Rabbi Matt

After the last three years of dreaming, learning, thinking, discussing, and struggling, I am thrilled to announce that I have been accepted to the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles!

The decision to undertake this new path in life toward the rabbinate was not an easy one and it was a decision that took so much deliberation. Jen was obviously my partner in this decision-making process and to her I owe a debt of gratitude for her support - heck, we moved to Israel! So many others have been part of this process as well, you know who you are, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

So, now what? I start school in the fall and expect it to take me about five to six years of incredibly intensive studies before I am ordained as a Conservative Rabbi. Meanwhile, as I have heard the phrase repeated often, "A rabbi needs to know ten things, nine of them are Hebrew," I am focusing my studies here in Jerusalem on Hebrew and am only attending a few afternoon classes at the yeshiva. The more Hebrew I know by the time I start classes in the fall, the more I will be able to understand and the better I will do in my studies.

Every day of the week, I have several hours of Hebrew homework and I need to keep learning the new vocabulary that is being thrown at us constantly. On the brighter side, I am able to understand the speed at which my Hebrew teacher talks and am understanding almost everything she says. The first week I completed some in-class assignments incorrectly due to a lack of understanding. Four and a half hours of Hebrew a day is a lot like a university week of language classes compressed into a single day so it is quite intense.

So, I'll keep up in Hebrew until summertime, when Jen and I will move back to California in anticipation of my start at Ziegler.

Just a quick note about the formal admissions process...

I asked for a Ziegler application about three years ago and first met with an associate dean to talk about going to rabbinical school about two and a half years ago. I realized then that I didn't nearly have the knowledge I needed to even be considered a candidate so continued to learn but struggled with my decision along the way. Then about a year and a half ago, after many additional hours of classes and many additional books (there is a lengthy recommended reading list for applicants and I have read almost all of the books now), I re-energized the process and spoke frequently by phone and email to the admissions coordinator.

We planned to come to Israel to obtain as much learning as possible to prepare for the admissions process and to be a successful candidate. The application itself consisted of five letters of recommendation, re-taking the GRE exam, writing five essays that amounted to eighteen pages, a photo, and an application form. I had formal interviews here in Jerusalem with the associate dean, the dean, and finally, last Monday, with the admissions committee which consisted of the dean, admissions coordinator (both rabbis), and two additional rabbis.

My final interview last Monday was merely 45 minutes but the fasted 45 minutes of my life. Their questions were outstanding and challenging but I had a wonderful time. Less than three hours later, I found out I had been accepted! Since then, I've been on cloud nine and sharing my news with friends and family.