Rabbi David Wolpe - Named one of the top Rabbis in America by Newsweek for the past five years, David Wolpe is the Rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, California. Previously he taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York, The American Jewish University in Los Angeles, Hunter College, and he currently teaches at UCLA. Rabbi Wolpe writes for many publications, including regular columns for the New York Jewish Week, beliefnet.com, as well as periodic contributions to the Jerusalem Post, The Los Angeles Times, and many others. He is an ethics columnist for Campaigns and Elections Magazine and a monthly book columnist for L.A. Jewish Journal. He has been on television numerous times, featured in series on PBS, A&E, as well as serving as a commentator on CNN and CBS This Morning. Rabbi Wolpe is the author of seven books, including the national bestseller Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times. Rabbi Wolpe has a new book now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and bookstores near you entitled Why Faith Matters, a personal faith journey and response to the new atheists.

Honors/Awards:

• Named one of hundred most influential Jews in America (Forward, 2003)
• Named one of the hundred most influential Angelinos (Los Angeles Magazine, 2006)
• Named one of the fifty most important Rabbis in America (Newsweek, 2007)
• Winner of a Rackower award for Jewish Journalism
• Winner of a Human Spirit award from the Wellness Community
  

  More About Rabbi Wolpe

Rabbi Nicole Guzik is excited to return to Sinai Temple where she served as the rabbinic intern for the last four years. At Sinai Temple, Rabbi Guzik had the pleasure of working under Rabbis Wolpe, Hirsch, Schuldenfrei, and Sela. She created Hazon He-ATID, the Friday Night Live prayer book, as well as Mahzor He-ATID, the ATID High Holy Day prayer book. Rabbi Guzik looks forward to growing and developing the Sinai Temple Israel Center, ATID, Torah in the Round, and Sisterhood communities.

Rabbi Guzik graduated with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles, attaining a B.A. in Near Middle Eastern Studies and Languages. At UCLA, she served as the UCLA Hillel President. After graduation, Rabbi Guzik participated in the Jewish Campus Service Corps Fellowship at Indiana University, a program that strengthens Jewish identity on the college campus.

Ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Guzik co-founded the lecture series: Visions of the Jewish Future. Rabbi Guzik was the recipient of awards in liturgy, philosophy, and Jewish codes and served as a research assistant for Rabbi Neil Gillman. Her other professional opportunities include an admissions internship at the JTS rabbinical school and rabbinic internships at The George Washington Hillel and Heritage Pointe.

She is married to Rabbi Erez Sherman, assistant Rabbi at Shomrei Torah Synagogue. Rabbi Guzik is thrilled to rejoin her Sinai Temple community!

Rabbi Jason Fruithandler is excited to join the Sinai Temple community.  Rabbi Fruithandler has just finished two years at congregation Bnai Jeshurun where he served as, Teen Coordinator, Graduate Intern, and Rabbinic Fellow.  There he helped implement a mishpacha program combining adult education and family education with the already standing Hebrew School Curriculum.   He also sent 46 teens on service learning trips in New Orleans and Santo Domingo.  He is proud to have been the Student Rabbi of Congregation Ahavath Israel in Kingston, New York.  Rabbi Fruithandler looks forward as well, to being a part of the STARS, ATID, and USY communities.

Rabbi Fruithandler graduated from the Joint Program between the Jewish Theological Seminary’s List College and Columbia University.  He received a B.A. In Talmud and Rabbinics and a second B.A. in Sociology.  Rabbi Fruithandler completed his M.A. in Jewish Education at JTS’s Davdison School of Education and recently finished his ordination at the JTS’s rabbinical school.  He is proud to have been a part of the first cohort of cross-denominational Schusterman Rabbinic Fellows.  As part of the fellowship Rabbi Fruithandler focused on the intricacies of non-profit work, reaching out to Jews on the periphery, and re-envisioning synagogues for the next generation.

Rabbi Fruithandler has a wife of five years Jessica Fruithandler and a beautiful baby girl Liba Shifra Fruithandler.

Rabbi Dershowitz - Until he became Sinai's Emeritus, Rabbi Dershowitz served this congregation 25 years on the pulpit, teaching, administering programs and activities, and available for all life cycle events. He continues his presence at Sinai and is now available to the entire Jewish community for counseling, officiating at weddings and funerals, even as he continues his teaching at the University of Judaism and other communal activities.

Cantor Joseph Gole - A native of Southern California, Cantor Joseph Gole attended the University of Judaism, Hebrew Union College, and earned his degree in opera and voice at the University of Southern California. A product of the Conservative Movement, Cantor Gole grew up in Los Angeles and attended Adat Ari El, Los Angeles Hebrew High and Camp Ramah. He studied privately with Hazzan Allan Michelson, Hazzan Samuel Kelemer, and Jewish repertoire coach Erwin Jospe. He has been the Cantor of Sinai Temple for eighteen years. Currently, he serves as the International President of the Cantors Assembly – the largest professional organization of cantors in world with 550 members and is a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. A recipient of the regional United Synagogue Award for outstanding creative programming, Cantor Gole has served as faculty at the University of Judaism and the Baal Tephilah Institute, and has encouraged numerous young hazzanim who now occupy leading cantorial positions. He personally trains our B’nai Mitzvah students and participates in life cycle events of our congregants. A brilliant concert musician as well, he has appeared with many major ensembles, including the Pacific Palisades Orchestra, the Guild Opera Company of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Cantor Arianne Brown has aspired to become a cantor since the age of eight. She is a New Jersey native and graduated from of Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Music Education and Voice. Cantor Brown was invested as a hazzan at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she also received her Masters of Sacred Music and Masters of Jewish Education.

Cantor Brown enjoys teaching students of all ages, working with our talented children’s choir, the Stars Singers, and participating in all aspects of synagogue life.

In addition to many opera and musical theater performances, Cantor Brown is a renowned specialist in Yiddish music. She performed in off Broadway productions of the Folksbiene Yiddish Theater, and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Safra Hall, Disney Hall, the Krakow Jewish Music Festival, and Warsaw’s Ida Kaminska State Theatre. Cantor Brown writes an advice column for the Yiddish Forward, and has been published in the Journal of Synagogue Music. Most recently, she sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium.

Cantor Brown is married to Randy Brown, director of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee