Episode 41: Joining The Tribe w/Rabbi Adam Greenwald

“The only thing truly within our power, may be whether or not we will behave in each moment with arrogance or reverence.”

– Rabbi Lawrence Kushner

Rabbi Adam Greenwald is the Director of the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program at American Jewish University, the largest learning program for those exploring conversion to Judaism in North America. He also serves as Lecturer in Rabbinics at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. In 2014, Rabbi Greenwald was named one of “America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis” by the Jewish Daily Forward. In 2016, Rabbi Greenwald received the Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize in Jewish Education.

Rabbi Greenwald is the editor of On One Foot, an introduction to Judaism textbook and curriculum, in wide use across the US and Canada. He is a Fellow with the National Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL)’s “Rabbis Without Borders” initiative and speaks and teaches nationwide on issues of conversion, inclusion, and engagement of Jewish millennials. His writings have also appeared in the Washington Post, and he is a regular contributor to the Ziegler School’s widely distributed “Today’s Torah” and Jewish Values Online.

Prior to coming to the Intro Program, he served as Revson Rabbinic Fellow at IKAR, one of America’s most innovative spiritual communities. He received his BA in History from UCLA and his MA and ordination from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in 2011. He is married to Anne Hromadka, an art curator and consultant.

In my conversation with Rabbi Adam we discussed:

• The beauty and challenges of converting to Judaism

• What it looks like many years down the road after converting and how one begins to think about their journey

• What aspects of multi-culturalism lead to joyful moments of collaboration and which ones make things more “interesting” (ie difficult) to navigate.

Photo credit: Miller Introduction to Judaism Program

For some resources on converting and/or an introduction to Judaism, be sure to check out:

• Miller Intro to Judaism Program

• Honeymoon Israel

To watch the promotional video with Rabbi Adam Greenwald for the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program, click on the video below!

Thanks for stopping by and please be sure to share this podcast with your friends and family!