Rabbi Miriam Hamrell, '03 appeared on the cover of the December 23-January 5, 2012 issue of the Jewish Journal as part of the story, "The Big Tent: Jews, Muslims, Christians celebrate spirituality in a shared sacred space." Rabbi Hamrell, the spiritual leader of Ahavat Torah Congregation was pictured along with the Reverend Janet Bregar of Village Lutheran Church, and Noor-Malika Chishti and Karima Kylberg, the founder and leader (respectively) of Musallah Tauhid ("place of unity"), a Sufi Muslim congregation. The three faith groups share the Village Lutheran Church facilities in Brentwood. On Saturday mornings, Ahavat Torah congregants decorate the sanctuary with Israeli flags and set up an ark for Shabbat. On Saturday evenings, Musallah Tauhid worshippers spread out carpets and pillows for their weekly communal prayer group and on Sundays, the Lutheran congregants fill the pews for their services. The article detailed the shared experiences that are now an integral part of the unusual partnership. As noted in the piece, the three groups "have built friendships, included one another in holiday celebrations and in the process created a unique interfaith bond based on education and respect." For the three spiritual leaders, sharing a worship space has "proved to be a richer and more textured endeavor than any of them could have imagined. They have reaped gratifying rewards both in what they have learned from one another and in lessons they can pass on to their congregations. They have also weathered surprises as the learning curve has dredged up anxieties and preconceptions that have had to be undone." As Rabbi Hamrell said, "It takes courage to go into places where you know you won't feel comfortable. The question is, how can change occur if you always go where it's comfortable?"

On December 9th, Moonshine Ink, a community-based newspaper in Truckee (CA)/North Tahoe ran the article "Keeping Judaism Alive in Tahoe," which profiled Rabbi Meredith Cahn, '11 and her synagogue, the North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation (NTHC). The piece quoted Rabbi Cahn, who assumed leadership of NTHC this past September, as saying that she came "to serve the community that is here, to be available to Jews who need a spiritual leader, to be a part of a wonderful family, and to keep the Jewish faith alive and vibrant." The article also detailed the many programs that NTHC offers the Tahoe Jewish community as well as the congregation's community service initiatives.

On December 28th (the last night of Chanukah) at a special ceremony held at The Los Angeles County Jail, Gregory D. Metzger, a third year Rabbinical student and Director of the Jewish Committee for Personal Service (JCPS), a program of Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center, was awarded commendations and special recognition awards for his service to the Jewish inmates in Los Angeles County Jail and prisons throughout California and the United States from The United States House of Representatives, The City of Los Angeles, The County of Los Angeles, The Los Angeles County Sheriff's  Department and the Orthodox Jewish Chaplaincy Board. "These awards demonstrate the great work that happens when the Jewish Community works together," said Mr. Metzger, who has worked determinedly over the past year to build alliances among and between various Jewish Agencies reflecting the full spectrum of religious and cultural beliefs in the Jewish community. By building bridges and creating new relationships, JCPS has been able to fill gaps in programming available to Jewish inmates and to create a regular, consistent, positive presence for Jewish inmates of all denominations.  

On January 10th, Rabbi Rochelle Robins, AJRCA Director and Professor of Clinical Pastoral Education, presented a workshop at the inaugural "Jewish Seminary Pastoral Educator Conference." Held in New York City and organized by UJA-Federation and the Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health, the conference objectives were to create an enduring professional community to build the field of Jewish pastoral education; explore opportunities and barriers to further integrate pastoral education within the Jewish community; exchange best practices; highlight unique educational methods and approaches in Jewish pastoral education; further mine Jewish texts and source for healing wisdom; and catalyze research to discern success in student growth and changes in the field of pastoral education. As part of her workshop, "Help Write HaMakor: A Resource Guide for Jewish Chaplains and their Non-Jewish Supervisors," Rabbi Robins facilitated a discussion on educational topics and the essential resources for Jewish chaplains and chaplaincy students, their non-Jewish supervisors, interdisciplinary clinical teams, and institutional administrators.

On January 12, Cantor Jonathan Friedmann '10 gave a guest lecture for the Department of Religious Studies at Whittier College. Entitled "Eclecticism in Jewish Music," Cantor Friedmann examined the musical diversity of the world's Jewish communities through historical discussion, audio-visual presentation, live performance and group participation.

On January 25th, Rabbi Stan Levy, JD, Vice-Chair of AJRCA's Board of Directors and Professor of Spiritual Development, served as the moderator of "Law, Justice and the Holocaust," a symposium co-sponsored by Bet Tzedek, The UCLA School of Law and The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Held at the UCLA Faculty Center, panelists included Laurie L. Levinson (Loyola Law School), Charles E. Patterson (Morrison & Foerster) and David Kaye (UCLA School of Law). The featured speaker was noted historian, Dr. William F. Meinecke of The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Rabbi Levy, a senior attorney with the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, is the co-founder of Bet Tzedek as well as AJRCA.