So what do you teach?  Are you any good? What makes you such an expert? What does it cost?

Don't dismiss this story as folklore too quickly.  My students keep proving it true.  Adults and children, preparing for bar mitzvah or rabbinic school, newly joining the Jewish community or rediscovering their place here--all of them, whatever they were expecting, discover that the teaching isn't really foreign or far off after all.  It's almost cheating to call it "teaching".  All I do is show my students what they already know.

That doesn't mean it's not challenging.  It's up to each student what we'll work on; practical or mystical, detailed or elementary, serious or silly—but never lazy or sloppy.  What I teach is authentic and accurate.

 

Did I mention that I love teaching? And that my students have almost as much fun at our sessions as I do?

 

So what do you teach?

I teach "technology"— tools an individual can use to find a personal,  authentic place within Jewish tradition.  Depending on my student's interest, these can include

• Reading, understanding, and finding your way around the Siddur (the Jewish prayerbook).

• The laws and customs of Jewish observance.

• Taking active roles in rituals, like reading from the Torah or haftarah, or hosting a Seder.

• Studying Torah and elementary Talmud, in translation or the original languages.

• The history and inner logic of Jewish law and customs.

• How to connect with Judaism in a way that respects yourself as well as the tradition.

It has also been my pleasure to teach students preparing for conversion.

Are you any good?

RABBI AVRAM DAVIS,  Founder and co-director of Chochmat Halev, author of The Way of Flame   "Garry is an amazing teacher.  His depth of knowledge is enormous and his ability to convey it in easily understood, absorbable pieces is just wonderful."  ----------------- RUVAIN. Senior at Lowell High School   "It was fun studying with Garry for my bar mitzvah.  When I had a question we took all his books off the shelves and read them until we found the answer."  ---------------- David Spinrad, student   "On my path to the rabbinate, Garry has been much more than a source of knowledge.  He has helped me build my own love of Judaism through a deeper understanding of Torah, Talmud and Jewish prayer.  I recommend him highly." --------------- MICHAEL J. SARID, Director, Major Gifts and Leadership Development, Jewish Family and Children's Services   "I thought I knew a lot, but I was impressed by the breadth and depth of Garry's knowledge.  He is a pleasure to study with."

--------------- AMY, Sophmore, Tufts University   "When I started preparing for my Bat-Mitzvah, I was far more interested in finding the perfect dress than in learning about the meaning of my haftarah passage.  But studying with Garry was revelatory.  He helped bring the story alive.  When I chanted the haftorah on the day of my Bat-Mitzvah, I felt a personal connection with the text that I would have missed if I hadn't studied with Garry." -------------- ELLEN BERKOWITZ   Science Teacher, Bryant High School   "I grew up thinking that Judaism was a bunch of arbitrary restrictions and a lot of old men yelling "shah!". And the new-age rewrites just seemed to be making it up as they went along. Garry is amazing.  He understands the tradition so thoroughly that he can actually help make sense of it, in a way that lets me approach it intelligently and find what I can get out of it.  I still think it has too many arbitrary restrictions and old men yelling "shah", but it has some very valuable things for me as well.  I can't recommend Garry highly enough." ----------------

And what makes you such an expert?

My education began at Yeshiva Toras Chayim and Yeshiva Avrohom Tzvi, in Brooklyn.  I received a bachelor's degree in comparative literature from Columbia College in New York, and a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley.  In addition to  years of individual study, I've had the opportunity to learn from Rabbi Zalman Shachter-Shalomi, David Daube, Avram Davis and many other wonderful teachers.

I have translated and edited many editions of Jewish liturgy, including a Passover Haggadah sold for the benefit of Mazon, and the Friday Night and Saturday Morning siddurim of Chochmat HaLev in Berkeley.  as well as all the liturgy for Nistar Yeshivah in San Francisco, including its Tu B'Shvat Seder and 7th Night Passover Seder. I have been the ba'al t'fila (service leader) for countless Shabbos and High Holiday services at Bay Area synagogues and chavurot.  Articles on liturgy that I've coauthored  have been published in the Journal of Reform Judaism and New Menorah.

I teach classes at the San Francisco Community Center, Chochmat Halev in Berkeley, and Bay Area synagogues included Beyt Tikkun and Nistar Yeshiva, on subjects like the Jewish prayerbook, basics of kaballah, high holiday preparation, organizing a Seder, and the study of Torah and Talmud.

Anything else I should know?

My basic fee for individual lessons is $40-65, but I have never turned away a student because of what they could afford. Teaching is a great joy for me, and fees won't get in the way.

Most of my private teaching is one-on-one, although I'm happy to teach couples or groups of people as well.  I have a home office in the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco, near BART and MUNI and with parking.  I also can easily arrange to teach at my students' homes or offices in San Francisco and (time permitting) Berkeley and Oakland.

The easiest way to reach me is by  telephone at 415.334-8449, or feel free to email me at .