American Friends of Zacharias Frankel College Receives Grant for Visiting Halakha Professors

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, at the May 2019 Ziegler Rabbinical School Ordination Dinner, honors Fredi Rembaum, wife of Rabbi Joel Rembaum, winter semester guest Halakha professor, for her service on behalf of Zacharias Frankel College and for founding the American Friends of Zacharias Frankel College. Private Photo.

The American Friends of Zacharias Frankel College and Zacharias Frankel College are proud to announce the award of a one-year $67,000 grant from The Diane P. & Guilford Glazer Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles for Visiting Scholars for Rabbinical Training.  The Diane P. & Guilford Glazer Fund has as one of its top funding priorities the sustenance of Jewish life and community in Israel and throughout the world.  The College is deeply grateful for this partnership in educating Masorti/Conservative rabbis to provide inspiring religious and communal leadership for building and rebuilding Jewish communities, especially, in Europe.

Founded as a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization in California, the American Friends of Zacharias Frankel College is lead by its board of directors: President Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Secretary and Treasurer Fredi Rembaum, and Member-at-Large Luis Lainer. The AFZFC completed all of its legally required obligations in late 2018 and became active in May 2019.  Zacharias Frankel College was established with generous start-up funding from sources primarily within Germany – a one million Euro grant from the Schwarz-Schütte Stiftung Potsdam, and a second, short-term grant from the Federal Ministry of Education/Center for Jewish Studies Berlin-Brandenburg for the Guest Halakha Professor’s salary.  Once the second grant expired, this cost, vital for providing core content for the College’s curriculum, had to be absorbed by the first grant, resulting in a faster projected spend-down.  Now starting its sixth year, Zacharias Frankel College, in discussion with administration of the University of Potsdam’s School of Jewish Theology, determined that the American Friends could best help extend the life of existing funds by seeking support for the Guest Halakha Professor’s salary.  Long-term funding will continue to come from within Europe to assure the ongoing stability of the College, however, this grant will be a significant help while long-range funding is being secured.

The American Friends raised additional funds from other individual donors in Los Angeles to supplement the ongoing funding from the Simha and Sara Lainer Foundation, which made possible the extension of the College Coordinator’s position from half-time to full-time, and the Torah Fund of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism which provides an annual grant to, now, all five Conservative/Masorti rabbinical seminaries.