Bradley Shavit Artson
Encyclopedia
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, author, speaker, and the occupant of the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean's Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies
Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies
The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, informally known as the "Ziegler School" or simply "Ziegler", is the graduate program of study leading to Ordination as Conservative Rabbis at the American Jewish University...
at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, California, where he is Vice-President. He supervises the Louis and Judith Miller Introduction to Judaism Program and provides educational and religious oversight for Camp Ramah of California.
Education and career
Born and raised in San Francisco, Artson holds the A.B. Degree from Harvard College, cum laude, in 1981. As an undergraduate, he served as the LBJ Intern for United States Representative Burton and was an intern for United States Senator Alan CranstonAlan Cranston
Alan MacGregor Cranston was an American journalist and Democratic Senator from California.-Education:Cranston earned his high school diploma from the old Mountain View High School, where among other things, he was a track star...
. Following graduation, Artson was a Legislative Assistant to the Speaker of the California Assembly for two years and was ordained with honors by the Jewish Theological Seminary
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...
in 1988. He wrote his first book, Love Peace and Pursue Peace: A Jewish Response to War and Nuclear Annihilation while in rabbinical school. During his last year at rabbinical school, he served as the part time rabbinic intern at Bolton Street Synagogue in Baltimore.
For 10 years, Artson served as the Rabbi of Congregation Eilat in Mission Viejo, which grew under his tenure from about 200 families to over 600. During that period, his Introduction to Judaism course helped over 200 people convert to Judaism, and 10 of his congregants have entered the rabbinate in turn.
From 1998 - 1999, Artson was a member of the Senior Management of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and served as the Executive Vice President of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California. In 1999, he began his work at the University of Judaism
University of Judaism
The American Jewish University, formerly the separate institutions University of Judaism and Brandeis-Bardin Institute, is a Jewish, non-denominational educational institution in Los Angeles, California....
(now the American Jewish University). In addition to his work as Rabbinical School Dean and University Vice-President, Rabbi Artson received his D.H.L. at the Hebrew Union College -Jewish Institute of Religion
Hebrew Union College
The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem...
in Contemporary Jewish Theology, under the supervision of Rabbi Dr. David Ellenson
David Ellenson
David Ellenson is a rabbi who is known as a leader of the Reform movement in Judaism. He is the president of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion , and the I.H. and Anna Grancell Professor of Jewish Religious Thought...
.
His scholarly fields are Jewish philosophy and theology, particularly a process approach integrating contemporary scientific insights from cosmology, quantum physics, evolutionary theory and neuroscience to a dynamic view of God, Torah, Mitzvot and ethics. He is a charter member of the Society for the Study of Judaism and Science.
Leadership
A prominent leader of Conservative JudaismConservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
, Artson serves on the Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism
Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism
The Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism, also known as the LCCJ, is a council made up of members of the various arms of the Conservative movement, a formal movement within the Jewish denomination of Conservative Judaism....
. He writes a weekly Torah commentary that has over 13,000 internet subscribers. He is the author of 5 books, most recently The Bedside Torah: Wisdom, Visions & Dreams and Gift of Soul, Gift of Wisdom: Spiritual Resources for Leadership and Mentoring and he has written over 190 articles in several magazines.
In 2008, Artson ordained Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, the leader of the Abayudaya Tribe and participated a rabbinic delegation to Uganda to install him as the first African Rabbi in Subsaharan Africa. While in Africa he joined a Beit Din in converting 250 Africans from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Uganda. A Regional Chief bestowed upon him the African name Walusansa Salongo.
Artson launched the WALKING WITH … series, an annual series of books distributed free of charge and available on the web as complimentary PDF files http://www.walkingwith.org. In 2007 he produced Walking With God, in 2008, Walking With Justice, in 2009, "Walking With Life," and in 2010, "Walking With the Jewish Calendar." For the past few years he has also produced an annual Selichot DVD, "Choose Life," a series of conversations with Rabbi Artson, Rabbi David Wolpe, and Rabbi Edward Feinstein. It can be viewed at http://www.ajula.edu/Content/ContentUnit.asp?CID=187&u=6277&t=0. Under his direction, the Ziegler School sponsors a podcast page link that presents the monthly discussions of Rabbi Artson, a Rebbe's Tish of Reb Mimi Feigelson, lessons on the Siddur and prayer by Rabbi Elliot Dorff, and a Halakhah Yomi by Rabbi Aaron Alexander.
Artson has served on the faculty of the Wexner Heritage Foundation and as a speaker for UJC/Federation communities.