The Louis and Judith Miller Introduction to Judaism Program is an educational institute based at the

American Jewish University American Jewish University (AJU), formerly the separate institutions University of Judaism and Brandeis-Bardin Institute, is a Jewish institution in Los Angeles, California. Its largest component is its Whizin Center for Continuing Education in ...

Bel Air, Los Angeles, California Bel Air (or Bel-Air) is a residential neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. Founded in 1923, it is the home of the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden and the American Jewish Universit ...

. It has, since its founding in 1986, helped thousands of students explore and deepen their Jewish roots or prepare for conversion to

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

. Based primarily at AJU’s Familian Campus in Bel Air, as well as at a number of other Southern California locations and throughout the United States, the Miller Program helps people of all backgrounds find a home in the Jewish community. The core of the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program is an 18-week course that surveys Jewish living and practice, including

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, ritual, culture, texts, and values. Classes are designed to be highly interactive, with much time for discussion and questions, and include personalized instruction in reading

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

. In addition, the Miller Intro to Judaism Program offers its curriculum and resources to affiliates around the United States and Canada. During the 2018-2019 year, the Intro Program had more than fifty-five affiliates. In addition to classes, the Miller Program offers regular Shabbat services and dinners, a support group for new and potential converts, and ongoing programming for alumni. The Miller Program is also a Los Angeles partner for Honeymoon Israel, a new, national initiative providing highly subsidized, immersive experiences in Israel for couples between the ages of 25-40. The Miller Program is under the direction of Rabbi Adam Greenwald. Rabbi Greenwald is a "Rabbis Without Borders" Fellow with Clal, the Center for Learning and Leadership and is a recipient of the Covenant Foundation's Pomegranate Prize in Jewish Education. Before coming to AJU and the Intro Program, Rabbi Greenwald served as the Revson Rabbinic Fellow of IKAR. Supervision of the Intro Program is provided by Rabbi

Bradley Shavit Artson Bradley Shavit "Brad" Artson (born 1959) is an American rabbi, author and speaker. He holds the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean's Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, California, wher ...

, Dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and Vice President of the AJU. The Miller Introduction to Judaism Program was named among the “Ten Best Classes in Los Angeles” by

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose pare ...

in its annual “Best of LA" 2012 edition. The Miller Program is endorsed by the

Rabbinical Assembly The Rabbinical Assembly (RA) is the international association of Conservative rabbis. The RA was founded in 1901 to shape the ideology, programs, and practices of the Conservative movement. It publishes prayerbooks and books of Jewish interest, an ...

of America, as well as by more than nearly 40 of LA’s top clergy—including Rabbi David Wolpe ( Sinai Temple), Rabbi Sharon Brous ( IKAR) and Rabbi Ed Feinstein (

Valley Beth Shalom Valley Beth Shalom (informally called VBS) is a Conservative synagogue in Encino, Los Angeles, California. With approximately 1,500 member families it is one of the largest synagogues in Los Angeles and one of the largest Conservative synagogues ...

). Conversions performed under the auspices of the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program are recognized by the State of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

for purposes of making

Aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the State of Israel. Traditionally descri ...

References

External links

Miller Introduction to Judaism Program
{{Conservative Judaism Conversion to Judaism Jews and Judaism in Los Angeles American Jewish University

See also

References

External links