Introducing the Newest Member of Our Staff

We want to introduce you to the newest (old) member of our family here at Torah Aura. Josh Barkin, who worked for us before going off to grad school, is back to fill a new position here in our office.

Josh’s job title here at Torah Aura is Director of School Services. His job is to be there for our customers.

Wondering how to train your teachers to use our new lifecycle book? Drop Josh a line. Need to spice up your Hebrew/prayer curriculum? Get in touch with Josh. Have a question about whether S’fatai Tiftah or Journeys? Josh is your man. Want to run the best teacher training session ever? Call… Josh. Josh is also especially interested in the curricular challenges of teaching Jewish history, and he’s putting the finishing touches on our newest book, God: Jewish Choices for Struggling With the Ultimate.

He is a recent graduate of HUC-JIR in Los Angeles, where he received masters degrees in Jewish education and Jewish communal service. As an undergrad, he was the only Jew at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin, where he double-majored in politics and religion. Josh has been a page designer and sports reporter for the Oshkosh Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wis.) and has worked at the World Union of Progressive Judaism in Jerusalem, the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles, and a number of Los Angeles-area congregations, including Congregation Or Ami (Calabasas), and Temple Judea (Tarzana), Temple Beth El (San Pedro), Leo Baeck Temple (Los Angeles) and Temple Isaiah (Beverly Hills).

Josh is a graduate of a Solomon Schechter day school, attended Hebrew school at a Reform synagogue, and was a member of a labor-Zionist youth movement. He’s a recovering Dr. Pepper addict who finds solace in etymology, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his Powerbook. Also, he’s engaged to Sara Mason, an HUC-JIR rabbinic/education student who is currently the co-coordinator of the Mishpacha program at Congregation Or Ami.

If you need more information, check out Josh’s facebook page or his personal blog.

Or… you could just email or call. josh@torahaura.com • (800) BE-TORAH, x122.