Rabbi Mel Gottlieb, Ph.D.

Rabbi Mel Gottlieb, Ph.D. is the President of the Academy for Jewish Religion California as well as Dean of the Rabbinical School and Chaplaincy Program. Rabbi Gottlieb was ordained at Yeshiva University. He holds a doctorate in Mythology/Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute where he has served as an Adjunct Faculty member. He has also taught at Columbia, Yeshiva University and the University of Southern California’s Graduate School of Social Work.

Widely published, his essays have appeared in such publications as the national journals, Ideas and Shma, and the book, "Illuminating Letters."

A dynamic and engaging speaker, he is a frequent guest lecturer at the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles as well as at synagogues of all denominations throughout Southern California.

Rabbi Gottlieb is the former Director of Hillel at MIT and Princeton, and was the Rabbi at Kehillat Ma’arav in Santa Monica as well as Westwood Village Synagogue. He has inspired countless students with his enthusiasm for Jewish learning and deeply believes in the emphasis that the Academy places on spirituality as a major component of religious training and teaching.