Matt Rosenberg

Rabbinical Student, Geographer, and Emergency Responder

About Matt

Rabbinical Student

Matt is in his fourth year of rabbinical school at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, California. He serves as the student rabbi and spiritual leader of Temple Beth Sholom of the Menifee Valley in Riverside County, California.  He serves as a rabbinic intern for the organization Nechama - Jewish Response to Disaster.

Matt, who lives in the San Fernando Valley, is involved on an ongoing basis with Adat Ari El in Valley Village.  Matt previously taught a confirmation class for seventh graders on social justice in the Jewish tradition during the 2009-2010 school year and led daily minyan at Adat Ari El throughout the summer of 2009.  From 2007 to 2009 Matt served as student rabbi of an assisted living facility in Tarzana.  He is a member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains 

Matt was an American Jewish World Service 2008 Rabbinical Student Delegate to Ghana.  While studying in Jerusalem for the 2006-2007 academic year at the Conservative Yeshiva, Matt traveled to Ukraine in 2007 to help newly developing Jewish communities celebrate Passover as part of the Pesach Project of the World Union for Progressive Judaism.  Matt maintains a infrequently-updated blog about his experience in rabbinical school, Hatikvah.

 Matt has given sermons, divrei Torah, or has taught in the following communities:  Adat Ari El - Valley Village, California; Judaism by Choice - Los Angeles, California; Los Angeles Hebrew High School - Los Angeles, California; Moreshet Yisrael - Jerusalem, Israel; Mosaic Law Congregation - Sacramento, California; PicoEgal - Los Angeles, Calfornia; Surf City Synagogue - Huntington Beach, California; Temple Aliyah - Woodland Hills, California; Temple Beth Sholom - Sun City, California; Temple Ramat Zion - Northridge, California; University Women, American Jewish University - Los Angeles, California; Valley Beth Israel - Sun Valley, California; Valley Ruach - Valley Village, California; West Valley Jewish Community Center - West Hills, California; Women's League for Conservative Judaism, Pacific Southwest Region - Los Angeles, California

Geographer

Matt has worked as the Geography Guide for About.com (part of the New York Times Company) since 1997. He holds a master's degree in geography and has published two books on the topic (The Handy Geography Answer Book and The Geography Bee Complete Preparation Handbook). As a professional geographer, Matt served as adjunct faculty in the Department of Geography at California State University, Sacramento. Read more about Matt the geographer on his About.com bio.

Emergency Responder

Matt volunteers as a manger for the Mayor's Crisis Response Team for the City of Los Angeles and responds 24/7 to assist families of victims of sudden fatal emergencies.  He has served on the CRT since early 2008.

Matt began his career in emergency management by volunteering for the American Red Cross at the age of 17.  Has was formerly a Red Cross disaster services director, an Emergency Medical Technician and a CPR/First Aid Instructor. Matt worked for the American Red Cross of the Bay Area (San Francisco) and the American Red Cross of Ventura County (California) in disaster management.  Matt has served on more than two dozen major disaster relief operations around the United States through the Red Cross, including New York following 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Andrew, and the Northridge Earthquake.

Contact Matt

Matt can be reached via email at rosenbergmatt@gmail.com