The Ziegler School for Rabbinic Studies Has a New Location 

Photos: Jodye Alcon Photography/American Jewish University

Mid-March marked a monumental milestone for the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, as its new campus was joyously inaugurated. Located in the heart of Jewish Los Angeles, the new location felt like home when students, faculty, and friends, holding Torah scrolls, sang and danced through the front door. The school plans to continue building this Jewish community, shaping a future filled with kavanah (intention) and chesed (kindness). 

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 a Conservative rabbi at the American Jewish University (formerly known as the University of Judaism). 

American Jewish University (AJU) is a thriving center of resources and talent that advances the Jewish journeys of individuals, organizations, and community through excellence in scholarship, teaching, engaged conversation, and outreach. AJU equips students, faculty, campers, and learners of all ages with the tools to create ideas, build structures, and develop programs to advance Jewish wisdom and elevate the world. 

The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies held their rabbinic ordination ceremony for the six-member Class of 2024 on May 20 at American Jewish University.  

This past February, American Jewish University completed the sale of its Familian Campus in Bel Air.  Proceeds of the sale empower the school to enhance current programs, grow to meet evolving educational trends, and realize its ambitious strategic goals. 

In its new location, the school can channel significant resources to a wide range of educational efforts that address the evolving needs of the Jewish community—from supporting conversion and interfaith families to developing cutting-edge online educational opportunities to running vibrant public programs that convene timely and important conversations. 

For example, the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program offers one of the most popular paths to conversion in the world and shares Jewish knowledge with Jews and non-Jews alike. By making the program largely virtual, it can reach 900 people this year alone. The same course is taught in person at dozens of locations across the country and around the world. 

Similarly, a few years ago, the need to train more high-quality early childhood Jewish education teachers was recognized. These educators are critical for supporting the development of healthy and Jewish-connected children, as the schools they teach in are often the gateways for young families to join synagogues and become involved in Jewish life. In the last few years, the school has made available fully online certificate and degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, which presently serve a hundred students. These students often serve as Jewish education administrators and teachers across the country, and within three years, this project may reach 175 students. 

The school also continues to reinvent adult education. In the last four years, there have been more than 150,000 registrations for its online programs. It is also bringing in-person education to Jews across the city instead of expecting people to travel to Bel Air, a location that can be inconvenient for many in Los Angeles. 

The sale of the Bel Air campus will allow AJU to serve the Jewish community of today and the Jewish communities of future generations. Given the heartache and sadness in the world today, that is a cause for celebration. 

American Jewish University’s Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies celebrated the dedication of its centrally located campus on May 7. The event featured remarks from AJU and Ziegler leadership and the hanging of mezuzahs. Several members of the school’s leadership spoke at the event, including Dr. Jeffery Herbst, President of AJU; Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean’s Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and Vice President of AJU; AJU board chair Harold Masor; and Ziegler board chair Debbi Kaner Goldich. 

“The Bel Air campus was a magnificent chapter in our history, but it’s a place, not our history,” said Rabbi  Artson. “In the past, Jews have wandered from place to place, often out of desperation, often having been expelled from some previous place.  AJU’s history of going from campus to campus has been a remarkable demonstration that we don’t allow nostalgia to preclude our future. Here we are in the heart of Jewish life because we are committed to a Torah that is vibrant, traditional, and responsive. I want to thank you all for sharing that faith and making this possible.” 

Kaner Goldich emphasized that “the bricks and the mortar of this building are not what makes it a holy space. The learning of the Torah, and the teaching and sharing of that Torah by Ziegler rabbis, make this a revered space.” 

Located near the Pico-Robertson neighborhood—the hub of Los Angeles Jewish life—the Ziegler School’s new location is within walking distance of kosher restaurants, synagogues, and Jewish institutions. This strategic move aligns with its mission to cultivate a strong sense of community among students and provide a dynamic learning environment for future rabbis. 

“This day is about an academic unit relocating, but it is also about AJU sustaining the rabbinic tradition of learning and training, which has supported our people for generations,” said Herbst. “AJU at 350 South Beverly Drive is the most recent manifestation of our commitment to rabbinical leadership and learning. This will not only be the home of the Ziegler School for years to come, but it will be an AJU campus.