Rabbi's Column

Surf City Synagogue extends its warmest welcome to Rav Matt Rosenberg who will become its newest Spiritual Leader starting July 13, 2012.  Matt is starting his final year at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles.  Rav Matt recently shared his amazing story of traveling to Siberia to help teach 50 Jewish teenagers about Judiasm. With a quest for exciting activity, Rav Matt has also traveled to the Ukraine to help lead Passover Seders with fledgling Jewish communities and experienced Ghana with the American Jewish World Service.  His newest adventure will be right here with Surf City Synagogue.  

Before starting rabbinical school, Rav Matt worked for and volunteered with the American Red Cross as a disaster manager in California.  With his background in emergency management, Matt currently volunteers for Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa's Crisis Response Team.  With this background, Matt helps to invigorate volunteerism within our Surf City Synaogue Community.

 Rav Matt is also a professional geographer who has operated the About.com geography website for the past fifteen years.  He is the author of two geography books and taught geography at CSU Sacramento. Rav Matt earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in geography at UC Davis and CSU Northridge, respectively.  So, watch out SCS Congregants, Rav Matt may be testing our "world" knoweldge in services to come.  

 Rav Matt is also a family man, which is a first for at SCS.  Married to his lovely wife Jen, he is the proud papa of four year-old Zachary and 16 month-old twins Talia and Benjamin.  

 In addition to his new role as our Student Rabbi, Matt is a rabbinic intern at Adat Ari El in Valley Village, where he teaches adult education, religious school, and confirmation.  He hopes to incorporate some of his educational experiences with our youth at SCS as well.  Rav Matt previously served as the student rabbi of Temple Beth Sholom of the Menifee Valley in Riverside County and as a student rabbi at an assisted living facility in the San Fernando Valley.  Thus, he joins the SCS congregation with much experience.