Leadership and Faculty

Rabbi Dr. Bradley Shavit Artson holds the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean's Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and is Vice President of American Jewish University. Rabbi Artson has long been a passionate advocate for social justice, human dignity, diversity and inclusion. He wrote a book on Jewish teachings on war, peace and nuclear annihilation in the late 80s, became a leading voice advocating for LGBTQ+ marriage and ordination in the 90s, and has published and spoken widely on environmental ethics, special needs inclusion, racial and economic justice, cultural and religious dialogue and cooperation, and working for a just and secure peace for Israel and the Middle East. A member of the Philosophy Department, he is particularly interested in theology, ethics, and the integration of science and religion. He mentors Camp Ramah in California in Ojai and Ramah of Northern California in the Bay Area. He is also dean of the Zacharias Frankel College in Potsdam, Germany, ordaining Conservative rabbis for Europe. A frequent contributor for the Huffington Post and for the Times of Israel, and a public figure Facebook page with over 53,000 likes, he is the author of 12 books and over 250 articles, most recently Renewing the Process of Creation: A Jewish Integration of Science and Spirit. 

Rabbi Cheryl Peretz is the Vice Dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, teaching, counseling, advising and programming. In addition to her work at American Jewish University, Rabbi Peretz has served as a pulpit rabbi in synagogues such as Los Angeles’ Sinai Temple, Adat Shalom, and Burbank Temple Emanuel El and has been a High Holiday guest rabbi in synagogues in Florida, California, and Texas. She teaches the broader community through in-home study groups, Adult Education, Talmud classes, and world-wide scholar-in-residence programs. Rabbi Peretz is a graduate of the double degree program between Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary where she earned degrees in Mathematics and Jewish Philosophy. She also holds a Master’s in Business Administration degree from Baruch College. Rabbi Peretz is known for creating individually expressive lifecycle rituals, offering interactive and lively teaching, listening compassionately to facilitate insight and meaning in times of transition, and for guiding personal and professional development, integrating corporate principles with spiritual dialogue. She also brings experience from her MBA and years of corporate professional experience in marketing, creating safe space work environments, vision and planning, organizational leadership, personnel supervising, budget and finance, and staff/board development, consulting with both rabbis and congregations to create healthy, productive relationships.

Rabbi Nicholas Losorelli is the Jeffrey & Allyn Levine Assistant Dean at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. Rabbi Losorelli was ordained in 2025, and in his capacity as Assistant Dean oversees recruitment and admission, student life, and daily minyan. Rabbi Losorelli worked in television production prior to the Rabbinate and holds a B.A. in Music from UC Berkeley, where he trained as a singer of Opera and Early Music, and brings his passion for music to his passion for Jewish prayer.  He is a frequent contributor to the Jewish Journal’s “Table for Five”, was a featured guest on a special Israel oriented interfaith episode of GLAAD Award nominated podcast “Yass Jesus!” in Jerusalem and has had work featured in the Huffington Post from his time as a volunteer with the Jerusalem Youth Chorus. Rabbi Losorelli is the first Queer and Mexican-American person to hold this position and believes strongly in creating inclusive access to Jewish life and the Rabbinate, both to historically represented and underrepresented Jews. Rabbi Losorelli has taught in many communities throughout the LA area and the broader US. As a Zionist and lover of Israel, Rabbi Losorelli served as MERCAZ Campaign Captain for Ziegler in the 2025 World Zionist Congress Election and is also an alumnus of the Leffel Israel Fellowship. Rabbi Losorelli was born and raised in Santa Clarita, CA, and currently lives in Los Angeles with his husband Eli Shavalian.