Hi!
I'm Diane, the spiritual leader of Karov.
So, there was a day... or actually many days... when I decided I needed to say what I mean and mean what I say. You see, I was leading what was already an extremely progressive, non-traditional community, but after describing, teaching, and interpreting in what was very much a highly humanistic spirit, I would speak or chant the Hebrew of the siddur as they are in most Reform or Reconstructionist prayer books. I was studying Rabbinics at a seminary to deepen my knowledge when I started to feel myself emotionally and intellectually pull away from those texts. I realized that I no longer could relate to the idea of an intervening God, and that nearly every word we utter in most synagogues is just that. As I continued to lead services, I started to feel that I could no longer speak the traditional words authentically. It was a two year process to make the decision to redefine myself as a Humanistic Jew and as a Jewish leader within the Humanistic movement.
Want to know more about me? Read below.
Want to know more about Humanistic Judaism and our Chavurah? Scroll down to the next section.
I have been a music educator, choral conductor, Cantor, alternative Rabbi and now (soon to be ordained as) a Rabbi within the Humanistic movement. I am still a choral musician and conductor... more on that later. I have taught music in middle school and high school, conducted two community choirs, was the cantor at Beth Shir Shalom and was the founder and leader of Cool Shul. When I'm not "rabbi-ing," I am singing, conducting, or leading music for healing in a variety of settings.
I have a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from NYU, a master's degree in Choral Conducting from CSULA, and a second master's degree in Jewish Studies from AJRCA. I was privately ordained as a Cantor, and ordained as a Rabbi at JSLI. I am pursuing a second Rabbinic ordination from IISHJ.
I live in Santa Monica with two musicians (my husband and my teenager!), and I have a kid who is grown and flown and teaches high school history in a Quaker School.
Want to know what Humanistic Judaism is all about? Read more below, or just email me and we can talk allllllllllll about it.