Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller has been the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Torah for more than a dozen years. She brings an unparalleled sense of warmth, genuine care, energy and love to our temple community. You can come to know her best through the sense of community she brings to weekly Shabbat services, and through her spiritual collaboration with our gifted Cantor Michael Anatole. Her passion for teaching is evident in her Sunday morning adult learning opportunities, Tuesday evening mini-series and her complete immersion into Jewish identity-building with her tenth grade confirmation students. She is one of TBT’s strongest voices for our Temple’s role of creating a close, cohesive Jewish community, as we celebrate simchas together and support each other through times of difficulty. We are proud that our Rabbi brings a commitment to partnership with our lay leaders and a strong desire to draw congregants into finding new paths to enrich their Jewish lives. Our Rabbi, Cantor, and Educator, as well as our Board of Directors, set the tone for Temple Beth Torah being the warm, welcoming, mensch-lik congregation that it is.

 Rabbi Lisa is a recognized and respected leader of the interfaith community in Ventura, as well as in City and County leadership. She is a positive representative of the Jewish community in the broader community. We are proud that the good reputation which Temple Beth Torah has held in Ventura for all of its 68 years continues, under her leadership this past decade. Rabbi Lisa’s rabbinate is dedicated to opening the promise and meaning of a Jewishly-enriched life to all who seek it. She is as beloved with the children in our Torah school as she is with our congregation’s adults.

 Rabbi Lisa was ordained from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1991; she earned her Masters of Hebrew Letters there in 1989. Her training in Jewish Education was earned through Brandeis University’s Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Service. She holds a degree in Journalism, and has been awarded multiple commendations for her community service in Ventura. She and her husband Rabbi Seth are parents of three teen daughters, who are active participants themselves in temple youth programs and Torah School.

 Click Here for Rabbi Lisa's Sermons.

Click Here for Rabbi Lisa's Monthly Message.

 Michael Anatole has served as a Cantor in the Jewish community since 1974, and has served Temple Beth Torah since 1998.

 Michael is a prolific composer. He has written three complete sacred services in English, and one in Hebrew, along with many sacred and secular songs. Michael believes that he has the distinction of being the only Cantor to have had a composition of his recorded by a Christian Gospel artist.

 Michael is the husband of Deborah Anatole, and the father of Elana and Jesse. Debbie and Michael are lovers of Arabian horses, and Michael is fond of saying that their barn is like the Middle East; Arabs on both sides, and the Jews in the middle!

 In addition to his cantorial responsibilities, Cantor Michael works closely with B'nei Mitzvah candidates in preparation for their special days, in "one-on-one" sessions. Michael also presents a six- week Basic Judaism/Synagogue Skills Course, which is usually attended not only by B'nei Mitzvah candidates, but by their parents as well. The TBT Shabbat music program has grown to include additional regular Simchat Shabbat musicians, greatly expanding the musical possibilities for Shabbat worship.

 Michael served as Synagogue Executive Director from 2008 to 2010.

 Click Here to link to Cantor Michael's Musical website.

Rabbi Jordana Chernow-Reader: information to be supplied.

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