACC
for membership beginning in June 2010, or shortly thereafter." The ACC is an affiliate
of the Union for Reform Judaism. The Academy would like to acknowledge and thank Cantor
Anker for her help in bringing this new honor to our school. In 2009, the
Academy's cantorial graduates became eligible for membership in the Cantors
Assembly which is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
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SPECIAL PRESENTATION BY THE LEGENDARY DEBBIE FRIEDMAN
 On January 31st, the Academy
sponsored a community program featuring the legendary American Jewish composer,
singer and recording artist, Debbie Friedman. Ms. Friedman did a special
presentation on "Music as a Healing Art in the Jewish Tradition." From the
beginning of her distinguished career, she has taken the prayers, teachings and
melodies of the Ancient Jewish Texts and set them to contemporary music. One of
her most famous prayer songs, Mi Shebeirach (the prayer for healing), is
sung in synagogues and churches across the nation.
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OHALAH RE-ELECTS AJR, CA ALUMNA PRESIDENT
 OHALAH, the international Association of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal,
has re-elected Rabbi Yocheved Mintz, '04 as President. OHALAH has 200
members from all over the world and its mission is, in part, to "bring together
rabbis and cantors from a wide spectrum of the Jewish people to participate in
the transformation and renewal of Judaism and the Jewish people." Rabbi Mintz is the spiritual leader of Valley Outreach Synagogue -
P'nai Tikvah of Las Vegas, the only Reconstructionist congregation in Nevada. She also serves
as Vice-President of the Board of Rabbis of Southern Nevada, is on the
Executive Board of the Clark County Ministerial Association, and is a member of
the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada.
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AJR, CA HIRES NEW DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS
 Janet Lunine Barzilay has joined
AJR, CA
as Director of Admissions. A graduate of Brown
University and New York University
Law School,
Janet most recently worked as a volunteer attorney at Bet Tzedek. She is a member of the New
York bar, and practiced law in New York
before moving to Los Angeles
in 1999. Janet has worked extensively in educational recruiting, serving as
Area Chair for Brown University's Alumni Schools Committee, and as a
parent Admissions Ambassador for Harvard-Westlake
School in Los Angeles. Janet also held the position of
Director of Development at Carlthorp School in Santa
Monica. Janet
has volunteered in campaign fundraising for Harvard-Westlake
School, Curtis
School and Brown University.
She and her husband are the parents of two daughters. Janet is "thrilled and
honored" to join the AJR, CA community. She looks forward to joining forces
with the terrific team of faculty, students, alumni, and administrators to help
AJR, CA continue to thrive and grow.
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| If you know of an institution/organization that is interested in hiring an AJR, CA Rabbinic, Cantorial, or Chaplaincy student intern or graduate, please contact Rabbi Lynn Brody Slome, Director of Placement and Internships, at 310-824-1586. |
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