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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/18271/full/18271/stanford-s-new-chabad-rabbi-hopes-to-nurture-students/ <br /><br /> <b>Stanford’s new Chabad rabbi hopes to nurture students</b> <br /> Friday, August 9, 2002 | by <p>JOAN GROSSBulletin Correspondent </p> <br /><br /><p>Brought here from Southern California by Palo Alto's Chabad of Greater South Bay, Greenberg is now a full-time rabbi at Stanford. Though he's not affiliated with the Hillel Foundation, he has joined forces with Rabbi Noa Kirschner of Stanford Hillel to promote Jewish life at the university.<br /><br /> "Stanford Hillel is doing a great job," said the 25-year-old Greenberg. "I look forward to working together with Rabbi Kirschner in harmony to advance Jewish life at Stanford. Our programs should enhance each other."<br /><br /> In his short time on campus, that has already happened. Last semester, Chabad offered a class in conjunction with Hillel, "Prozac for the Soul," based on Jewish mystical teachings and how they can be applied to relationships and daily life.<br /><br /> Rabbi Yosef Levin of Chabad of Greater South Bay welcomed Greenberg's arrival.<br /><br /> "Chabad has had strong ties with Stanford over the years," he said. "It has been a dream to provide a full-time rabbi there."<br /><br /> Greenberg's work at Stanford is being funded by a $55,000 annual grant over the next three years from the private George Rohr Fund. The group, which opened a Chabad House a short walk from the Stanford dormitories, recently became an official campus organization with a Web site—<a href="http://Chabad.stanford.edu">http://Chabad.stanford.edu</a><br /><br /> In the fall, a beginners "Happy Minyan," with explanations in English, will be offered Friday evening to both men and women. In addition, "Friday Night Live," a Shabbat meal with singing, will take place weekly. Yiddish classes, women's groups and a "Kosher Movie Club" are also on the fall agenda, along with lectures and small group sessions on such topics as Jewish mysticism and history. Individual student conferences are planned to address personal questions as well as law and medical ethics.<br /><br /> During confused times, says the rabbi, people may appear successful on the exterior while they struggle inside with their relationships, their insecurities and their desperate need for happiness. "My goal on campus is to share the soul and meaning of a 4,000-year tradition with students who seek to live and love deeper," said Greenberg in a recent interview.<br /><br /> Previously the director of education at the Conejo Jewish Academy in Agoura Hills, he plans to create a thriving Jewish center at Stanford that will be an open, nonjudgmental home. Students from all backgrounds and walks of life, secular and religious alike, will be welcomed to discover the richness and joy of Jewish life in the 21st century.<br /><br /> Greenberg notes that formal Jewish education for many youths usually ends with a bar or bat mitzvah. While their secular education may be sophisticated, their understanding of Judaism remains at an eighth-grade level.<br /><br /> "We want to raise the level of Jewish understanding so that Judaism can be seen as an all-encompassing value system and way of life that allows us to live in a healthier and deeper way and to maximize our potentials as human beings and Jews," the rabbi said.<br /><br /> Born in Morristown, N.J., Greenberg was ordained at the Rabbinical College of America there. He continued his studies in Israel. His work at the Conejo Jewish Academy gave him the opportunity to lecture on Judaism and spirituality in cities across the United States, Israel and Europe. Conejo, an adult education institute, has drawn more than 3,000 students in the past two years.<br /><br /> In addition, he served as associate rabbi at the Chabad Synagogue of Agoura Hills and as the Judaic instructor for the Los Angeles Hebrew High Program for the past three years, during which he worked with hundreds of Jewish teenagers.<br /><br /> He has also led "Birthright Israel" tours in the summers of 2000 and 2001 for Harvard Law School graduates and UCLA student.<br /><br /> Reading about Jewish philosophy and world history is a great passion for Greenberg. "The two go together," he explained. "Jewish history is part of world history. If you don't understand history of the region, you can't comprehend Israel."<br /><br /> Joining him in the South Bay are his wife, Rachel, and their 1-year-old son, Mendel. His wife is a speech therapist and certified teacher of Judaic studies. She will be holding various sessions with women students at Stanford who are seeking a women-only environment for studies and conferences.</p> <p> </p>

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