torah fund - The Jewish Theological Seminary

THE ZIEGLER SCHOOL OF RABBINIC STUDIES
The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies was the first
independent rabbinical school on the West Coast of
the United States. It is a fully accredited five-year
rabbinical school that values rigorous scholarship,
embraces the splendors of spirituality, and provides
its students with vast opportunities to grow
intellectually and spiritually.
On its idyllic campus in Los Angeles, California, and in
an atmosphere that places great emphasis on
personalized teaching, students open their minds and
Ziegler Students
hearts to the texts and traditions of the Jewish
religion, feel the presence of God in their lives, and assume the ever-expanding roles and
responsibilities offered to those entering the Conservative rabbinate in the 21st century.
The Ziegler School is dedicated to training a new cadre of Conservative rabbis who are
versed in Jewish texts, committed to a life of mitzvot and the love of God, and capable of
transmitting the beauty and wisdom of Judaism to others. The faculty and staff hope that
the graduates will leave the Ziegler School as passionate, dynamic, and creative thinkers
who can bring a sense of energy and holiness to the communities they will serve.
The curriculum fuses academic learning, professional training, a sense of hevrah
(community), and personal spiritual enrichment. Those emphases, along with the
commitment to take the best that the yeshiva model has to offer today’s rabbinical
students, yield a program that shapes vision and passion for Jewish life.
Today is an era in which Jews are asking “Why
be Jewish?” with greater urgency than ever
before. While previous generations might have
committed to Jewish life out of obligation or
tradition, today's and tomorrow’s Jews will join
the Jewish community only if they can be shown
how Jewish life can enrich their lives and touch
their souls.
Graduates enter the rabbinate with the vision
and ability to energize others religiously,
spiritually, and intellectually and to model the
ideals of traditional Judaism in the
contemporary world.
The future of Jewish life requires nothing less.
THE ZIEGLER RABBI
• Masters the Masorah synthetically and
technically
• Connects with laypeople and is skilled
in outreach
• Distills the tradition in ways useful to
people's lives
• Is motivated by God and shares that
faith
• Loves Jews as well as Judaism
• Pursues a socially conscious rabbinate
• Elicits the theological underpinnings of
sacred texts
• Teaches and observes mitzvot
passionately
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