Why did you choose Ziegler?
I chose Ziegler because I was smitten by the beautiful setting of the campus and thought there could be no better place to immerse myself into Torah and Talmud than overlooking AJU's sculpture garden and the Santa Monica mountains, that remind me so of Israel.
What advice would you give to an incoming student?
Don't be overwhelmed by the workload. Do everything you have to do as well as you can, and focus more intensely on the subjects you love. Join a community, as the community brings Torah to life. (see above: It is not in the heavens.)
What are your future ambitions? What are you striving for in your career?
I like the idea of becoming a congregational rabbi with a focus on pastoral care. And I also really want to run a Poetry Beit Midrash in the Negev (or in the Mojave...) I recently was awarded an AJU Word Grant to facilitate a Jewish poetry retreat. I hope to do the next one in the winter and grow from there.
Favorite torah verse/favorite parsha?
Oh so many!! Certainly a line from the parsha Nitzavim we're reading as I'm answering these questions:
It is not in the heavens (...) neither is it beyond the sea. (Devarim, 30:12-13)
And here's one from the beginning:
Surely God is present in this place, and I did not know! (Bereishit 28:16)
It is not in the heavens (...) neither is it beyond the sea. (Devarim, 30:12-13)
And here's one from the beginning:
Surely God is present in this place, and I did not know! (Bereishit 28:16)
What does being a Conservative Jew means to you?
It means bringing the past into the future.
What do you hope to learn from the Ziegler Rabbinical School?
How to combine scholarship and arts.
Favorite Kosher restaurant in Los Angeles?
Just as many as favorite torah verses!! My own kitchen (haha)! And also Harissa, Charcoal, Kabob, Dr. Sandwich, Hasiba...
Year of Graduation
2025