Staff & Leadership

Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh is a dynamic leader in the Jewish community who blends tradition and modernity to create meaningful Jewish experiences. Raised in Los Angeles’s Persian Jewish community, known affectionately as “Tehrangeles,” she is passionate about fostering diversity and inclusivity in her role at American Jewish University.

Rabbi Tarlan holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston University and a master’s in Jewish education and Hebrew literature from Hebrew Union College-JIR, where she was ordained. At AJU, she oversees the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys, Miller Intro to Judaism Program and the AJU Community Mikvah.

Her previous roles include Director of Student Life at UCLA Hillel, Senior Jewish Educator, Jewish Emergent Network Rabbinic Fellow at The Kitchen in San Francisco, and faculty member at Milken Community High School.

Alyssa Craft is a visionary leader who blends innovation and tradition to create meaningful Jewish experiences. Raised in an interfaith family with a deep love of Jewish learning and community, she is passionate about fostering innovation and inclusivity at American Jewish University. Craft holds a bachelor’s in Religious Studies from The University of Arizona, a master’s in Jewish Nonprofit Management from the Zelikow School, and a Certificate in Jewish Experiential Education from The Pardes Institute. As Executive Director of the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys, she manages operations, strategic growth, and program development. When not shaping the Jewish future, she enjoys the beach with her husband and her very Jewish cat, Rachel.

Meet Benjamin Wright, Associate Director of the Miller Intro to Judaism Program. Whether you’re a current student, an affiliate or you are just interested in starting your Jewish journey or becoming a Miller Intro partner, Ben is your go-to person. He is happy to walk all students through the process, provide class information, and guidance when it comes to materials, payment, or anything else, and is also here to help program affiliates with any of their questions and needs. He is here to make your experience as seamless as possible.

Janet Djalilmand is the Miller Intro to Judaism Affiliates Manager and supports all of the Miller Affiliates. Prior to this, Janet supported the Valley Beth Shalom clergy team for many years. Whether you are looking to become an Affiliate or find a community near you, Janet is happy to guide you and help you get the answers you need.

A Los Angeles native and UC Santa Cruz graduate, Sarah brings a strong background in nonprofit work and community-centered organizations. Sarah supports Maas Center for Jewish Journeys and the Miller Intro to Judaism program. She is excited to welcome anyone who wants to bring more Jewish into their life and the world.

Anarose is a proud California native who recently returned home after a transformative decade living in Israel. Deeply passionate about Judaism and Jewish life, she brings a heartfelt commitment to her work at the Mikvah, where she views supporting others in sacred moments as a profound privilege. Anarose cherishes the opportunity to give back to the community through this meaningful spiritual practice. When not at the Mikvah, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two beloved Israeli-born cats, who made the journey back to California alongside them.

Rabbi Adam Greenwald currently serves as the spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Israel in Orange County, CA, where he is passionate about building an inclusive, caring Jewish community that feels like family. Before that, he was Vice President for Jewish Engagement at American Jewish University, where he founded the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys, authored On One Foot  – the course book and curriculum of the Miller Intro to Judaism Program, and personally taught more than 1,000 individuals of diverse backgrounds on their paths to finding a home in Judaism. For his work with the Miller Program, he is a recipient of the Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize in Jewish Education. Rabbi Adam loves classic films, long road trips, and frying schnitzel. He shares his life with his wife, Anne Hromadka, a curator specializing in contemporary Jewish art, and their spirited six year old, Gracie.

Rabbi Claudio Kupchik was born in Argentina and later immigrated to the United States. He earned a medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires, rabbinic ordination from the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano, and a master’s in Rabbinics and Talmudic Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), which also awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity in 2017. Rabbi Kupchik serves as the Senior Rabbi of the Shelter Rock Jewish Center and has been active in interfaith dialogue for over three decades. In 2023, he joined a scholars’ program at the Vatican Library to study medieval Hebrew manuscripts, where he met the late Pope Francis. Passionate about welcoming people to Judaism, he has also participated in group conversions in the Peruvian Amazon and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Rabbi Daniel Mehlman leads Temple Ner Tamid in Downey, California, while serving as a prison chaplain at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, he was mentored by Rabbi Marshall Meyer, a student of Heschel who transformed Judaism across Latin America. After studying at the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano and spending thirteen years in Israel, where he met his wife, Rabbi Mehlman completed his S’micha at Los Angeles’ Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in 2000. His rabbinate has included pulpits in Nevada, Florida, and throughout California, including Reno, Jacksonville, Ojai, Studio City, and Downey.

Rabbi Herschel “Brodie” Aberson graduated from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, where he developed a passion for text, teaching, and human relationships. He has served as a congregational rabbi in Phoenix, AZ, and has been teaching at the Miller Intro to Judaism Program since 2022. When not teaching, he studies vocal performance at LA Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA, and tends to the demands of his three beloved cats.

Rabbi Janice Mehring, Rabbi Emerita of Congregation Ohr Tzafon in Atascadero, CA, has been teaching the Miller Intro to Judaism course since 2012. She received her BS from UCLA, MS from USC and rabbinic ordination from Academy for Jewish Religion, California. Since retiring from her pulpit in 2021, she has kept the best parts of her job – officiating at weddings across the country and teaching the Miller Intro to Judaism course. We are lucky to have her join us for another year of learning- you won’t want to miss this opportunity!

Rabbi John Carrier is a Minnesota-based educator who has taught the Miller Intro to Judaism class for over a decade. Ordained from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in 2014, he served congregations in Burbank and Pasadena before relocating to Minneapolis in 2023. He now teaches Hebrew and Judaics to students of all ages while producing content for his “Rabbi John Carrier” YouTube channel and The Jewcurious Show podcast.

After 25 wonderful years serving a vibrant congregation, Rabbi Jonathan Bernhard decided to step away from the pulpit to explore new and meaningful ways of contributing to the Jewish community. This journey has led him to become the Director of Clergy Engagement at the Center for Jewish Food Ethics, co-found the Valley Chevra Kadisha, and work toward bringing green burial practices to the Jewish community, and he is currently the rabbi of Temple Shalom of the South Bay. He and his wife Laurie live in the San Fernando Valley, are parents to three grown sons, and share their home with three bed-sharing dogs and four noisy chickens.

Rabbi Myra Meskin is the Director of the Marilyn & Sigi Ziering Brandeis Camp Institute (BCI), where she’s honored to walk with those engaging in life’s biggest questions. A graduate of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at American Jewish University, she holds a Masters in Experiential Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and studied in the Pardes Experiential Educators Program. Beyond her professional pursuits, she enjoys yoga, hiking, singing, and has a unique love of coffee-flavored foods. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Rabbi Ben Gurin, and their daughters, Eleanor and Jaynie.

Rabbi Patricia Fenton brings eight years of experience teaching the Intro to Judaism class. A lecturer at both the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and the School for Jewish Education and Leadership, she also serves as Director of the Ostrow Academic and Sperber Community Libraries. Rabbi Fenton holds a B.S. from UC Berkeley, a B.A. from American Jewish University, and received her rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary.