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Hallelujah - Narrow Way - Hallelujah Somewhere around July of 2024, I received a strange phone call.  An actual Rabbi was on the other end of my phone, asking if I would consider contract CPE work at AJRCA.  As I listened to Rabbi Hoffman share about the life and growth of the CPE program, I became excited about the possibility…

Journeys to the Promised LandBy Rabbi Joshua Hoffman, President and CEO, Academy for Jewish Religion CaliforniaDo we have the right spiritual leaders to meet the moment?  It’s a timely question in the Jewish world, given the recent attention upon rabbinic leadership.  Right now, our hearts are yearning for steady, compassionate, and healing voices to help navigate the sustained crises we…

Spiritual Leadership for a New Era: AJRCA's Vision for Seminary EducationBy Rabbi Joshua Hoffman, President and CEO, Academy for Jewish Religion California The recent publications of research and shifting positions of seminary leadership signal an important moment for our field. As rabbinical education comes into focus, I welcome this opportunity to engage in a vital conversation about how we prepare…

Tu B’Shvat Higiyah Tu B’Shvat arrives quietly. No shofar, no matzah, no fast, no dramatic historical rescue. Just trees. Just sap rising. Just the patient, persistent work of roots beneath the surface, doing what they have always done: drawing life from hidden places and turning it into something that can one day bear fruit. And yet our tradition insists that…

Why did I become a chaplain? Are you ready to become a chaplain too?It took me a long time to find the word Chaplain. I knew I wanted to help people heal their broken pieces, and I had some idea that this was to take place in the spiritual/emotional realm. What was missing was the language to describe what was…

Why Become a Rabbi Today?Rabbi Stephen Slater, Chief Academic Officer and Dean of the Rabbinical School and Master of Jewish Studies ProgramHere are some ways I personally answer this question: It’s My Calling This is not just my answer. According to Atra’s new study of over 2000 Rabbis nationwide, over 80% of rabbis in the field, and 86% of current…

Why Become a CantorFor many of our people, there exists a moment in memory when we first became aware of being in a place of prayer—when we first connected with the awe of sacred time. For some, it may have been sitting next to a grandfather, playing absently with the tzitzit on his tallit. For others, it might have been…

When I was five years old, I wanted to be four things: A teacher, an actress, a rabbi, and a trained white horse, and, in 1945, my chances of becoming a rabbi were about as possible as that of becoming a trained white horse. My grandfather, Rabbi Israel Porath, was the head of the Cleveland Orthodox rabbinate, and three of…

We are delighted to highlight our talented and dedicated community  & alumni members. Today we are thrilled to spotlight AJRCA alumnus, Cantor Jackie Rafii.