After much study, I received s'micha as a maggid  from Maggid Yitzhak Buxbaum, in the line of Shlomo Carlebach (zt"l) and R. Zalman Schacter-Shalomi.

I originally considered pursuing the rabbinate, but G!d had a different path in Mind. As a Rabbinic Aide, I have served Temple Concord in Syracuse, NY, since 1997, co-officiating at High Holidays, leading weekly Torah and Talmud study and Shabbat morning services, as well as conducting life cycle events. I also served as the spiritual leader for two congregations (in Watertown, NY, and Ithaca, NY) as they searched for new Rabbis.

Once embarked on the maggidic path, even more blessings began to flow. I have been an invited presenter across the state and the country, and became one of the core organizers of the Third Annual All-Maggidic Conference in Berkeley, CA, in 2008.

I don't see myself as belonging to a particular "stream" of Judaism; my programs have been warmly received in Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist and Renewal settings. I believe, as the Sufis say, that the only way to tell a Truth is with a story, and that stories reach over and underpin all our spiritual associations.

I have been particularly active in interfaith dialogues, and believe that we understand our own religion better when we see it in contrast with others. Toward that end I have led an extended dialogue between the Jewish and Muslim communities, and for many years I was a member of a dialogue group for Jews, Palestinians and Christians that has been active since the early 1980s.

I also lead or participate in study groups and related activities, including a weekly study group that has delved into multiyear studies of Tanach, Pirke Avot, and various Talmud  tractates. A Chavurah I helped form nearly two years ago continues to meet monthly.

My professional and spiritual lives are closely intertwined. For over a decade I was a family therapist, utilizing clinical hypnosis and paradoxical interventions to help my clients move toward healing. My next decade was devoted to computer science, specializing in artificial intelligence and the way to understand and communicate human expertise, particularly in the medical arena. I brought those threads together as Chief Information Officer for a large regional medical practice, helping them transition to an electronic health record - a multi-year process.

All told, I strive to bring those around me along on this joyful journey we call life, wrestling together with G!d, working hard for healing, and embracing the Eternal's manifestation in this world.