Spirituality

THE NEW

BREED

New rabbis join our community on the bima,
with students, in programming and in chaplaincy.

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Four newly ordained rabbis from the University
of Judaism set their sights on Detroit.

commitment to programs, institutions and personnel."
He describes Detroit as "a doable Jewish community"
size-wise, making it hands-on.
"Students today want to make a difference and look
for supportive communities. They want to make their
life and work matter." He sees the four graduates as "a
real infusion of talent and energy coming to the com-
munity."
With enthusiasm, Wolfson adds, "I couldn't be more
excited for the students — and for Detroit."

❑

SHELLI LIEBMAN .DORFMAN

Staff Writer

I

n a summer marked with the loss of local rabbis
to retirement and relocation, the 2000 graduating
class of rabbis from one California school is mak-
ing a concerted effort to replenish the supply.
Of 12 new Conservative rabbis ordained in a May 16
ceremony at the University of Judaism's Ziegler School
of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles, four are Detroit-
..
bound.
Included in its second annual ordination ceremony,
held at Los Angeles' Sinai Temple, were Rabbis Amy
Bolton, Scott Bolton, Hal Greenwald and Jay Strear.
Additionally, Temple Israel already welcomed a new
rabbi. A new cantor will join Congregation Beth Ahm,
with a new rabbi expected to be hired soon.
Dr. Ronald Wolfson, vice president of the university
and director of the Whizin Center for the Jewish Future,
sees the choice of positions for the four University of
Judaism graduates as beneficial to both the candidates
and their new city.
Wolfson is co-founder of Synagogue 2000, a seven-
year research study to develop the 21st-century syna-
gogue. Established for the spiritual transformation of
synagogue structure and culture, combining a look to
the Jewish future and synagogue life with change-man-
agement techniques, Detroit will be among the dozens
of congregations nationwide participating in the project.
Several of the new rabbis came to Wolfson for advice
on choosing a site to begin their rabbinical lives.
"Detroit has a fabulous reputation as a community look-
ing forward, with wonderful leadership in all levels: syna-
gogues, federation and major institutions," Wolfson says.
"It is one of the great Jewish communities in the
world, a creative and open place educationally, with

Rabbi Hal
Greenwald

1-441

6/16

2000

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•

U-J Graduates Head for Detroit

•-Rabbi Amy Ruth Bolton

Part time chaplain; position undetermined.
Growing up in Chicago, Rabbi Bolton learned
Hebrew at an intensive Jewish summer camp. She says it
gave her the keys that unlocked her Jewish soul. By age
15, she knew her calling was to be a rabbi and to help
bring others to a closer relationship with Judaism.
After studying neuropsychology at Haverford College
in Pennsylvania to gain additional insights into human
nature from scientific and psychological perspectives, she
worked for two years as a research assistant at an
Alzheimer's center.
The rabbinate is a way for Rabbi Bolton to combine
her love of psychology and science with a passion for
Torah. She hopes to pursue chaplaincy work in hospi-
tals, nursing homes, hospices and addiction-recovery
centers.
Rabbi Bolton is married to U-J classmate Rabbi Scott
Bolton. They - have a 6-month-old daughter.

-

• Rabbi Scott Nelson Bolton
Director of Community Learning, Hillel Day School of
Metropolitan Detroit.
Following undergraduate studies in communications
and criminal justice at American University in
Washington, D.C., Rabbi Bolton worked at the
International Association of Fire Chiefs. The New Jersey
native comes to town stating, "My plans are to add my
soul and energy to the right Jewish educational enter-
prise."
Marianne Milgrom Bloomberg, Hillel's director of
development, explains that the new position was created
to encompass several areas, including acting as school
liaison to community rabbis, synagogues and the Jewish

