ABOUT OUR RABBI...

Rabbi Miriam Hamrell brings a remarkable variety of experiences and gifts to her calling as our Rabbi.  She has served in the Israeli armed forces and raised three sons with her husband, Dr. Chuck Hamrell, in Los Angeles. She was inspired at a young age by her father’s passion for teaching Jewish studies and living a holy life despite all he had witnessed during the Holocaust.

After many years of being a teacher and administrator of Jewish studies at several congregations in the Los Angeles area, she returned to school for a second Master’s Degree in mid-life and was ordained as a Rabbi at the Academy of Jewish Religion. Her thesis explored Jewish law (halachah) and the emerging scientific developments in reproductive technologies, as well as how to deal compassionately with surrogate parenting issues.

In addition to leading Ahavat Torah Congregation and helping it grow each year since it was founded in 2003, Rabbi Miriam has helped numerous incarcerated women as a counselor, friend, and spiritual mentor at the California Women’s Correctional Facility in Chino, California. She has also been invited to speak in Israel and in the Balkan States on the roles of female leadership in Judaism.

After participating for several years in an ongoing Jewish-Muslim-Christian Cousins’

Club and sharing for several years our Brentwood Glen sanctuary with two other Abrahamic faiths, Rabbi Miriam was asked to speak at the December 2009 Parliament of World Religions in Melbourne, Australia about the possibilities for co-existence and mutual understanding between Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

But more than anything else, Rabbi Miriam is a wise, compassionate, and extremely positive soul who listens deeply and brings out the best in people. She is constantly coming up with ideas on how to inspire congregants and new visitors to go deeper into their Judaism and find the gems of wisdom that can help us live with more caring, creativity, and joy.