With the start of the 2021-22 school year upon us, we are highlighting new and returning members of our faculty. Click here to see all of the posts in this series.
Today we’re talking with returning faculty member, Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, who will be teaching Intro to Rabbinic Literature and Talmud with Advanced Commentaries this fall.
Q1) Where do you live?
I live in Los Angeles (Westwood), but also spend lots of time in Jerusalem (my work, plus my son Ilan lives there!) and in New York (my daughter Shira lives there!). So — LA-Jerusalem-NY!
Q2) What fills your time when you’re not teaching at AJRCA?
Q3) What is one thing about AJRCA that you a) enjoyed during the previous experience(s) with the Academy and/or b) are looking forward to as you return?
What I have always enjoyed about AJR is the blend of diversity, open inquiry, intellect, creativity and progressive thinking. I teach primarily “ancient texts” (by “texts” I mean documents that we read and analyze, not those things we send on our phones!), and I love the challenge of translating ancient documents with often outdated ideas into relevant expressions of Judaism for today. I think this challenge is one of the hallmarks of the AJR community, and it’s what I loved — and continue to love — about AJR.
Welcome back Rabbi Bouskila!