Rabbi Gary Greenebaum Named AJC U.S. Director of Interreligious Affairs
October 19, 2006 ? New York ? Rabbi Gary Greenebaum has been appointed U.S. Director of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee. "I cannot think of a more important time in the history of the U.S. for this kind of work," said Greenebaum. "I look forward to following in the footsteps of Rabbis Marc Tanenbaum and James Rudin, who pioneered AJC's landmark efforts in interreligious affairs." Greenebaum will work closely with Jerusalem-based Rabbi David Rosen, AJC's international director of interreligious affairs, and chairman of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC). Greenebaum, who has served as director of AJC's Los Angeles Chapter since 1990, has broad experience in working with a variety of faith and ethnic groups in the U.S. He led several delegations of American Protestant and Catholic leaders to Israel as part of Project Interchange, AJC's institute that promotes understanding of Israeli history, culture and politics. "AJC is fortunate to have Rabbi Gary Greenebaum at the helm of our interreligious activity in the U.S.," said AJC Executive Director David A. Harris. "He will make valuable contributions to furthering our goal of strengthening the ties we share with other faith communities." Greenebaum is a frequent contributor to the opinion pages of the Los Angeles Times, La Opinion, the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles and the Daily News. He also has been a regular guest on KCRW?s "Which Way LA?" and KPCC?s "AirTalk." Greenebaum was appointed by the mayor of Los Angeles in 1993 to be President of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, a position he held for two years. Earlier this year, Greenebaum was honored with the French National Order of Merit, presented to him by Ambassador Jean-David Levitte, France's ambassador to the U.S. Ordained in 1978 at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Greenebaum holds masters degrees in Hebrew Letters and in Jewish Communal Service from HUC-JIR and a bachelor's degree in English from the University of California, Irvine. He has taught at several universities, including San Francisco State University, University of Judaism, and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
Ari M. Gordon Program Associate, Intergroup Affairs The American Jewish Committee 165 E56th St. New York, NY 10022 (212) 751-4000 x266