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Rabbis of LA | Ziegler Alum Rabbi Sara Berman: Transforming Sorrow Into Strength

Arielle Margolis — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 22:09:39 +0000

Rabbis of LA | Ziegler Alum Rabbi Sara Berman: Transforming Sorrow Into Strength

Arielle Margolis Thu, 12/08/2022 - 14:09

Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

Student Torah

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When Rabbi Sara Berman was a child, she would go to the hospital with her father, who worked as an oncologist.

“I’d say hi to his patients and try to comfort them,” she said.

Berman, who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, enjoyed being in the hospital and seeing what her father did all day long. Her father thought that she was going to follow in his footsteps.

“I was supposed to be a doctor,” she said. “I was very comfortable in hospitals.”

However, Berman wasn’t interested in studying medicine. Instead, she wanted to become a rabbi.

“I went on a teen trip to Israel, and the leader was about to study in rabbinical school,” she said. “I realized I had the same goals, to be a cross between a teacher and a social worker and be connected to my Jewish identity.”

Berman got her undergraduate degree in Women’s Studies and enrolled in the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at ��ϲ��. She wasn’t sure where she’d want to work once she graduated, but the answer quickly came to her. When an acquaintance was diagnosed with cancer, she visited her in the hospital.

“I realized there was a special role that a chaplain could play, and no one else could fill that role,” Berman said. “She didn’t know me very well, but she felt like she could open up to me.”

The rabbi trained as a chaplain in both Philadelphia and Los Angeles, and currently works at Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center. There, she visits with patients, families and staff and supports them when they need her the most.

“I make sure their spiritual needs are met, whether they want kosher food or to pray in their room, or they need emotional support and comfort,” she said. “I’m there during end-of-life discussions with their doctors and make sure they understand everything that’s going on.”

In her work, Berman talks about going from sorrow to strength, which she learned from the story of the matriarch Rachel’s death and Benyamin’s birth. Rachel dies during childbirth, and Ben’oni becomes Benyamin.

“When I was pregnant with my second child, I was on call when a woman died during childbirth,” she said. “I tried to help her husband, but there is no way to comfort someone at that time. I was a presence for them, and I helped to comfort the staff later on.”

While the story of Ben’oni becoming Benyamin is not without heartbreak, it also inspires Berman.“A lot of what we go through helps to make us stronger,” she said. “It’s not always immediate, but it does transform us into who we are.”

Along with being a chaplain, Berman, who has struggled with clinical depression her entire life, is a mental health advocate. She wrote a book titled, “Ben’oni L’Benyamin: From Sorrow to Strength: My Journey With Depression” and did a TEDx Talk on the same topic, calling it “Monster Slayers: Overcoming Stigma.”

“I tell people I suffer from depression and make it OK to talk about it,” she said. “If there is a stigma around it, people won’t get the help they need. It’s something that is treatable, but you have to ask for help. People shouldn’t be ashamed.”

When working with patients, Berman hopes she can help them with any mental, emotional and, of course, spiritual issues they are contending with during their time there.

“When you’re in the hospital, it’s not just about your body being sick, but also about your mind and spirit being sick. If that’s forgotten, you won’t heal as well.”

“When you’re in the hospital, it’s not just about your body being sick, but also about your mind and spirit being sick,” she said. “If that’s forgotten, you won’t heal as well.”

She continued, “I focus on comforting those in need. Sometimes all people need is someone to listen to them and be there for them.”

Fast Takes with Sara Berman

Jewish Journal: What’s your favorite Jewish food?

Sara Berman: Matzah ball soup.

JJ: How about your favorite spot in Los Angeles?

SB: Huntington Gardens. You can get away from all the chaos of this city but you don’t really have to drive that far.

JJ: What Torah figure do you like the most?

SB: Chana. She challenged God in a gentle way. She was educated enough to have an appropriate way to challenge God.

JJ: What superpower would you want to have?

SB: Invisibility. I’d be able to see behind the scenes and better understand how to help people.

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Ziegler Minyan Minhagim

Communications — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 16:15:43 +0000

Ziegler Minyan Minhagim

Communications Wed, 04/10/2019 - 09:15

by Rabbi Elliot Dorff, PhD

Rabbi Elliot Dorff, PhD

Sol & Anne Distinguished Professor in Philosophy, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

University Rector, ��ϲ��

Rabbi Elliot Dorff, PhD is ��ϲ��’s Rector and Sol & Anne Dorff Distinguished Service Professor in Philosophy. He is Chair of the Conservative Movement's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards and served on the editorial committee of Etz Hayim, the new Torah commentary for the Conservative Movement. He has chaired four scholarly organizations: the Academy of Jewish Philosophy, the Jewish Law Association, the Society of Jewish Ethics, and the Academy of Judaic, Christian, and Islamic Studies. He was elected Honorary President of the Jewish Law Association for the term of 2012-2016. In Spring 1993, he served on the Ethics Committee of Hillary Rodham Clinton's Health Care Task Force. In March 1997 and May 1999, he testified on behalf of the Jewish tradition on the subjects of human cloning and stem cell research before the President's National Bioethics Advisory Commission. In 1999 and 2000 he was part of the Surgeon General’s commission to draft a Call to Action for Responsible Sexual Behavior; and from 2000 to 2002 he served on the National Human Resources Protections Advisory Commission, charged with reviewing and revising the federal guidelines for protecting human subjects in research projects. Rabbi Dorff is also a member of an advisory committee for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History on the social, ethical, and religious implications of their exhibits. He is also a member of the Ethics Advisory Committee for the state of California on stem cell research.

He has been an officer of the FaithTrust Institute, a national organization that produces seminars and educational materials to help people avoid or extricate themselves from domestic violence. For eight years he was also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation Council of Los Angeles, chairing its committee on serving the vulnerable. In Los Angeles, he is a Past President of Jewish Family Services and a member of the Ethics committee at U.C.L.A. Medical Center. He serves as Co-Chair of the Priest-Rabbi Dialogue of the Los Angeles Archdiocese and the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.

Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

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Rabbi Dorff explains different practices in the ZSRS minyan.

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Understanding the Aleinu

Communications — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 16:14:47 +0000

Understanding the Aleinu

Communications Wed, 04/10/2019 - 09:14

by Rabbi Elliot Dorff, PhD

Rabbi Elliot Dorff, PhD

Sol & Anne Distinguished Professor in Philosophy, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

University Rector, ��ϲ��

Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

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Love, Justice, and Equity

Communications — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 18:11:39 +0000

Love, Justice, and Equity

Communications Tue, 10/01/2013 - 11:11

by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson

Abner & Roslyn Goldstine Dean’s Chair

Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

Vice President, ��ϲ��

Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson (www.bradartson.com) has long been a passionate advocate for social justice, human dignity, diversity and inclusion. He wrote a book on Jewish teachings on war, peace and nuclear annihilation in the late 80s, became a leading voice advocating for GLBT marriage and ordination in the 90s, and has published and spoken widely on environmental ethics, special needs inclusion, racial and economic justice, cultural and religious dialogue and cooperation, and working for a just and secure peace for Israel and the Middle East. He is particularly interested in theology, ethics, and the integration of science and religion. He supervises the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program and mentors Camp Ramah in California in Ojai and Ramah of Northern California in the Bay Area. He is also dean of the Zacharias Frankel College in Potsdam, Germany, ordaining Conservative rabbis for Europe. A frequent contributor for the Huffington Post and for the Times of Israel, and a public figure Facebook page with over 60,000 likes, he is the author of 12 books and over 250 articles, most recently Renewing the Process of Creation: A Jewish Integration of Science and Spirit. Married to Elana Artson, they are the proud parents of twins, Jacob and Shira. Learn more infomation about Rabbi Artson.

Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

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This podcast episode is a text Study with Rabbi Brad Artson. He touches on topics such as love, justice, and equity.

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May You See Your World

Communications — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:42:06 +0000

May You See Your World

Communications Tue, 05/22/2012 - 11:42

by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson

Abner & Roslyn Goldstine Dean’s Chair

Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

Vice President, ��ϲ��

Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

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First Blessing of Shema

Communications — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:43:46 +0000

First Blessing of Shema

Communications Fri, 09/09/2011 - 09:43

by Rabbi Elliot Dorff, PhD

Rabbi Elliot Dorff, PhD

Sol & Anne Distinguished Professor in Philosophy, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

University Rector, ��ϲ��

Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

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Rabbi Dorff

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Words Beyond Words

Communications — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:18:54 +0000

Words Beyond Words

Communications Thu, 09/08/2011 - 10:18

by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson

Abner & Roslyn Goldstine Dean’s Chair

Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

Vice President, ��ϲ��

Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

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This is a recording of Rabbi Artson’s 2011 year-opening talk to rabbinical students. He gives a motivating and intellectually stimulating talk about the strength of our words.

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