Who I am I have devoted myself to the revival and
flourishing of Jewish congregations around the world, most recently Beit Warszawa
in Poland and Neve Shalom in Parimaribo, Suriname. Earlier, I served for 19 years
as Chaplain and Hillel Rabbi for The Claremont Colleges. I received my smicha (ordination)
from Hebrew Union College specializing in Cairo Genizah documents in Judeo-Arabic.
I have studied the history of the Holocaust at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and
also Higher Education at The Claremont Graduate University. From 1988 to 1990 I
worked as a Mandel Jerusalem Fellow. I did my undergraduate work at Occidental College.
I am the founder and spiritual leader of the Mifgash (HaMifgash), a gathering of
adult learners who pursue Jewish learning and seek to apply it to the pressing issues
of the day.
Rabbinic Services
Weddings: A day you’ll remember for the rest of your
lives! I work with each couple to create a joyful, meaningful ceremony that fulfills
Jewish tradition while expressing the uniqueness of your lives and love.
Read more.
Becoming a Jew: It takes hard work to become a Jew,
but to those who are drawn to the path, the rewards exceed the effort. I work with
interested students to teach them the fundamentals of the tradition and to engage
them in a process of prayer and reflection to determine their relationship to Judaism. Read more.
B'nei Mitzvah Classes: For a young person to affirm
their status as a child of the commandments is to take his or her place within the
Jewish people. I work with every student I tutor so that each of them understands
the meaning of this step on their very own Jewish journey. Each of my students will
be able to read from the Torah, to understand what they are reading, and to create
a personal d’var Torah, expressing what their Torah portion and this special day
mean to them.
End of Life Support and Ceremonies: Our tradition
commands us to comfort the mourner and lay the deceased to rest. I will work with
each family to create a dignified ceremony, according to Jewish custom, with space
for loving remembrance and for grief.
Spiritual Growth: It is my intention, with my work
as a rabbi, to promote and facilitate spiritual engagement and mindfulness. My goal,
with everyone who comes to me, is to help that person hear the voice of their soul.
I believe that an engagement with Jewish tradition opens a path toward the Divine
and that the path will be different for each person who makes the journey. I wish
to help people navigate definitive life passages, whether in the course of study
to further any sort of growth, including Jewish conversion, preparation for the
joyful and solemn commitment of marriage, or memorializing a loved one. Such times,
fraught with risk and deep feeling, can be moments of illumination and change. Every
single person has a universe to be explored within. It is my joy and honor, as a
rabbi, to help guide that holy inquiry.