Cantor Perryne Anker, Associate Dean of the Cantorial School, Liturgical Studies. B.S., Juilliard School of Music, New York where she won the Catherine Tuck Award. Served as Cantor of Stephen S. Wise Temple in Bel Air, Beth Shalom in Santa Monica, and Temple of the Arts in Los Angeles. Member of the American Conference of Cantors.

Dr. Yolande Bloomstein, Professional Skills. Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute; M.S.W. from the University of Southern California. In private practice with Village Mental Health Associates.

Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, Talmud. Ordination from Yeshiva University. Director of the Sephardic Educational Center, Los Angeles and Jerusalem. Former Rabbi of Sephardic Temple, Los Angeles (1991-2009).

Rabbi Anne Brener, Ritual and Human Development. Rabbinical ordination and M.S. in Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College; M.S.W., University of Southern California. Faculty member at Morei Derekh, a program in Jewish Spiritual Direction. Author of Mourning and Mitzvah.

Rabbi Mark Diamond, Practical Rabbinics. Rabbinic ordination, M.A. and D.D. (honoris causa) from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He has served as a congregational Rabbi, Executive Vice President of The Board of Rabbis of Southern California, and Director of the Los Angeles region of American Jewish Committee.

Cantor Marcus Feldman, Cantorial and Liturgical Studies. Ordination and Master of Jewish Sacred Music from the Academy for Jewish Religion California. Senior Cantor of Sinai Temple, Los Angeles. Named one of The Top Five Best New Voices in Jewish Music by The Forward.

Rabbi Mordecai Finley, PhD, Liturgical Studies, Ethics. Ordination from Hebrew Union College. Ph.D. in Religion-Social Ethics, University of Southern California. Founding Rabbi of Ohr HaTorah Congregation, Los Angeles, a traditional-progressive congregation; co-founder of the Academy for Jewish Religion, California.

Cantor Jay Frailich, Liturgical Studies. D.Mus. and Commission as Cantor from Hebrew Union College School of Sacred Music. Cantor of University Synagogue (Reform), Brentwood, California, for more than 30 years.

Tamar Frankiel, PhD, Comparative Religion. PhD in History of Religions, University of Chicago. Has taught at Claremont School of Theology, Stanford, Princeton, and UC Berkeley and Riverside. Author of numerous books, including The Gift of Kabbalah; The Voice of Sarah; Christianity: A Way of Salvation, and California’s Spiritual Frontiers.

Dr. Jonathan Friedmann, Associate Dean of the Masters of Jewish Studies Program, Jewish Music History. PhD in Hebrew Bible from the joint program of North-West University (South Africa) and Greenwich School of Theology (UK). Author of Social Functions of Synagogue Song, and Synagogue Song: An Introduction to Concepts, Theories, and Customs, among other works. Community Leader and Education Director at Adat Chaverim—Congregation for Humanistic Judaism in Los Angeles. Dr. Friedmann’s blog is Thinking on Music.

Hazzan Joseph Gole, Cantorial and Liturgical Studies. B.S.M., University of Southern California School of Music. Formerly Hazzan of Sinai Temple, the largest conservative congregation in Los Angeles; past chairman of the West Coast Region and past officer of the national Cantors Assembly.

Rabbi Dr. Mel Gottlieb, President of the Academy, Mysticism & Rabbinics. Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshiva University.  Ph.D. in Mythology/Depth Psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute. Rabbi Gottlieb is the former Director of Hillel at MIT and Princeton, and was the Rabbi of Kehillat Ma’arav in Santa Monica as well as Westwood Village Synagogue.

Gil Graff, PhD, Jewish History and Thought.  PhD in Jewish history, UCLA,; J.D., UCLA School of Law; M.A. in educational administration, California State University-Northridge. Author of three books and numerous articles on topics in Jewish history, law, and education.

Rabbi Avraham Greenstein, Hebrew Language. Ordination from Yeshivat Tomchei Temimim, Jerusalem. M.A. in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures: Hebrew Language, UCLA. Ph.D. Candidate, UCLA. Translator of Judeo-Persian poetry; author of articles on Jews in the Sasanian empire.

Cantor Don Gurney, Liturgical Studies. Graduate of the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, School of Sacred Music, New York City. Hazzan of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Los Angeles.

Rabbi Yehuda Hausman, Rabbinics. Rabbinical ordination from Chovevei Torah, New York; M.A. in Jewish Studies from Brandeis University. Rabbi Hausman writes on many Torah topics at “Pieces of Meaning: A Home for Unfinished Thoughts.”

Vered Hopenstand, Hebrew Language. Graduated in History and Hebrew Literature from Bar-Ilan University. A teacher of modern Hebrew language and biblical Hebrew for decades, she was awarded the Milken Family Foundation’s prestigious “Jewish Educator” award in 2001.

Rabbi Stan Levy, Spiritual Development. J.D., UCLA. Spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Horin – Children of Freedom in Los Angeles. Partner with law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips; co-founder of Bet Tzedek, which provides free legal services to the poor and elderly; co-founder of the Academy for Jewish Religion, California.

Rabbi Haim Ovadia, Talmud and Sephardic Thought. Private rabbinic ordination. M.A. in Hebrew Literature from University of California, Los Angeles. Bachelor in Judaic Studies from Bar Ilan University. Rabbi of Magen David Sephardic Congregation in Rockville, MD.

Rabbi Cantor Samuel B. Radwine, Academic Dean of the Cantorial School, Cantorial Studies Professor. Rabbi Cantor Sam Radwine has been a member of the AJRCA Faculty since 2008. Radwine was born and raised in Taylorville, Illinois and grew up in the Springfield, IL Jewish community. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he majored in Instrumental Music Education. After several years in public school music education, he attended the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music in New York City, where he was ordained as a Cantor in 1981. After a student pulpit in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, he served the United Jewish Center of Danbury, CT, as Cantor and Director of Education. Cantor Radwine came to California in 1986 where he served Congregation Ner Tamid of Rancho Palos Verdes until 2012, and continues as Cantor Emeritus. Additionally, he has served on the faculty of Hebrew Union College/Los Angeles. In 2021, Cantor Radwine was ordained as a Rabbi from AJRCA, and currently serves Temple Israel of Springfield, MO as its rabbi. He is married to Wade Sisco and they are the proud parents of two very active pugs.

Rabbi and Cantor Eva Robbins, Liturgical Studies. BA, University of Cincinnati, Summa Cum Laude, Masters of Sacred Music and Rabbinic Studies, AJRCA, '04 & '15, co-founder of N'vay Shalom. Author of "Spiritual Surgery: Journey of Healing for Mind, Body, and Spirit," is also an artist and contributing columnist for the Jewish Journal. Found at expandedspirit.org

Rabbi Stephen Robbins, Mystical Thought. Ordination, M.H.L. in History, and honorary Doctor of Divinity from Hebrew Union College. Psy.D., Ryokan College. Co-founder of the Academy for Jewish Religion, CA; founding Rabbi of Congregation N’vay Shalom.

Rabbi Rochelle Robins, Vice President and Dean of the Chaplaincy School. Rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, New York. Certified ACPE, Inc. Certified Educator.

Rabbi Dr. Elijah Schochet, Talmud. Ordination from Jewish Theological Seminary. Ph.D. in Rabbinic Literature, Jewish Theological Seminary; M.F.C.C., Columbia University. Former Rabbi of Shomrei Torah Synagogue, West Hills, California (1960-1999). Founder of Kadima Hebrew Academy in the San Fernando Valley. Author of The Hasidic Movement and the Gaon of Vilna and other works.

Rabbi Ronnie Serr, Hasidic Thought. Private ordination, 2013. M.A. in Communications, Hebrew University; doctoral studies in Theater Arts, UCLA. He is an educator in Jewish mysticism, a translator of Hebrew books and court-certified Hebrew interpreter, and a web developer, the founder-owner of Alphabet House Desktop Publishing.

Revital Somekh-Goldreich, Biblical Studies and Jewish History. MA in Jewish Studies with a specialty in Interfaith Relations from AJRCA. BA in Architecture from the Technion in Israel. Guest lecturer at CSUN and AJU. PhD candidate at the Theological University of Apeldoorn (Netherlands). The topic of her dissertation is visual text embodiment as a form of practical theology. It discusses the co-creation of meaning and art with, by, and for Jewish congregations. Author of Creation: A Journey with the Artist and The Esther Kaleidoscope: Masah and Maset (Journey and Tribute).

Dr. Saba Soomekh, World Religions; Iranian Jewish Culture. Ph.D. in Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara; Lecturer in Religious Studies at California State University, Northridge. Author of From the Shahs to Los Angeles: Three Generations of Iranian Jewish Women; and curator of “Light and Shadows: The Story of Iranian Jews,” at the Fowler Museum of UCLA.

Jessie Stoolman (she/her), Medieval and Early Modern Jewish History. B.A. in Middle Eastern and North African Studies as well as Romance Languages and Literature (Spanish), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; M.A. in Anthropology from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and current Ph.D. Student in Anthropology at UCLA. Dissertation topic: Archiving Black and Jewish Lives in Morocco.

Dr. Tali Tadmor, Cantorial Studies. MM and DMA in Keyboard Collaborative Arts from USC. Collaborative Piano Program Chair at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), Teaching Artist at LA Opera Connects!, and Music Director at Temple Judea in Tarzana, CA.

Cantor Alan Weiner, Cantorial Studies. Cantorial Investiture from Hebrew Union College; MFA in Music, California Institute of the Arts; doctoral studies in Choral Music, University of Southern California. Cantor of Temple Beth Hillel, Valley Village, CA.

Cantor Arik Wollheim, Cantorial & Liturgical Studies. MFA in Music and Opera Studies, SUNY Purchase. Hazzan of Beth Jacob Congregation in Beverly Hills, CA. Music director of Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy, Beverly Hills, CA.

Ahoova Zeffren, Hebrew Language. Bachelor's Degree and teaching credential from Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel. She has been an educator at all levels in both Israel and Los Angeles, specializing in Hebrew language, Bible studies and Judaic studies.

Jacob Zighelboim, M.D., Bioethics, Philosophical Thought. Former Professor of Medicine (Hematology-Oncology) and Microbiology and Immunology at UCLA Medical School. Author of From Fear to Awe: A New Understanding of the Book of Job (Toren Publishers, 1998) and To Health: The New Humanistic Oncology (J. Zighelboim, 2003).