On December 19^th, AJRCA President Rabbi Mel Gottlieb, PhD met with Claremont School of Theology President, Dr. Jerry Campbell, and Jihad Turk, Director of Religious Affairs at the Islamic Center of Southern California. The meeting was the first in a monthly series of meetings between the three men which will involve studying important themes that exist in the Judaic, Christian and Islamic holy texts and examining how each religion conceptualizes the theme in its unique manner. In discussing the impetus for these meetings, Rabbi Gottlieb said that "as a result of our collaboration, we decided that it would be mutually beneficial to study each of our texts together to create a better understanding of the areas of commonality and difference." Earlier this year, the Academy entered into a groundbreaking collaborative project with both the Claremont School of Theology and the Islamic Center of Southern California.The Academy's decision to participate in the consortium called "CUP"(Claremont University Project) was made with the goal of producing spiritual leaders for the 21^st century who have respect for each other based on a real knowledge and understanding of one another. The consortium allows AJRCA students to take classes at Claremont School of Theology and students associated with our collaborative partners are permitted to take certain classes at the Academy. The Academy's participation in the CUP consortium provides new class and shared learning opportunities for all those involved; AJRCA students have the opportunity to learn about other world religions, and we offer their students the opportunity to learn about Judaism.

Over the past summer, AJRCA Associate Dean of Internships and Placements, Rabbi Lynn Brody Slome, '05, was contacted by officials from the California Army National Guard about speaking to students enrolled in AJRCA's Jewish Chaplaincy and Rabbinical Schools who might be interested in serving as part-time chaplains and chaplain candidates. On November 15^th, about a dozen students attended a meeting at AJRCA with Major Christopher Guadiz, the Full Time Support Chaplain based at the Joint Force Headquarters in Sacramento. As noted during the discussion and in the literature provided, the role of Army Chaplains is, in part, "to bring G-d closer to soldiers and soldiers closer to G-d."

On October 24^th, over 100 people attended AJRCA's Fall 2010 Colloquium on "Spirituality and Healing." The featured panelists included AJRCA President Rabbi Mel Gottlieb who holds a doctorate in Mythology/Depth Psychology and is a frequent guest lecturer at the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles; Rabbi Stan Levy, JD, AJRCA Professor of Spiritual Development who, in addition to his work as a senior attorney at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, serves as the ethicist on the Institutional Biological Safety Committee of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; and Carolyn Conger, PhD, a clinical psychologist, consultant and teacher who conducts seminars internationally on psychological growth, healing, dream work, intuition, creativity, and spirituality.

On Sunday, November 28^th, the Cantorial School held the first Cantorial Shiur for the current Academic Year. A combination of student-led performances and discussion, the shiur focused on the theme "Selections of Music to Open and Close a Service." The shiur was planned by and involved the participation of Cantorial School students Marsha Attie, Sandy Bernstein, Fran Burgess, Kyle Cottler, Seth Ettinger, Sarah Fortman, Rachel Neubauer, and Bruce Shapiro. Cantor Perryne Anker, the Associate Dean of the Cantorial School, helped facilitate the discussion. The event was attended by AJRCA faculty, students and Board members as well as the general public. The next Cantorial Shiur is scheduled for February 27^th and is open to all.  

On Monday, November 29^th AJRCA students had the opportunity to hear from Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu, the Director of Rabbis Without Borders, a new initiative of CLAL - The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. Rabbis Without Borders seeks to position rabbis as American religious leaders and spiritual innovators who contribute Jewish wisdom to the American spiritual landscape. Its mission is to nurture and develop a network of rabbis who are seen as American religious leaders capable of conveying Jewish wisdom in accessible and significant ways to improve people's lives. The focus of Rabbi Sirbu's presentation was "Using Jewish Ritual to Respond to Real Life Needs." On Sunday, December 5^th, the Academy hosted Rabbi Sholom Brodt, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Simchat Shlomo in Jerusalem. A student of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach z"l and a guest lecturer across North America in communities of all denominations, Rabbi Brodt discussed "Contacting the Inner Light."